Do you take weight into account when you book a load?
 

For example load A weighs 5K lbs and load B weighs 48K lbs.
Your tractor/trailer gets 20% better gas mileage unloaded than fully loaded on regular flat land.
Do you accept a lower than normal rate? Or do you demand the same rate as a heavy load?

My experience has been that the lighter weight loads usually pay better than heavy loads.

Mine too Gman,...heavier loads almost always pay the lowest rates.
I take weight into consideration always. I have small HP and I get 7.2-7.5mpg loaded at 78,000lbs and then I get 8.5-8.9 loaded at 50,000lbs.
Not to mention wear and tear on the equip.
I just did two back to back at 50,000lbs 3,000 miles total @ $2.57per mile.
The lighter the better :wink: It works out to be about $200 more to my already swollen wallet than if I ran the heavy stuff.

this depends... I do better at times with more weight. you have to do the math with each load. & I mean miles, weight, height ,terrain pay, fsc, & method of payment, i.e. flat rate mileage, percentage, e.t.c. my routine as follows.




$ 1.05 a hundred weight. 180 miles & of last week 40 % fsc paid on the gross (which is very important if hauling heavy) so lets say I have a choice 39,000 lbs vs 48,000 lbs.. 39000 x 1.05 = $409.50 x 40 % = $163.80 in my pay scale I get 80 % so 409.50 x 80 % = $ 327.60 +fsc of $ 163.80 = $491.40 to the truck.

2nd senario..

48,000 lbs x $1.05 = $504.00 x 40 % fsc = $201.60 so $504.00 x 80% = $403.20 +fsc of $201.60 = $604.80 to the truck.


$604.80
$491.40



$113.40 more on the heavier load. now my opinion is this... on my run.. it does not cost me $113.40 MORE to haul 9000 more lbs.


now if it's 45-49,000 lbs vs 18,000 lbs or 8,000 lbs then I would for sure go for the lighter weight. I am sure G-MAN has done these calculations many times & anyone hauling steel as I do.[/b][/i]

You are right, heavyhaulerss. You need to look at the whole picture.

Lighter is BETTER ALWAYS!!!!Recently i had a load that where my gross weight was 45k with 3/4 of the trailer full.I couldn't believe my eyes as i weighted out of curiosity twice.First when i thought the scale was bad and secondly just to confirm it.Wished it could be like that ALWAYS!!!

Re: Do you take weight into account when you book a load?
 

Doesn't matter what the weight is and you can bring up all the statistics you want about needing more money for the heavier load. The broker knows what they are going to pay and if you don't want it, they will move on to the next truck until they get desperate.

Also pending on what you haul. the local area here you make more with the more weight you carry since they pay by the LBS. 14.50 per hundred. But the load may take you a week to get off. I hauled up to 19 drops, all hard to get into places, Funneral homes, grave yards, and small biz. But that the Granite Bizz.

Re: Do you take weight into account when you book a load?
 

I've talked to lots and lots of brokers. I have never been able to get one to move on their. Most have a stated rate which is usually a per job rate. There are a few that don't have a rate and want you to give them a rate. I've only have one ever say their rate then in the same breath say she had more in it.
I've asked for more, but have never got it.
There is a lot that goes into it. Looking at maps to make sure the miles they are paying you for are not short miles on small highways through mountain ranges. Looking for toll roads that eat up your money. Making sure you can get a load going somewhere else once you get the destination. Endless calling for jobs that are already gone and the broker was too lazy to pull.
:rock:

You need to change your attitude a little. I approach it at what I charge, not what the broker wants to pay. If a broker calls with a load for less than I want, I tell them that I get "X" for going to that area. Sometimes it throws them off when I give them my rate. There are too many people who will just take what is offered with no thought as to where it goes or the difficulty in getting out with a decent paying load. I have a minimum rate for which I will take a load. If the shipper or broker doesn't want to pay, then we move on.

