Short hauls-what is the minimum
 

I get offered tons and tons of short hauls for very good rates. However when you figure in the lost time sitting at each stop waiting and/or any deadhead miles+any problems that really put you in a bind, that 2.90 per mile load looks pretty bad.

Generally speaking is there a mileage minimum you all use when going after loads?


Ive noticed a lot of these companies broker thier short runs out, otherwise they would have thier company trucks on it. There are tons of 200-300 mile loads all over.

BTW, just found the site and it seems good

Most carrier's have a minimum haul rate. Some will take a load for as little as $475. Most have a minimum of around $500 plus fuel. I have a $600 minimum even if it is 100 miles. That could be too cheap, if you consider how much time you spend on the load. The travel time isn't that great, but the load and unload times could be longer than it takes to deliver the load. However, you are not spending much on fuel or wear and tear on the truck. I rarely do a load that only pays $600. It just takes up too much time.

Thanks for the help. I decided to go in business with my dad after his 43 years co driving, and me having 10 years myself.

Wow big difference. When Co driving all you care about is a paycheck, miles and getting home. Now there are so many more headaches to think about, especially with own authority. Sitting may not cost much money, but it doesnt pay many bills either. Its gonna be slim for a while. Hell if we had a fortune to start out with-it prob wouldnt be in this industry :lol:

You can make money with short runs, depending on the rate. I know an owner operator who only runs about 1,500-1,600 miles per week and averages about $2/mile. He is home every weekend and still makes decent money. He isn't spending much on fuel or wear and tear on his equipment, so he is doing fairly well. The down side for him is that he does a lot of loading and unloading. Some people prefer this type of running. If you want to be home every weekend, you will probably need to consider shorter runs such as this owner operator. He is leased to a carrier and not running his own authority.

Doing mostly local & regional stuff you could also get away with having a smaller sleeper.

One of our line drivers out of Chico used to be a O/O flat bedder. He used to have a COE with a tiny sleeper that could legal something like 55k+ lbs. It was a big moneymaker.

Re: Short hauls-what is the minimum
 

You just hit the nail on the head on why you shouldn't figure your costs or profit by the mile only.

Factor your variable costs by the mile, but your fixed costs should be factored by the day - that way, you know how much you need to earn to "break even".

Just sayin'. :wink:

Rev made the point. You cant just base on cpm. I have learned after running trucks all over the country willy nilly, that regional short haul is the way to go. My trucks only run IN, OH,IL, MI, KY, WI unless we run out to do inbound for a local shipper. My leased trucks run all 48. Every truck is on a $700 per day gross revenue. If the driver/ OO cant avg $3500 per week gross then he/she has to go. I run a business and not a travel agency. Drivers and o/o s can work as they like, but they must make these numbers. Between you and I, if the regional trucks dont make $700 per day I stay pretty calm, but an OTR truck BETTER make $700++ per day. Welcome to the carrier side of the truck. :D :D

I thought you ran out of Atlanta, Load It?

No i'm out of the hoosier but i do and have done a lot of business in southeast. Cut my teeth down there.

Indiana should be a good location. There is usually a decent amount of freight moving out of there.

I learned some hard lessons with OTR, so now I concentrate on regional, but still run guys who want miles OTR, my trucks just dont go OTR.