Currently pulling dry van.. I’m wondering what about Refrigerated
Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by Humbretrucking, Mar 7, 2021.
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Speed_Drums, Farmerbob1 and TallJoe Thank this.
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For instance, hoping that June-July - cherries out of Oregon/Washington will pay exceptionally good going to the East Coast or that Yuma, AZ produce will be all right in December. I mean, I'd feel really fooled, if refrigerated freight would not give me substantially higher income than the dry box with the same intensity of work.
On the other hand, I've become quite complacent with the dry van. With age, more and more I value the peace of mind. I've nothing to worry about when I park a loaded trailer over the weekend for Monday delivery...whereas with a load of strawberries, or even frozen meat, I'd feel somehow obligated to pay attention to it.slow.rider, CorsairFanboy, Farmerbob1 and 2 others Thank this. -
It's so much easier to book a profitable week of reefer loads compared to van that it's not even funny. In slow times when you want to scratch by on a $2000 after fuel, pre-tax net week you'll bust your ### all week long trying to find van loads making that happen versus doing it in a couple or 3 days then right back home with a reefer.. I never sit around without a load even in slower times. Usually I'm booked up 3 to 5 days in advance normallywith 3 or 4 loads one after another. That's how you dispatch a truck imo. My buddy plays the game where he waits for the absolute highest dollar on the day of to book. I think that's a waste a time and my way is a better means to an end and more consistent. Sometimes I do that game when its after a storm or DOT blitz week but probably 90% of my loads are booked way in advance. I used to operate that way (waiting until the last minute for top dollar) always with a van. I felt like it was the only proper way to make money with one and still think that is the truth.
I'm leased on and self dispatch. The only real difference between you and me is you're getting your full cut of the rate con, minus factoring, versus me getting a percentage of that within 24 hours of submitting paperwork. I operate exactly the same manner as any independent working spot freight. I don't get orders from anyone go here, or go there.
Another difference between van and reefer the longer runs always pay better. You'll be doing more 500 mile hauls or longer and only rarely bothering with sub 250 stuff. There's too mamy idiots in reefer who will waste a day on a $650-$800 load on the short miles. Sort of like the mostly lousy $400-$600 van hauls of the same length of haul. With a reefer you'll learn where a the DC's and types of shippers if you're running consistently the same lanes. I dont know WTF goes on with cherries on the west coast and don't GAF either but I know exactly whats happening in the midwest and southeast. Sometimes I even run some east coast stuff.
I'm loathe to post finer details on exactly what I do. It's foolish and probably I have posted too much here already. I have been burned for being generous with info I have worked for. The peanut gallery would eat it up but more troublesome to me is the fact that competition benefits from the hard knocks that took me time to figure out. The best you'll get from me as far as that goes is some vague areas I run in. I'm not sharing rates info or any of that. You'll just have to take a leap of faith what I'm saying is right.Last edited: Mar 14, 2021
59EX, slow.rider, Vampire and 5 others Thank this. -
Swift/Knight trans have very deep pockets in markets like right now. I work exclusively with 2 brokerages (not Swift/Knight), for the most part, several years going but now and then I'll stick it to a mega like Swift on the blitz week or some such.
I don't see any megas at some of the places I go and see a lot of them at others. That's never been indicative of what I made on a load though. I don't book it if I'm not making money. And I see lots of large cars too. You'd be surprised how some of them guys will work cheap. Not always of course but you can't judge things on the surface like that.Last edited: Mar 14, 2021
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Farmerbob1 Thanks this.
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Mega's or single trucks, both cut rates. To think any different is pretty naive. Same type of thinking that the more you pay the truck the better the service is.
Seems like most who dis-like reefer worked for someplace that didn't care where the freight went. Or how long someone sat waiting for it.
Reefer requires thinking, that eliminates quite a few. More thought than just shut the doors and forget about it.
But please, shy away from it so those that are successful at it don't have to deal with more that have no idea what they're doing.slow.rider and mp4694330 Thank this. -
CorsairFanboy and TallJoe Thank this.
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I did 8 years reefer and the last 11 years dry van (7 of which as an o/o) so my reefer recollection are also from a driver's perspective only. It is all definitely true about the inconveniences and added stress at the receivers, mostly being concerned that they would reject the product on a whim and you stuck with it another day or two. Dry van is 99% easy and the stress level, compared to the reefer freight, is negligible.
However, during the reefer years and it was mostly produce from the West Coast, my understanding was that most independents were focused on that type of work...almost as if it was either that or an open-deck...I remember being somewhat dwarfed in my company's old beat up Freightliner Century, while their shiny Petes with a 100 lights reefers were standing tall. "Now, those must be businessmen!", I thought.
Dry van freight was looked upon as nothing serious - entry level at best and in the long run, a road to nowhere.
I don't know...I can't say I've made a fortune with a dry van and I can see that with the market swings, the vans are the most vulnerable. As a solo, you can't find any more or less permanent ties with brokers and so called direct freight seems unattainable. Having said that, if what we experience on the spot market now, could be projected onto the next few years, a reefer would be the last thing on my mind but I don't think that this market will stay at this level for that long.
A few days ago, I called Utility and Great Dane dealers around Illinois, and Wisconsin about new dry vans and they are all sold out until 1st QTR of 2022. They don't accept any new orders until further notice. That's unprecedented. But that also means that as soon as the current market sinks, dry vans will be easy to find at Ritchie Bross. Auctioneers.slow.rider, Vampire, CorsairFanboy and 2 others Thank this. -
I am that buddy from Chicago who @rollin coal mentioned, 13 years into trucking, 10 booking my own freight...My last few loads, all spot market, loadboards (both ITS and DAT) reefer freight with absolutely ZERO connections, relationships etc...One thing, we are leased to stand up guy who runs tight ship and have 21 years old authority (about double that he's been in business) so somehow we get respect... from reputable brokers of course... that's gets us outstanding rates...
WI IA 387 loaded miles...2000$
IA NE 276..1800$ (dry load)
IA IL 484...3300$
IL NE 463...2200$ (dry load)
IA WI 481...2400$
WI IL 87...1500$
WI IN 330...2500$
IN IN 173...1800$
IN WI 246...2400$
from my parking spot back to parking spot total mileage...(loaded, empty, runs thru home)...4796 miles
loaded miles 2927 miles
empty miles 1869 miles
61% loaded, 39% empty
total gross 19900 $
total rate per mile 4.14 $ per mile
loaded rate per mile 6.79 $ per mileLast edited: Mar 15, 2021
Vampire, Speed_Drums and TallJoe Thank this.
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