Share what you know about dealing with brokers

G and I have had many good conversations. He's good people.

 

I appreciate it, fellas.

 

What can you guys tell to a young man just before he starts finding/booking loads. I've had some people tell me what the conversation is like in general I ask where's the load at/where's it going but haven't actually spoken to a broker. How does one bring the price issue up? "What's it paying?" And obviously ask for a teeeny tiny bit more ? But not to be too greedy.Like gman- keep it honest and professional..

 

When I worked as a dispatcher, you had best know where the truck is, where the load is, where the load is going and WHERE you are going to get the next load.

What's it getting you into and what's gonna get you back out. Just like playing chess. Always think 2-3 loads ahead of where you are going.

This was in the days BEFORE you had computers or they were just coming out. We did everything in a spiral bound notebook and a 10-key adding machine w/ tape. I had a mileage book I used from the truck that really helped me peg miles quickly. After a week, each dispatcher had one of those books in the office one of the drivers was told to pick up by the head dispatcher.

You needed to know WHAT you had to have to pay every mile that truck drove. At that time, it was 90 CPM avg for the trip. Anything more than that, you just booked it. Less than that, we talked to the head dispatch.

I always asked those questions first, with the last one being my own to fill in the blank. But it got put into the conversation. I got lucking one time and bounced a truck 1000 miles, loaded it up and kept it loaded for over 6000 miles. All paying $1.20 cpm avg. Part of that was with loads into Central Florida and bouncing back to the Florida panhandle out.

When the first round was done, the company asked if I could put one or two more trucks on that round.

You never know where a conversation will lead to.

 

Let's say I get a load from ohio to cali, book the load; should I know/book a load out of cali back to ohio prior to getting to cali or when I deliver the first load open up the laptop & find one to go back? Or does it matter as long as I find it?

 

I would have had a REALLY good idea what was coming back out of cali before I committed to that load. Might not have booked it, just know if I was looking at a short bounce or a long bounce. It will matter for your overall average.

You really want to minimize your deadhead miles as well. You don't get paid for those.

 

I only ask about booking load out of cali going back because by the time you get there the load might already be booked you know what I'm saying. Than your looking for a load while being unloaded, booking before you get there I think would be better than way when u get unloaded you can go straight to get loaded and keep rollin' but watch the deadhead..currently I have 395 deadhead miles from jersey to cleveland terminal, stinks. Any suggestions?

 

If you can book it and the overall overage for the round is above or at your minimum acceptable rate per mile, book it. But with that big of a run, be prepared if something breaks. but you should always have that contingency covered.

 

Been running four years coast to coast had one break cost about 4grand, but trucks rollin good no problems thank god; keep it up to date with oil changes and what not, but do have that extra money set aside for "in case" purposes

 

money isn't my concern when you book a load like that.

It's not making the pick-up that can screw you over from a break down as well.