Yes you are missing something, alot of those loads are technically not running the board, I have asked my coordinator several times, then why can I see them on here? He says I have no idea, you shouldn't beable to. I will probably never go out there again with Mercer, or anyone for that matter, because I refuse to buy a newer truck. I have been out to CA 5-6 times here, got lucky twice and loaded and back out the same day I got empty, the other times I sat and waited, and once bounced into AZ to grab a load to Denver and bounced home from there. Sat in AZ for three days last fall, got mad and bounced home. Sat in Seattle for 15 mins last year and said screw it and bounce home, the only saving grace both times the loads paid enough to bounce all the way back to Iowa. I learned my lesson, if you want to run out west, do it somewhere else, cause this ain't the place.
I talked to a Mercer guy today that sat in Seattle for two weeks waiting for a load I don't understand why someone go all the way out there knowing freight is scarce and not be preplanned for a return load. More freight for me I guess
I got into Waco,TX thursday morning, unloaded and by 10 am had a load out of Dallas going 100 miles for 450, and then by Friday noon got a load out of Pasadena (180 deadhead) going 550 up by Armaillo paying 1600. Unloaded this evening and deadheading to Oklahoma city. Texas may be slow and cheap but it's not 30 inches of snow either. My deadhead percentage has gone up to 25% but I'm getting the freight and good money per mile. Also I actually make money on the fuel surcharge here because I average 7.8 mpg. over all. Loaded I usually get around 7.6 and empty I get 8.5 sometimes better. And this is with a 379 pete. I've done several modifactions to make this 550 cat do well including a FASS system, oversize fuel lines, fuel temp. fooler,regular overhead, sythinic oils, but the biggest factor is my speed and how I drive. I feel I can get this truck overall average over 8 mpg with a few more modifcations.
That is my main problem, I'm too picky. I'll sit there looking at loads like you are pulling, waiting for the perfect load. I'll miss out on some steady dollars. I'm slowly coming around, but I'm not there yet. Tell me about the "oversize fuel lines," I haven't heard about this one. What is it supposed to do for your fuel mileage? I'm thinking about replacing my fuel lines, I have over 900K on my engine, I've had my truck since 480K and I doubt the fuel lines have been replaced.
All I'm saying is load board freight is paying way more than what I see at mercer, and I never dead head more than 100 miles and if I do I include them miles into the rate. If your still making $1.75/mi or more all miles than I don't think that's bad but from what I'm seeing that would be really hard to pull off I pulled out of Beaumont going to Houston,PA for $3,700 dropped and ran over to Pittsburg for a load of tubing going back to Dallas,tx 2,250 I pulled out Wednesday I'll only be gone 6 days and will gross $6,500 and have $2,000 in fuel and only haul 3 loads, now is every week like this no but most weeks are. I try and drive the lest drive the least amount of miles for the most money I would rather take a run that pays $2.30/mi on 500 miles than a load that pays 1.80/mi on 1,000 miles I have a better chance of getting a $2+ a mile load going the rest of that 500 miles. I took this Dallas run over Houston because they paid the same per mile Dallas was a 100 miles shorter but now I'll be 250 miles from Houston and can haul a load down that will pay $600-$700 that jumps my all miles rate up $.10/mi coming down Like someone else said your truck don't last forever the more miles you put on it the faster you get to needing to replace it I make everyone of them miles count....
I do sit sometimes, but I also compare sitting to deadheading. I figure my deadhead cost me around .75 mile. It's a hard to balance and everyone has to. I know alot of guys that think nothing of very long deadhead, especially if pulling an RGN. I've been told the oversize fuel lines help out on the cat injectors with a FASS system. You can PM me for more info., otherwise I'd rather not hijack this thread as it happens to much.
Again bayou, you are looking at the broker board, all the left over junk nobody here wants. I did $1.74 for all miles off the odometer last month, not great, but for the way freight has been this winter not bad either. My empty miles where 23.5% for the month, longest bounce was 432 miles shortest was 11, avg was 161 miles.
45 mph, doesn't everyone. Just kidding, though I am a slow driver.. I tend to run around 60mph. If I have a lot of time to kill, I will run 55, even when the limit is 70. Much faster and I get a nose bleed.
