[merrick4]

Well I got a load that seemed ok 1500 miles plus 150 deadhead to S.D. But as I was sending everything, some guy called; not the lady I was dealing with and profusely apologized and said the load got cancelled. They didn't want to pay that much in the first place.

It was no big deal, I guess he was expecting me to flip out or something.

I don't know now, it seems like sitting here isn't going to do much. I'm truly at a loss as to what to do. I mean do I sit here for a couple of days? Or do I take the $1.00 freight to IL? What would GMAN and BigD do?

Do I run just to keep an income? Do I start with all these little loads? Do I just go home?

You know I ran with that guy for a few months and never sat once. This is the first time I am sitting so it seems like I am doing something wrong.

Yes I know the answer is to get my own customers but that doesn't happen in a day. I might just go home for a bit like No_worries said. The wife is complaining anyway.

Just a final comment. I know I open up myself to a lot here. I mean like, "well you dumbass you bought yourself a truck now you are asking the questions AFTER you buy?". Which is true but like I said I never thought of leaving that guy so quick.

But I write all of this down as there are many I'm sure pondering getting a truck and coming out here or getting a truck and leaving it in the driveway like Doghouse so I am detailing things here for this reason as well.

This is a business, and like I've said before, getting the truck is the easiest thing to do if you have even a small amount of resources and good credit. The freight this is where the money is not the truck.

Anyway I appreciate all the help. I might go to Charlotte and at least see my brother while I wait this out and there are more refridgerated loads coming from there anyway. Around here is more dry freight.

[geomon]

Merrick....you may have this info as I copied it down from another poster a while back. But just in case it helps you here it is again (was it Sonny from beautiful Mahwah, Nuevo Joisey?)

If you want to survive you must find some frozen brokers ASAP
so they can know and rely on you
so you can work all winter
then in the winter
plan your summer work
you can definately book your own reefer loads using getloaded and ITS

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

[BigDiesel]

Originally Posted by geomon

Merrick....you may have this info as I copied it down from another poster a while back. But just in case it helps you here it is again (was it Sonny from beautiful Mahwah, Nuevo Joisey?)

If I were in M4's shoes, this is what I would do. It will get you to various shippers and you could pitch your services to them at the same time. It won't take very many shippers to have more business than you can handle.

[merrick4]

No I didn't forget about that list at all as I had it pulled up again today. I called a lot of people today but to no avail. If I read BigD's post right, he suggests just running for these til I get to enough shippers which means hauling cheap for now which I might have to do.

I was thinking, my fixed costs are pretty much all set for the foreseeable future. Insurance is paid for the year, no truck payment for 2 years (though I am going to refinance) so I will get through this.

H&M Bay wouldn't load me without Seafood coverage which I didn't want to ask for as they want to cancel me (the insurance company) but I just got off the phone with my agent and he said he can do it for me (and he just gave me a contact for plants down in Miami.)

So I feel good, appreciate all the help and will continue to post my situation.

[BigDiesel]

Originally Posted by merrick4

No I didn't forget about that list at all as I had it pulled up again today. I called a lot of people today but to no avail. If I read BigD's post right, he suggests just running for these til I get to enough shippers which means hauling cheap for now which I might have to do.

I was thinking, my fixed costs are pretty much all set for the foreseeable future. Insurance is paid for the year, no truck payment for 2 years (though I am going to refinance) so I will get through this.

H&M Bay wouldn't load me without Seafood coverage which I didn't want to ask for as they want to cancel me (the insurance company) but I just got off the phone with my agent and he said he can do it for me (and he just gave me a contact for plants down in Miami.)

So I feel good, appreciate all the help and will continue to post my situation.

Not suggesting hauling cheap, but hauling smart with those contacts. Also check into XMAS trees in NC area...

[no_worries]

As far as my comment on CA...good-paying is what I meant. You're right, you can always find something out of there. But CA should be the highest paying freight in the country so if all you can find is something for $1.50/mile, it's too cheap.

I've been stuck in NC a few times; waited it out once, spent like a week in a hotel in the Research Triangle area 8), and deadheaded out once. If I was solo I'd give it enough time to see there was nothing there then head to TN. That's been one area where the ratio has been favorable all year. Then again, if I were you and could get $2 to FL, I'd just go home. Just my thoughts, they don't work for everyone :lol:

[Sonny Pruitt]

that list is frozen food 101
in frozen the same shippers ship to the same warehouses
every week
I have been delivering 5,000 cases of hot pockets to C/S for the last 5 mondays
If I like a load I keep bugging the broker for another one
Next thing you know you have a regular load
"did you save me my......load?"
"already sent you the confirmation"
Then I can key my week to that load
sometimes it works (last week)
sometimes it doesn't (this week)

[merrick4]

You know what's funny is you look at the board and you see 500 loads and you think you are in a good area.

I'm in Charlotte now and at least out of the truck; you don't feel so much pressure if you're not sitting in a truck stop. Took my little brother out for a steak dinner and went to get a couple reams of paper and am ready for the next day.

Honestly no_worries I don't want to go home cause I am determined to stay out here til I get this right but the wife is complaining so I might go home for a bit.

Just something interesting, I was talking with my insurance agent for a while today. That guy has been real good to me. Anyway he went over my policy and apparently I need to have a monthly inspection on the reefer. Nothing major but I am going to draft up a monthly report and start filling it out on the first or so. I know Sonny mentioned before about having it serviced every 1000 hours I believe but mine didn't mention that.

As I thought I was going to South Dakota I called a broker at TQL that I hauled for once who told me he had freight out of there to see if he had something to get me out. He knew who I was right away; I didn't even tell him my name. Anyway he was telling me a few things that were coming up and I mentioned that I didn't see that posted on their website. He stated that they don't post it cause the phones would blow up.

From this I concluded that what's left on these load boards is pretty much the bottom of the barrel.

You know, I know this will never happen, but they always talk about a strike, and really I think all people have to do is boycott one of the big ones like CH Robinson. Won't happen I know. I use to post on their website but I don't even do that know.

[no_worries]

Don't feel like I'm trying to convince you to go home, I'm not. Just offering what I would do in a given situation...a perspective that's a little different than many here.

[merrick4]

No No_worries, I know. Actually it does make sense. I mean it's going to get ugly (for those of us without customers)and people are going to get desperate and need to make truck payments and the holidays are coming up so it makes sense to sit back and let everyone go at it for a while. Insurance agent said that a lot of his clients are hurting; it's getting ugly.

You know I'm watching the same loads sit on the boards for a couple of days now. I guess they expect this and maybe don't need the stuff moved that day. I was also thinking that in a way they are at an advantage (the brokers) I mean they are sitting in an office and go home at the end of the day; whereas if you are sitting in a truck you start to get antsy (I don't know how you can do the team situation.)

I mean I feel much better now in a house; more relaxed and not as anxious.

Today TQL called and wanted to know how much I wanted to deadhead to Tenn and pick up tomatoes and take it to Florida. I told him $2100 which would have come out to about $2.15 on all miles. He blurted out "$2100! Can you hold the truck for 5 minutes while I call the customer" and I'm thinking that I said too low.

Well he calls back and said the customer won't pay that, that the highest they have paid for that lane is $1900 but that was the highest and usually $1600. So I said the lowest I can go is $1950 but he said he needed to shop around some.

All of this has been a good experience. Anyway how are you doing out there No_Worries? Are you going to stay out for a while?