I know it, $1.50 hub and up against your 70. :cry: :cry: :cry: How many guys who dispatch themselves are ever up against the 70?

 

My approach has been to not call anyone about a load but just sit there and wait for the phone to ring. Occasionally I send an email and that works pretty good also.

This morning my phone started ringing about 7:30 and I shut it off at 8:30. When I'm in a bad freight location my phone rings about noon or 1pm and it's usually not a bad rate but they need me to move and hustle NOW! They usually don't fool around and I can tell the tone of there voice.

I have a load going from here to there, loads in 1 hour, pays $1,200 for 500 miles. Can you leave NOW? .......YUP!!!

I've learned to be prepared and ready to go at a moments notice from like 11am to 2pm when I'm in a bad area. After that I'm pretty sure the phone won't ring and it's NAP TIME!!!

I have a nice load now. Steel rods about 42,000 pounds, no tarp and easy to strap down and go.

 

Newbie, you evidently don't know what a bad freight area is. I mean, if only I could have your troubles. :wink: I'm at least a year away from doing anything like you are doing. Things I want to pay down, have to buy a trailer, I don't even have my accounting and tax preparation all down yet. I like what you have going on though, it's what I had in mind. All the freedom and evidently plenty of good paying freight, too.

 

This is not meant as a negative comment at all,but until we start seeing some hub miles compared to money I'm not so sure.I think Steve has said a couple of time that he is avg. around $1.60 a mile loaded(unless that has changed and he hasn't said) and I know his deadhead has to be around or above 10%.

I've been avg. $2.08 a loaded mile and can only get $1.55 avg. after deadhead,I don't expect Steve to have 25% deadhead like me but it would be interesting to see total miles to gross.

 

Ok Steve, you're up! But, let me see if I can't figure out a little of what he's thinking.

One, he's happy. He does what he wants to do, goes where he wants to go (within reason, of course), and works when he wants to work. I doubt he'd want to 'sell' all that for a higher rate.

Two, he can, as LOAD IT put it, protect his equipment. He can look for the lighter loads and if he's got to get to the other side of Donner he can insist on it.

Three, he's quite profitable, though that $1.50- hub, company trailer etc., etc., by itself that would be hard to beat.

How did I do, Steve?

 

You know I have to agree,Steve does have incredible freedom,but he started with a boat load of money paid cash for everything and no offense,but basically doing this as a hobby at this time,while I wish I was in as good finiancial shape as Steve unfortunately like most Americans I am a$$ deep in credit card debt and need to do what I gotta do.

I am more jealous of Steve than critical.

 

I think it's been soft in the northeast for the past few weeks. 1.40-1.50/loaded mile for flats. The only good loads have been OD.

 

Yeah, flats are generally better. :P You didn't mention better than what. Cam, it depends on what part of the country you run and the time of year whether flats are better. Flats usually require a little more effort to run due to the tarping and being out in the weather. You are not always out in the elements, but that is the nature of flats. Overall, flat rates tend to be higher than vans. How is that, Cam? :wink:

 

Care to share how you arrived at that conclusion?

 

UUUhhhhh....???? Let me guess, this question is a carryover from another conversation/thread to which I am not privy? 8) I never was one for ripping Steve. He's done more in a year than I've done in eleven and that doesn't bother me at all. If he's averaging 1.60/mile loaded and he has a penchant for the longer loads going out West and his deadhead is at least reasonable... :idea: