What would you ask for this load?
 

Okay, you're sitting in Three Forks, MT (where incidentally I"m sitting too) and you see a curious load on the board. The pickup is 2000 miles from you. You are to pick up a 40,000 lb load and deliver it to ... a total tundra not far from the North Pole. The loaded miles are 3,300. Once you're unloaded there's nothing to do there - unless you're into polar bear watching - so you'd have to deadhead ... 1500 miles to Seattle, WA where you know you can get a good load. So, it's 3,500 empty miles and 3,300 loaded miles. The broker says, "Give me a number." What would you quote? I personally think 2 bucks per mile for ALL miles but taking into account the remoteness of the destination, it should probably be more. What do you guys think? The reason I"m asking is because I'm still trying to figure out a formula to determine which load is "good" and which load is "bad" :)

Don't forget the fuel surcharge!

Before I give a quote I always want to know what I will be hauling. Some freight may require special handling. And I would ask more than $2/mile for all miles going to that area. You can always come down on a rate, but it is difficult to go up once you have given someone a rate.

The load is cable, no tarping required.

Start at $3.00 let THEM work you down to an acceptable rate

$3 for ALL miles (d/h 1 + loaded + d/h 2) or just for loaded miles?

That's what I was thinking. I'd quote $20,000 - $21,000. That's easily a 2 week load, probably more.

The shipper was offering $14,500. Which I think is okay, considering you're making $5k a week for 2 weeks of work plus almost another $5k as "northern bonus". But it was too far in the north ... I can't imagine what kind of weather would be there right now plus you'd have to travel on local 2-lane highways. So, yeah - $20k would be more justified, unless you're a local guy who's intimately familiar with the feeding habits of local 4-legged bears :)

Keep in mind if you break down out there how much would a tow be and finding a mechanic.

If they were willing to pay $14k, then tell them you will do it for $16,500 and I bet they will jump on it.

Too bad you will only get to see 72% of that.

But on the flip-side, make the agent give you a $6,000 FSC

Trucker's math. After Landstar's cut and fuel, you're making $7440 for the entire job, or a whopping $1.09 a mile. Your "2 weeks" is almost guaranteed more than that, simply because of terrain and weather. Bigmon is 100% correct: one breakdown, and you're suddenly making nothing.

WOW..... I agree....... holy chit!

Landstar is a rip-off in my opinion. Anyone who takes a percentage of my stop-off pay and dips their hands into my layover pay can kiss my *****

Tracer, just wait a day or two if need be and find ya another load.

I am telling you, ya need to come run stuff from Chicago to Ontario. Most of it pays over $1,200 a trip and you could work 4 days and make as much as you are OTR

Just wondering , would fuel be higher price up there? Would you be able to find it when you needed to? Geez, road service just for a flat could take a day and cost an arm and leg.
Man I could worry my self to death on a run like that!

It pains my soul to do it but I am with Rev. on this one. After landstar dips their hands into that it doesnt look so good when you consider the area you will be traveling and the risks you are taking with a break down or even just a plain old flat tire.

I agree with you guys. This run is just too dangerous. I actually didn't think about a possibility of a breakdown. I was concerned about the weather and road conditions up there. That's why I didn't take it. It's just that this was the highest paying load I've seen on the board so far. Instead of this one I did 300 mi empty and picked up a load of 25 ft long steel racking in Idaho going to Regina, SK, Canada: 300 miles empty, 900 miles loaded - $2,700 gross. Dropped it today and unloading took forever because of the Conestoga sliding tarp. The forklift guy was good and didn't damage anything but I basically had to move the truck back and forth while he had the racking in the air. There was no other way to get it off the trailer!

I thought I'd be stuck in Regina after this but to my surprise a local Landstar agent called and offered me a load! I picked it up today - Friday - right after I had dropped the darn racking. This is a beauty of a deal: Deadhead: 45 miles (!), 45,000 lbs on pallets, going to North Dakota; 387 loaded miles. $1,178 or $3.04 per loaded mile to the truck :)

you are going to miss Ontario soon. ;) Lol

I know you are a Canadian thru and thru, but how hard would it be for you to move to the US???? I mean, even just rent a place over the bridge. It seems like it would make more financial sense for you to move here and make more $$$ being able to run loads intra-US and also Canada.

Just wondering.

Sh
Sh*t, you could probably rent a place in Detroit for $200. a month :lol: :smokin:

I think it's pretty much impossible: I'd need a green card and permission to work in US. I can rent a place or even buy a house - no problem - but I cannot work inside the country. Lots of Canadians own real estate in US but getting a job is a totally different animal.

What happened to your twitter? It says no good.

In a couple years, I bet there will be allot of illegal immigration coming out of Michigan, in rafts and canoes sneaking into Ontario. http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l2...nd10/shrug.gif

Those guys are too lazy to paddle

So, it's 3,500 empty miles and 3,300 loaded miles.
6,800 miles x $1.56/mile cost = $10,608.00
14 days x $500/day = $7,000.00

$10,608 + $7,000 = $17,608.00

Plus ya hafta figure in the extra cost of high priced fuel, the isolation pay and bad roads. I'd have to think about it for $20,000. But if it's really and truly as far north as you say, common sense says you must decline.

That being said, I do take northern loads to places that we've never been to before because they pay well and you can do some recon for future trips farther north. So far the roads have been surprisingly good (better than I-88 and I-81 in PA and NY) and the drivers all say they would go again. Plus it's an advantage knowing that your truck is booked for the whole week or two, making money every day.

One trip was so easy I actually gave the broker back $100.

My costs would be higher simply because I'm paid percentage... close to $2/mi on all miles PLUS the daily profit (the way you suggested). So, it'd be $2/mi on 6800 mi = $13,600. Plus $7k equals $20,600. Pretty much what Rev said.

I've been trying this $2/mi on all miles recently and it doesn't work too well. After reading the Rank's post I see what the problem is: I am running pretty much at cost because I only get 73% of $2/mi :(

I doubt if your costs are as high as mine Tracer beacuse you drive your own truck.

Yes, but don't we suppose to make a profit? And i believe it's calculated after you've paid the driver. Wether it's yourself or hired help.

I don't know ... what works for me is to add all the necessary basic expenses per mile, like fuel, maintenance, financing etc, but then also include all the amounts I need to pay household bills, provide for food and entertainment, debt repayment, monthly savings, tax payments etc. If I get rid of my apartment ($1,000 per month), $2.25/mile on ALL MILES will give me the money I need to achieve all my financial goals. So, that run I once did out of Calgary, AB to Winnipeg, MB empty (825 miles) and then 900 miles loaded to Montana, I wouldn't ask $3,400 like I did. It's 1,725 miles total so I'd ask for at least 2.25 x 1725 or $3,880. From the point of view of the shipper that's already $4.31 per mile so you have to be realistic. I AM making a profit because this $2.25 minimum gives me all I need and more. The trick is it must be $2.25 on ALL miles, both empty and loaded.

2.25 gross or 2.25 to the truck? I think you'll have a hard time getting 2.25 to the truck on a consistent basis. Good luck.

No argument there Solo. I meant his fuel and maintenance costs are likely lower than mine because he drives his own truck.

That has nothing to do with your costs.....
No arguments here either....

$2.25 gross - or what Landstar is paid for the load. When I do the calculation of how much I have to make, I then divide the result by 75% and that gives me the required GROSS rate ($2.25/mi) that would provide me the funds I need. In November I averaged just over $1.70 per mi to the truck on all miles (see my other post).