Before I commit to a load there are a few things that I take into consideration. The first thing is checking the miles for accuracy. Landstar is notorious for quoting short miles. If I can't run miles on one of their loads, I usually add 10% to the miles to get a more accurate rate. I want to know where it picks up, where it delivers, the product, weight, size, delivery schedule, stops, extra services, etc.,

Re: Do you take weight into account when you book a load?
 

I hope your first question when calling on a load isn't "How much does it pay?" In fact, that question is completely irrelevant, but it is probably the one brokers hear the most. Brokers can only dictate the rate if you let them. If they don't meet your rate, then you can always move on to a different load. If you agree to their rate, then their rate becomes your rate and you failed the negotiation.

:roll:

Your one to give advise. You don't have your authority and DO NOT deal with brokers on a daily basis. You deal with a pimp at Landstar, not the REAL world.

What exactly does the DOT number and company name on the door have to do with negotiating a load? Oh, that's right. Nothing. And you are quite wrong. I deal with brokers far more than you do, because the loads I haul are shorter runs.


Riiiiight. Because dealing with a broker and dealing with an agent are SOOOO much different. You do realize that LS agents are brokers, right? You're just bitter because you don't know how to negotiate, so my words hit home for you. But that's okay. I won't fault you for hauling $1.25 - $1.40 per mile freight because you choose to accept what a broker offers you.

You don't deal with brokers. You deal with agents who you work for and go onto cushy load boars that post what they pay.

Like I said, your not in the real world, period.

And all the other stuff you said is BS as usual.

Really? You deny hauling $1.25 - $1.40 per mile freight? You deny not being able to negotiate with brokers, to the point that you hired others to do it for you?

My average has been around $1.90. Sometimes I've gotten $3.00 on LTL's going coast to coast. Some times $1.70 and $1.80 but has averaged $1.90 for ALL miles.

You just pulled that figure out of your azz.

I hired others to do it but they couldn't do any better than myself in one case and the other case she was F****** mental.

You guys all spout off BS when in fact you don't and can't practice what you preach.

Here are some real numbers from another person on this board who boasts much more per mile then they actually do . Lets see if anyone can figure it out.

And yes, I have my name on the door and I'm damn proud of it.

Lets see some of you dispatch Charged father for $4.00 per mile. Not going to happen I assure you.

I'm just sick of you preaching BS to a crowd up on your soap box when you yourself and others can't do it!!!

=============================================

Here are a few of the loads we did with xxxxxxx...

DH from Denver CO to Farmington NM 434 miles

PU pumpkins in Farmington NM to Atlanta GA 1530 actual miles to a total of 1964 miles and the load paid $3300.00 that is 1.68 per mile not to bad.

from Atlanta DH to Choo Choo pick up a load going to Berber Springs AR paying $1361.00 actual miles were 446 + 107 DH total 553 miles 2.46 per mile BUT we didnt get loaded till 11pm on the 12th and we got down to AR next day 8PM so two days on a 446 mile run not that great.

The next load worked out good cause of the pumpkins we loaded out of the Little Rock area to Farmington NM for $3,000 DH was only 10 miles and actual miles were 1015. So that was 2.92 per mile.

Then loaded in Farmington NM pumpkins back to FL that load was 1890 actual miles and paid $3200.00 so 1.68 mile again GOING TO FL!!

We sat for 3 days in FL then DH to Savanna GA to load to Bluff City TN that was a load of pipe for TMC and it paid $950.00 for 369 miles BUT add a 310 mile DH onto that. Now you get 1.40 per mile.

That was the last load on the East coast. After we unloaded in TN there were NO loads in our area with any miles on them and we did not want to be stuck in a east coast truck stop for the weekend so I found a load to cornelius OR we had to DH 339 miles to go get it. The rate ended up at 1.60 per mile.

then we DH to Eugene and loaded to Phoenix AZ for 1.38 per mile.

We had two loads that paid over 2 bucks a mile. Both of those loads I found. We hauled for Munster for the flooding from the storms up in OR and WA last Dec.

So anyway that gives an idea of how we did while running for the XXXX!!

Well, actually I didn't. I pulled that figure from someone else who you discussed your real rates with.

