Truck Driving Jobs

Rev.Vassago · #**201** 12-30-2006, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveBooth

I think most of you talk BS about what your getting unless your hooked up with a shipper but as far as load boards are concerned I think your lucky to get $1.60 to $1.80 at the most. I've bid on tons of loads and never hear back so I'm sure they are getting a cheaper price. If you think a handful of us here on the load boards are going to change the industry by not taking loads for less than $2.00 your F%^%& crazy and will sit and starve. I don't think my average is bad at all and this month should be about $1.80.

And therein lies the downfall of getting all your loads from a loadboard, where everybody and their mother has access to them, and everybody and their mother has their hand in them. I used to work for a guy who did nothing but get his loads off a load board. Needless to say, he isn't in that business anymore.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveBooth

The $1.80 is for loaded only.

Other than to skew your numbers to make them look better, what is the point of even calculating what you are making for loaded miles only? It isn't a true representation of what you are pulling in.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveBooth

The loads that I've been doing are at least 2,200 miles at an average of $1.80 now. I did do some loads at $3.00 that were under 500 miles but those still took 2 days and not enough time to get to the next one and load until the 3rd day. Some of these loads take up to 4 hours to load up. Myself, I would rather do the long hauls for under $2.00 per mile and take it easy.

C.R. England, Swift, J.B. Hunt, etc. would love you. The trick to making it in this business is to put AS FEW miles on as you can, while running THE HIGHEST rate possible. I would certainly rather put 5000 miles a month or less on, and pull in $20,000, than put 12,000 miles a month on to get that same $20,000. My variable costs are lower, my equipment will last longer, and I won't end up as tired from running my butt off.

Bigmon · #**202** 12-30-2006, 05:22 PM

Steve,

Because of he holidays over 1 million peole have left town so you're getting a break on the traffic.

As you noticed the Irwindale area is big for trucking so the streets are wider and more beat up. The first load I ever pulled, race cars, went to the Irwindale Race Track. Not far from where you are.

The area you stayed in, Hesperia, is the part of the high desert which gets more wind than Los Angeles.

Kintama · #**203** 12-30-2006, 06:13 PM

If you want to go to Florida, try to LTL out of there. If you spend a little time and line some things up, you'll make more in the long run, or deadhead out as Gman suggested. Florida is a black hole for freight.

#**204** 12-30-2006, 09:17 PM

Well, I'm back at the Pilot in Hesperia for the night and will get an early start to Aspen in the morning. I was at the shipper before 7 when they opened so I was the first one in. Since I was the first they gave me the lighter load at 20,000. I'm hauling the stage that will be used at Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen for the upcoming X Games. I have 4 big concrete blocks up front and 4 in back then some of the stage in the middle. This is the first time my steers feel heaving so I plan to scale in the morning and adjust my 5th wheel. I may move it anyways and scale again to see the difference. Maybe ride around the block then do a comparison. At slow speeds it almost feels like I have only 1/2 my power steering. I have a feeling this load is much more than 20,000. I was down to 35mph coming over the mountain into Hesperia.

There was another guy loading also heading to Aspen who had his own authority and has been on his own for 4 years and is doing very well. We compared notes and he's getting about the same as me. The only difference is that he's renting his trailer for $700 per month and has a truck payment but he's doing OK. This guy was one of the Chip and Dale dancers and traveled around the world doing shows. He was always around trucks when they unloaded the stage props and stuff so when he reached 40 which was too old to be in the show, he started driving. Cool guy, we're going to grab a cab and head for Aspen town one night.

Quote:

Rev.Vassago

Ignore

There was also a driver there picking up some other stuff in a van. He was in his late 60's and retired. Lives in Port Orange Florida and has been here in California for the past few weeks visiting his children and was taking a load back close to Florida. I had my suspicions about this and he confirmed it. There are 8 bazzilion retired truckers with there own authority living in Florida. They haul quite a bit of freight from there and plan to run there trucks into the ground then hang it up. He said he does short runs around 350 miles or so. When I was looking for a truck there was plenty in Florida for sale by retired truckers.

I'm sure going to miss the Outpost restaurant close to the Pilot here. I got up at 2am this morning and just had my first meal of the day around 4pm. The waitress asked if I was OK. I said, I want to leave, I just can't get up and need a wheelbarrow to bring me back to my truck. I'm full, fat, dumb and happy right now and will melt into bed shortly.

This is FUN!!! 6 weeks and NO regrets.

Rev.Vassago · #**205** 12-30-2006, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveBooth

Quote:

Rev.Vassago

Ignore

:roll:

Mackman · #**206** 12-30-2006, 09:30 PM

Rev i would just give up and let him sink his own ship.

-FlyByNight- · #**207** 12-30-2006, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveBooth

This is FUN!!! 6 weeks and NO regrets.

Damnit Steve! This is business, NOT pleasure! :wink:

I couldn't help but think of you when I saw an ad for Landstar in one of the trucking magazines. It has a picture of a truck with mountains in the background and another picture of a guy skiing and the caption reads...

See the mountains.
Ski the mountains.

This is freedom. This is Landstar.

This -FBN- being envious. :lol:

Glad things are going well for you my friend. Keep on truckin'!