On your way out of business?

But it's a fun atmosphere.

 

LOL that is funny. I have a friend pulling someone else's box and he is getting $2 per mile for ALL miles. He just bought a '14 T800. If I had my own truck I would be over there too... Of course he is running under his own authority and it took him 2 years to get in the door.

 

Those gigs are out there but you are not going to get it leased onto a carrier. It does take time to get to that point but now since he started his gig 3 months ago he has added his second truck to the fray. He already had it and the thing that really helps is that he has a drop axle on the truck so he can put on more weight when needed.

 

Honestly, two bucks a mile with your own authority is not all that great. Not when guys are averaging that leased to a carrier. Up until about six months ago I was week north of that, and now just slightly under it. And I'm lazy and way to picky.

 

It's a good van rate when you go out loaded and back empty and you are paid for all miles loaded and empty. Never have to worry about the next load either, just head back and get reloaded.

 

Fixed it for you

 

Half the miles being empty definitely makes it more attractive. And it is van, typically the cheapest freight. So if consistent, say 2500 miles a week, not bad. Arguably better than being leased to a good outfit, especially in today's depressed market. But only if you compare it to typical van freight. key word arguably, I wouldn't reinstate my authority for that, even if they signed a contract guaranteeing consistent loads for the next five years.

 

Even with the legal loads that we haul on our flatbeds, the pay is something like 3.85 per loaded mile. We are 90% coming back to the shop empty. It is the oversized loads and the heavy loads where we really make the money. So the van rate he is getting is better than the 80k gross flatbed loads he was hauling and he is using someone else's trailer instead of his own.