Trucker Forum - Trucking & Driving Forums - Class A Drivers - What if EVERYONE was open and honest about their rates?

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Quote:

Originally Posted by merrick4

I actually was signing up for that website I think but you had to write some stuff on you and they were asking some insurance things I wasn't sure of so I was going to get back to it later.

Actually some guy called me from Real Time Freight. I asked aren't you the website with shippers direct? Yes he said and seemed indignant when I told him I had heard the rates were very low on that site. He asked if $2.25 a mile was low. I told him no and as I was driving he was going to call me back and have me log in with his password while he was on the phone.

Thumbrule, anytime you find a shipper posting loads, they are looking to haul it for cheap, not necessarily bone cheap, but cheaper than their competition not posting loads, if you can get Real Time Freight for free then sign up. They have several produce houses/brokers posting. I have used it before, some of my shippers use it.

OK, I'll throw in a different angle:

What if all the old timers educated the newbies on cheap freight, what it costs to actually run a truck, etc..

And told them how crappy and cheap some of these companies are(england, hunt, etc..)

If they worked for better paying companies, both company driver and o/o, what do you think would happen to rates?

Quote:

Originally Posted by allan5oh

Operating costs vary depending on how much fuel an individual truck consumes. Anywhere from 1.00 to 1.10pm. 1.15-1.20pm is not uncommon for a reefer. So a load paying 1.20pm would be nearly break-even.In other words,nearly zero profit. Nursery stock DOES pay well and runs pretty strong in the northwest during March thru May. Most of them have at least 5 drops,but they all come off very fast. I was able to get all 5 off the same day when I used to haul it. The broker that has those loads is Pacwest. Pepe,you may be able to use a vented van to haul those. The best way to get higher revenue living in Ca. would be to get a load going straight up I-5 to the northwest in March and reload with nursery stock going to the midwest. You should be able to average 1.80-85 for these turns depending on how much you deadhead. Pepe,it is all yours since that area isn't my cup of tea. :lol: I usually move the produce out of Ca. during the season with my reefer.

Merrick, I subscribed to Real Time for about a month or two. Everything I saw was very cheap. I don't recall seeing anything for $2/mile or more. Most everything I saw for a flat bed was around $1.30. I cancelled my subscription.

I'm new to this site, but not to others. This thread caught my eye and I wanted to post my experience as an o/o. In the interest of time I've provided a link to my experiences.

http://www.layover.com/forums/layove...-oo-80870.html

Quote:

Originally Posted by GMAN

I know Gman I remembered you mentioned that before. He was supposed to call me back to day but never did.

[quote="GMAN"]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pepe4158

I believe Load It was talking about a pallet jack.

Some people whom I have known who have done well with vans carry extra items such as blankets and logistics straps. They come in handy if you want to get into LTL freight.

What do you think about a flat bedder carrying his own forklift? I see a lot of the sod guys with these hanging off the back.

Carrying a forklift on the back of a trailer is a lot of extra weight. Unless it is something you need on a regular basis, I would not carry one. There are some brick haulers who also carry them. They mostly have then because they deliver to construction sites and that is the only way to unload them unless you want to do it one brick or block at a time. I don't know of any owner operators who haul them around. It is mostly company trucks and that is all that they haul.

For flats I would consider a side kit and perhaps extra tarps, especially a couple of smaller tarps, such as 16 x 20 or 16 x 16 if you plan on doing much LTL freight. Other than that I would carry hand ratchet straps, 3" or 4" and 2". I have kept as many as 10 of each on my truck. It is only extra weight unless you need them. I would not rush out and buy a lot of extra tarps and straps. The hand ratchet straps do come in handy and can be used a little easier than the larger trailer straps in some instances. You can manage without going out and buying a lot of extra tarps, etc., I would wait to see what type of freight I was hauling before going out and spending a lot of money on things you are not sure you will need. You can use the larger tarps, but the smaller ones are easier to use if you have several smaller LTL's that need to be protected.

GMAN, with a side kit, does it make securing a load more difficult or time consuming? What do the straps or chains attach to? I can never tell when I see one on the road.

RostyC...you beat me to the keyboards as I had almost the same question....

GMAN: What benefit does a side kit add over plain ol tarps. Also....what would you consider to be the better of the following two options and why...(1) a side kit or (2) a roll back tarping system like Roll-Tite?