I'm really wondering where you are getting this information from, Steve, since I've never discussed my load negotiating process, and you wouldn't know what is involved with negotiating loads at Landstar, having never done it.

I'm wondering where you are pulling this "$4.00 per mile" from.

FYI: Just yesterday I negotiated a dedicated run between Michigan and Wisconsin. That's right - negotiated. Even though, with your vast expertise of the inner workings at Landstar, you seem to know that doesn't happen. And before I even made the phone call, I knew exactly what I had to get out of the deal to make it work for me, and used that as a base line for negotiation, just as I stated was the proper way to do it in my initial post. I practiced what I preached.

BTW, I'm really curious why you chose to attack the poster rather than the post. Is there anything I said in my initial comment that was incorrect? If so, what? You seem awfully fixated on attacking me for some reason, rather than what I am saying. If you want to go after what I am saying, by all means do so - I'd love to debate it with you. But you can't seem to get past "well you don't have a right to comment because your name isn't on the door", and all that drivel.

The way I do it when I call a broker is ask what the item being shipped is and what it pays. If it doesn't pay enough I'll say it doesn't pay enough and thank them for their time. It gives them a chance to up what they may pay, but I have never had a broker say they'll pay more.

So, no I just don't take what the broker is paying unless it is close to what my dad wants to haul for.

Back in 03-05, whenever I was rating a load, I was only concerned with product weight as it pertained to the GVW and bridge laws.

When rating, I always started out with "How much deck does the load require?" Then I would ask about weight. If the product weighed say 25,000 pounds and only tood up 25 feet of deck space, I knew that I could put something else on the trailer. If I was able to do so, I always did.

Sometimes though, we haued loads that only weighed 20,000 pounds, but required the entire deck. The load was rated accordingly. Usually those loads were multi-stop deliveries, and Irated each stop according to how much work was going to be involved getting the product off.

My favorite shippers were Pavestone Products, Metal Sales Inc., Johns Manville Corp, and Dexter Axles. Pave Stone was usually always heavy, but they paid same day direct deposit on a faxed BOL. The other companies were all light loads...especially JM. All had many multi-stop loads for us, that usually put the trucks into position to service one of the other companies.

So what you are doing is trying to get the brokers to negotiate with themselves. :wink:

A broker will never say they will pay more, and will always start low and work their way up. It is up to you to start the negotiations at a level where you actually have room to work with what you need, not what they want to give you....

With this "brilliant" way of doing business.... charged's dear ol' dad needs to fire charged the " business manager/dispatcher" . Ol' dad will then have a shot at surviving and not going down the drain.....

He is making a lot more money with me helping him look for loads than paying the load planner lady 10%, which I previously thought was 5%.

The only bills he has to pay out of the truck money are the truck and trailer note, insurance, licensing, taxes, and maintenance. I don't know how he is going to go out of business. If he only averages $1.70/mi. He is making $1.00 after fuel and that easily covers all his expenses.

He should be making better than expenses. Lot's of experience available on the board.

I am an advocate of having a balance of Shipper's and Broker's to work the trucks.


Those 4 companies I posted where all companies that we direct billed to, with the longest "pay" at 20 days.

Don't question charged..... he knows everything..... His questons and posts prove it...... :lol: :lol: :lol:

I would like to be first in line when the truck and trailer goes up for sale... Gonna be able to buy it cheap.... :lol: :lol: :lol:

So he pays himself nothing. Interesting business concept.

That list is missing a lot of items.

O.K. for the record. I do not have my own authority & do not deal with with brokers. I have a dispatcher & I am on a dedicated run. sooo .. my heavyer loads do pay me more & are worth it to me. :D

Post a list of his ongoing business expenses so I can understand what his expenses are other than what I posted. I don't keep track of his expenses or every load he runs or his miles.
$2000/mo truck and trailer
$700/mo insurance
Cell phone and internet $150/mo?
Getloaded and ITS $70/mo?
truck maintenance ???
???


I don't know why he is going to sell his truck off. If he runs approximately 9000 miles a month and grosses approximately $1/mi after fuel how does that not cover his expenses. I don't know where you guys come up with $9000 a month in expenses.

edit.

