What Is Considered Cheap Freight ?

One thing, a good company job pays about 50 cpm, plus normal benefits. I certainly did not put my heart and soul, not to mention the extra risk, just to make what an employee makes.

 

I can see that in maybe 2 years, with Blackie paid off, a new trailer, my own numbers, it's all good freight, cause then I keep the other 20% my company takes from me.

 

I don't have Facebook .
I hate Kool-aid.
My reading comprehension is fine.
I stand by my answer.... There is no definitive answer to what cheap freight is.
Just look at the thousands of answers on other threads about this topic.

 

peterbilt_2005 is right on the money. You have to know your cost of operating the truck. Those costs include: truck payment, trailer payment, truck insurance, maintenance, fuel, and paying the driver. If the load is below your operating cost, i.e you aren't making a profit, then that is "cheap freight".

It is my opinion that if you take whatever to just get out of an area then you may be part of the problem. Taking loads that aren't profitable keeps rates down and subsidizes the brokers and shippers. Neither need to be subsidized by the motor carrier. Many times I will dead head a couple of hundred miles to pick up a profitable load than to take a non-profitable load just to get to another area. If you are in an area that normally pays X and you take an unprofitable load for Y, then Y just became the new rate for all the other truckers.

 

Y becomes the new rate only if the other truckers decide to accept it.
If they turn it down the rate will adjust so the load gets moved.

I have never said that I hauled "cheap freight"..... I only said you can't define it.

 

How do you know it is quick load unload? The only way to know that is to have done the run before. I wouldn't have done the run before if it was making me money so why would I do it again to loose money..
As far as a light load some times that doesn't mean crap! I have hauled 7500lb flatbed loads that were 8' high (measured from the deck) 53' long and I got worse fuel mileage then hauling 44000lbs of plate steel. and both were a quick load/unload.

Lowering your deadhead expense by taking that load may sound good in theory, but when your in the shipper or receivers yard and rip a tire open on junk or a underpaid forklift driver that doesn't give a s@#$ puts the forks into your wall/hammers the hell out of your rub rail. If they aren't will to pay you a reasonable rate to haul their product chances are they aren't putting much back into their facilities and employees either.

 

Now I think we need to clarify something here. Imo there is a difference between cheap freight and LTL.
I always see b@#$ing on FB about cheap freight with pics of load postings for LTL. On the other side I have also seen 40000lb loads posted as LTL coz it is only 30'
So what do you all think the cut off is between a LTL and cheap freight?

 

Maybe no answer but always interesting and good conversation.. Perhaps you might learn a different way to look at the problem

 

I know lots of people are complaining about $ at the moment. I netted just under $1700 last week for 2500 miles coming off the holiday that brain fkd our entire industry.
This week probably be in $2800 range.
I probably paid too much for my PM last night, and chose the wrong oil.
Today I'm stuffing my face & resting.
I am ashamed for making this money, and being thankful, and will consider punishing myself after I go shower, and watch some football.
I was a teamsters for several years, and that was the most dog eat dog thing I've ever been apart of in my life.
So do what's right for yourself young man, and ever give a good ######### about what anyone else thinks, cause all their's is, is opinion, and it doesn't count for jack sht, and certainly won't pay for that over priced PM.

 

I didn't know there was a "problem".