[tracer]

Which of these 2 trips would you choose and why, if your fixed costs were the same as mine?

MY FIXED COSTS PER MONTH

Truck & trailer: $3,000
Tires: $100
Maintenance: $200
Total: $3,300
Per day: $194.12
(17 work days in a month, as per advice by "Overdrive" mag)

............................
Trip 1
Ontario, Canada to Ohio; one-way

Deadhead: 40 miles
Loaded: 300 miles
Total distance: 340 miles
Days to complete: 1
Load: metal logs, 22 ft long, entire load is 4 ft high
PAY TO THE TRUCK: 668.25 (incl. fuel surcharge)

FIXED COSTS: $194.12

VARIABLE COSTS: $199.06
(Insurance (5.25% of freight): $29.06
Fuel at 6 MPG and $3/gal: $170)

TOTAL COSTS: $393.18

GROSS PROFIT: $275.07
GROSS PROFIT PER DAY: $275.07


Trip 2
Ontario, Canada to Kentucky and back; 2-way trip

Deadhead: 7 miles
Loaded: 1,000 miles
Total distance: 1,007 miles
Days to complete: 2.5 (long waiting time for the reload)
Load: hoppers with scrap metal plus steel coils on the way back
Note: this is a 2-way trip that ends at the same place where it starts

PAY TO THE TRUCK: $1,934.95 (incl. fuel surcharge)

FIXED COSTS: $485.30

VARIABLE COSTS: $581.26
(Insurance (5.25% of freight): $77.76
Fuel at 6 MPG and $3/gal: $503.50)

TOTAL COSTS: $1066.56

GROSS PROFIT: $868.39
GROSS PROFIT PER DAY: $347.36

[BanditsCousin]

The round trip. Give dispatch a day or so to get ya another trip together, perhaps?

[Orangetxguy]

The Kentucky load....unless they could offer something significantly better!

[GMAN]

Trip 2 would be more profitable unless you had a much better paying load that you would be picking up in Ohio.

[solo379]

Originally Posted by GMAN

Trip 2 would be more profitable unless you had a much better paying load that you would be picking up in Ohio.

Yeah, you can't really say, w/o knowing a "bigger picture". Otherwise #2 is no brainer.....

[tracer]

Originally Posted by GMAN

Trip 2 would be more profitable unless you had a much better paying load that you would be picking up in Ohio.

10/4 From Ohio I usually pick up some wire going back to Ontario .. It pays exactly the same as the load coming in but I have to deadhead almost 100 miles to get to the shipper.

[tracer]

Originally Posted by solo379

Yeah, you can't really say, w/o knowing a "bigger picture". Otherwise #2 is no brainer.....

I said "no" to Trip #2 and we have a specialized shipper that usually sends out some equipment at the end of the month. So, now I'm doing a 8,500 lb load that goes 900 miles into MN at 3 bucks per mile

[mike3fan]

You get to cross the border for free? Or is there tolls to consider also?

[rank]

Based on what you've posted, it's hard to argue against the round trip, but.....

If it were me (i.e. a carrier booking my own loads), I would be making some calls to see what I could get from OH to ON. A carrier that I know quite well says OH to ON is paying well enough that he's heading down there empty. I know you're leased and therefore not available to book your own freight, but I bet $3/mile or better could be had out of OH and.....probably get 2-3 of those a week.

[rank]

Originally Posted by tracer

I said "no" to Trip #2 and we have a specialized shipper that usually sends out some equipment at the end of the month. So, now I'm doing a 8,500 lb load that goes 900 miles into MN at 3 bucks per mile

LOL. I read this after I posted.....sorta what I was thinkin' Good job.