Today I signed up another broker and got a load to Wilmington Delaware with a stop in New Jersey. I'll hardly make any money, but at least it'll be a little, and I'll be reaching ahead for longer loads out. I'll pick up wednesday, and will deliver both stops on friday the 2nd.
...okay I just took another one from Berlin, MD to Garland, TX which will still not pay much but which is better than nothing. So finally, I have preplanned two loads ahead.
I had to. I can't compete with the pihrannas. To try to cherry-pick a load as it appears, I'd have to be staring at this laptop all day, and I have to attempt to fix my damn APU (which I probably can't), etc.
These other guys--it's all they do, all day.
I'll have the details on the load in a couple hours, and can then start trying to grab my third load-targeting 1/6 from Garland. If I can't fix the APU here, I can also try to set something up there on the 5th. (I'll be going through NC, TN etc. so I should be able to get away with it not running).
I'll be at the Maine shipper on the Delaware load (and maybe in a door) wed. morning, and be at the first stop probably before close-of-business that day to attempt early delivery of that part of it. If I can get that done, I can be at the final in Wilmington when they open too, and be at the Maryland shipper before 1100 friday.
During this time, I'll be on the boards looking for my third load, which I can be more selective about, and which I'll make sure is a long one.
I now have four brokers I'm on file with, and will collect more as I go. After this murderous holiday season and my inexperienced stumbling around and chasing up blind alleys, I'll then be preplanned two trips ahead and be able to sustain that...
That's important, since this is the one way I can get ahead of the pihrannas on some of the higher-paying loads--by looking at them before the pihrannas have a chance to ace me out of them.
Ok now I'll recheck my email and the boards, looking at Garland TX, and possibly even nail a load down, then go outside and see if taking my fan off would help (you see there's a housing surrounding it, and if I can't slide it all the way off, it won't work).
Wish me luck okbye
Monday, December 29, 2008
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Still Stuck
Well, I can tell by the pillow-cases that my noggin-owie was still bleeding. I hope the hotel doesn't call the cops after I leave...
I can't do anything until tomorrow when the Brokers open. Wayne at the company pointed out to me that some of the shorter loads in this area pay well, so monday I'll broaden my targets.
Unfortunately, my company is probably not set up with the two or three main brokers from which most of these loads emanate, so that even if I'm in time to grab a load, I have to get them to fax stuff back and forth, and the broker may well not commit to me beforehand...meaning I get aced-out. Again.
I have to view this as a contact-making situation. I may lose the first loads I try for, but will get stuff getting faxed back and forth, so that (if the brokers don't reject my company based on it's safety record or something), I'll have my company hooked up with three or four brokers.
A couple of these have websites on which loads are listed. On the last one I visited, I put a bid in on one--just in case my company is already signed up. I'll be saving these sites to favorites, and getting passwords so that I can get at the loads.
While I'll be trying for loads tomorrow/monday the 29th, I have to plan for the faxing and hooking-up stuff, and no loads being put on me until that's complete.
This time, I jotted notes on loads for days through the second, per-company, so that if they tell me that one load is gone, I can ask about the others while still on the phone.
I also searched the load-destinations. For example, one going to Wimington, DE and another going near there in New Jersey would probably have me deliver on the second. In that area, I found some longer loads (one of which I bid on--I'd deadhead 300 miles to go to New Mexico).
Partly because these are the longest of the short loads, then because my deadheads to them are under 170 miles, and finally because of the loads coming out of there, I'm trying to get loads through the 31st down there. I probably get aced out of the ones on the 29th, but by reaching ahead a couple days will have a better shot at nailing one down.
Well, time to resume listening to the Steelers stomp my Browns...
I can't do anything until tomorrow when the Brokers open. Wayne at the company pointed out to me that some of the shorter loads in this area pay well, so monday I'll broaden my targets.
Unfortunately, my company is probably not set up with the two or three main brokers from which most of these loads emanate, so that even if I'm in time to grab a load, I have to get them to fax stuff back and forth, and the broker may well not commit to me beforehand...meaning I get aced-out. Again.
I have to view this as a contact-making situation. I may lose the first loads I try for, but will get stuff getting faxed back and forth, so that (if the brokers don't reject my company based on it's safety record or something), I'll have my company hooked up with three or four brokers.
A couple of these have websites on which loads are listed. On the last one I visited, I put a bid in on one--just in case my company is already signed up. I'll be saving these sites to favorites, and getting passwords so that I can get at the loads.
While I'll be trying for loads tomorrow/monday the 29th, I have to plan for the faxing and hooking-up stuff, and no loads being put on me until that's complete.
This time, I jotted notes on loads for days through the second, per-company, so that if they tell me that one load is gone, I can ask about the others while still on the phone.
