Finally got my own truck

The art of deadheading.

Unloaded early in Holden, WV up Mine Road #22. Skinny winding road going up a mountain, had to use 1.5 lanes. Thankfully it was paved.

Looked at the load board, nothing. 60 mi to Charleston was my only viable option to drive, except back through US119 to Pikeville, KY 50 mi away. There was a load there going to Cincinnati for $700. Broker called my phone and argued why I needed $900. Oh well.

So I took a quick look at the board and the closest markets to me and decided that Kingsport/Johnson City was the best option by far. 155 miles to Kingsport down US23. Went right through the mountains. Beautiful drive.

As I got closer to Kingsport, like 50 miles, I posted my truck, about noon30. Calls came in!
Ended up booking a quick str8 thru run to 30mi east of Charlotte. 255 loaded $850. Couldn't get more. Was 175 empty. I unloaded and now am parked empty in a good area. Drove 441 miles today.

But when you're in an area like where I was this morning, you GOT to make a quick decision like that. I knew 1) where I wanted to go, 2) how much I'd be willing to take to get there, considering 3) how much I could have gotten where I was , and 4) the likelihood that I would have been able to get south for anything decent.

I think the decision I made today was a pretty good one. Hate to deadhead 175 miles but I got what I needed to go to where I went. Now instead of ending up in PA or MD or OH with limited options on Tuesday, I'm in a good area. Sure I might have been able to snag $1200 on 400 all miles to MD but then tomorrow I'd be looking at $850 on 600 miles, or 900 miles for $1350 and 2 days, and there MIGHT not be anything there going south. So now I'm at $850 on 400 miles and tomorrow I could get $1350 or maybe even more on 650 miles to another good area. And I wouldn't have to deal with east coast.

So now I'm learning when and where to just GTFO and put myself in a better situation.

 

I just sat here and typed for 15 minutes about my week and decided not to post it, so I deleted it.

Suffice to say, I did okay, made a small mistake on a rate when I knew I should have gotten more from a desperate broker, but made up for it the next day and then some.

Monday, deadheaded 170 miles out of WV, picked up 250 loaded $850.
Tuesday, Charlotte to Memphis, $1000
Wednesday, 450 miles $2050 Memphis was smoking hot.
Thursday, quick 320 loaded, $700 back to Memphis, delivered str8 through at 2pm.

Friday today in Memphis it was slow. I was really hoping for a big money load. $4000 to ND, $6000 to WA, nope, nothing. I was hoping. 1pm I was getting desperate and the board was dying. Got lucky and CHR called me Memphis to SC 500 miles, gave me $1600 delivering in the morning, and my Uncle lives 240 miles away in Charleston, so I might look for a load nearby going to Charleston for Tuesday for the extra revenue.

Right now I'm at 2100 loaded, 450 empty, $6200. Kinda disappointing. I was really wanting a $7000-8000 week. I probably could have gotten close to $8000 had I wanted to go to NJ but I didn't. Sure I had a really good RPM, and even the revenue is okay for dry van. I just wanted more. Needed more. I need to have some really great weeks.

Got to sleep.

 

Thanks, man. Yeah my boss seems happy. I don't plan on getting my own authority. Way too much hassle to deal with. I get my money every Friday. And I don't give away too much. I give away 12% plus trailer and ins but then I'd have to get my own trailer, own insurance, and you know how hard and expensive it is to get ins for a new MC. And then factoring, going after brokers that don't pay, audits, etc just too much hassle.

After a bit when our dispatcher gets enough trucks that he doesn't need my 2% to survive then I'll do all of it and sign my own rate cons for the extra 2% . But right now I'm fine with it. No plans to get own authority at the moment.

 

And yeah I've been waiting til late to book.
CHR and a small handful of others cares about servicing their clients and will pay to not fail the load. I'm all too happy to help them out. And they know it will get there on time or early. I understand that if they're paying me well, I need to give 100% customer service as best I can. And they get it. I get to the customer and put on my 4-ways, put my safety vest on, yes sir no sir, follow directions to a T, back into the dock perfectly, unhook my red line, and be professional and courteous. I may never go there again, but that doesn't stop me from doing things the way they oughta be done. I don't throw my trash and piss bottles out the window. I'm not bottom of the barrel type driver. Brokers may not understand that or may never know the kind of service I give, but that don't matter all too much to me. Their customer is my customer.