Well I made it out

[GMAN]

[quote="merrick4"]

Merrick, I never do business with a new broker unless I check them out first. quote]

Gman when you say check them out, what do you mean. I mean besides the obvious of looking up their MC#. I do you check their credit worthiness?

Merrick, I check their references and if I have any doubts about their credit worthiness I have a factor I can call who keeps current credit information on most brokers. If they are willing to take them, they are usually OK. You can also subscribe to one of the credit reporting companies. So far I have only lost money on one account during the last few years. Barn Hill Nurseries out of Florida still owes me money from a load which I hauled for them about 2 or 3 years ago. Fortunately it is only about $800. They were supposed to have paid within about a week. I didn't really check them out prior to hauling for them. I only took the word of a owner operator who had done business with them. They told me that they have never had a problem with them. In retrospect I should have taken a closer look. Now, I do.

[person]

Trinity's board http://www.tticarriers.com/?pid=20

England http://crengland.com/logistics/index...sub=Load%20Map

[Kurbski]

This might be a dumb ?? but i have to ask.

With all of the on line billing, credit card pmts, paperless fund transfers,
Why don't brokers pay you by debit cards with google check out or paypal? Then you would have your money quicker, easier and more efficient. You can create an invoice in paypal, email it and the brokers could pay immediatley. Paypal charges 2 or 3 % but if you add it into your fee it's covered. One less trip to the Post office and Bank, one less thing to mail etc. $3000,00 x ,02% = 60.00 - Time,errands,fuel =$$

Is anyone trying this in any way with willing customers or brokers?

[sidman82]

The thing is, alot of brokers are on terms with the shippers they deal with. They cannot pay out all that is owed because they don't have it. They must wait for it just like us. Those who can't wait pay the extra % out of their pay. Brokers do this because they make more money then, for that they are willing to dish it out. Most places are net 30 days.

[Kurbski]

Thanks Sidman, for explaining that. Makes sense.

[sidman82]

To make the world smaller, I used to have a house in Ormond by the Sea.
Sold it right before the market went up. Damm :x Bought it for $47,000.
My parents stay down there from Dec. till May. (Snowbirds)

[Kurbski]

Nice area up there. those little beach houses are going for over 100k now.
But it's expensive to buy homeowners Ins.

[pepe4158]

Go home and sign up with
TQL
Allen Lund
Sargent
Trinity
CHR
RMX
RFX
HM Bay
it will probably take you all day to do this
These are some of the basic frozen brokers
If you want to run your ltl butt off and make $$$$$$$$$$$$$
kiss H/M bays butt

Yeah I am beggining to see the advantages of being set-up ahead of times with these major and trusted brokers. Steve had mentiioned that he didnt, cuz there are just so many, and for flatbed I can see his point. But for us van haulers, (both dry n Refer) things are just sooo competitive and cut-throat, that being set-up with these major ones can be quite an advantage and give you the little extra edge you need.
I am ust curious off hand if these carriers are all good for dry van too....I know of course Robinson, trinty and Lund are.....I am geting set-up with them hopefully as we speak.

[merrick4]

I was wondering about the paypal too. So far I like the Quickpay from CH Robinson. 1.5% and the money is in my account within 48 hours.

I've only been out just under two weeks and I think what Pepe said about feeling like a small fish in a big pond sums it up. You know you go through all this big rigamorole setting up everything, I mean I set up a company, with credit cards bank account and tax ID and of course when you are buying equipment they all treat you so nice and then you realize you are just one tiny fish out here. Everyone talks so fast (I'm from the North too and talk very fast myself) and they are saying things that I don't understand. I ask as many questions as possible without showing too much of my ignorance.

