[merrick4]

Thanks N_W. Well today didn't go to well. I guess this was what Steve was talking about cause they didn't want to hear negotiating and just wanted poor rates. I'll sit here for the team but reality has to kick in sooner or later. Either I will get a good rate or I won't. I'm thinking of deadheading to Portland, I think there's better freight there.

Any opinions?

[GMAN]

Before deadheading out you may want to just check the freight in Portland. You could always post your truck for that area to see what happens. Freight coming out of Washington State is usually pretty pitiful. You may want to look at running down I-5. Rates tend to be higher running North and South on the left coast. Doing LTL's is another way to make more money. It does take more work to put the right freight together. It is a matter of deciding what you want to do. You will usually do better if you aren't in a hurry to get back home. The longer runs to the Southeast are usually not going to pay as well as to other areas. You may also want to think about running to Chicago and then finding something heading South.

[no_worries]

While freight running from CA to the NW pays well, you won't find much headed south paying much over a buck a mile, at least for vans and reefers. I wouldn't be in a hurry to head to Portland. The Yakima Wenatchee area is generally one of your best bets for reefers in WA. Where you're sitting right now is pretty much equidistant from Yakima and Portland. Remember, you're only 2+ hours from either of those spots and you're already sitting in Seattle. Basically you're smack in the middle of the prime freight area for the NW. There's no reason you can't book a load in Portland and then DH there. Just be aware of the time and when you're talking about the load say you're truck will be available 3 hours in the future. They don't need to know you're DHing so far. If you DH to Portland then you cut your available freight search by 1/3.

[LOAD IT]

Originally Posted by merrick4

I can't get out of Houston I don't think so anyway. I don't know there might be a hint of panic going on, I am starting to think the one back to Benton Harbor might have looked pretty good especially as I know I can get $2.00 or more back to Florida.

Ok I am going to fight it, I will get out of this truck and go find my iced coffee. Take a breather.

Hey No_worries actually a bunch of spots open here but you need to come in the right way or it's blind back which I tried but couldn't do ops: Either way I aint moving.

Is your passenger mirror adjustable from the drivers seat? If so, position it all the way out to the right and you will become a pro at blind side backing with some practice. You still need to G.O.A.L.

[LOAD IT]

If you want the Kent WA to Monroe Twp NJ, I can pm you the shipper and receiver phone contacts and you can go shipper direct.

[merrick4]

Just real quick as I want to go shower, I was in doing my laundry and talking with some guy. He spoke almost no English and was out here running around and didn't even no about the fuel tax. Ignorance is a killer out here.

Anyway I got a load of apples out of Yakima. I messed up cause I had a short load from Kent to Yakima and by the time I got the load wrapped up in Yakima the short one was gone. I'm going to Gray Court, SC for $4400. They had one to Orlando for a little over $5,000 but it worked out to less per mile and from SC I will get a good load to Miami.

N_W do I have to run the reefer on continuous for apples? This is what happens I guess when you don't know what you are doing. I got a good load out of Idaho Falls so I figured I'd go farther and get even more money. I looked before I came here and there looked like ample freight but now I found out this isn't one of the areas that you sit and wait like I could in Chicago.

I say this honestly cause I know people are following this who want to get into this and obviously being so naive as I was makes me look dumb but what the hell, everyone has been so helpful and have been a big help.

Sonny posted that you can lose your shirt out here so I will put down all my foolishness as I am generally an honest person as it is. Fortunately I have the money issue taken care of so that offsets all this ignorance I am showing in other aspects.

So in the end I learned CHECK FUEL PRICES OF WHERE YOU ARE GOING and then I learned just don't look to see if there are loads coming out of someplace. There is more to it than that. What kind of loads and where to?

You know another thing, last week I heard an interview of the Governor of Washington on CNBC and she was talking about how much produce comes out of here. I had no idea. But of course it all comes in cycles. So I guess that played into my great idea to come out here.

Anyway I really appreciate all the help. If it means anything, I just printed out the fuel tax rates from etrucker.com and handed it to this guy and explained how to buy fuel. It serves none of us any good when people are out here not knowing what they are doing this is why GMAN I guess spends so much time explaining things to people. We all benefit in the end which is a good thing.

Thannks agains and thanks N_W for all your help too it is very much appreciated.

[rank]

Merrick I think you're doing a great job. People need to know how tough it is to make a living at this game.

[BigDiesel]

Originally Posted by merrick4

Anyway I got a load of apples out of Yakima. I messed up cause I had a short load from Kent to Yakima and by the time I got the load wrapped up in Yakima the short one was gone. I'm going to Gray Court, SC for $4400. They had one to Orlando for a little over $5,000 but it worked out to less per mile and from SC I will get a good load to Miami.

Thats not a bad rate for end of season apples, considering that the railroad got in to the valley this year, and minimal dh miles.

[merrick4]

End of season. You see this is the stuff I need to know. How can it be end of season if I didn't even know the season started?

Actually the guy that got me the load use to be the head guy over at CH Robinson SE Produce division and now has his own brokerage. Man does he talk and I'm glad he does. I called him for a load the other day and he never called me back so I just kept calling.

Thanks Rank for the kind words. I do everything in life by "what's smart" or not. For instance if you can't pay your rent then it's "not smart" to be paying for DirectTv.

So it's not smart to buy a truck and trailer and amble about the country looking for work. (for what I am seeking in life anyway.) I need to know when the season starts, when it ends and all the other little things which will come in time. So now when I get out here and I see the freight isn't so good in this part of the state I realize what I did.

Anyway to sum it all up this is a business and there needs to be some type of plan other than I'll get a truck and go to work. I realize the money isn't in the truck it's in the freight.

[merrick4]

Originally Posted by LOAD IT

If you want the Kent WA to Monroe Twp NJ, I can pm you the shipper and receiver phone contacts and you can go shipper direct.

I must of missed this one before, just saw it now. Thanks LoadIT anwyway but I got a load.

Let me ask you something though, I notice a lot that you mention direct contact with shippers. It it safe to assume that the money will ALWAYS be better that way? and considerably so?

By the way, I can blind back. My first job out of school we had to blind back everyday into the dock but that was a while ago and also I hate doing it when there are trucks sitting there waiting for you to finish.