Why do some Fail @ Mercer

that's very fair to say

 

well, kachup. he told exactly why he didn't make it here. it doesn't take a genius to know flatbed freight is scarce and cheap out of florida, at mercer you pick all your own loads, if ya keep running to florida when you deadhead out, whose fault is that, yep the dummy behind the wheel making the decisions.

and mercer will tell ya up front they are primarily a flatbed company, but the step freight is there and the flat loads are not all heavy, my last four loads have been 15,000, 20,000, 18,000, 37,000, and the next 2 lined up are 23,000 and 18,000.

and it doesn't matter who ya deal with, all the loads from the agents are routed thru Louisville main office for assignment. blaming the buddy system is a way of justifying one's shortcmings.

like the load I got last night that loads Monday in fl, I was #33 on the board , the load is 18,000 of a flat steel plate, with a 10 mile deadhead from Lakeland. and mercer pays all permits etc. the 2.20 a mile out of florida is great , pays a total of 1600 to Birmingham.

considering its out of florida I will take it any day, 12 wide of a plate isn't anything to me, apiece of cake, I used to pull mobile homes that were 16x 80.

tell me why the 32 other guys ahead of me turned down that load , especially into a good reload area??? that's why folks don't make it. I was on the load board at 9 pm last night and they were all asleep.

 

skateboardman can I pm u

 

yep you can

 

I'm been with Mercer for just over a year working for a contractor. It hasn't been terrible, but my math tells me I will more then double my income. My math tells me I will double my income plus some fuel saving due to this truck only getting 4.6 mpgs

I'm going to get my own truck soon or I'm going to dust off my toolbox.

 

I'm a bit confused...

1. Since it hasn't been "terrible", is it not good ? If it's not good why?
2. The math that you did, would you be saving money because the truck is not fuel efficient ?

 

The truck is a pig on fuel and has broken on 2 times in 3 months. I would save $20k or so a year by just having a truck that gets 7+ mpgs which should be easy enough. This truck has been a money pit.

The truck is a pig on fuel and has broken down 2 times in 3 months. I'm going to be out 3 weeks pay plus expenses and lost pay.

Pay has been "good" meaning I am able to save some money, but I don't have many expenses.

 

Ok, understood

 

you guys set up kind of like Landstar, you pick your loads and rates , you don't have a dispatcher?

 

yep ,we pick our load etc. we don't have a dispatcher per se, we have coordinators, they call and offer you loads, you can also look at the load board on lap top or smartphone.

some guys let the coordinator run the truck, you can choose to let the coordinator have as much or as little control as you wish. the coordinator can be a big help for guys who aren't familiar with lanes or who haven't before been able to pick and choose their own loads.

its kind if like the best of both worlds