In just under two weeks I've billed $6568.40. About $100 was lumper fees. I've spent $2287.07 on truck fuel and $168.77 on reefer fuel. The truck fuel is based on starting out empty and now ready for a next load with 3/4 of a tank full. I've put for mileage on the truck 5159 actual miles. This includes deadhead and driving up the road to get to a Walmart or any other stop I've made. Actually with what I figure it cost to run this truck, I've only made abut $1100. This is bad, but I've made a couple of mistakes, had a load cancelled at the last minute. I'm learning every minute out here and am keeping track of the numbers. This is a business after all and I don't expect to be making a ton in my first a couple of weeks. I need to improve; I will improve. By the way, I'm in Wisconsin right now and this is a good paying area right now so as I'm already figuring my whole two weeks expenses in the above numbers, anything I pull with a load tomorrow will increase the profit numbers.

I should add that the fuel figure is paying with a credit card with cash back so it's small amount less. That cash back is something else. As I put the trailer on a card, I got about $400 back.

Anyway so revenue/miles and I come to $1.27 not good I know I'm working on it. Also I'm wondering when people are quoting their per mile rate as they are in the above O/O vs leasing thread, are they including their deadhead? If I took out deadhead and small personal trips it would be higher of course.

I can't say that in the last two weeks I haven't thought "man what did I go and do" by buying all of this. There is somethig to be said of working for a company and not having too worry about much, but in truth I can't truly be happy like that. I was making $1,000 a week local (after taxes) but I'm seeking something else in life besides a good paycheck. The thing with an O/O is you can go home when you want but in truth if you are a valuable employee you can go home when you want too at least that's how I found it to be. That can be for anything really. Local we were supposed to wear uniforms. I wouldn't but they let me be (I showed up in one and changed in the truck that's all they asked of me) cause the customers I had were happy with my work. They actually said don't send anyone there but me. So if you are a good worker they let you be.

I do have one question, a stupid one, but what the hell. How do you guys fill the air in your tires? If you don't park at a truck stop by the time you get there the air is warm. I bought one of those things that hook up to a gladhand last night but I heard it is a slow process. Also the company truck I had, had these caps on the stem where you could still fill up the air without removing the cap. I need to buy somethig like that cause these stem caps are a pain.

I have Cross Fire fittings on all my tandems so I can see at a glance if they need air or not. The one good thing about them is that they connect both filler tubes together with one nice stem sticking out in the front to fill up. I then went to Walmart and bought a air nozzle that has a clip so you can attach it to the tire and it stays on without having to kneel down and hold the air hose on. It fits right onto my hose that hooks up to the glad hand connection.

[merrick4]

I have Cross Fire fittings on all my tandems so I can see at a glance if they need air or not. The one good thing about them is that they connect both filler tubes together with one nice stem sticking out in the front to fill up. I then went to Walmart and bought a air nozzle that has a clip so you can attach it to the tire and it stays on without having to kneel down and hold the air hose on. It fits right onto my hose that hooks up to the glad hand connection.

Thanks Steve. Cross fire fittings, never heard of them, man you sound like you've been doing this forever . I have a lot to learn.

[Kurbski]

merrick4 wrote:

was wondering about the paypal too.

Paypal is very simple to setup and use. Most business transactions still seem to be in the paper check mode. The CH Robinson transfers will help you stay a float for sure. Maybe it will catch on in future with other brokers for you as you establish your business relationships.

Anyway so revenue/miles and I come to $1.27 not good

Actually, I think thats looking pretty good because 1.27 is 3 times more than a company driver maiking 42+ cents per mile. Can you do better? Heck ya and your learning as you go like you have already said. I wouldn't worry about it. The $$ will catch up. Focus on all of your accomplishments so they say. Having too much time on hand and running your brain at mach 5 is our own worst enemy sometimes. Stop and eat ice cream..ice cream is good. Seriousley, making time to exercise, getting out of the cab / sleeper and not work too much is a must. Just don't beat yourself up or push too hard.

I have a ?? As far as your rolling office (which most intellegent folks pull over to do the bulk of), with invoices and trucking software? Does truckers helper or truck miles pro perform well? Trip routing, tracking income, expenses , taxes, creating, then sending invoices via the fax modem etc.

