I'm a company driver, eventually want to be O/O and I want to learn more of the industry and also make more money. I drive primarily local heavy haul out of Houston, Tx. My company keeps me pretty busy but I want to do more. We get in the $5 / mile range for 300+ mile loads and dead head back. We do loads out to West Texas, Dallas, LA or Oklahoma and dead head back. I hate dead heading back and not getting paid even though we technically charged enough to come back empty. How can I find loads to come back even part of the way? Another idea I have to make more money in down times is to see if we can get leased on to another local carrier to haul tanker loads. Sometimes we sit and wait for loads or go home at 1 in the afternoon. Could we not lease on a truck part time to another local company and haul there loads when we are dead?
You're a company driver, I "assume" you get paid for driving whether loaded or empty. Your company has set up their operation. What you might not be taken into account is they want you back when they want you back to make another run for their customer. If you were to get loaded to come back the Load/Unload times could screw up your next run with their company. Like you stated, they've charged enough to get paid to deadhead back. Less fuel, less wear and tear. Enjoy the empty miles. If you don't think you're making enough money then take the risk and buy your own truck, or there's other jobs out there.
I get paid percentage. I understand the importance of getting back to service customers. We are a small company and the dispatcher has his hands full keeping the company going. He charges enough to get us back so he doesn't have to deal with finding a load coming back. He has enough headaches dealing with other stuff. I've beceome trusted enough that I get to deal with our biggest customers directly often. I am not nearly experienced enough to buy my own truck. But I want to try learn more and help my company make more money in the process.
your a company man. it's basically out of your hands. other then to find another job. finding heavy haul loads isn't as easy as you might think. so i don't know why you'd think you can do better with the load boards then your company. who may or may not even be using them. there are tons of loads on the board. but none that pay enough to haul. the freight that actually pays. don't even make it to the board.
Well I'm just trying to learn the industry. I don't want to look for another job, I've found a good company that is a fit for me. The grass isn't always greener on the other side. I like the grass where I'm at. I just want to find a way to better fertilize the grass that I have. My company doesn't use load boards but if I am sitting and doing nothing, why shouldn't I at least look for that odd really good load that pops up?
By the time you find the (probably cheap) load, get it on your truck, get the permits, get to the destination and get it off your truck, then go to get that next $5/mile load, you've wasted 1-2 days versus just getting straight back for that next $5/mile load. And if you run into problems getting that cheap back haul off your truck because the broker lied to you about the delivery date, then you're REALLY in a pickle.
that's what i'm trying to tell you. the odd really good load WON'T pop up. they don't make the boards. the oversized AND heavy haul that DOES make the board. pays $2. and YOU have to buy the permits out of that $2 per mile. that's just an example.
my last oversized. turned out to be on 30 miles of dirt road. and the start of that dirt road. was 70 miles north of my actual destination. 100 unplanned miles and 3 1/2 extra hours. i lost out on my next reload. and becuase it was friday. spent the whole weekend sitting around.
Ok, thanks guys. I see on multiple fronts that I would be banging my head against the wall and that explains why my dispatcher isn't banging his head against that wall. What about my 2nd question in my OP about the p/t local work for a tanker company?
I spent a couple of months pulling a step deck. I hauled one - ONE oversize in those two months - and that paid in the $2.50/mile range before permits, IIRC. There was plenty of OS/OD on the boards, but none of them ever made sense to load due to the rate not compensating for the time, effort and expense to get permits, deal with escorts, limitations of movement curfews, etc. Much better to get legal loads for the same rate, with less hassle and time involved. See if you can get access to Internet Truckstop, Member's Edge or Get Loaded for a month and you'll see what I'm talking about regarding OS/OD rates on the load boards.
