Bigmon is correct. I have a minimum haul rate and won't go below that amount. If I can't get my rate I will either sit for a day to try and find something with my rate or deadhead to a better area. There are a number of factors one can use to get a higher rate. For instance, if there is a long deadhead or something that is unique about the load, those are factors which can be used to push the rate up. The type of equipment needed can also be a factor. For instance, I remember several years ago when a broker needed a truck with a specialize type of trailer that I happened to own. I was in Pennsylvania at the time. The broker told me he could not find the type of equipment I had anywhere in New England and he had a load that had to move. So, they paid my miles to run from Pennsylvania to New Hampshire and back to Pennsylvania. Sometimes, you can be in the right place at the right time. Another time I was paid $5/mile to pick up a load from a broker not noted for their high rates for a similar reason. That doesn't always happen. Often they can find a truck that will haul for a cheap rate. In the last case, I was the only game in town. The load was going to a bad freight area and I knew that I would need to deadhead out to find a load.
Going to a bad freight area is a good reason to negotiate a better rate. I know if I go to south Florida or most anywhere east of the Hudson River, that I will need to do some deadheading. Crossing into New York, I also know that I will pay a lot out for tolls. If I go into Massachusetts, I expect to deadhead back to Pennsylvania to find something. Occasionally, I am surprised. From south Florida, I know I will most likely have to deadhead at least 350 miles to find a load. I still see some trying to move loads to south Florida for $2-2.65/mile. I won't go there for that rate. Running to Chicago or Pennsylvania or another area, that might be a good rate, but not going into New England or South Florida. I have also made a habit of running the miles on loads myself. I find that some brokers will run short miles and those can be 8-12% less than actual miles. If they are using short miles to determine rates, then that is another reason for them to move the rate up.
I turn down more loads than I take. Unless I get the rate I need, I won't move the truck. You have to be willing to walk away. I am always polite. If the broker doesn't want to meet my rate, then I think him and move on. If you want to haul whatever is offered at at their price, you probably won't do much sitting, but you also may not make any money. There are a lot of 3pls and double brokering going on and that drives rate down. That is one reason some rates are cheaper than they should be right now. There are too many fingers in the pie. I rarely use loadboards any more. I am more apt to make phone calls to contacts I have made over the years. I still subscribe to one loadboard, but rarely use it.
It takes time to learn freight lanes and rates. Don't expect to learn everything overnight. Lanes can change from year to year and season to season. The type of trailer you pull can also determine where you run and when. I work in a more specialized area of the business. Winter is usually slow. You can pretty much take that to the bank. Since 2008, trends have been somewhat skewed, but we still know that there are some months when freight will be slow or rates cheap. I used to take off from about the middle of December or Christmas until after the first of January. It wasn't worth going out for the amount of freight or rates. It took time for me to learn that, but I can now plan on sitting or being slow during that time.
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