Well, to start with, I get paid 24.5% of my loads. I understand that the freight varies region to region, type of freight, time of year, cycle of the moon, tides, etc etc etc.
I had a load a couple of weeks ago from Craigsville, WV to Kissimmee, FL. The load left Craigsville on Monday morning and delivered Tuesday evening. When I left the shop with the paperwork to go after the load, they also handed me my paperwork for my preplan, which ran from Lakeland, FL to Newport News, VA. Both loads, ironically, were 807 loaded miles.
The load to Kissimmee paid the truck $1,614.00, which works out to $0.49cpm to me. The load from Lakeland paid the truck $600.00, which works out to $0.18cpm. Now, running percentage, I don't mind running a short run at low pay if it's going to get me to a load that pays something worth hauling. However, the load I went to after unloading in Newport News was 530 miles, paying me $0.30cpm.
I took my paperwork to the lead dispatch today to talk to him about this low paying load out of Florida. Of course, he told me that sometimes we have to take a low rate so that we don't have to sit. When I mentioned that this load was on me before I ever even left for FL told me that they didn't even attempt to find me something better. If I'd had to sit down there for 24-36 hours or so, sure, I understand. But having that load preplanned was just plain out wrong.
How can ANY company afford to take a load that runs 800+ miles for $0.74cpm and make it (that $0.74cpm is gross - take out my pay and it pays the company $0.56cpm.
This is undoubtably (sp) the worst paying load I've ever hauled. Prior to that I had a load that ran me from Abilene, TX to Atlanta, GA for $0.22cpm. I reamed the dispatcher on that one as well.
Again, I don't mind taking a crap load a short distance, but 1/2 way across the country?
What the Ef...