hard to please owner operators

So you are waiting for that 35,000 pound load of down feather pillows. They don't come up that often Driver.

 

If the rates suck, you bet I'm going to take the lightest load. But if it pays, I'll take on 48,000 too.

 

I've booked some way over the top rates on 45,000 lbs loads on good miles. A rate is a rate. Trucks were meant to be loaded you're not going to prematurely wear it out loading 40,000+. Funny thing is I always seem to get light loads because I really could care less. Seems like guys who always stress over what loads weigh have a harder time getting light ones load after load.

 

I agree that you will get better Mpg's running lighter but your not hurting that truck running heavy unless your abusing it or you have some really screwed up gearing. I run 75 to 80k almost daily and haven't worn this sum beech out yet, almost 2 million on it. Most of the trucks could handle a good bit more if the law allowed, not that I want to.
The o/o should have known what type of loads to expect when they leased on, how much time can you afford to have your people searching for his ideal load? I know if I get to a dead area and it's costing our dispatchers too much time or they are offering unsuitable loads I will tell them to skip or quit looking for me and I will find my own or deadhead to where I can get a suitable load but we are all on the same page and have been from the start. They know what I like and where I like to go and I know what they have or don't have. Sometimes I have to step out of my box and I know when I do it's because what I like to do isn't available. Then it's my decision to take it or not.

 

I've never been too worried with gross weight. Just stinks when you can't axle the load out, and have to go back for a rework.

You out dispatch all your owner ops? What percentage do you take for authority?

 

Or like Rollin Coal suggested let him look for some of his own loads. I'm all about doing what makes you happy, just not at the expense of others. It would be different if you had dedicated customers and had promised him this from the start. But that doesn't sound like the case. I know to lease on to our company you gotta be able to scale 48k but we haul about 90% steel. As you can guess we are stepping out of our box a little about now. Still have good outbound but inbound is a crap shoot.

 

In terms of hauling weight, I'm sure we'd all scale 100k if the load paid .10/lb or something along those lines. Friend of mine does that hauling potatoes and his equipment has lasts just as long. OP, if I understand correctly, he's crying after netting 3k a week because he's heavy? Personally I prefer to be heavy, truck has plenty of power and fuel mileage isn't much different from being light. Most drivers I know would gladly hammer down and keep their mouth shut. On your end, what makes him of value to you? Isn't everyone replaceable to some extent? Personally I wouldn't even go to the extreme of picking light loads for him, rather sit him on the sidelines for a week and claim you can't find anything under his desired weight. If it's an issue with equipment, then bypass the coops.
On my end I can do 44k, at 44.5 it has to be loaded perfectly. Typically 43 is my max because most of the time I can never get those 44+ to load right (no one understands when I say "load heavy in the nose/front of the trailer").