I will interested to see my year end numbers concerning deadhead,I bet it will be close to 30% :?

It is what it is though,I for the most part have no control over it.

My KW is 22,400 full of fuel, I can only scale maybe 43K, the rate stays the same, if the customer doesn't like it, no problem there are lots of loads for me to pull.

The company doesn't say much about the weight, if they do I don't really care, like Mike says it is what it is, I'm not buying another truck anytime soon so basically they can kiss my a$$, I also go in to load FULL of fuel every time, so there are no surprises.

The shippers will cut the load back to legal weight no matter what anybody says, when the trailer is pre-loaded, I do what I have to do to get it there without complaining, takes a little longer to go around the scales, but it is better than a ticket.

Since you are buying a truck now be sure to take weight into consideration, Although I bought this one new I did NOT spec it for tanks, it was speced for a dump trailer, and it also came in HEAVIER than the paperwork said it would be...........OH WELL.

A few weeks ago I picked up a brand new tri-axle tank in Chicago for a customer in Maine, 8500 gallon insulated, I weighed in right at 39,400 empty, the lady in the scale at Kinder Morgan in Bedford Park Ill' asked me if I was sure it was empty!, needless to say THAT customer didn't get his whole load.

BTW Western Stars are known for being light, check with other owners of them, DO NOT listen to the dealer, or take it and put it on a scale, I'm sure the present owner won't mind.

Orange tex, I was referring to working out of St Gabriel LA, Dana/Suttles has a terminal there, and with the large network of terminals, (47) I think the deadhead will be less over here.

LOL...I guess that one blew right by me!! I have talked with Dana/Suttles. There is a terminal right here in Beaumont, though not a large one. I signed with Miller strictly for the reason that THEY pay to put the PTO & driveline, as well as the ITH kit on the truck, plus raised the fifth wheel to meet height. Their codicle for that is, if the truck de-leases before one year, the cost of that equipment and it's installation has to be repaid. Dana wouldn't even finance that stuff when I talked to them.

As far as truck weights go, I have a 01 International 9400 Eagle. Full of fuel it weights in at 20,200#. I seldom worry about overweight, except for pre-loads. Have picked up 2 preloads that had 47,000 pounds of product. Was 700# to 1000# over on the drivers both times.

This Western Star weighs 19380 with 1/4 tanks and the salesman sitting in the seat. By the time I get the pump and compressor on I think it will be too heavy. Its got aluminium hubs and a light fifth wheel but its a big sleeper and long wheelbase and CAT engine and Heavy thirteen speed and, and, ... You get the picture. This is a nice truck I would hate to pass on it. I think the price is right. Only has 342,000 miles. The dealer is one who mostly sells lightweight spec trucks and has no customers for road trucks so he is VERY motivated to sell me the truck.

I am getting a little concerned about the business volume we have had lately. There was a good push last week with everyone trying to build up stocks before Thanksgiving but I think its going to be really slow for the next five or six weeks. Might be a good plan to let them sit on the truck a few more weeks and really feel some pain on it. Then come in and make them a low offer just before we get busy for the spring.

I agree with you Maniac, I think I would be much better off if I find a lighter truck to begin with. The biggest reason I want this particular truck is the fact that it is a one owner truck. I have access to maintenance records, and it is a single turbo pre 04 CAT. I really helps that the guy who owned it did not smoke and I don't either. I have been looking at new and that's nice to think about but I am too cheap to spend that much on a truck, and I am afraid of the new emissions.

Maniac?

Has it been cold working on that old beater? 8)

I load Sat. morning for Wilmington,DE.

Maniac

I wonder what size is your Sleeper? it looks like in the picture a mid or high rise but I could be wrong? also what is your wheel base? also with the company u work for is there a Year restriction on trucks?

Thanks

Its an 86" studio, hi-rise, its only 11'6" tall, wheelbase is 280".

As far as I know here are NO age restrictions on the tractor at Dana, they will do the first DOT inspection on your truck, and then after that you can have them done anywhere.

There are quite few older trucks here, but all have been here for a while, only thing to do would be to ask them.

What they told me over at LaPorte terminal, when ya first sign on, 7 years old is the max. Once signed on, then just keep the truck in good mechanical repair, so it can work.

Week Ending 11/11

Owosso,MI-------->Midland,MI (drop dirty,hook clean,live load)
Midland,MI-------->New Berlin,WI (customer unload)
.....New Berlin,WI------->Crestwood,IL (drop dirty,hook load)
Crestwood,IL------>Elgin,SC (customer unload)

Total Miles: 1,492
Deadhead Miles: 234.16%
Gross Pay: $3,615.95 ($2.42@ mile)
YTD Miles: 109,279
YTD Gross: $ 174,344.36 ($1.60@ mile)
Total loads: 141
Hazmat: 88

My new start at Superior Carriers...

