Post Gordon ~ Thoughts, Commentary & Reflections

Peoria~Winona Broker Load
--That's for tomorrow, home tonight (did Prairie du Chien turn)
--Jerked around by a broker for a Terre Haute~New Berlin,WI for $725
--Kept not getting confirmation right, kept showing DEL 7/30 (tomorrow)
--That depends on how quick it loads; broker claimed one hour--quick!!
--Emailed him we regularly chg min $250 TONU and $50/hr wait over 2 hrs
--Broker emailed back, 'Terms Unacceptable'... ??
--Plan B, Peoria~Winona, MN for $850 with a broker I use often
--Wanted to make the drive down Hwy 35 from LaCrosse to Prairie anyway...
--Runs along the Mississippi River; Old girlfriend recently passed away...
--We canoed St. Paul to New Orleans, 85 days.
--Seeing the Mississippi always gives me a thrill. Always.

 

Hi Zip, good seeing you here tonight... didn't take you long to light up!

And Blu. You guys are fast!

 

Here's a Surprise!

I usually avoid JBH loads (J B Hunt) because they pay po-o-o-o-rly.
--How about 68 miles for Monday for $400??
--South Chicago to Kenosha, my, oh, my.
--Not sure if we'll do it but it's on hold 'til tomorrow 9 am Central.
Driver gets $130...

 

Hi, Bright One (Double Yellow). They'd like to get "something" outbound on the Monday PU in Prairie. Yes, time-wise it's risky--especially if JB is paying over $4/mile. That right there--raises a flag. On the other hand, with the Haz outfit we routinely ran into and through Chicago and thought nothing of it.

Same with Gordon, in fact. A lot depends on whether you get slammed in traffic. On one Haz load, they had me bobtail from Indy to Detroit, take an empty from customer's yard, drag it to Chicago, double drop and hook to a loaded Chicago trailer, return that to Detroit and bobtail home.

Haz outfit paid percentage (25%) and I did quite well on that run. Thursday a.m. brokers will be posting new loads and we are a little far out (Wednesday) for Sunday-Monday loads to hit Trulos, the board I use (which costs nothing).

Could take this $400 and miss a $700 load, which has been my target minimum and the shorter the miles the better. The less 'off-route' miles, the better, too. Don't want to be scared of Chicago, though.

Broker assures me we can DEL same day and I MUST be in Prairie on Monday. We run that empty if necessary and frequently empty on Mondays outbound. (Prairie load pays very well. Enough to run out empty and bring it back.) Wouldn't take ANY load for next day on Monday. I would want to be at their door when shipper opens at 7 am Monday to make this work.

Another concern is how much of a mess they make loading. It's salt. A warehouse in Chicago is being closed out and its contents moved to Kenosha. Trailer will need a good sweeping. Yard Boss even teased me about that because he bought me a broom and I gave it back to him, didn't want it.

"You're gonna need that paid-for broom you didn't want if you take that load, Vic... "

 

Second Surprise!!
--Peoria~Winona pays $850
--That's $2.68/mile for 316 loaded miles
--A good rate.
--Turns out it's actually a re-brokered load from a logistics outfit
--What could that have paid direct??????

 

The Battle of Bad Axe in 1832
--61 North is a 'bite-down-on-teeth' road
--Like in dentist office, "Bite down."
--Else you'll bite a lip or your tongue
--Need dash cam
--Sight of lock and dam where 14/61/I-90 meet
--Awesome, just awesome!!
--Battle of Bad Axe took place north of Ferryville, 1832
--Ended Black Hawk's War in a slaughter.
--Delivered Winona, on way to Prairie du Chien, Hwy 35.