Current flatbed rates

The hard part about that is getting two of those kind of runs, I guess it all depends where you are

 

Over time you learn which loads will be easy on and off and which ones will prevent you from getting that second one done. You pay attention and take notes so you can make educated decisions.
And it's not like the longer runs dont carry their own issues. A 1000+ mile run out of northern Indiana and southern Michigan is going where? The northeast where you drop a hundred bucks minimum in tolls to get there and either bounce back empty or get a dirt cheap load back. Texas? You won't get a load back up paying anything close that you went down for. South ga, al,ms,la? Same issue as Texas. West to Nebraska Kansas or south Dakota? Don't even bother reloading just come back empty.

 

You're saying no freight in southeast for flats? LA is a little weak, but AL is pretty good, and so is GA. Northern indiana usually goes to east coast, northeast (which works perfect for us cause thats towards home and we can stop for the weekend), and everywhere. Never picked a load up from texas but went into texas for good money and picked from OK for a decent load, paid $2.00 for 1000miles (consider that decent, to each their own). Unloading in SD tomorrow, rates don't see to be too bad for what our needs are. I'll definitely be able to get $2.00 per mile (or close to it) to get home 1400miles. But it seems they are paying a little less than that...

 

No. I'm saying you won't get near the same rate going back up to northern Indiana as you did going down.

 

I imagine flatbed to be very similar to reefer. Just a guess on my part. With reefer 500-600 miles solo around me is the limit of what you want to run out. So you can quickly, painlessly, even deadheading all the way back if need be, get right back to your good stuff. When things are hot I like popping these brokers for $1,000-$1,500 on 150-300 mile van or reefer runs. Those are moneymakers.

Gives you the option to deadhead right back and do it again. If I take 1,000 or 1,000+ mile loads from around here its into a dead hole for sure. And I don't buy into the argument short miles or even two lanes and red lights cause premature wear. I got almost 600,000 miles on my last brake linings and I do lots of trucking thru the backwoods and on routes loaded up with a gazillion red lights. Abusive drivers are what cause premature wear and failure.

It's all in what someone is used to. I'm glad other people get excited over long hauls. They can have it. There's nothing to short haul once you figure it out.