Picking my own freight baby! My journey to & of being on Schneider choice, the Adventure & Numbers!

Just an FYI just a few days ago from Dallas to Ohio I had a reefer issue which put me back a day.
The load HAD to be there by a certain time or else there would be a line #### down.
I ended up paying my driver who was home a bunch of money to drive down in his personal car in route to meet me to take over the load.
He finished the load as I drove his car (After I drove all day) back to his house, then had the truck deadhead back to his house.

It cost me a lot and a lot of headache but they paid well over $3 a mile and I wasn't going to let them down.
If someone needs something done I get it done.

 

I get 90%.
Well worth it as getting my own authority would cost me big time on insurance, factoring if I did it that is another 3-4%, they handle my ifta, keeping me up to date on permits, I get 40% load advance at no charge, fuel card with generally .20-.40 off, plus the value of running under an aged MC number and not needing get "set up" with everybody. They are fine with me hiring drivers and adding trucks if I wanted to grow a fleet under them. There is someone available 24 hours a day if needed. If a broker trys screw me say on detention i have a full support team that will fight for my money (and theirs too).
They lease out Van trailers but I wasn't interested in that.
I'm renting a reefer.

 

Rarely do I call on posted loads, biggest money I make is when someone calls me.
Usually they blow me away with an offer or ask what do I need. Of course you'll always have the usually cheap freight pushers call but those conversations don't last long.
Generally I find loads posted aren't that much in need to be moved, if they were the broker would be doing work calling trucks to try to get it done themselves. My biggest money makers weren't even on the board but they called me.

Example a load of cheese Idaho to Fort Worth, Texas, can't be having cheese sit around forever.
They called me, sounded desperate and they asked me what I need to get it done.
I said $6800, broker said they will tell the shipper, broker calls me back and asks if I'd do it for $6500 and that was basically an LOL moment and I said are you really going to try to beat me up over $300? We both know there's no others trucks out here and that's why you'e calling me, come on now.
Broker said yeah I know but my customer wanted to at least try to knock you down a little, no worries sending you the rate con for $6800 now.

You got to be prepared knowing some info when they call. I use posted loads that have rates posted with them.
One day there were 8 loads from Dallas to Atlanta posted for $2750- $3000.
Broker calls me and asks if I do a dallas to atlanta for $1600, I said no there's loads posted for nearly double that. I told the broker to look it up, she did and said I was right and if I'd do it for $3000.
I said if I'd do it for $3000 why wouldn't I have already taken one of the other loads for $3000? lol
Said you got to BEAT those posted rates.
Another tool I use is seeing the number of posted trucks and posted loads in an area. If there's 700 loads posted for same day pick up and 11 trucks posted I'm going to make sure the broker knows that when they call. oh and yeah that number did happen in Dallas of all places.

 

I don't mind customer requirements but tell me before hand, don't surprise me after accepting the load and signing a rate con.

 

No lol, they pay 85%.. I get 90%