Okay, okay, the cat's finally out of the bag. I'm quickly pasting this from my recently updated Superior Carriers/Carry Transit thread in the other forum, but am not going to hijack Mike's thread. He's way too nice of a guy to do that to :P

Many of y'all may have wondered where I'd disappeared to over the last month or so. Some knew all along what I was up to, and others (quietly) figured it out on their own. The not-so-big news is that I quit Superior Carriers as a company driver and purchased (not leased) one of the older company trucks at the beginning of October.

In a nutshell I saw an opportunity to venture out on my own finally as an independent businessman with an almost foolproof way to succeed. For starters, I purchased my truck for a mere $10,426. True, it's a 2001 with extremely high miles but on the other side of the coin, it's maintenance and repair record is in my own words, immaculate. So far, it is very mechanically sound and runs like a charm. And it is doing everything I expect it to in order for me to remain profitable and, to obtain the time off I require.

I am no longer a system driver except for when I must run a system load to get to and/or from a time off location when necessary. I am assigned out of the Westville, IN terminal, which consists of all I/C's who run dedicated loads out-and-back empty for one of the company's major customers. This is a major contributing factor in how I'm handling the high fuel prices we have now since up to half or more of my weekly miles are empty and help with obtaining good fuel economy.

Another major contributing factor is my lower than average fixed overhead, which at it's highest totals right around $500 per week (compared to many who go into the lease, er, um, fleece deals and pay much higher and for much longer time periods). This figure will drop by $200 once my truck loan is paid back in full to the company at the beginning of next October, and will drop a little more for a few months once my base plate is paid in full as well every year. So all in all it's working out great so far through these first several weeks, and only looks to continuously improve, provided I keep my truck maintained and in good working order, and I continue running consistently. Which shouldn't be an issue with me running dedicated loads that are in abundance. We shall see how I am doing this time next year...

Also, a note about my mileage listing in the figures. Before, as a company driver I listed only the total paid miles I was credited with. Now, as an I/C, I am listing all hub miles the truck turns every week, regardless if it is due to work or just driving around on my personal time (as I now do that quite a bit getting around during my time off in Indiana).

Now, unfortunately concerning my statistics and figures as an I/C I will be a little behind, as I have transitioned from a same-week pay schedule to a two-week hold back period, meaning what I have completed and turned in by 2359 Sunday doesn't get paid until the following Thursday. But as always, I'll update my numbers as soon as feasible. Here goes, picking up from where I started as an I/C in the 41st week of this year!

Week 41-1
-Garden City, GA to Riceboro, GA (hook preloaded tank)
-Riceboro, GA to Louisville, KY (driver unload with truck air)
-Louisville, KY to Institute, WV (drop dirty tank)
Gross: $1,375.77
Miles: 981
Avg.: $1.402/mile

Week 42-2
-Institute, WV to Nitro, WV (hook preloaded tank)
-Nitro, WV to Calgary, AB, CAN (driver unload with truck pump)
-Calgary, AB, CAN to Westville, IN (drop dirty tank, wash truck pump)
Gross: $5,037.86
Miles: 4,023
Avg.: $1.252/mile

Week 43-3
-Westville, IN (hook preloaded tank), then to Huntsville, AL (customer unload)
-Huntsville, AL to West Memphis, AR (drop dirty tank)
-----West Memphis, AR to Memphis, TN (hook preloaded tank)
-----Memphis, TN to Catawba, SC (driver unload with customer air)
-----Catawba, SC to Garden City, GA (drop dirty tank)
-Garden City, GA to Jacksonville, FL (time off)
Gross: $2,338.06
Miles: 1,975
Avg.: $1.183/mile

Week 44-4
-Jacksonville, FL (time off, hook clean tank)
-Jacksonville, FL to Savannah, GA (live load)
-Savannah, GA to Kingsport, TN (driver unload with customer air, drop dirty tank)
Gross: $946.28
Miles: 531
Avg.: $1.782/mile

Week 45-5
-Kingsport, TN (hook preloaded tank)
-Kingsport, TN to Indianapolis, IN (driver unload with customer air)
-Indianapolis, IN to Westville, IN (drop dirty tank, hook preloaded tank)
-----Westville, IN to Grabill, IN (driver unload with truck pump)
-----Grabill, IN to Westville, IN (drop dirty tank, hook preloaded tank)
-Westville, IN to Huntsville, AL (customer unload)
-Huntsville, AL to Westville, IN (drop dirty tank, hook preloaded tank)
-----Westville, IN to Huntsville, AL (customer unload)
-----Huntsville, AL to Westville, IN (drop dirty tank)
-Westville, IN to Demotte, IN (time off)
Gross: $3,470.14
Miles: 3,165
Avg.: $1.096/mile

Superior Carriers, Independent Contractor 2007 Totals, starting from October 8th:
Gross: $13,156.41
Miles: 10,675
Loaded Miles: 6,349 (59%)
Empty Miles: 4,326 (41%)
Avg.: $1.232/mile
Hazmat Loads: 6
Days Working: 24
Days Off: 11
*Totals calculated up to November 11, 2007*

Be safe and take care, more later :wink:...