I also searched the load-destinations. For example, one going to Wimington, DE and another going near there in New Jersey would probably have me deliver on the second. In that area, I found some longer loads (one of which I bid on--I'd deadhead 300 miles to go to New Mexico).
Partly because these are the longest of the short loads, then because my deadheads to them are under 170 miles, and finally because of the loads coming out of there, I'm trying to get loads through the 31st down there. I probably get aced out of the ones on the 29th, but by reaching ahead a couple days will have a better shot at nailing one down.
Well, time to resume listening to the Steelers stomp my Browns...
Friday, December 26, 2008
Bad Day
I delivered my shopping carts and discovered that my APU was broke again. It was the fan belt.
I was delivering to a Lowes, so I looked for a lawnmower belt or something there, although they were closed for inventory. Nope.
I stopped at a Wal-Mart, just to take a shot. Slipped on black ice. Having grown up in Cleveland, I have blance and reactions, and don't fool easy. But it got me good. I fell properly, despite my foot shooting into the air, but the tire-tim got in the way and a bashed my head on it.
It really hurt, and I feared a cracked skull, then realized that analytical thinking was a good sign. The pain subsided as I went inside, but I discovered I was bleeding (right through my hair) and made it to the john in time to save my shirts from bloodstains.
Wal-Mart didn't have a belt. All this time, I'm trying to get a load out of here, and all the loads are gone before I can even call.
I found another Lowes and got a lawnmower belt about the right size. Not grooved right, but worth a shot. Then I cam to this hotel (resolved to be stuck til the 29th at least). I started putting the new belt on and discovered that the bastards had rendered it driver-proof.
In order to get the belt on, I'd have to take the fan off...or disassemble the engine. I can see how to do it...well, I'll give it another shot later, when I'm not so mentally exhausted. And enraged.
I still might have a carcked skull, but if my brain was bleeding I'd be comotose now. I have experience in this area, and am pretty sure that the first time I get knocked out I will assume room temperature. I think a Louisville slugger would more likely break my neck than dent my skull. If I committed suicide with a gun I'd aim at my heart to make sure.
Anyway I just realized that I might have the special tool needed to take the stupid fan off through some grillwork.
My alternative is to call the warrantee people and try to find an authorized repair joint just to replace a damn fanbelt. Which might not work anyway. The non-groove will shrink the inside diameter. I can compensate by the alternator placement, but it still might slip. Slippage might then try to force me to tighten it too much and burn out the alternator bearing. Lovely.
I'm in the hotel now because it's cold and I'd have to idle all night to stay alive. I should have got an electric blanket...put that on my shopping list...
Dammit.
There's a bar across the street and I might go there. I'm delaying a shower as long as possible so I don't start bleeding again when I shampoo. Good thing I got some red in my hair. I don't think I rinsed it all out. I can't see it on the back of my head. Maybe I should ask somebody "hey is there blood in my hair?"
If your first thought was that I should sue Wal-Mart, you are a dirt-bag.
Also, I'm a trucker, and was parking where I wasn't supposed to, and if I sued them, see how long ANY truckers are ever allowed to park at Wal-Mart anymore.
Maybe I should sue the tire-rim manufacturer.
Anyway, when I got here I immediately made sure that I was screwed out of every listed load already. Yep.
Then I played some more internet poker and won again.
It's working. Different strokes and all, and it appears that I'm a much better limit-cash player than I am a tournament player. I also do a lot better on bigger tables than on smaller ones.
I was sort of fooled, the way I got here. I won in casinos, then got eroded playing cash games online. So I switched to sit-and-go tournaments, which I've done for like 6-7 months now. And did a little worse than break even, so that over time, I always seemed to lose. (This is limit Omaha Hi-Low and Horse---not Hold-Em).
Last week, I started fooling around with Limit Hold'em cash games. Apparantly, playing all those tournaments has somehow made me a better (internet) cash player, because I have won every single session...except one six-player game where one lucky idiot superspazz knocked me out.
On one site, I was down to 3.60 and now got 11 bucks. On another I had 73 and now have 88. I win from 20 to 80% (I quit while ahead--don't know how I'd do hanging around).
At these low stakes, there are a lot of lottery players and rookies, but I do have the casino experience to guide me. I'm not going to add any money, but will gradually increase the stakes as my waddage goes up. And if I get loads past casinos, might go in next time.
I was delivering to a Lowes, so I looked for a lawnmower belt or something there, although they were closed for inventory. Nope.
I stopped at a Wal-Mart, just to take a shot. Slipped on black ice. Having grown up in Cleveland, I have blance and reactions, and don't fool easy. But it got me good. I fell properly, despite my foot shooting into the air, but the tire-tim got in the way and a bashed my head on it.
