i was told that an avg number for freight coming out of LA to seattle for reefers is about 2k...does this sound hi/low or about right.....
Google maps is your best friend. Hypothetical New Orleans to Seatlle load is about 2,600 miles, that doesn't count deadhead. Does $2,000 sound good to you? Sounds very cheap to me. Likely some idiots do haul it for that. I don't know what reefer rates are like. Tend to think any load like that under $3 a mile is cheap but I don't know reefer so take that for what it's worth considering what options may be out of Seattle, I hear no so great.
Rollin, Pretty sure he meant Los Angeles, I believe he had another thread asking about the I-5 corridor
Why do you have to load from LA? It might be better to deadhead to Yakima or Wenatchee area and bring apples down to cali. I have no idea really though. Just an idea. Or, check the rate for Seattle/Yakima/Wenatchee to somewhere like Vegas, AZ, NM, OR, somewhere you can make decent coin for what you do then empty to Los Angeles. Gotta think of every possibility.
Here is the math for you: using google maps the miles is 1135 add 8% for to bring it to practical miles brings your miles to 1235. They are offering 2000 2000/1235= 1.61 a mile. Do your cost for fuel and other expenses and see if it is worth it. (I work with O/O who have reefers)
That rate is CHEAP. It is usually 3500.00 and depending on how busy southern cal is can go as high as 4000.00. I used to get 4k for avocados back in 08 going from San diego to Portland. Fuel was 4.50 a gallon. If fuel is under 4 dollars a gallon and freight in southern cal is slow than 3000.00 would be about ideal. I wouldnt touch that load for 2k UNLESS the northwest was booming with nursery loads or apples or other reefer freight. 2k going up there would be a good rate in that case. In other words,3600.00 to 4k if cal is the busy zone and seattle is the dead zone. 2k if vice versa.Usually it does get busy in the northwest around Oct. and Dec. when they start shipping out christmas trees.
Deadhead from LA to Yakima? That is over a 1000 miles. I doubt any apple load will pay that much going back to LA that would justify deadheading that far.
Sorry. I have no idea what I was thinking on that one. I think my brain was thinking about the other way - Seattle back to LA for the produce, and considering a direct load from Seattle to LA might pay peanuts and you may or may not be better off deadheading from Seattle to Yakima area for apples to bring to say somewhere around LA. Or perhaps a short load to Portland then Portland to LA. Deadhead is not always the enemy. That's what I was attempting to convey as to "keeping all of your options open." Hope this one makes a little more sense when I read it again later ...........
Ok,THAT makes more sense,lol. It depends on which area is busy. In the winter time L.A and southern cal is usually a dead zone for produce and the rates for everything else are usually flat or cheap. Therefore the rates going from L.A. to Portland or Seattle would be on the cheap end. Than you would usually deadhead to Yakima or somewhere in eastern OR. and grab a potato load paying high-dollar going back east or back south into Ca. In the summertime it would be vice versa with southern Cal being the busy zone and the northwest being dead. If that is the case than your scenario would make sense.
