What should i ask for these loads

I never expected to start out from the top. Where I'm at now we are building this company up, nothing easy fell into my lap. I started in this industry as a rookie without a pot to piss in. Everything I have I got it the hard way. I also didn't intend to come off as dissing Landstar, I actually think they and Mercer are two of the very best large companies out there, for the self starter types. More power to Gerkins I don't envy anyone's wealth,, that comment was just a joke really.

 

Personal service got me hooked up with a company that never posted loads with two years of work at $4 a mile hauling dry an when I had my authority. The broker called me and gave me a choice of two different good paying same day shorthauls, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. He asked me if I could do one of them for him and which one would be best. I asked why I couldn't do both. 2 years of JIT loads from Carlisle PA to NJ, Bronx, and Yonkers followed, until they cut the rates to low for me.

With LS, it got me hooked up with an agent and customer that cares about service far more than price. An extra few bucks a mile is nothing compared to 50 union workers sitting around hours waiting on your load.

 

Wish my home situation would have allowed me to hop in on that too, but not sure I could be around the house enough. I would have loved to work for a company where my hard work was actually reconized and helped better things

 

So I have to jump in here on the LS discussion.

First off, anyone that seriously recommends anyone to lease onto LS to pull a van does not have a solid grasp of what these folks are making. Because an O/O that qualifies for LS will qualify on my insurance, I talk to a lot of drivers that only have 1-2 years in. Most are making less than $1.60/ loaded mile. That's a bottom rate for my drivers on total miles on a load. It takes time to build into the relationships at LS for someone pulling a van to make decent money.

My company pulls a lot of loads for LS, both van and flat, and in all the times that I have talked to LS drivers pulling the same load or compared my rates with LS driver rates I have never made less and often make more. Sometimes a lot more.

Sure, there are a lot of LS loads that I never see. But for everyone of those loads that I don't see I have dozens of loads that LS drivers could never touch.

Now I would never recommend anyone to go to LS to pull a van. Between the cut to LS, the rates and all the agents undercutting each other, plenty of other options that pay better. But for a solo O/O pulling a flat or better you can do pretty well compared to all the worked required running under your own authority. Still takes time to establish yourself but still doable. I still think the percentage they take is a bit high these days.

 

Specialized flatbed. No im not giving up anything more than that as SHC is right. I haul it for 4.00 per mile and everybody will cut my throat and haul it for cheaper. Giving up your contacts is a rookie move The rates are out there. Are they on every load? no, but your bottom price (not your goldmine price) should be at 2.00 a mile no matter what and I wouldnt do that carrying a full load either.

 

MMM is right on. And to add to this, don't forget that when you are pulling something cheap you have now set a rate with that customer on what you are willing to do. Hard to move them much off that rate in the future.

 

Because they don't know any better or are just plain STUPID.

Many people come into this business thinking .98 a mile + FSC is normal and don't work to find better.

 

Cause they can't manage money? Cause they don't know how to negotiate and just like to whine making excuses like blaming it "on lousy brokers"? Just cause they're good truckers doesn't mean they're business savy.

Cause the vast majority of drivers are stuck in the mileage mentality. 98 cpm plus surchage is a flat mileage rate. This driver talking about his $4 a mile rates wouldn't bother to roll out of the bed on rates like that. Two totally different worlds. Apples and oranges. The companies that lease owner operators on mileage rates will never pay a rate that keeps the o/o profitable. Laziness (flat rate mileage leases) on an o/o's part comes with a very steep price.

You really think a JIT load, that if it was late.... and could shut down an assembly line.... costing hundreds of thousands of dollars an hour in idle assembly line workers only pays cheap rates? Well yeah, if... you're leased to a mega carrier on a flat mileage plan it will but I guarantee you they are not contracted to haul it cheap.

 

Actually, the answer to this is/was yes. I worked for Ford back in the late 90's, they demanded we cut our rates or lose the freight. Funny part about this, one of the leading rate cutting Co. just went under leaving all their trailers sitting on Ford property. It was priceless!

We lost most of the accounts to idiots who just wanted "steady"work.