[merrick4]

Originally Posted by Bigmon

Thanks for the update. I was interested because I have an office about 10 miles from where you were. I was also curious about your loads out of CA since everyone seems to complain about not being able to get out.

Office? If I'm not mistaken I thought you said you hauled reefer? To be honest I was surprised at the loadboards out there. I thought there would be more. I mean that's a major entry point for stuff from China. I guess I did ok as it was a holiday weekend.

There is one guy who I have been talking to lately. He is a broker and has I think 4 trucks. He had more and "lost a fortune in trucking". I asked him where he went wrong and he said taking the $1.00 loads of chicken to California hoping to get out with a good load.

A lot of what has been posted here in the past is making sense to me. I mean if anyone like me who knows nothing can go buy a truck and set up shop, well maybe the entry point should be higher. I am doing my best and not hauling cheap but why would someone be taking a $1.00 a mile?

But my friend in Mass who was in the trucking business for many many years, was telling me that people hauling for cheap didn't start yesterday. He had his own authority before deregulation. I think, just maybe, things might get better in this industry. Things are getting too expensive and hauling for cheap will put many people out quicker now then before. More and more people will probably just end up company drivers and then it's those left standing against the big companies. The advantage big companies have over the small ones is they have multiple streams of revenue. J.B Hunt is doing real well with intermodal.

But I digress and in the end I am too new to make any prognosis for this industry.

[merrick4]

Originally Posted by geomon

So why don't you buy some coffee then add ice? Voila..iced coffee 8)

Would you tell a true cigar smoker to go buy the Swisher Sweets for $2.00?

Actually on Xmas I resorted to that. But the thing is it needs to be brewed double strength as the ice dilutes it. Then they wanted to charge me $2.00 for the cup I took.


And actually I read recently, I think it was a New York Times article, that some won't even drink it how I do; They want it cold brewed. Actually I read too (I was Googling for the best ways to make it) there was another article that called McDonalds iced coffee the new crack as people are flocking to it. Buy stock in Mcdonalds.

I did end up buying a coffee maker in case of emergenices.

[mike3fan]

Originally Posted by merrick4

I am doing my best and not hauling cheap but why would someone be taking a $1.00 a mile?

because they have no clue how much it cost to operate the truck,because someone always wants to go home,because they get nervous that it's noon and they don't have a load today yet,because they are behind on their truck payment and they will make it up next load(they hope).and so on and so on.

[mike3fan]

Originally Posted by merrick4

But the thing is it needs to be brewed double strength as the ice dilutes it.

I can't stand hot coffee,the thought of drinking it cold is down right disgusting(no offence).

[GMAN]

Originally Posted by merrick

By the way Gman, I didn't take that load to Colorado. I've decided that I don't have chains, don't want chains and won't be going where I need chains.

I am glad you decided to not go into Colorado without chains, especially during this nasty weather. Some of those western states are checking chains more this year.

[Doghouse]

It was colder in Grand Junction than it is here in Missoula,...either way its in the teens to mid 20's,...reminds me of winter on the farm in upstate NY.

[merrick4]

Originally Posted by mike3fan

because they have no clue how much it cost to operate the truck,because someone always wants to go home,because they get nervous that it's noon and they don't have a load today yet,because they are behind on their truck payment and they will make it up next load(they hope).and so on and so on.

Well really more of a rhetorical question. To be honest I don't know how much it cost to run this truck either. I mean I know what I pay for fuel and I can divide that by 6, I know what I pay for insurance but the rest I'm not sure as I don't have a year to base things off of. But again the way I have financed things complicates the numbers. But really knowing the costs or not, it's kind of common sense that you can't run for $1.00 a mile. I don't know, I truly don't consider myself so smarter than the next person, not stupid by any means but more I'm just curious and I seem to be doing ok. I mean you can't put a square peg in a round hole and by the same token you can't run a truck in this day and age with $1.00 a mile.

Originally Posted by mike3fan

I can't stand hot coffee,the thought of drinking it cold is down right disgusting(no offence).

none taken of course. I never even drank coffee til I was like 30. Well I guess you're lucky cause your state is one of 3 that I can't get the iced coffee in McDonalds either. But you have Dunkin Donuts so that works.

Originally Posted by GMAN

I am glad you decided to not go into Colorado without chains, especially during this nasty weather. Some of those western states are checking chains more this year.

Actually what I did GMAN is call the Colorado Dot for a definitive answer as to what's necessary. They told me that chains are required, not tubes or some other thing she mentioned, between certain mile markers I forget which one.

Originally Posted by Doghouse

It was colder in Grand Junction than it is here in Missoula,...either way its in the teens to mid 20's,...reminds me of winter on the farm in upstate NY.

I was looking at the map Doghouse and I never realized New York went way up north like that. I was just in Rochester but that didn't seem so rural.

Oh by the way as for being cold, well what I do now is run the ceramic heater at night on low with the APU. Honestly the APU would be fine for most but my blanket is paper thin and I refuse to bundle up. So this works out fine as it brings up the temp and the APU will then shut down for a while then start up so I'm saving fuel.

The problem is I was in the shower today and worrying about if I shut the heater off before I left the truck :roll:

[mike3fan]

Originally Posted by merrick4

But really knowing the costs or not, it's kind of common sense that you can't run for $1.00 a mile.

must not be I see more doing it than not.

[Orangetxguy]

Originally Posted by Doghouse

It was colder in Grand Junction than it is here in Missoula,...either way its in the teens to mid 20's,...reminds me of winter on the farm in upstate NY.

What are you doing in Mizzoula??

[Bigmon]

I think Pepe is back. Fill us in.