I added up the actual miles he ran this week. He loaded late on Tuesday and stayed home that night and left Wednesday.
Total miles he will run before he drops his current load on Tuesday morning are 1961. He will have invoices for $3675. Gas is averaging $4/gal. He is averaging 6mpg right now. So that gives him $2368 for the week for the truck. Minuse $500 truck/trailer payment and $175 for insurance that leaves him $1693. What other expenses does he have that add up to $1693 for the week?

Fixed Expenses / Mo 9000/mo 9000/mo
Equipment per month per mile
Tractor $2,000.00 $0.222
Trailer $0.00 $0.000
Licensing/Permits $167.00 $0.019
Federal Use $46.00 $0.005
Bobtail Insurance $0.00 $0.000
Collision/PD Insurance$330.00 $0.037
Liability Insurance $700.00 $0.078
Health care $450.00 $0.050
Worker Comp $0.00 $0.000
Retirement $0.00 $0.000
Ph/fax/internt/ldbds $250.00 $0.028
Office $100.00 $0.011
Tax/legal $80.00 $0.009
Software etc $35.00 $0.004
TOTAL FIXED $4,158.00 $0.462
$228.69

Variable Expenses / Mo 6mpg
Fuel(/Taxes/Fees?) $6,000.00 $0.667
D/H Fuel (10%) $0.00 $0.000
Reefer service?? $0.000
Reefer fuel?? $0.00 $0.000
Taxes (road, use, fuel, fed) $162.00 $0.018
Food $360.00 $0.040
Truck Wash $100.00 $0.01
Servicing (P/M) $180.00 $0.020
Lrg Repairs(escrow) $630.00 $0.070
Tires(escrow) $270.00 $0.030
New truck(escrow) $0.00 $0.000

Driver Pay $3,150.00 $0.350
Benefits? $0.000
Worker comp? $0.00 $0.000

Total Variable $10,852.00 $1.206
ROI (12% on $130K) $0.00 $0.00
TOTAL COSTS $15,010.00 $1.67

It's very subjective on how you break up things and can make it look a
lot worse then it is. Not picking on you Geoman. I'm assuming you ran that off some program on OOIDA or something.

Lets say you don't do the driver pay thing and just figure what it costs you to run just the truck. Instead of $1.67 we are now at $1.32 in your scenario.

My cargo/liability/collision is $5,700 per year.

My health care is $330 per month

My tax/legal is $200 per year

Not sure what the office fee is but I sure as heck don't spend $100 per month. I may buy some paper and ink once in a great while. Oh yea, a Bic pen too.

No monthly software fee for me

Ph/fax/internet is $149

Not sure what the Taxes (road, use, fuel, fed) are. My IFTA is some times anywhere from $1.20 to $200 per quarter but I sure as heck don't spend $1,944 per year. I pay NY KY and a few others but no where near that amount.

My plates are $1,200 per year

The tires are also a little high. I don't buy 1 tire a month which $270 would buy. I may buy a trailer tire every 2 to 3 months and 8 drives every 3 years or so.

The large repairs is very subjective also and you can go for quit some time without any major repairs. The most I've spent this year has been an injector, harness and splitter. Most everything else has been elective and not mandatory.

So, in my case I'm pretty close to $1.00 per mile and at an overall average of about $1.90 it's good.


Fixed Expenses 9000 month

Licensing/Permits $125.00 $0.013
Federal Use $46.00 $0.005
Collision/Liability/Cargo Insurance $330.00 $0.037
Liability Insurance $475.00 $0.052
Health care $338.00 $0.037
Ph/fax/internt/ldbds $149.00 $0.016
Tax/legal $17.00 $0.001

TOTAL FIXED $1,480.00 $0.164


Variable Expenses 9000 month 5.8 mpg $4.10

Fuel(/Taxes/Fees?) $6,362.00 $0.076
Taxes (road, use, fuel, fed) $83.00 $0.009
Food $360.00 $0.040
Truck Wash $100.00 $0.01
Servicing (P/M) $180.00 $0.020
Lrg Repairs(escrow) $416.00 $0.046
Tires(escrow) $180.00 $0.020

TOTAL VARIABLE $7,681.00 $0.853

TOTAL COSTS $9,161.00 $1.01


I have no plans of buying another truck and have always been a firm
believer in fixing what you have and keeping up with it. There is
no reason my truck can't outlast me if I wanted.