It really hurt, and I feared a cracked skull, then realized that analytical thinking was a good sign. The pain subsided as I went inside, but I discovered I was bleeding (right through my hair) and made it to the john in time to save my shirts from bloodstains.
Wal-Mart didn't have a belt. All this time, I'm trying to get a load out of here, and all the loads are gone before I can even call.
I found another Lowes and got a lawnmower belt about the right size. Not grooved right, but worth a shot. Then I cam to this hotel (resolved to be stuck til the 29th at least). I started putting the new belt on and discovered that the bastards had rendered it driver-proof.
In order to get the belt on, I'd have to take the fan off...or disassemble the engine. I can see how to do it...well, I'll give it another shot later, when I'm not so mentally exhausted. And enraged.
I still might have a carcked skull, but if my brain was bleeding I'd be comotose now. I have experience in this area, and am pretty sure that the first time I get knocked out I will assume room temperature. I think a Louisville slugger would more likely break my neck than dent my skull. If I committed suicide with a gun I'd aim at my heart to make sure.
Anyway I just realized that I might have the special tool needed to take the stupid fan off through some grillwork.
My alternative is to call the warrantee people and try to find an authorized repair joint just to replace a damn fanbelt. Which might not work anyway. The non-groove will shrink the inside diameter. I can compensate by the alternator placement, but it still might slip. Slippage might then try to force me to tighten it too much and burn out the alternator bearing. Lovely.
I'm in the hotel now because it's cold and I'd have to idle all night to stay alive. I should have got an electric blanket...put that on my shopping list...
Dammit.
There's a bar across the street and I might go there. I'm delaying a shower as long as possible so I don't start bleeding again when I shampoo. Good thing I got some red in my hair. I don't think I rinsed it all out. I can't see it on the back of my head. Maybe I should ask somebody "hey is there blood in my hair?"
If your first thought was that I should sue Wal-Mart, you are a dirt-bag.
Also, I'm a trucker, and was parking where I wasn't supposed to, and if I sued them, see how long ANY truckers are ever allowed to park at Wal-Mart anymore.
Maybe I should sue the tire-rim manufacturer.
Anyway, when I got here I immediately made sure that I was screwed out of every listed load already. Yep.
Then I played some more internet poker and won again.
It's working. Different strokes and all, and it appears that I'm a much better limit-cash player than I am a tournament player. I also do a lot better on bigger tables than on smaller ones.
I was sort of fooled, the way I got here. I won in casinos, then got eroded playing cash games online. So I switched to sit-and-go tournaments, which I've done for like 6-7 months now. And did a little worse than break even, so that over time, I always seemed to lose. (This is limit Omaha Hi-Low and Horse---not Hold-Em).
Last week, I started fooling around with Limit Hold'em cash games. Apparantly, playing all those tournaments has somehow made me a better (internet) cash player, because I have won every single session...except one six-player game where one lucky idiot superspazz knocked me out.
On one site, I was down to 3.60 and now got 11 bucks. On another I had 73 and now have 88. I win from 20 to 80% (I quit while ahead--don't know how I'd do hanging around).
At these low stakes, there are a lot of lottery players and rookies, but I do have the casino experience to guide me. I'm not going to add any money, but will gradually increase the stakes as my waddage goes up. And if I get loads past casinos, might go in next time.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Like Pullin Teeth
Speaking of which, the whole left side of my lower jaw hurts, despite a dentist's assurance that there's nothing wrong on that side. Dammit. And I missed my brand new cellphone when I did the laundery and...yeah. And the blow drier didn't work.
I took a weekly rent, but kept searching for loads. I found out that my company's safety rating blackballs me with a few major brokers, and I had to miss some really good loads because of it.
The reason I took the weekly is that it quickly became apparant to me that I'd have to reaqch farther ahead in time for a load out in order to actually have a chance at it. After finding out that Schneider and JB Hunt won't deal with me, in deperation I reached out to the 29th for a BNSF load out of Oklahoma, going to Massa...that eastern state.
It's over a 500-mile deadhead for a 45,000 lb. load, but I did some math and then made the call. It pays enough to net me 800 bucks or so, despite the weight and deadhead, so I grabbed it. Part of this is the fact that I had the route mapped mentally and knew that I'd be going by certain fuel stops where I could save quite a bit over the national average, and arrive at the reciever with maybe half a tank.
That means I could have some range to escape that high-priced diesel-zone before needing fuel again. (Apologies if you are bored--I'm just being honest about how I must think in order to stay afloat. On the off-chance another driver who's in trouble reads this, it will be of genuine benefit to them.)
Another factor is that I can easily route myself around the bulk of the tolls without burning extra fuel and canceling the savings. (I go 6.3 miles out of route and it costs over two bucks).
Another factor is that it's a nice, comfortable load which I'll enjoy running. And yet another is the fact that I should be able to get a load back out of that region.