Be alert out there.The other day I saw this idiot swerving all over the road in a car. Phone attached to ear, calculator or blackberry in one hand, mouse pad with the other, literally driving w knee, crap all over dash including a printer. Can’t imagine what’s so important that it couldn’t wait. Wadda*********. Too bad he didn’t have to stop and have his logs checked, vehicle inspected and run a goverened lexus.

[mike3fan]

Anyway so revenue/miles and I come to $1.27 not good I know I'm working on it. Also I'm wondering when people are quoting their per mile rate as they are in the above O/O vs leasing thread, are they including their deadhead? If I took out deadhead and small personal trips it would be higher of course

Some do list all miles,most however do not and some don't even care.I like to list all my miles that I put on my truck as when the truck rolls it is costing me money and therefor I think that it gives a better idea to drivers considering being an O/O.

I don't think it is fair to give misleading info that could affect someone else's future by claiming to be making $1.80-$2.50 a mile when it doesn't include all miles used to operate your truck.JMO

[no_worries]

Actually, I think thats looking pretty good because 1.27 is 3 times more than a company driver maiking 42+ cents per mile.

That right there sums up why so many people want to become O/O's. I'd be willing to bet that at $1.27/mile he's not doing near as well as the company driver making $.42/mile.

Merrick, you know I'm not bashing you, just trying point out misconceptions. You've picked a good time to get started because this is a slow time of year for reefers. July and August are usually pretty dead, so you make it through this and you'll have some experience under your belt when things pick up again into September.

[sup]

1.27/mile isn't going to keep you rolling for long, even all miles included. The costs plus driver pay plus insurance plus maintenance and repairs won't be covered unless you run over 1.50 on all miles.
See, not trying to bash neither, but I hear that so often, that O/O make so much more as company drivers, but these people don't consider all the extra costs involved in keeping the whole operation going.
That's why I don't take cheap freight, because it's just not gonna pay off what you'll need in the end.
Does it help? No, I say no to cheap freight and ever since, the rates not going up. You have to figure what you need to pay for all the costs to pay. And to my experience that's over 1.50/mile.
So , let the brokers know what YOU need for the run!!!

[merrick4]

Kurbski these guys are right that making 42 cents a mile is a lot more than me making $1.27 a mile as I figure it costs about $1.00 a mile to run the truck. So that leaves me 27 cents for me which is a lot less than 42 cents. I would never see $.42 right now though as I only have 6 months otr experience. I still wish I did flatbedding like I wanted to, but kind of just went with this guy.

And by the way, I do not take critical comments as bashing. I more than welcome all reality check comments. But I'll say one thing, I hope I don't become the posterboy for why someone shouldn't become an O/O. But that of course is entirely up to me, I just hope I succeed in this.

As for the rolling office, I don't use those trucker programs mentioned. I have been using Drivers Daily log to keep track of the fuel expense, but I'm using Quickbooks overall for my stuff. I printed out a trip sheet that I'm using to monitor trip expenses but in the end it all goes into quickbooks. I pay with just about everything with credit cards, so I just simply need to download the transactions into Quickbooks.

As for trip routing, I have my map of course, Delorme Street Atlas and Mapquest. For some reason Mapquest isn't working like it use to. I use to rely on that thing. Of course common sense plays a big role here. Truck height and weight plays into what route you are going to take.

I tried the Penn Turnpike, man that is costly. Won't be doing that again. Somebody said that the Penn turnpike charges by weight or something. I didn't understand what he was saying and I don't see how they know how heavy you are. I must have heard him wrong.

I'm on my next load. Started in Plover, WI and deadheaded to Harvard, Il or Hahvid as I say in this accent I have that is making it tough for people to understand me out here. It was cute at first but it's getting annoying, but I digress.

I'm supposed to pick up corn and take it to Abingdon, Va but I pulped it going on the truck and it's temp was high. I called the broker and they called the buyer and they have to put it under ice for a while.

I don't know what acutal mileage will be yet of course but it pays $1,500. When I say acutal mileage, I'm doing like Mike3 and counting every single mileage. It comes to roughly $1.70 a mile.

