Flatbed Freight Lanes

Best paying, or consistent freight? ATL to Middle/So FL are frequent. Other than that, Look for ATL to the eastern seaboard and back west.

 

LSAgent I was planning to get my own authority and I am based in central Florida. I was going to run flatbed but was worried about all the negative I have read about Florida freight. DO you think I could be ok getting in and out of my home area here in central Florida? Or is just the inbound freight out of Atl thats consistant?

 

I'd ask some of the other O/O's around here, but from what I read and what I hear when speaking to other drivers, expect to deadhead or haul cheap out of FL. Into FL isn't an issue so long as you negotiate your rate. As far as getting signed up with us, for some reason the company has a rule that they won't approve carriers in FL unless they've been in business for two years minimum. Not sure why this is.

 

i think a lot of brokers have a rule about how long a carrier has to be in operation. I imagine there are ways to get loads as a new O/O and Ill have to use the time I have before I get started to try and form some relationships ahead of time.

 

The I-4 corridor is not too bad. I would just make sure I was heading home with a high enough paying load to afford deadheading north a little. I've found it easier getting into and out of central FL than the panhandle. Also, It's better you can sit at home down there waiting for a decent load, vs. sitting at one of Florida's sad little truckstops.

As for Miami, I never have loaded any farther south than Tampa area after empting in Miami. Those SE Florida rates are impossible.

 

Freight from Central Florida is non-existent, at least if you expect to make a profit. And to be honest, even the rates INTO Florida have taken a huge drop recently. My guess is all the "working snowbirds" that migrate south and won't go north at all.

 

I live right on the I-4 corridor so if there are decent rates here going out and finding loads back home are also decent I think I can make it work. If I had to DH Jacksonville is only 90 miles and south Georgia is a little further so it wouldnt break the bank to get there empty...so for the most part thats good news about this area