mercer transportation

So flatbeds do better than steps at Mercer? I just thought that the steps are more versatile but I'm not married to owning them.

 

Nice to read a discussion between level-headed realists. As with everything in life, running you own authority has both advantages and drawbacks. If the right deal came along, I'd be flying someone else's flags in a heartbeat.

 

I have a step. Sometimes when I'm looking for a load, it'll all be flatbed freight. But if I switched to flatbed, then all the loads would be for a step.

Someone needs to engineer a 48' flat with a 40" deck height
That would be interesting to have 17.5" drive tires

 

LOL....That's just funny....it is what it is,or it is what it ain't!!!!!

 

If you ask recruiter or dispatch, they will tell say on average, there is 2 flatbed loads to 1 step.
Though easier to get more per mile pulling a step.

 

Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm thinking like I'm gonna be driving but I'm not. I personally do not like to pull a flatbed. Too high and I hate tarping. But drivers are different... if I hire them to pull flats and tarp then that's the job.

I wonder how low you could build a flatbed if you set the tractor up like a car hauler with low suspension, fifth wheel and tires??? Now that I think about it I've seen a few like that... 275/80/22.5 or 255/80/22.5 tires I think - taller than the 255/70/22.5s on my DD/RGN. I know they put the 255/80/22.5s on smaller RVs.

 

"Will take six to eight hours to load. Customer does not pay detention."

Anyone notice there are more and more loads listed like this? Are you accepting loads like this, or immediately dismissing them? Once I see this "no detention paid" I just keep looking.

 

if it's an otherwise good load, I would consider it. basically I'm not gonna pass on it just due to the excessive load time.

 

It had better pay good.

 

Yeah, it would have to pay extremely well. Accepting loads like that just validates for the shipper that it's okay to take eight hours to load a truck. It devalues our time. No different than saying you won't haul freight at $1.00/mile ... if nobody took those loads rates would increase. If we don't give away our time, then detention will start to get paid. I have successfully left a shipper after waiting too long and still no idea when they'd start loading, and they made it clear they get billed for detention but never bother to pay it. Almost all carriers are too afraid of losing customers by forcing the payment of detention charges. The biggest raise we could ever get is to be paid for all the time loading and unloading.