That was 63% of what the load paid... I know they got a BIG cut, but I didn't mind seeing I didn't have to pay for insurance or maintance on the trailer, and it was a drop and hook on both ends PLUS I doubt a Independant could get loaded from P&G and General Mills as they seem to use the major carriers for dedicated work......it wasn't bad

 

I must have misinterpreted:

...just ask the guys running up and down the road in the Big shinny KW/Pete's with stainless steel trailers and all the chicken lights. If you can catch them, ask what kind of rates they're getting, I bet s/he wont even move the truck for less than $2.25 a mile (this is a cheap rate to them) and it better be going to a place where s/he can get a good reload.

My point is, that's not much of an indicator. I know as many if not more folks running fancy equipment that are running balls out and staying one step ahead of the bank. And they ALL claim to be running for big money. The kind of numbers you're talking about...they just don't add up. Anybody with a reasonable head on their shoulders should be retired in short order making $2.50+ per mile. How many truckers have you EVER heard of that fit that bill? It doesn't happen. Look at the numbers Steel put up regarding SNI. They're getting the numbers you're talking about...on high dollar freight that no small operator can get in a prime lane.

SHC...I know lots of guys were raving about SNI's choice board the first year or two. I've talked to a lot of drivers over the last year that were complaining that SNI started pulling the good freight off the board. Maybe as things turn around the story will be different. They didn't have choice when I was there.

 

I have a friend who runs his own authority and has pulled some P & G and other major consumer goods manufacturer's loads. He gets them through a major brokerage firm. He might not be able to get them direct. I think the main reason is that a major shipper can deal with 2 or 3 major brokers or carriers and get their loads covered. If they had to deal with 1 or 2 truck operations then it would require much more work on their part. They turn it over to a broker and the broker finds the 20 or 30 trucks for them after taking their cut.

 

Yeah, I started on the "pilot" program and did it for 3 years. I was doing just fine w/o any problems, and the loads are still there. It just takes about 6 mos to figure out where the good runs are and what lanes to take. Kind of like tracer found out with LS, SNI does the same thing and pays $2.25 mile to ND and then your stuck deadheading back 500 miles to another load. I did know of a great lane that ran GM auto parts. I would book it a week in advance and here was the run:
Bolingbrook, IL to Nashville, TN ($1.29 mile) Spring Hill, TN to Reno, NV ($2.25 mile) then here is where it got tricky as there wasn't much in the Reno area, but I knew of a load they did from Salt Lake City, UT to Denver, CO that paid $6.25 mile and ran every Sunday and you had to go thru Wyoming as it was potato chips and with the routing points it was about $2,500 for 500 miles (to the truck) so i'd grab that and then DH back to iowa City and grab a PG load back to Chicago. I'd be out a little over a week and bring home $5,500. I would do this once a month, but this too got very boring and I wouln't run it in the winter as I didn't like WY and I didn't have chains. Also, all the loads never weighed over 20k lbs so it was GREAT on my MPG!!!

I know a lot of guys who live in OK, FL, GA, AZ, NM and so on that were running the choice program and didn't make squat because of where they lived. IN/IL/OH/WI is where the money is at with SNI, and I did extreemely well. And if I ever lose my dedicated gig now, I will be going back

 

I always liked the idea of that kind of system. Being able to do your own planning while still accessing the freight available to a big player. I've got myself dialed in pretty good now, but if SNI ever opened up that system to teams, I'd be tempted. But they make too much money off their team loads...they'll never give it up on percentage.