It is better to Deadhead than take cheap freight

People need to say no to cheap freight and deadhead. When I see guys hauling cheap lumber from NorthEast down to the south, their excuse is always, " I made my money comming into the Northeast and the cheap freight pays for fuel back home. "

Please guys, this is a stupid reason. Why take a cheap lumber load with 8' tarp, 48k lbs from MA, ME or CT down to NC for $800-$900 on over 800 miles when you can deadhead down to Baltimore, PA, or VA and take a 200-300 mile load to NC/SC area for $600 to $1000.

I was in MN this past monday and the best posted rate for Stepdeck was posted by Landstar paying $2300 from Minneapolis, MN to Charlotte, NC (aprox 1200 miles). Load was taken before i had a chance to call. Since TQL posted the same load, I called them and like always, they wanted a rate. I told them $2800 because it is a Stepdeck load. TQL wanted to pay $1900 on the same load. So I deadhead 400 miles to Peru, IL, and took a legal flatbed/stepdeck load from Landstar going to the NC area and got paid $2200 on 800 loaded miles.

If the best load from MN to NC was $2300, there were many many loads paying way less than $2,000. I hope that folks would say no.

The mentality of always being loaded and keep deadhead to a minimal is stupid when you are in a bad area like MN, FL or northeast and other areas. Come on truckers, say no to cheap freight.

 

I have been to Denver, CO twice this year. First time was Memphis, TN area to Denver for $3500 on 1100 miles legal flatbed load in June.

Second was beginning of Oct, $4500 on 1600 miles from Greensboro, nc to Denver. Legal flatbed load.

Both times, I deadhead to Kansas City and got over $2/mile out back east. Only time i am willing to go to Denver is to gross $3500 or more and it must be a weekend load meaning, pickup on Thursday or Friday, and I get to Denver on SAT night, restart my hours and deliver on Monday.

 

I agree with you Dune-T. I am from NC and sometimes, the rates for outbound Dryvans pays the same if not more than legal flat/stepdeck loads. Especially on runs under 400 miles. The problem with dryvan i had this year was that the other end usually suck bad unless you have a dedicated account. I have given up on running the general loadboard with the spot market rates on Dryvan.