Owner operators delivering for amazon prime?

I would like information on this as well please

 

Rates dropped through the floor. I did good until January 1st the last 3 weeks rates been $1.27 - $1.80 per mile. Vegas to Texas only pays $1800 when I was getting $3300 before New Year. Vegas to Orlando is $4600 when I was getting $7000+ Round trips Vegas to Mira Loma only $650 when they were $1300.

I make more now pulling containers and using Amazon as a back up. I'll admit dudes were right but the money was good through the holidays. I can't complain about that.

 

They can be a good supplemental source of freight during peak times but full time the pay is just too little the rest of the year.

 

Amazon Relay

 

Agree 100%. its a good go to, to get out of some places but I wouldn't base my business plan on them. I made really good money through the last quarter this month I quickly switched up

 

I'm a new MC earlier this month. I have one truck and I'm the only driver.

My owner operator experience consists of being leased to XPO Drayage to pull rail containers for about 9 months with this same truck. I had another truck that I leased for a couple months to another drayage firm until they were bought by another company. Before that I was a company driver for Schneider Intermodal out of the same rail terminal for just under 4 years, and a company driver for US Xpress for about a year and a half pulling dedicated Proctor & Gamble. My entire, albeit short, 6 year career has been home daily local with a few months in the middle of my term at Schneider Intermodal as a regional driver just to try it out.

At Amazon, rates were good to excellent and I could concentrate on single, one way local trips bobtailing straight back home with my day cab.

I made a lot more money for the effort and fuel on the few brokered (not Amazon) gigs I was able to get via the DAT board, but being on net 15 or more and so new, I haven't been paid yet. With Amazon I've already gotten one deposit and the next is coming in a few days. So I'll probably have two or more in before the brokers finally send their checks. This is big when you're starting somewhat fresh and relying on your savings to get the ball rolling. Fuel, permits, DoT, drug testing, apportioned plates, etc is a lot to take on without revenue.

Based on what I consistently see on the Amazon board, it's OTR and loops that don't pay out that great. If you want to do OTR, DAT is chock full of it and brokers generally pay better.

At Amazon, last minute one ways can be very profitable. I've actually pulled more empties than loaded trailers for one way repositioning, and they paid a little better than similar loads. I've had two empty moves that canceled and still paid out most of the original rate.

My average for all miles is right around $3.40, including to and from the house.

Light, smooth sided vans with skirts riding on auto inflated radial tires pull easier and use less fuel than heavy ripple sided containers without skirts on bias ply tires.

Pulling containers, I almost never bobtailed. My fuel economy average was about 5.5 for the 9 months I did it. Pulling Amazon I bobtail just about half the time. My fuel economy average while pulling Amazon is just under 8.

Better fuel economy increases your net, and the reduced drag on the truck is easier on the drivetrain, since it's not working as hard, which is ultimately less wear on the vehicle. It's not really a quantifiable gain on the net, per se, but it's there.

I ran 62mph on the interstate with the cruise with the rail, and I haven't changed that for Amazon. I've been consistently an hour or more early to the drops, and half an hour on the ones where I ran around tolls.

Some of Amazon's trailers are air ride, many are spring ride. They're all fairly new. The newest one I pulled was 2 months old and it was spring. They were all in excellent condition.

The newest chassis I ever pulled at the rail was 3 years old and there weren't very many. They're all spring ride. Some chassis are 15+ years old. Most are at least 10. If you got one in excellent condition, you considered yourself lucky. Bias tire blowouts were frequent, even running slow highway speeds.

Most of my days were 8 hours or less, ever since my MC became active. 10 and 12 was common pulling rail containers. Add more for a blowout.

Amazon is not consistent, but neither are traditional load boards. Rail was fairly consistent.

I don't know what the new year will bring but all in all it was at least a good start for a brand new MC.

I wouldn't go out and buy a brand new truck to run dedicated to Amazon. I don't see how that could work, but I wouldn't do it for the rail either. Some do but they're running far harder than I ever have a desire.

Anyway that's my 2 Christmas cents. Happy holidays y'all and be safe.

 

Merry Christmas to you EC

 

Same to you ITD.

 

Quick update, just like Tama posted above, it went from good loads everywhere during rush to three barely acceptable paying loads canceling in a row.

It was a good run while it lasted for an MC to get some money in the bank without factoring, but it's not a year round dedication.

There were 5 bobtails sitting outside the gate after I closed out this morning's canceled load and bobtailed out.

There's some stuff all over the country at random with good rates at any given time but without me having a sleeper and it being pure luck to be at the right place at the right time, it's not sustainable. I don't have the luxury of chasing rates. Stuff is either paying decent around here or it isn't.

 

Thanks for the insight!