need help understanding

If anyone asks me :How much will you haul it for, I give them an outrageously high number. (especially if its not something i really want to do.) In a few cases they are desperate to move the freight and my truck is in the right place at the right time. I made $4/mile once going from NJ to ID. You never know how desperate they are until you ask. Yea he seriously over paid for that load, but, if hes willing to pay it lol, who am i to say no. 2500 miles at 4/mile . 10K for one load. After fuel and maintenance I made 8500 for less then a weeks driving. Int his case, their warehouse was full and they needed to get it loaded asap. They could care less when it got there but needed to get it on a truck. Obviously that doesn't always happen, but I would think twice before turning down a load just because they ask you what you want.

 

Brokers that are willing to pay $4/mile are not going to wait on me or anyone else to discuss the load details. They will put the important info upfront. I will see it on their post because they want this load moved. there is no problems finding trucks to haul freight for $2/mile let alone $4/mile & as soon as they post it "IT IS GONE". That is why I walk a way from loads (How much will you haul it for) because if you say I will Haul it for $4ooo the next driver that is willing to answer The Big Question (How Much

Will You Haul It For?) He/She May Think $3000 is a Great Deal because it will get Him home kind of thinking & so on & so on There is nothing wrong with saying I will Haul it for $10000000 The problem is when you say that to the broker the obvious answer you will get HE/SHE will say Oh ok can I have your phone #? MC#? DNA Samples? Ya ya That's it

That's the ticket BUT & Here comes the bad News LET ME CALL MY CUSTOMER & SEE IF THEY ARE WILLING TO PAY THAT....hmmmm . just got Suckered.

How many of you got a call back from the broker when you gave him/her your #'s??? 1 in 10000? Now I Have to Be Fair & Admit that I have given a Price to haul a load for a

broker before, BUT these brokers that I give My Price to Haul it for, ARE VERY GOOD Up Sanding People Not someone I never Done Business with Before.You Have to know the

person you are dealing with before you go on bidding $100/Mile. How do you know they are good for it? Is there Credit good enough?How long they been brokering?Are they ethical

or are they a bunch of schmucks that Has fine prints in their confirmation that says if you don't make a daily check call they charge you back $100/Day or if you are late for

pickup/etc. The load pays less what was quoted Etc. Who is going do define Late ? You Or Them? is it your fault that the Guard Held you back from your appointment because

there was a line of trucks a mile long @ the Win Dixie or walmart ? & Ya I know what you mean about the $4/mile loads. Been there done that but when I called the broker I didn't have to ask what is the load paying it was already Posted.


But that is just me what do I know ? I am Just a chicken Hauler 10/10 hello come in

 

I think there are two things you need to get started with, before you even worry about rate per mile, number of days on the truck and so on.

1. You need to be crystal clear on HOS, an expert in fact, and how that must be figured with considering loads. Along with knowing that a fuel stop will take up to an hour, that certain routes will have rush ours, havent' been near a bath in 3 days, and so on. In other words, schedule planning. It's something anyone without practical driving experience will do badly at first, yours truly included. Being a passenger doesn't count.

2. Know the equipment capabilities and what he's willing to load and where. You probably already have an idea about that, but find out why he's settled on that. Get to know who makes those products and who buys them. Figure out where those places are. Know the motivation so that you can avoid booking loads he can't or won't want to haul, and make sure you book loads with an eye towards where he's going to go next.

Once you know what you can haul, and whether or not the schedule is possible, THEN you can start working up quotes. That opens up that whole can of worms around miles, days, and commodities/markets.

A good place for you two to start would be to look at a chart of every load he's hauled to date. If there isn't one, make one. Then study each and every load to understand what his strategy is. If he can point out a few that were either big winners or losers and explain why, that will help a great deal too. When I transitioned my son from taking dispatch to finding his own freight, this lesson here was the one that was most valuable for him.

Like it or not, there is much more than meets the eye to doing this.

 

If you can ride with him for a while esp if you plan to own an drive also that would really help you out to learn the markets and freight lanes, there really are a lot of subtleties to this business, some are as simple as a load into Lubbock Tx on Thursday or Friday isn't nearly as good as Monday or Tuesday b/c you might not find a load out at the end of the week.

Good luck I really hope it turns out well for ya'll.