That is fine, just don't get carried away trying to save .01cpm at the cost of lost productivity by missing more loads per week. There is a balance to be had, good luck.

I try to be waiting at the consignee 1st thing in the morning by arriving the evening before. Although, this is not always possible, it sets me up to get unloaded early and on the board. I don't have to wait in long lines and puts me at the front of the line for loads. It, also, gives me the maximum amount of time to travel to the next consignee.

Now, I know I am preaching to the choir, like I said, I learned some good habits while with TMC.

I have a 70 mph truck, it sure is nice to have that extra when you need it.

I have been dispatched on 3769 miles
My actual miles are 4265.
A difference of 496 miles.
giving me an out of route of 11.63%
adjusted for my little side trip home 340 miles for 3.63% O/R.

Or to keep me real, it cost me approximately $108.30 to make that roundtrip. I can't afford to do that too often and will stick with home time under a load, just grabbing a day or two or even a few hours.

I have had load offers to San Antonio, TX and Corpus Christi, TX that would have taken me through the house with a few out of route miles. I would have had to sit over a weekend being nonproductive. I opted to make some money and find myself in Eastern CT.

Load #4)

Stroudsburg, PA to Sikeston, Mo.

Bounced 41 miles to swap required trailer.

180 miles to Shipper.

980 Miles to Consignee.

It is a single steel beam weighing 25,920 pounds.


1151 miles @ $0.90
Tarp fee $35.00
FSC $153.09.

Total $1223.99

This is a light load, so I should have decent fuel economy.

I pick it up on 4/01 and it delivers 4/03, I should be there the afternoon of the 2nd.

I had almost the same load offered earilier in the day, but was right in the middle of turning arround on a construction site road, holding up traffic. By the time I got turned arround and parked someone else has taken it.

I had one construction detour which added a few miles and forced me onto a toll road for about two miles that cost $16.75. I hate tolls.

Maybe, after I deliver this load I can find a load in the Midwest or West.

Hello Terry,

Interesting thread, hope you keep it up. I have a few comments I hope you'll find useful or at least stimulating:

You should insist on having all aspects of your lease explained, to your satisfaction (preferably before signing). Leasing is a potentially hazardous financial experiment at best, no sense in keeping a quarter stick of dynamite in your back pocket that might decide to go off. Talk with the L/P person at ATS as soon as possible to have them explain this to you, in writing if necessary.

The maint and tire escrows seem a bit high to me, even on the used truck you describe. I assume each escrow has a limit, once reached, where no more money is withheld?

The other four items are basically cost shifting on to your back from the company. Do they seriously charge you $1.25 to fuel your truck, or is that just if you want an advance?


I notice you don't mention the deadhead miles for each load, or over what time period they cover. If I read the first one right, they only pay 83 cents per mile plus FSC for loads over a certain mileage threshhold? Especially considering they don't pay FSC on deadhead miles, that is extremely low.

I lease a truck from Hill Bros out of Omaha, Nebraska and post quarterly financials to my lease-purchase blog, link in the sig.

Good luck,

Jim

We are paid on a sliding scale.

LENGTH OF HAUL 0-12 Months with the Company

0-399 ($450 Min.) $1.50
400-599 1.07
600-899 1.01
900-1,1499 .90
1,500-1,899 .83
1,900-Over .81

After one year this will go up. I don't have those numbers handy. I am a class 4 driver, the lowest. Once I make Class 2, in addition to the regular mileage pay I will get $0.01 more and $0.02 for Class 1. Over Dimensional Pay is additional and so is Arb pay to go into Canada or New York City.

Thanks, I can use all the help I can get.


You are right. I know what all the totals are supposed to add up to, but I need them to show me as they wrote it out.

I don't know, this is my first time around the block and have nothing else to compare it to. I don't mind the amounts. At the end of the lease I will get the unused portions back. No they do not have a limit. I cannot touch the Maintennance Accounts. The Escrow account, once I reach the minimum, I can borrow against. Once the Promissory Note is paid for, it stops.

Yes and no, the charge is to use the card, just like any credit card, there are usage fees. I can combine and advance with fueling and have only one $1.25 charge. I can pay fuel in cash and have no charges. We are on the same fuel plan as the company drivers, so we save money on fuel, which more than offsets the $1.25 charge.

I can list the deadhead miles, I see no point. I add the miles up. I get paid for all miles. The FSC is for loaded miles only. They either reward you for less miles or punish you for more miles. They try to encourage short runs. What do you mean "or over what time period they cover?"

I'll check it out as soon as I get a chance. I'm sure I can find something that will help me.

I delivered a full day early. I ran with a couple of other ATS drivers going to the same place. I pushed a little. I ran at 70 mph where possible and a little fast through the slow states. I'll have to see wat running fast did to my fuel mileage. The qualcomm gives me a running total, it was down to 5.8 for a while then went back up to 6.7. On average it may not have hurt too much. I will know when I fuel next. I think I'll just run by myself from now on.

I'm not sure if it did any good to deliver early, I haven't received any decent load offers yet. One was offered, but it didn't load until Friday at 2000 and delivered Monday 0800, 378 empty and 528 loaded. Not worth my time to sit most of the weekend if there is a chance to get a better load offer tonight or first thing in the morning.

What do they pay for NYC, if you don't mind me asking...?

They take a national average each week.

For the week 03/17/09 to 03/23/09 it was $0.17
For the week 03/24/09 to 03/30/09 it was $0.18
For the week 3/31/09 to 04/06/09 it is $0.21

I think the poster wanted to know how much NYC pay was, not the FSC.

Jim