3,000 miles per week at $1.90 brings in $5,700. Now you
can run in a high density area doing 300 to 500 miles per
run at maybe $3.00 if your lucky on a regular basis or you
could count on the 3,000 at $1.90 for sure.

I've run the 300 to 500 mile runs and it sucks. Your lucky to
do 3 a week.

Monday 08am get on the boards for a load.
10am find a load
12am paper work done and rate conformation
02pm at customer site waiting
03pm starting to load
05pm done loading and tarping and shipping papers in hand
Spend rest of night fighting traffic and finding a spot
to park and most likely have to pay also.

Tuesday 08am start driving lets say 400 miles average 51mph
05pm Get to customer site. They stopped at 3pm

Wednesday 08am waiting with 3 other trucks in front of you that
were there yesterday
01pm unloaded
03pm Found another load
05pm Paper work done for next load but day is done
Spend rest of night fighting traffic and finding a spot
to park and most likely have to pay also.

Thursday 08am Drive to customer site to load
09am Pull in. Find out 5 other trucks spent the night
03pm Loading
05pm Done loading
Spend rest of night fighting traffic and finding a spot
to park and most likely have to pay also.

Friday 08am Start driving lets say 500 miles average 51mph
05pm Get to customer site. They just stopped for the day
Spend rest of night fighting traffic and finding a spot
to park and most likely have to pay also.

Saturday Wake up in truck stop jammed. Hookers and people wanting to
shine your wheels and homo's on the CB. 100 degrees and
the smell of
urine, septic systems overflowing and rotting trash in the dumpsters
fills the air. Take shower in the worst stall you can imagine with
pubic hairs stuck to your feet and a towel that looks like a shop
rag. Worry the rest of the day that your truck doesn't get hit or
vandalized.

Sunday Pretty much the same

Monday Up early to make it to the customer to be first in line. Big
surprise, 10 other trucks had the same idea or spent the
weekend there.

Total for week. 900 miles and gross $2,700. Ready for Prozac and
Valium.


OR

Monday Load on Monday and drive every day for 500 to 600 miles.

Saturday Pull into truck stop in Little America Wyoming with birds
singing, roast chicken on the spit, marble shower stalls
that are bigger then your house.

Sunday Wake up late, watch porn all day and text Bandit stupid
messages.

Total for week. 3,000 miles and gross $5,700.


You can argue that the fuel costs are much less with the 900 mile week but in the end your going to gross more on the long hauls. The wear and tear on your truck is much more in the city then out on the open road and chances of being hit are also much greater in the congested areas.

I'm sure many of you can see from my posts how happy I am most of the time. I think that's a clear indication of the type of driving I do and the areas I travel in. I call that priceless.

Ignorance is bliss and your numbers, as usual, are BS.

And Rev, it's become obvious how bitter you are about everything. We can tell how bad things are with you and your job by your posts. It's like a temper tantrum barometer with you. First the HHG then the office cubes and next will be your departure from LS but I'm sure there will be plenty of heads up given the tone of your posts.

It really must suck to be you!

Some day you will realize how much it's worth to be happy!! Money is not everything. I gave up $115,000 per year to do this.

Rev....... It is mind boggling on how clueless some of these so called business men/women are......

So..... charged and notsteve what are your BEP and ROI numbers ?????

Notsteve, I honestly enjoy reading your trials and tribulations as a O/O, but please leave your numbers out.

Really really good thanks!!! Actually Tod, I have no F'ing idea to tell you the truth.

And thank you, I enjoy posting about my travels. It's too bad more of you don't do that like Doghouse, YOU and other people. I'm assuming I'm the only one with balls to post what happens.