The drawback is that Bear Logistics dominates that region, and they won't deal with my company, either. If neccessary, I might well look up and call the area paper mills fishing for a load myself---if there aren't contractual or procedural blocks preventing that.
However, once I have the load details and everything is confirmed, I'll immediately start searching ahead of 1/2, when I deliver. That's farther ahead than even most carriers look. With a little luck, I can have myself preplanned out of there (and be looking ahead to where that load will go).
Yet another factor is the fact that that's on the coast, so I have a good chance of a long load.
Another is the fact that I can go right by the terminal and collect my mail--including a computer plug I had ordered.
Assuming that when I call Wayne again he gives me the load specs and it's locked-down, I can relax somewhat. I'm paid through friday the 26th, so I can check out and cover the 500-mile deadhead on saturday, and get another reset in before loading on monday.
Meanwhile, I can use this time to dig up a load back out of there before the pihrannas get it first, and possibly establish a rythm which will deliver more miles consistantly.
I'll also continue my new online poker strategy. While I really like the sit-and-go tournaments, I'm frustrated by how often idiots win them. By reraising preflop with a pair of sixes. By raising with four spades before the turn (a 25% chance)--and getting it about half the time. By raising an A3 in early position in Omaha Hi-Lo and flopping 245.
But I won in Casinos. In cash games. So I'm fooling around with plain old regular limit games, and doing much better in limit Hold 'Em. It doesn't seem to be as rigged, for some reason. I mean, trips aren't very common, nor are the higher hands. A single pair will often win. If you raise AK suited, you win the hand about as often as you're supposed to.
Limit games are the way to play, unless you're a millionaire. If you play a no-limit or even pot-limit game for any starting stakes, you have to have the waddage to call rich idiots who try to buy every pot.
Limit does enable river rats to call when they should fold, but this is better overall, because they cough up more money that way. And it's not expensive. I can fold all my crap, and don't worry about bullies stealing my blinds. The blinds don't go up--they're fixed. I can get eroded down quite a bit and still come back, as long as I keep my cool and play smart.
I find that players tend to get a bead on me over time, so if I raise they won't call, and if I call a raise they always suspect I'm trapping them. They fear me. So I must either switch tables, or else do some change-ups with semi-bluffs and stuff.
I also mean to check out limit Omaha (not Hi-Lo). This is a more complex game, and I think I'd do better at it. It's less perdictable, however. The difference is, I'm not a Bingo player, which gives me an advantage. I might win fewer pots, but more people will call me, and I'll win more.
More people can play Hold 'Em well than Omaha. If 40% of the Hold 'Em players are at least competant, I'll bet it's less than 25% of the limit Omaha players. It's easy to miscalculate, and even easier NOT to fold a flush when you should.
My cash game has improved as I've paid more attention to pot odds. I now lay down decent cards often to a raise early, when it costs me little or nothing. I call or raise more often with a lot of money on the table. That's leverage, and risk-to-reward.
I have no problem with dumbasses thinking I'm a mouse because I fold a lot. Some of these guys raise every time I have the big blind or am islotated with them. "I'll just push him and he'll fold". Let them take the nickels and dimes, and show me how they play. When I call, they think it's just because I'm frustrated, and they bet at me again. That's when I whack them--and sometimes they even raise me right back! "He's a pussy he HAS to fold if I just keep hitting him!" Then it's too late.
I hate bullies, in every form. A poker bully is generally too stupid to win any other way.
...sorry.
Well okbye.
I took a weekly rent, but kept searching for loads. I found out that my company's safety rating blackballs me with a few major brokers, and I had to miss some really good loads because of it.
The reason I took the weekly is that it quickly became apparant to me that I'd have to reaqch farther ahead in time for a load out in order to actually have a chance at it. After finding out that Schneider and JB Hunt won't deal with me, in deperation I reached out to the 29th for a BNSF load out of Oklahoma, going to Massa...that eastern state.
It's over a 500-mile deadhead for a 45,000 lb. load, but I did some math and then made the call. It pays enough to net me 800 bucks or so, despite the weight and deadhead, so I grabbed it. Part of this is the fact that I had the route mapped mentally and knew that I'd be going by certain fuel stops where I could save quite a bit over the national average, and arrive at the reciever with maybe half a tank.
That means I could have some range to escape that high-priced diesel-zone before needing fuel again. (Apologies if you are bored--I'm just being honest about how I must think in order to stay afloat. On the off-chance another driver who's in trouble reads this, it will be of genuine benefit to them.)
Another factor is that I can easily route myself around the bulk of the tolls without burning extra fuel and canceling the savings. (I go 6.3 miles out of route and it costs over two bucks).
Another factor is that it's a nice, comfortable load which I'll enjoy running. And yet another is the fact that I should be able to get a load back out of that region.
