Planners....not looking out for o/o drivers?

No, I expect them to respect the fact that I'm an O/O and plan me accordingly. I have bills to pay BEFORE I make a profit for the week. Part of the reason so few Swift O/Os make it is lack of support on Swift's part. I'm still making money running solo after 2 years because I don't put up with their CRAP.

I'm glad you find this so funny considering you've already stated (on several occasions) that you're not smart enough to run a business.

 

Come on now. Everyone knows that the keyboard pounding monkeys are a touchy subject for Steve. No need to provoke him.

There is a good reason I prefer running dedicated vs OTR and the number one reason is I have a direct line to my planner and I can reason with them a lot easier than OTR. Every time I take an OTR load to go home I have to jump through their silly hoops and play pointless games so I can get home without going broke.

 

The part I found funny was the 'hand holding' implications.

And what is it to "plan me accordingly"?
If all the current loads are shorter runs or with a lot of mt miles, what do you expect the planners to do?
You also have a load board that you can snag loads from, don't you? Are those loads just as shy as what the Swift planners are offering at any given moment?

And I'll let the implied insult pass by.
While I have said that I don't have the business sense to run a company, and that I am just plain too lazy to want to - for you to use it against me in this context is a bit low, don't you think?
No real offense was taken, and I actually got a chuckle.

 

Here's some facts for you Moose. Swift talks the big talk about being our "business partner" as an incentive to lease with the strong implication of preferential treatment compared to a company driver. Its a lie. Not all the O/O have access to the load board but all of us have access to Mac30. The scumbag planners know by looking at their screen of available trucks by our unique driver codes who is company or O/O but still send us loads that an idiot would know are not even close to break even. I get the miles I need through a combination of the load board and Swift and I will not hesitate to rudely remind planners of the business partner lie. Due to their continued crap load offerings and having tcall loads cancelled at the dispatch window, I will also not haul freight to or from Lancaster's planning area anymore due to a discussion with the fleet manager that came really close to bloody.

I don't expect planners to plan my loads but I do expect them to have at least a minimum of consideration and respect. Being an O/O gives me the capacity to tell them to kma which I have had the pleasure of doing a few times. The fun part is when I get the pushback for using rude language on the QC which gives me the opportunity to obscenely remind them I pay for it and will say what I please.

 

O/Os need 3 basic things to be successful:

A maximum number of loaded miles per week. I can break even in as little as 1000 miles. My settlement DOUBLES if I run 27-2800 miles per week as opposed to only 2000. Because of the 11,000 mile per month cap imposed on the lease operators 2700-3000 miles per week is my "sweet spot". I exceeded 11K per month in 3 of the first 4 months of this year.

An absolute minimum number of MT miles. I look for 10% or less as my "quick-n-dirty should I consider this load or not". My 2013 MT mile total was just under 7%, right where I want to see it.

NO SITTING! O/Os are not paid layover pay. I will take a junk load rather than sit, especially if said load it going towards where I prefer to run.

Notice that I said NOTHING about weight. I will take a heavy load if it's going where I want to go. I will also turn down light loads for any number of reasons.

 

See? That is why I won't expend the effort to be a L/O or O/O.

Well, 2 out of 3.

I don't worry about mt miles because I am paid for them.
I don't worry about waiting around for a day or two because I can get layover pay if I wish to.
Miles per week is the same, because we all have bills to pay and food to eat.

But on top of all that, you have to worry about repairs to your truck.
Finding fuel where it is the best price.
MT miles that pay you nothing.
Paying taxes much more often.
Keeping records of every transaction.
And how many other things that cut into your time to simply relax after you stop driving for the day?


It's really not that I am simply too stupid to do it.

 

and that's why I saved up the money to buy me a truck. Honestly could have done it 2 years ago, but wanted to pay off what's left on House and have 40k in my company fund. So now looking for a good use truck around 20012ish. It took me all most 10 years but did it debt free. And this way if swift pisses me off ill take my ball and go home.

 

The pay checks are waaay better when training. My old trainer netted 5 one week we did 6k miles. You just have to know the right people and stand up for yourself. Well from what I saw in my trainer's truck.

 

net 5k? seems way too high....fuel alone on 6k miles would of been what $3kish? giving an average of around 7.5mpg

I think o/o's benefit the best on dedicated fleets, I know my fleet the o/o's are paid loaded miles rather its mt coming back or not and its round trip miles. One big reason I have considered becoming an o/o myself but waiting to see how these Vegas runs pan out that starts up this week first.

 

I saw that pay check. I didn't believe him either but it was 5 , 4xx after fuel and deductions. Trust me he was netting 3k on bad weeks. And he used his fuel wisely and never had a load over 30k.