I can remember Novacane and her/him posts. I couldn't wait to get into work to read them.

Nope - no departure from LS. I love it here and still wish I would have come here sooner. But your numbers are still BS, from the $1.90 per mile average to the 900 miles per week doing short haul. Hell, the dedicated run I'm doing right now is 370 miles one way, puts me right through the middle of Chicago twice a day, and I can still pull off 2300 - 3000 miles a week, depending upon whether I do 3 runs a week or 4. And to top it off, I am earning more than your fabricated $1.90 per mile for the effort, even with the 50% deadhead miles.

That might be true if you actually posted everything that happened, the way it happened. I'd love to hear the story of how you dropped a pipe off your trailer. Do you have the balls to post that?

Its two " d's " thanks.........

Your posts about your adventures on the road, are no different from mine or my drivers..... I prefer to focus on business aspect, and let others who are better and have more patience at describing the day to day adventures of this endeavor, than I can.

I didn't drop a pipe. Mike tends to make things up like the $4.00 per mile. Here is the email I sent him with regards to the pipe. I keep every single post, email and fax I've ever had right back to the 1970's.


Hi Mike,

Thanks for the link to the other forum but I'm afraid certain people
would follow me there and it's just taken it's toll on me. Much more
has happened while I've been on the road that I haven't mentioned but
I would have loved to but it would have turned into a huge bashing. The
leaking air thing that I called roadside assistance for was my fault. I
replaced my other air hose and when I hooked back up I switched the red and blue by mistake and that makes that air release valve open up. Stupid stuff but I really wanted to tell that and other dumb stuff. Oh well.

I'm sitting at a truckstop on 25 off exit 110 in Colorado headed for
Surprise Arizona with a butt load of plastic pipe. They wrote that it weighs 25,000 and there's no way. It's like I have nothing behind me.

Things are going good. Bad weather, chains and LOTS of truck and car
accidents. I'm keeping a huge distance and just taking my time.

Steve

Ok, sorry. Lets see. Codd, Bodd, Godd, Nodd, Podd, Rodd, Sodd.

Never ceases to amaze me.

My buddy Al Legere got married to Alice. All of a sudden his last name was now demanded to be pronounced Lay-ghair and her name was now pronounced Ah-lease.

Just out of curiosity, Steve, do you have any idea why I've always been so rough on you? This is an honest, non-sarcastic question.

I know this is one of those Lucy/Charlie Brown football things....but No, I don't.

It honestly isn't.


When you first started posting about your adventure, there was so much you didn't know (I'm sure you'll admit that), and there were quite a few people here (myself included) who offered advice or corrected misconceptions you had. Your response was to lash out at anyone who dared challenge your thinking. The earliest instance of this I can recall is the whole "drug consortium" instance, where you went on a vicious attack because I dared to correct misinformation that you were given. Needless to say, it rubbed me the wrong way, as I'm sure it did others.

That, as I'm sure you are well aware, prompted me to start nitpicking your posts. We both know that there has been stuff you exaggerated, and stuff you left out. That just further served to irritate me more, so I called BS. A lot. Eventually it became a game to me - seeing what I figured you weren't being truthful on. All it would have taken was honesty - both the good and bad, and I would have gotten bored with the game.

Looking back on your story you've posted, do you honestly think you would have had the balls to admit to hauling an $0.85 per mile load? How about starting your truck on fire twice? Hell - I did both of those things unprompted, knowing full well what would happen when I did. Anyone who has been in trucking long enough knows it isn't as rosy as the picture you paint, and you can be sure that someone is going to call you out on it. I just happened to be more vocal, and more abrasive when doing so.

Believe me - a completely honest story is far more interesting to read, and generates far fewer attacks. My thread on going to Landstar, my thread on building an APU, and my 20 questions threads are good examples. I'm not trying to prop myself up here as some sort of posting icon or anything, because I'm not. I'm just saying people enjoy hearing every side, and love to offer suggestions. Nobody says you have to take their suggestions, but you should at least appreciate the fact that they cared enough to offer it.

Just sayin'.