The drawback is that Bear Logistics dominates that region, and they won't deal with my company, either. If neccessary, I might well look up and call the area paper mills fishing for a load myself---if there aren't contractual or procedural blocks preventing that.
However, once I have the load details and everything is confirmed, I'll immediately start searching ahead of 1/2, when I deliver. That's farther ahead than even most carriers look. With a little luck, I can have myself preplanned out of there (and be looking ahead to where that load will go).
Yet another factor is the fact that that's on the coast, so I have a good chance of a long load.
Another is the fact that I can go right by the terminal and collect my mail--including a computer plug I had ordered.
Assuming that when I call Wayne again he gives me the load specs and it's locked-down, I can relax somewhat. I'm paid through friday the 26th, so I can check out and cover the 500-mile deadhead on saturday, and get another reset in before loading on monday.
Meanwhile, I can use this time to dig up a load back out of there before the pihrannas get it first, and possibly establish a rythm which will deliver more miles consistantly.
I'll also continue my new online poker strategy. While I really like the sit-and-go tournaments, I'm frustrated by how often idiots win them. By reraising preflop with a pair of sixes. By raising with four spades before the turn (a 25% chance)--and getting it about half the time. By raising an A3 in early position in Omaha Hi-Lo and flopping 245.
But I won in Casinos. In cash games. So I'm fooling around with plain old regular limit games, and doing much better in limit Hold 'Em. It doesn't seem to be as rigged, for some reason. I mean, trips aren't very common, nor are the higher hands. A single pair will often win. If you raise AK suited, you win the hand about as often as you're supposed to.
Limit games are the way to play, unless you're a millionaire. If you play a no-limit or even pot-limit game for any starting stakes, you have to have the waddage to call rich idiots who try to buy every pot.
Limit does enable river rats to call when they should fold, but this is better overall, because they cough up more money that way. And it's not expensive. I can fold all my crap, and don't worry about bullies stealing my blinds. The blinds don't go up--they're fixed. I can get eroded down quite a bit and still come back, as long as I keep my cool and play smart.
I find that players tend to get a bead on me over time, so if I raise they won't call, and if I call a raise they always suspect I'm trapping them. They fear me. So I must either switch tables, or else do some change-ups with semi-bluffs and stuff.
I also mean to check out limit Omaha (not Hi-Lo). This is a more complex game, and I think I'd do better at it. It's less perdictable, however. The difference is, I'm not a Bingo player, which gives me an advantage. I might win fewer pots, but more people will call me, and I'll win more.
More people can play Hold 'Em well than Omaha. If 40% of the Hold 'Em players are at least competant, I'll bet it's less than 25% of the limit Omaha players. It's easy to miscalculate, and even easier NOT to fold a flush when you should.
My cash game has improved as I've paid more attention to pot odds. I now lay down decent cards often to a raise early, when it costs me little or nothing. I call or raise more often with a lot of money on the table. That's leverage, and risk-to-reward.
I have no problem with dumbasses thinking I'm a mouse because I fold a lot. Some of these guys raise every time I have the big blind or am islotated with them. "I'll just push him and he'll fold". Let them take the nickels and dimes, and show me how they play. When I call, they think it's just because I'm frustrated, and they bet at me again. That's when I whack them--and sometimes they even raise me right back! "He's a pussy he HAS to fold if I just keep hitting him!" Then it's too late.
I hate bullies, in every form. A poker bully is generally too stupid to win any other way.
...sorry.
Well okbye.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Hard Times
I just switched to a weekly rent at this hotel. Yesterday I put my new cellphone through the wash and I'm on my old backup now. That's right, I laundered my cellphone haha. I tried a blow-drier and stuff, and it went from lighting up the screen do a paperweight. I got it charging now but I'm not optimistic. I did get a warrantee though.
Yeah I'm ticked off too. Most brokers are business hours only. I find loads I want, and call to get voice-mail, if even that.
I see a load leaving Brownsville on tuesday and delivering to Ohio on monday the 22nd. I'm 300 miles away, and can't be deadheading down there just in case I get it and it pays anything, and as of business hours monday I probably won't have time to go get it.
There is nothing else, either. No new email alerts or postings for the carriers to screw me out of at warp-speed. These guys I swear have every broker on speed-dial and must hit the buttons the instant they see a load (without looking at it).
So I've revised my strategy, and will look farther ahead. That's why I took the weekly rent. It's insurance. If I get a load within four days, I lose more money on the hotel rent, but at least have a load to more than offset it. If I'm stuck for a week, I simply lose a bunch of extra money for sure.
