Re: Who has the Cool Load?
 

Well, i agree with your first statment, but for one HHG load there is a 100 van loads, so demand, is kinda questionable... :P

Re: Who has the Cool Load?
 

There's one problem with that logic:

For every one HHG load, there is probably 1 HHG driver (in the summer at least).

For every 1 van load, there are probably 5 van drivers.

The rates in HHG reflect this.

I dont see the big deal with HHG, I mean the moneys good but how much do you pay your movers and what not, dealing with neighborhood driving and dealing with customers over a scratch here or there, then ya got the slow season and all that.

I pay my labor $12.00 an hour. I inventory/disassemble/pad/load my own truck. My labor just runs everything out to me. I am cheap on labor and do alot of loading/unloading myself. Infact, I have a crew of 3 guys who work with me, when I'm up in Colorado, and 2 guys who work for me down here in Texas. I may load my wagon, with 20k lbs for instance..figure I have about $300.00 in labor in that.

I've been doing two turns a month...from my house in Texas to Denver, and back...do that twice a month, and my smallest settlement so far (bi-weekly pay schedule) has been $4,300.00 That's after fuel, labor, and insurance..all pulls I made against the load etc. I have a paid for truck, and I don't run that hard. During the summer I could knock down $20k a month. It has taken me a year and a half to put 99k miles on my truck.

See, I think different than Teal. I pay my labor great when they deserve it, and I have quality labor waiting for me when I get back to the town.

Example, my Dad's longtime helper in Los Angeles doesn't come out for less than $120, but is worth every penny. Thats right, $120/mini. :wink:

My Phoenix guys charge me $140 each for 5,000 lbs and the 2 of them are at my motel ON TIME and can get me back to the motel bar by 11:30am in summer Pheonix heat.

I hate being on the job, I like to get loaded and go. I unload a little slower.

HHG is killer money, but theres different angles and tricks. For instance, positioning your truck in a certain metropolitan area at the end of the month/beginning of the month will ensure good (paying) tonnage out. Your dispatcher and agent play a role in your winter activity as well :wink: Thats why I'm shopping around right now 8)

I am sure you have been very busy the past two years, right around eviction time. Good move.
How do you market your services?

Eviction time has a little to do with it :) Most leases end at the end or beginning of the month, as do mortgages sometimes.

The marketing of my company's services are no different than most other van lines, including that of Teal and the Rev. Its kinda like freight- a price is negotiated on a commodity and its transportation and its moved. However, we have a tariff that we obide by, despite discounts.

We do all sorts of moves. I moved a guy's stuff from storage in WI to Lakeland FL and he never once returned my calls. Storage to storage. I move dead people's stuff out of storage and bring it to their brother in laws niece's babysitter's twice removed cousin 1/2 way across the country. I take a whole house and deliver it to a warehouse to be stored.

I try and make deliveries and the guy's wife is 10 miles away at the hospital giving birth during delivery (true story- up by yoopr- Bad River Casino).

But, as far as the lumper thing,t hats a whole different thread to be started.

You know who has a "crappy" load? Livestock haulers. Those guys earn every penny of their money! 8)

You three in the Moving buisness I am sure from reading all of your posts in the past that you have been doing this for a long time. It would be hard for a newbie to get involved in this line of work and make a good living at first. I talked to Allied back in the late 80's when I started driving, the money was good but I don't like moving my own stuff let alone someone elses.

I drive a septic truck 4200 or 6000gals of the good stuff. Thats a cool load lol :lol: