Quote:
Originally Posted by WSMF2003
Hey there GMan,
I wanted a little more info from you about lanes and rates. I saw a thread you posted back in July about this same topic and another member:
firebird_1252 replied:
"my lanes have been dead all year. had maybe 2 good weeks this year. however, the "dead" lanes seem to be busy and decent paying. i'm noticing when people are booking loads cheaper i'm getting calls that the truck "fell off" the load. and i get a call to see if i'm still around."
Your reply to that was:
"I have had to change the lanes where I run completely the last year."
What are these lanes and rates that you're speaking of?
Is it a particular area or state?
Does this mean Independent Operators are only allowed to run freight around a certain protected area?
Thank you...
I believe at that time I had been running the northeast, mostly I-81. Freight became slow and rates dropped, so I had to look for other lanes. I found freight that paid well going into Texas. These were mostly over sized loads. They paid well enough that I could deadhead back to grab another load, but I usually was able to find something coming about 200 miles from my good paying loads. I was traveling I-20. That dried up after a few months and then I had to look at different lanes again. More recently, I have been seeing some rates over $2/mile going to the northeast, but few going into Texas that pay over $2/mile. I spoke with an owner operator that I know who recently hauled a load out of Florida for $1/mile. I won't haul anything that cheap. When the economy is soft it takes more effort to find decent paying loads. Finding better loads requires flexibility. I have known some owner operators who only want to run a certain area of the country. I have always followed the rates.
It has been more challenging recently with the storms. Rates that might have worked during other times, didn't work for me due to getting stuck in a bad area with a snow storm. I don't tend to talk much about my personal rates on a public forum, but I don't mind talking in generalities and what I have observed. I mostly deal with personal contacts that I have established over the years. That helps when the economy is down. But, I am always open to new opportunities. I will say one thing, however. The best paying load that I have seen recently paid over $7/mile. That may sound good, but it was over 13' wide and required escorts.