Why a hotel? Well it's hotter in the cab than outside, and I have to run the A/C. I only have one free shower coming. In 24 hours even with the APU I could burn ten gallons, or over 20 bucks. If I take a shower at a truckstop, it's 9 bucks. I pay only a little more this way, plus preserve my fuel to give me more range--hence more options about where I will fuel once I do have a load.
I pay a little more this way, but not that much. And I can write off every penny of the hotel bills.
So there.
Anyway, Xmas is thursday. Nothing will happen until January 5th, probably. I'll look, but might be stuck until then.
So I'm looking ahead to the 26th, 29th, 30th, and the 5th.
My paid site has once again decided that my login information is wrong and has locked me out. But the persistant fact that no matter where I search there are simply zero loads available pretty much says they suck. I'm committed to 90 days, after which I can cancel. Which I will.
So it's the free loadboards for me...I'll do some more research on the others, since www.123loadboard.com DID have some loads that the others didn't.
With the Brownsville-to-Ohio load, I found them on the internet and got a working answering machine to leave a message on, and also emailed them. There's an outside chance they'll get back to me, but there's really nothing in it for them. If the load is any good, it'll be gone within five minutes on monday morning.
Another handicap I have is that my company doesn't have deals in-place with a lot of these brokers, so that when I try to claim a load, I then have to have them fax everything to the company--and the company just seems to ignore it more often than not.
On the first load, it wasn't a problem, but then Schneider wouldn't commit to me without the deal. So I had them fax their stuff, and when I called the company was told that they'd see to it. They didn't. A day later, I called Schneider for another load, and was told that they don't have anything on my company--
So you see, I should have had two loads, but because my company won't help me, I lost them.
Ever have one of those nightmares where you're running as fast as you can and can't go anywhere?
Yeah I'm ticked off too. Most brokers are business hours only. I find loads I want, and call to get voice-mail, if even that.
I see a load leaving Brownsville on tuesday and delivering to Ohio on monday the 22nd. I'm 300 miles away, and can't be deadheading down there just in case I get it and it pays anything, and as of business hours monday I probably won't have time to go get it.
There is nothing else, either. No new email alerts or postings for the carriers to screw me out of at warp-speed. These guys I swear have every broker on speed-dial and must hit the buttons the instant they see a load (without looking at it).
So I've revised my strategy, and will look farther ahead. That's why I took the weekly rent. It's insurance. If I get a load within four days, I lose more money on the hotel rent, but at least have a load to more than offset it. If I'm stuck for a week, I simply lose a bunch of extra money for sure.
Why a hotel? Well it's hotter in the cab than outside, and I have to run the A/C. I only have one free shower coming. In 24 hours even with the APU I could burn ten gallons, or over 20 bucks. If I take a shower at a truckstop, it's 9 bucks. I pay only a little more this way, plus preserve my fuel to give me more range--hence more options about where I will fuel once I do have a load.
I pay a little more this way, but not that much. And I can write off every penny of the hotel bills.
So there.
Anyway, Xmas is thursday. Nothing will happen until January 5th, probably. I'll look, but might be stuck until then.
So I'm looking ahead to the 26th, 29th, 30th, and the 5th.
My paid site has once again decided that my login information is wrong and has locked me out. But the persistant fact that no matter where I search there are simply zero loads available pretty much says they suck. I'm committed to 90 days, after which I can cancel. Which I will.
So it's the free loadboards for me...I'll do some more research on the others, since www.123loadboard.com DID have some loads that the others didn't.
With the Brownsville-to-Ohio load, I found them on the internet and got a working answering machine to leave a message on, and also emailed them. There's an outside chance they'll get back to me, but there's really nothing in it for them. If the load is any good, it'll be gone within five minutes on monday morning.
Another handicap I have is that my company doesn't have deals in-place with a lot of these brokers, so that when I try to claim a load, I then have to have them fax everything to the company--and the company just seems to ignore it more often than not.
On the first load, it wasn't a problem, but then Schneider wouldn't commit to me without the deal. So I had them fax their stuff, and when I called the company was told that they'd see to it. They didn't. A day later, I called Schneider for another load, and was told that they don't have anything on my company--
So you see, I should have had two loads, but because my company won't help me, I lost them.
Ever have one of those nightmares where you're running as fast as you can and can't go anywhere?
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Frustration
After 5 pm, a load from Rosenberg, TX (right next to Katy) to Grand Rapids, MI showed up in my email notifications. I called the number and got an answering machine. I left a message expressing my interest in the load, and set my alarm for 7:50 (they open at 8).
Upon checking my email and the Pickatruckload.com loadboard in the morning, I found three MORE of these loads, and on click-through found "this load is no longer available".
The load was available last night, which is why I tried to get it.
So, overnight, four of these loads came and went, and I had no shot.
So I called the broker this morning, and explained this briefly, and asked if there was a night-time number or something. The agent acted like I was speaking Martian....
