Pretty Pictures

wouldn't suprise me. i have every 'keep it straight' spiral notebook that you can buy in the company store, to write down your load info. i've got every one from since i started. I should go back and see if i've run a perticular load before, if the miles are the same or not. I've been noticing that the difference in miles has been slowly going up higher and higher from the 10% swift claims to like to keep the miles within'. Next load you get....check it and see if its closer to 15 or 20% than 10%....

 

Thats gotta be $950.00 a week just for trk payment alone.

 

I guess the same concept of "you're most likely going to fail" could be said to Garth Brooks...in fact, there were two people right off the top of my head who were told, "Look, kid...I been in this business a long time. You just don't have what it takes...you'll never make it."

One was named Casius Clay. He became Mohamed Ali.

The other was named Henry j. Deutschendorf, Jr. He grew up to become John Denver.

There were many, many others who failed before them and many more failed after. But at least they tried.

And what makes someone smarter by risking everything when there is another option to gain what you want without quite as much risk? Is there really something wrong with hedging so valuable a bet? Is it merely sour grapes that make you speak out so vehemently on this? Why should I risk losing everything if I can pay a little more and not risk so much?

I do not tell a straight O/O what a fool he or she is for buying something that expensive that WILL break at some point with no safety net. That is their choice to make. Just as entering into a contract with a company is a decision for a grown adult to make. Why on Earth this business deal that one adult makes with a larger entity can cause hard feelings for someone else who is completely unattached to it is beyond me.

I'm going to get personal here: I have laughed with both Les and Redd. They have given me some excellent information and I have done all I can to support them when things were a little tough. They both have known about my business deal almost since the beginning. Why this is suddenly a large enough issue to cause us to be spitting at each other is bewildering to me. I have rejoiced over their successes and showed concern over their obstacles. Yet, when I speak of my successes, I am poo-pooed as a "cheerleader" and when I share my tough spots, I hear, "See? Told ya so." And I am left confused as to why friends would do this.

I'm not going to address any more criticisms from Redd or Les in this thread. It's not constructive for me to do so and it seems to be destroying a fun little team we had set up for Redd's de-hoofing party. And it saddens me.

 

I was just offered a load paying 364 miles. I ran the mileage by Google Maps and it came back 424 miles. A 16% difference. And refused the load on those grounds. I checked Google maps against the atlas before turning the load down just to be sure Google was running me the most likely truck route.

Of course, the computer kicked the load right back at me as the only one on the "list of three" and I know better. They are projected booked even/overbooked for El Paso.

So I guess we need to start running route miles before accepting loads. If enough get refused, maybe someone will get a clue.




...................or not....

 

i figured $900 a week just for the ovderhead on the trk if it dont roll. if i'm haulin', figure another $1000 spent on fuel out of pocket.

 

thats what i've started doing. When i ask for miles to be tacked on, and i get the typical "oh the miles are practical miles, swift's always paid practical not actual". Well i KNOW that, silly...i'm not asking to match actual miles, i'm just asking to make the difference in miles to be taken from 15-18% to 10%. When you're actually running a 600 mi load, and they're only paying you 500....thats a diff. of 100 mi. thats a 17% diff. and all i'm asking is to tack on 50 miles....not 100.

I got a load the other day on my way to Memphis. Was going from Memphis down to LA. I wasnt even to my final yet. i had enough time at a red light to look at the load and that was about it. I get to the final, and notice that the load was removed saying "time limit expired for truck.........." I just sent back a message to my DM saying "is that how i'm going to start being treated? I get a PP, i need the time to crunch the numbers. i'm not just going to blindly accept loads based on what it pays and its weight."

you know i'm going to start doing it.....maybe even send an email to Richard Stocking....but i'm sure he dont care....

 

Injun...memba talking about the whole issue with miles? get this one. i just did a mac 30....got a list of load offerings. now keep in mind i'm in decatur, GA...the ATL terminal. This load picks up in Pontoon Beach, IL, and delivers back here. MT miles are 573 and loaded miles are 556. see something wrong here? Also, the load shows a p/u of 2200 on the 25th and delivers here TODAY in about 10 minutes. dont think i'm going to be accepting it, since its 500 mt and 500 loaded....kinds ripping myself off .10cpm for half the trip....