Freight is up? For what it's worth

I just booked a van load for tomorrow from the Columbus, OH area to NJ (where I need to swap trailers) at a rate of $2.86/mile. Today's load from MI to the Columbus, OH area is right at $2/mile. I'd say rates are coming up a bit.

 

If you are captured on loads it will be tougher to get the rates to increase. They are contracted. If you are not independent and get paid on % then you need to be in a system that can get you at least 25-30% (if not more) bid freight. Without it you are at the mercy of contract rates.

 

Contract or not, if the brokers can't find the carriers to haul at the contracted rate, then they'll need to eat the difference.

 

wonder how long you would have a job if you took loads that didnt produce income for yohr boss? Same principal, just not going to happen

 

The issue is that brokers contract with shippers, telling them they will cover Lane X for a set price for the year. That's the contract price. The broker profits when they can get the loads moved cheap by the carriers, and the broker loses when they can't get a carrier to move those loads for less than the rate that they've contracted with the shipper.

 

Freight seems a little easier to negotiate the higher rate. Which tells me it's up.

This is my week so far (drive and already booked)

$1000 on 500 miles
$1200 on 300 miles
$1250 on 350 miles

Or, $3/mi loaded.

With 200mi of deadhead, it will be 1350 miles for four days of work so far. Now, just need a good weekender load to bring it all together.

(numbers rounded to nearest 10)

 

You've done better than I have so far. When I deliver tomorrow, I'll have done $5500.00 on 2249 total miles, $2.47/mile for all miles, $2.94/mile loaded.

 

This is just 14 months in but compared to last year volume I see where I look is waaay down. I get a fourth of the amount of email alerts and see an average of 300 less loads daily on ITS. Robinson starts off with 3 pages of loads daily that quickly drop down to less than half a page before lunch. Last couple of weeks in Feb '12 there was way more volume and it seemed to stay that way for most of the day well into the night. This just anecdotal like everyone else but that's what I'm seeing. My rates are actually up but that's only because I just refuse to move for whatever I deem too little which is still the vast majority of everything posting. Here and there have been some surprises easily getting a good rate but it almost feels like luck whereas last year the freight was just available everywhere. Still feels like too many trucks not enough freight.