Fikes, Good or bad?

I've neverworked for them, but they have a very good reputation. They have strong lanes in TX,AR,OK,LA area. This regional/short haul pays a good rate. As for running out west for them or 48 states, maybe someone else can shed some light for you.

 

Hi. I leased on with Fikes in December. This is a wonderful company. You say that you are "a L/H driver with OD." Does that mean a longhaul driver with Old Diminion truck line? Are you already an owner-operator with them? As you already know, Fikes is an owner-operator only carrier. But, there are guys with multiple trucks that will hire a driver, so the opportunity to be a company driver exists, but you wouldn't be a company driver for Fikes, rather, you would be a company driver for that particular owner-operator.

I'll try to touch on a few things that may interest you. First, living in AZ shouldn't be too much of a problem for getting home, although as Eskimo6804 pointed out, we run lots of freight in TX/OK/AR. But I've been to AZ twice with them, and I remember hearing something about several drivers having TX to CA runs. I live in CO, and while I could get home relatively easily, I choose to stay away for about 1-2 months at a time. I runs loads around TX mostly.

Second, pay is 75% of the linehaul gross and 100% of the fuel surcharge which Fikes is very good a getting. I haven't had a load yet that didn't come with a good surcharge for fuel. However, one complaint that I have is that the deadhead is a little higher than most guys would probably like. It's common for me to deadhead 100+ miles to get a load, and I think that is company wide. They like to use a lot of the same shippers, so they'll send you a choice of loads that usually originate from one of a handfull of the usual shippers.

If you call recruiting, they'll probably tell you that they're averaging $1.70/mile for loads. You would get 75% of that. However, I'm seeing most of my loads with a $1.90+ gross (I get 78%; new hires get 75%) and it's not uncommon for me to see a $2.50+ load get sent to me.

You may have picked up on the fact that Fikes uses dispatchers. They also give you the option of putting a satellite in your truck <---THIS IS NOT MANDATORY---> They are not Qualcomms, but forgive me for not remembering the name and I even have one installed in my truck!

You probably know that it's all flatbed (steps and RGN included). Some guys have covered wagons, and I've even seen a few curtainsides. You can count on lots of tarping. Recruiters will tell you 85-90% tarp. With that said, I only have to tarp about 50% of my loads. I don't know what else to tell you right off hand. Any questions? I'm not at a computer too often, but I hope I can be of assistance. Good luck.

 

Correct. $1.70 - $1.90 does not include fuel surcharge. That is the linehaul rate.

The average length of haul for most of my loads is just a few hundred miles at best. As far as company wide, I can't say. I like those short runs, so I don't even inquire about longer runs. Many of Fikes' drivers live in the TX and AR areas, and they usually get home every weekend with some getting home during the week. So, to do that, they stay around the South, and many TX and Southern loads are short runs.

Today, I took a load from Tulsa, OK to Springdale, AR which was 117 loaded miles. It paid $450 gross plus a $99 fuel surcharge. I get 78% of the $450 which is $351. Divide my share by the miles and that's three dollars per mile. That's why I like the short hauls. They tend to pay more per mile. The fuel surcharge on that load comes out to about eighty four cents per mile. That's a little higher than what I usually see - it's usually anywhere from thirty to fifty cents per mile. I know a twenty cent spread can be alot, but I've noticed that the surcharge usually correlates with the linehaul rate, at least with the shippers that Fikes uses. A lower linehaul rate usually comes with a higher fuel surcharge, whereas a higher linehaul rate usually comes with a lower surcharge.

Personally, I look at the linehaul rate to determine which load I will take when they send me several to choose from. I like a shipper that will pay a higher rate. Those that pay low linehaul rates but good fuel surcharges are still trying to move freight for cheap but throw a little in for fuel to make it look good. Uh-Uh. I want to see a higher linehaul rate than fuel surcharge.

Sorry if I got a little off tangent there. Fikes is a great company. Please let me know if I can be of any more assistance or provide any more information.

 

Elliott, if fuel were to come back down in the 1.50 to 2.00 per gallon range, I would agree about a better linehaul rate. But we all know thats not gonna happen. So considering you get 100% of the fsc.(I assume you do), why would you not want more fsc. and less linehaul? I prefer loads with lots of fsc, just my opinion. SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!!!

 

I just leased to Fikes 5 weeks ago and having trouble staying moving. Maybe because I was recommended a sidekit out. Don't know reason. Also out of owensboro terminal. I know now they have a lot of turn over. I am in the process of transfering to Hope and switching to straight flat. Hopefully better. In no way would I lease to Owensboro now if I knew what I know now. Hope this helps

 

Have a friend that is leased out of there and he says that it is really slow. Economy has some to do with it. But he still has been home every weekend and bringing home 1500 to 1800 after expenses.

 

Does any one have any new info on fikes the last post on here is in 08 if anyone has any new info it would be greatly appreciated.

 

I've been with Fikes for 2 1/2 years now out of the Mansfield, Tx terminal. I can't complain, there are always good and bad times in this industry. I bring home $1500.00 per week on average, and I'm home every weekend, and through the house 1 or 2 times a week. The people in the office are awesome, both here and in Hope.