Maverick: Want to hear why people are quiting

I run flatbed and a bad week is 2500 miles, good week is 3000, but I also stay out 3 to 4 weeks at a time, you can get good miles flatbedding if your running all 48 and canada.

 

Krom, you should have paid attention 5 pages back and saved a bunch of bandwidth. Flatbedding pays top dollar. When people post this they are not talking about 3 cents a mile more than dry van on a flat rate mmileage pay scale. They are talking about loads paying $3 a mile or better compared to dry van where it's difficult to get $2 a mile. In other words percentage pay is the only way to go as a company driver or an o/o.

 

If your picking up and dropping tarped loads every day or two averaging 400 miles a day is a pretty good average which is why, as a general rule, flatbed drivers start at slightly higher per mile rates and get tarp pay to make up for the lack of miles. I drove flatbed for several years and 2000-2250 would not have bothered me as long as I had a few long runs and weeks mixed in.

 

where are you running? in the NE your never going to average 2500+ while out west with 1,000 mile runs you can certainly do it. I ran over 16,000/month several times but I hammered it and didn't go home and had a several 1000+ mile loads to help that out. That many miles was atypical.

 

This has been a good read. Keep it up guys, even Krom. I don't agree with any you've said and I think you're a little bit out there but it's helping to stimulate conversation.

 

I'm not saying that you didn't do it but that many miles for a flatbedder is not average at the majority of companies out there in my experience. You are right in the time it takes to tarp and chain or strap a load and not all loads need this of course. Waiting time (wink wink) cuts down on the driving time especially at some of the steel mills.

 

thats a good job right there, you'd better keep it as long as you can

 

That was my world, Krom. I ran pretty much like he said for the 3 years I was with Swift. Took a shower everyday, loaded and unloaded pretty quickly at the majority of places I went, ate at least one hot meal at a truckstop everyday because I made time for it and did a restart every week. I also made money and ran miles with them. If your not doing something anywhere close to this then your not setting your parameters with the company and taking the time to do it. Oh, I also had enough time to walk a few miles for exercise every day also.

 

Must have been the same guy I was parked next to at a T/A in NY a few years back. Guy was inside at the counter running down cheap companies for hauling cheap freight making it had for anyone to make a living. went on like this for 1/2 hour bad mouthing about every company you could imagine. I went out and sure enough his truck was idling in 50 degree weather and this while fuel was approaching $5/gal.

 

were you a SEAL? what and where?