She just called back. Now I know that a couple people are in the office at 7:30, a half hour before they officially open. The guy that checks the voice-mail doesn't come in til 8:00. So she took a call before business hours and covered the load. She was calling me back not in response to this morning's call, but to the voice-mail.
Which was cool of her. It was an expensive lesson. This was a light load, and would have only cost me about 500 bucks to run. Light loads are often valuable, as well--plastic goods, car parts, etc. And on checking loads around Michigan for the 22nd, I found a few.
I learned something. No matter what they could teach in business school or whatever, there are always variables like this in any business that you have to find out by accident or persistance. She might not have returned my voice-message had I not called after 8:00 and asked about that.
This could be the case at other brokers, as well--call a half hour before business hours.
Now, I had surmised that Load Planners and Coordinators with trucking companies, representing fleets, etc. might have a night-time number or something. If I were a broker, I would sort of favor people with a bunch of trucks over individuals such as Wile E Coyote, who might run four loads a week max. (I woudn't resent this much. Business is business and nobody owes me anything. I'm a real american).
But now I know that I had the same chance as whoever called her at 7:30.
I hate being a pihranna. This is the second time this happened. Before, it was SIX loads our of Houston to New York, every single one of which was covered before I had a chance to even open my email.
So when trying to load-plan, I'll just have to wake up early enough to check the loads, do some analysis, and join the feeding frenzie. It kinda turns my stomach--I'm not wired for it. But it's something I have to do.
I might have choices. I mean, another smaller company called me; they pay 1.00/mile plus 10% of the surcharge. That's pretty good for dryvan freight. I thought about it, since I wouldn't have to be a pihranna that way.
Yeah. Thirteen new notifications in my box this morning, every one of whichI had to delete after a glance because of distance and/or date. But I have to put up with that, as well.
The RTF paid board I subscribed to has now decided that my login is invalid, that my licenses have expired, and that my email address is not registered. THAT pisses me off.
But overall, I'm not as discouraged as I was when I started this entry. I have an equal shot as long as I'm a pihranna. If I'd have got that load, or one of the Houstons-to-New Yorks, I'd be covered for several days in advance, and not have to worry about it for a couple days. And I told the agent to keep me in mind for anything else--I'll be empty in Katy friday afternoon and need help getting out of there.
Two brokers now know this, including the one that got me the run to Katy. They might call. It's easier than listing the load.
After this, I'll go back to email and no doubt find five or more notifications of loads I mostly can't consider, but might get lucky.
Then I'll get cleaned up, get my stuff in the truck, hit the company to get my load info, grab a trailer, and head to Fort Wayne. I'll stop at a truckstop to do laundry, and I hope park overnight at the shipper so I'm first in line to get loaded.
On the road agin......
Upon checking my email and the Pickatruckload.com loadboard in the morning, I found three MORE of these loads, and on click-through found "this load is no longer available".
The load was available last night, which is why I tried to get it.
So, overnight, four of these loads came and went, and I had no shot.
So I called the broker this morning, and explained this briefly, and asked if there was a night-time number or something. The agent acted like I was speaking Martian....
She just called back. Now I know that a couple people are in the office at 7:30, a half hour before they officially open. The guy that checks the voice-mail doesn't come in til 8:00. So she took a call before business hours and covered the load. She was calling me back not in response to this morning's call, but to the voice-mail.
Which was cool of her. It was an expensive lesson. This was a light load, and would have only cost me about 500 bucks to run. Light loads are often valuable, as well--plastic goods, car parts, etc. And on checking loads around Michigan for the 22nd, I found a few.
I learned something. No matter what they could teach in business school or whatever, there are always variables like this in any business that you have to find out by accident or persistance. She might not have returned my voice-message had I not called after 8:00 and asked about that.
This could be the case at other brokers, as well--call a half hour before business hours.
Now, I had surmised that Load Planners and Coordinators with trucking companies, representing fleets, etc. might have a night-time number or something. If I were a broker, I would sort of favor people with a bunch of trucks over individuals such as Wile E Coyote, who might run four loads a week max. (I woudn't resent this much. Business is business and nobody owes me anything. I'm a real american).
But now I know that I had the same chance as whoever called her at 7:30.
I hate being a pihranna. This is the second time this happened. Before, it was SIX loads our of Houston to New York, every single one of which was covered before I had a chance to even open my email.
So when trying to load-plan, I'll just have to wake up early enough to check the loads, do some analysis, and join the feeding frenzie. It kinda turns my stomach--I'm not wired for it. But it's something I have to do.
I might have choices. I mean, another smaller company called me; they pay 1.00/mile plus 10% of the surcharge. That's pretty good for dryvan freight. I thought about it, since I wouldn't have to be a pihranna that way.