This broker I dealt with for the last load, really liked the way I worked. I mean I got the load late, and believe me I did what I could to get it there on time. He wanted to load me right out to Buffalo, but the dispatcher said freight will be hard to come by out of there. I'm not taking what the dispatcher says for gold either, that's why I put things here.

I'm curious about one thing though, I asked for an invoice for the guy I'm working with to see how he bills so I could see how he did it so I could do the same. I saw that he had a fuel surcharge on there. I spoke to him today and asked about that and how to go about charging that. He stated that I don't need to worry about that as I don't have employees. He pays his drivers 25% of the load. He told me before he factors that after a fuel surcharge. I guess that's what he meant but I'm still curious about that, but it was a good rate he was getting. From Ga to Philly he was getting about $2.44 a mile though I don't know what the deadhead was.

This is what's killing me. I HATE not understanding things. By that I mean I have no clue what these freight lanes are supposed to be paying. They say start as a company driver and learn first, and that is true, I learned quite a bit in my 6 months out there but you never see the money side of the business. How do you learn that if you are not born and raised in this business like a lot are unless you just get out here?

Honestly though, I went in a couple of times to see the operations manager of the company I worked for, cause I didn't understand the way they were running me and they (one quit and the replacement after)
showed me quite a bit. The first one actually wanted to give me a job in the office there if I lived near the home terminal. So those couple of conversations I had were beneficial but normally you will never see that side of the business as a company driver.

I'm going to stay with this guy for a little bit and watch how they work. Already like I said one broker is now calling me direct which means I'm doing good or hauling too cheap.

A quick question, when you call a broker and he tells you the rate, is that always just the starting point? I mean do they always tell you low knowing you are going to ask for more? Is every load a negotiation?

Also a question for No_worries: I was trying to find something you said the other day on the OOIDA board but with this freaking slow Cingular service I lost patience. On that audit you had and the folder you had for the maintenance, with the statement, did you get that from OOIDA? I did buy the employee packet for $8 (which was a waste of money as the insurance company mailed me one for free) so I was wondering if got it from them?

[merrick4]

Sorry double post

[person]

This is what's killing me. I HATE not understanding things. By that I mean I have no clue what these freight lanes are supposed to be paying.

Try truckloadrate.com subscription for awhile. You can put in any two places and get the average rate per mile for that run, - based on what rate carriers got the month before.

Re first inspection, Getloaded.com sells on their site a "New Entrant Workbook." It comes with a CD that has all the forms you need now and some for later I think. If it doesn't talk about the CD coming with the workbook on the site, ask them on the phone about that, because I believe it is attached to the book. Like a college paperback book that includes a cd.

[geomon]

I'm supposed to pick up corn and take it to Abingdon, Va but I pulped it going on the truck and it's temp was high. I called the broker and they called the buyer and they have to put it under ice for a while.

I'm thinking that that would be one of the reasons that might be listed on a contract for detention money...a long with others like standard wait for a hole to open.

I asked for an invoice for the guy I'm working with to see how he bills so I could see how he did it so I could do the same. I saw that he had a fuel surcharge on there. I spoke to him today and asked about that and how to go about charging that. He stated that I don't need to worry about that as I don't have employees. He pays his drivers 25% of the load. He told me before he factors that after a fuel surcharge. I guess that's what he meant but I'm still curious about that, but it was a good rate he was getting. From Ga to Philly he was getting about $2.44 a mile though I don't know what the deadhead was.

Since he pays his drivers (no O/O's) a percentage of the load, the fsc allows him to keep that charge separate and be applied to his truck rather than mixing in with the % that is paid to the driver.

If fuel is $2.80/gal I'm guessing fsc's are running around $0.28/mi so, to me, without knowing deadhead and tolls, that is a good load.

[Kurbski]

merrick4 wrote:

Kurbski these guys are right that making 42 cents a mile is a lot more than me making $1.27 a mile

merrick4 and No Worries, you are are right. One more reason for me to be a newbie company driver after school. learning the ropes and all. But you are going to do just fine. I want to check on more routing do everything software Like Person mentioned and then decide and set it up now so I know whats going on with it. Thanks for the advice.