When I post my truck I normally use a 150 mile radius. The reason being is that sometimes a good load is more than 100 miles away. Unless you expand your radius then you may not see the load. It is much better to deadhead to a good load (providing it pays enough) than take a cheaper load. It is always better to get a load close to you unless the rate is low. Don't be afraid to deadhead. I have been doing more deadheading the last several months than I have done in years, but the rates I am getting are well worth it.

It takes time to search the load boards. Once you get some experience with some brokers then will start to call you more frequently. I have some brokers who continually call me whether they know that I have a truck in the area or not. I had 2 or 3 brokers call today about needing a truck near my home base. Unfortunately, I didn't have anything close enough to make it work. There are a few brokers who will not do business with a new carrier until they have been in business for at least 1 year. Most don't care how long you have been in business as long as your insurance and authority are good.

One reason I get better paying loads from some brokers and shippers is my safety rating. I have a very good safety record. It takes time to get a good rating. To start with you don't have a rating. Over time and if your Dad doesn't get any tickets or out of service violations his score will become lower. A good safety score is low. A bad one is high. The higher your score the greater the likelihood of being pulled into a scale.

Don't be afraid of holding out for a good rate. It is much better to deadhead out of a bad area or sit for a day than take something that isn't profitable.

 

This is a really good thread. This is better than going to school. Thanks to all of the Vets. on CAD.

 

Thanks for all of the help. My week of helping my dad on the road is almost at an end.

Getting rid of the load planner is going to be good for him. A lot more work, but he'll make a little more money.

Trying to teach him to effectively use the internet has been a challenge.

He definately has to learn time management.

We've pretty much decided that ITS is the easiest for him to use so he'll use it and probably stay signed up with get loaded in case he can't get a load there.

He picked up his first load from get loaded on Friday last week.
Monday he picked up a load off ITS and scheduled a pick up as well from ITS.
Wednesday he scheduled a pickup from a call off ITS.
Just now he scheduled a load off ITS to get him home.

It's been a long week and lots of hours, but when all the loads are added together he will have grossed around $9k for all of it.

 

Hey Charged. Can you please post the miles from where and to with the pay of the load. I am looking to get on the boards myself. Thanks

 

I can't post to and from where we went. The boards are pretty much straight forward. We liked ITS because it had a map option which made it easy to find stuff. Every load we had to call and find out what the broker offered as far as pay, pickup and drop off times. Very few brokers list their prices on ITS. We also found that no one was willing to negotiate. We called lots and lots of brokers setting up the loads.

There seems to be no set price for freight pay is all over the place. You just have to find what you can afford to haul and do it.

 

Ok, I will wait for you to post it. I am just trying to see what the average cpm is. Drive safe.

 

I wouldn't hold your breath rgarthman1969.

Charged,

Your vague, non specific posts make one think that you might be hiding something and hauling cheap. Which just screws up the market. This could translate to: BOHICA - Bend Over Here It Comes Again. If in fact you are being a rate slut and hauling cheap anyway after everyone was kind enough to answer all of your questions, then not taking into consideration what Mike3 or anyone else said about doing it, might just make you go under real quick. Maybe I am wrong but can't tell because your posts lack specifics and are bland like tofu. :P

Brokers eat desperate newbies, with no capital for lunch and laugh all the way to the bank. I don't get it. After spending 4 hours wearing themselves out on a phone, scanning load boards till your eyes bleed, negotiating then faxing, and driving 11, then being delayed at the shipper/receiver or in traffic, and taking care of other responsibilities, your pay is factored and you still have to pay these:

Fuel, Fuel tax, Truck Payment (with interest), collision,liability, load, bob tail ins, plates, tolls, scales, heavy highway tax,tire fund, oil changes, maintenance, load board fees, load planners, bookeeping,mortgage, elec and utilities, cell / home phones, air cards, laptops, software, groceries, property taxes, income taxes, and all of your charge cards plus any other expenses of course that will be convienently forgotten about.

Are we going to be hearing anything specific any time soon? ops:
Probably not, So I won't hold my breath either. :roll:

 

What in your estimate would it take to run a loaded mile in your Dad's truck?

 

Does anyone here post the exact rate they get for all their loads? Do they post to where and from where? I do not think I have seen any truly specific information concerning these things here.
Have you ever answered one of my questions?

I think my dad is going to do fine. Even the ITS transforcast letter said, "Flatbedrates fell from $2.07 to $2.05..."

Here are some inspecifics and they are all you will get.

pickup 8/1 morning found on get loaded
went home for a few days
started late sunday morning 8/3
slept in truck
deliver 8/4 early morning about 600 miles $1258
slept in truck
pickup 8/4 late afternoonafter finding it on ITS load board
deliver 8/5 late afternoon about 1364 miles $2864
had to fix trailer light short, headlight, reostat for fan, passenger window came off track
proceded to next job booked on 8/4 with ITS
slept in hotel
8/6 loaded late
8/7 delivered just before receiving closed 1580 miles $2600
proceeded to next job which we had to rescedule for pickup on 8/8

Future
8/8 pickup early
8/8 drop off 260 miles $600
8/8 pickup late
drive to home for weekend
8/11 drop off load 490 miles $970


I was off on the math $8292 was the gross for approx 4300 miles about $1.90/mile. Let's say he dead headed 400 mile. His gross is still around $4617 after fuel(figured at 5.5mpg@$4.30/gal). Tolls and permits added up to around $100.


Of course this won't happen every week. He won't have me here to help. I'm sure he will get better at finding loads and hopefully get his pay up into atleast $2/mile as an average.


As far as expenses he is self employed. My mother now runs his other business.

There are no load planners to pay. Air card is $60/mo. ITS and get loaded are about $60/mo. I don't know what his truck and trailer payments are. He has those air scale things on his truck and trailer so no scale fees. maintenance not really sure. This week it was about $50 for items I mentioned earlier in the post. No one claimed it was cheap, but $4500 in a week is pretty decent for a beginner.