THE ADVENTURES CONTINUE - DFO gets a truck and hops on Schneider's IC Choice Program

I appreciate the advice guys, I'm not going to complete the workflow early. I'll just do it as I always have. At least I'll be starting out the next week with over $1000 in revenue before I even move the truck.

Dude, all the freight is cheap. That's the way it is with the big companies. I don't have my own authority or driver for Landstar. With around $900 a week in fixed expenses, fuel at over $3.80 per gallon, and running freight at $1.20 to $1.40 per mile, yeah, my last load of the week is usually where I break into the black. It's just the way it is, and has been since I've been here. Most weeks I take home $900 to $1300 after expenses, but this week $1048 of that is getting moved to the next check.

Sure, I do see loads from time to time that pay over $2.00 per mile, but it's not common, unless you guys know something I don't. This particular load is going to Orlando, FL and is paying $1.98 per mile. Both of my previous loads this week were under $1.50 per mile. And I'm sure coming out of FL, I won't even make $1.00 per mile.

If you guys are running Choice IC have some big secret about finding the $3.00 per mile loads, please share it, cuz no one bothered telling me.

 

Have you broken down all your expense including home expenses? That way you will know if a load is profitable. Some people can run their truck for a 1.20 and be profitable and some can't. Unless you have to pay bills this week, it shouldn't matter if you have a short week. What areas you are running? You have to study the load board, even your not in that area. I look at the loadboard all the time, even if i don't book a load. after 1500 the loadboard is going to be the same the rest of the day. Dont be scared to do live loads, i was in Jonesboro, Ar dropping off a load. When i pulled in i didn't see any sni trl. So, when i check in i asked them to unload me. They unloaded me in 30 mi, the reason i asked i didn't want to chase and empty down. I had an live load in Batesville,Ar. Find and area and master that area..just my .02

 

Oh no, im not afraid of live loads/unloads at all. 95% of the ones I've done were complete in less than 2 hours. And there have been a few times I asked to live unload because I also hate chasing empties LOL.

My personal expenses are very low because I am single with no family. I live in my truck. I visit my parents, sister, etc when I'm home, but I see no sense in paying $1000 a month for rent and utilities on a place I'll only occupy for a couple days a month. I could stay in a 5 start hotel for two days and not hit that amount LOL.

Most of the time, I gross around $3500 per week or so, usually on three or four longer runs, and out of that I tend to take home around $1200 or so. This week, I had planned 3 loads for a gross of $3995.12, but with this one changing to tomorrow, that takes away $1048.47 of that. I'll still get a paycheck on Friday, but I'm pretty sure it'll be under $400. It won't break me by any means, but I did have plans for the cash this week. I can easily survive off of under $400 per week if I watch what I'm doing. But it's okay, I'll get a big check next week, assuming I manage to get out of Florida LOL.

As for running area... Well, I'll run anywhere really. The highest paying long range freight that I've seen tends to come out of Missouri and Illinois. I live in Texas, and long range runs out of there pay horribly, usually under $1.30 per mile. Short range local runs pay very well, sometimes over $5.00 per mile, but the scheduling is bad. For example, a Fort Worth to Dallas run, 30 paid miles, 7.00 per mile roughly. Sounds great at first, $210 for an hour of work or so. But then I look at the load... Preloaded trailer must be picked up today, cool. Live unload... two days from now... Really?!? If they were drop and hook at both ends, I'd do three or four of those a day make a killing. But I'll go out of business in a week trying to run 30 mile loads every three days.

I keep an eye on the load board every morning, and again in the middle of the day, assuming I'm running day shift. That's how I ended up with a long list of loads this week, but my own personal screwup sent all of that out the window. I actually booked a total of 7 loads for the next week and a half. One canceled, and then I screwed up on my time planning and lost out on the 3 preassignments I had. 100% my fault, had nothing to do with Schneider.

Basically, when I check the load board, I start out with a radius of 150 miles from my delivery location. I sort the columns based on both total revenue and per mile revenue to get an idea of what ranges I'm dealing with. Then I try to find something that has a good combination of light weight, decent per mile, and revenue that works out to at least $500 per day that I have the load.

 

Last week I did not pull a single load at less than 1.97 a mile and the heaviest one was 19k. I ran 3 loads for gross revenue of 5100. It can be done every week. The one thing I see in your post above is the rate you are hauling for...1.20 to 1.40 a mile...I don't touch freight that cheap unless I need to move my truck from one area to another. I also do not go into an area without an exit strategy. If you are not finding freight that pays like that, you need to spend more time on the load board, they don't stay up there very long at all. What I have noticed is that they start posting loads to the board around 8 am eastern time. I try to be on the board (or have my wife on there) around that time and we keep looking until around 1500. We don't sit on the board all day long but one of us checks on it every hour or two.

I can see how it is difficult for a one man operation to constantly check the board, but as an idea maybe you can find someone to help you plan your freight.

 

If I was in that situation, yes I would probably be drawing from my own savings set aside for breakdowns or other unexpected events like that to make my truck payment and cover the cost of a motel, etc. The money in the maint. account I keep with SNI couldn't be used for the motel, etc. If it was a breakdown that would have me down for a long time, like 1 week plus, I'm sure I could talk with my SFI rep and have my truck payment for the week delayed and spread out over the next weeks once I was up and running again. But, I wouldn't do that unless my savings were starting to run thin. I'd also be looking for a cheaper motel

 

I'm with RB, just gotta find what works for you. I don't run like many of the others on here. I don't chase big money freight, I rarely go further than 500 miles from home, I just go for consistency. It's been working for me for the past 6 months. I'd estimate that around 85% of my loads are from the same 10 or so shippers. Been there done that time and time again, I know what to expect, no surprises. I don't like surprises. I have to mix it up from time to time as freight patterns change but I do keep it very, very consistent in terms of where and who I run for.

 

Ahh, so I'm missing out on the higher paying stuff because I can't check the board often enough. Well that sucks lol. I don't really have anyone else who can check on the board for me. I guess I'll either have to start pulling into rest areas and truck stops every hour to check the board, or just deal with the $1.20 per mile freight. I'm not starving to death or anything, but it sure would be nice to gross $5000 per week. Oh well.

I appreciate your advice chicknwing. At least now I know where all the high paying freight is going LOL.

 

When leaving Florida look for a very short run up and to Georgia and then get another load that pays better do not take long distance loads out of Florida unless they pay very well

 

All sound advice. I'm taking all this in and my wife will be looking at the load board as well when I start. Did you find another truck Tennman or you sticking with the first option?

 

Better yet... Stay out of Fl. The only time I go to Fl is to change the pace up. I been with sni 3 yrs and I only been to Fl twice.