Yeah. Thirteen new notifications in my box this morning, every one of whichI had to delete after a glance because of distance and/or date. But I have to put up with that, as well.
The RTF paid board I subscribed to has now decided that my login is invalid, that my licenses have expired, and that my email address is not registered. THAT pisses me off.
But overall, I'm not as discouraged as I was when I started this entry. I have an equal shot as long as I'm a pihranna. If I'd have got that load, or one of the Houstons-to-New Yorks, I'd be covered for several days in advance, and not have to worry about it for a couple days. And I told the agent to keep me in mind for anything else--I'll be empty in Katy friday afternoon and need help getting out of there.
Two brokers now know this, including the one that got me the run to Katy. They might call. It's easier than listing the load.
After this, I'll go back to email and no doubt find five or more notifications of loads I mostly can't consider, but might get lucky.
Then I'll get cleaned up, get my stuff in the truck, hit the company to get my load info, grab a trailer, and head to Fort Wayne. I'll stop at a truckstop to do laundry, and I hope park overnight at the shipper so I'm first in line to get loaded.
On the road agin......
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Wow
The Pickaload loadboard is bombarding me with load notifications. I don't mind that, but the loads are from the entire region, and the dates go all the way back to today. As a result, I have to glance over them and then delete 9 out of ten immediately.
I also took the plunge and signed up with www.realtimefreight.com. I found zero loads. Set the watchdogs for that and www.truckbuzz.com (on which I can set a radius around Katy)...oh. I screwed up again. I set the www.pickaload.com watchdog for "include region". Katy isn't far from Shreveport, LA--that's why I did it. I'll go change it to Texas to filter out those OK, AR, etc. loads.
Randy hasn't talked to Da Boss yet, but no hurry. I'll be stopping there after checkout tomorrow to pick up my load info.
I had an in on one good load to MA which would have netted me a grand, but that broker had had issues with my company, and blacklisted them. I pointed out that I was me, and just using their equipment, and the fact that they were prosecuting the guy that might well have caused the mess, but that's probably a lost cause.
Somebody or other used a different MC number from my company's, which is always for crooked reasons. My guess is that it was a greedy and stupid O/O. They also had performance issues with them, meaning that they'd had late deliveries. This could all be the same moron, or else just plain bad drivers.
But there you go--Jamestown takes the rap for something that might well not have been it's fault, and it rolls downhill all over me. Too bad. Fortunately, that's just one broker.
I'm not giving up on Realtimefreight based on a couple sample searches. All I need is to get one load in a month from them to pay for the subscription.
Okbye.
I also took the plunge and signed up with www.realtimefreight.com. I found zero loads. Set the watchdogs for that and www.truckbuzz.com (on which I can set a radius around Katy)...oh. I screwed up again. I set the www.pickaload.com watchdog for "include region". Katy isn't far from Shreveport, LA--that's why I did it. I'll go change it to Texas to filter out those OK, AR, etc. loads.
Randy hasn't talked to Da Boss yet, but no hurry. I'll be stopping there after checkout tomorrow to pick up my load info.
I had an in on one good load to MA which would have netted me a grand, but that broker had had issues with my company, and blacklisted them. I pointed out that I was me, and just using their equipment, and the fact that they were prosecuting the guy that might well have caused the mess, but that's probably a lost cause.
Somebody or other used a different MC number from my company's, which is always for crooked reasons. My guess is that it was a greedy and stupid O/O. They also had performance issues with them, meaning that they'd had late deliveries. This could all be the same moron, or else just plain bad drivers.
But there you go--Jamestown takes the rap for something that might well not have been it's fault, and it rolls downhill all over me. Too bad. Fortunately, that's just one broker.
I'm not giving up on Realtimefreight based on a couple sample searches. All I need is to get one load in a month from them to pay for the subscription.
Okbye.
Good Signs
Randy said he'd talk to the Honcho for me, and seemed to think the guy is reasonable and will work out a better rate for me in exchange for my going on autopilot. I'm supposed to check back today.
But as soon as I got into this hotel room, I hit the internet and did some more checking. I grabbed the Fort Wayne to Katy TX load once I confirmed that I could net about 600 bucks on it. This is so that I can contact the company in Katy which might have regular early-delivery-ok overnight parking ok runs for me. Texas is full of empty trucks, and I knew that I was risking getting stuck down there.
But then this week I got blitzed with Emails from one of my free boards. There were a whole bunch of brand-new listings coming from Houston and nearby for friday, and for monday (I intend to be empty before noon on monday).
I logged on at 8:45. When I called on the best-looking loads, they were all gone already...they never even made it to the board. This means that the loads still on the board probably suck.
This boosted my confidence, since normally on the road I'm up and could be online before 8 am; I'd have a good shot at these loads. I'm also often up past midnight, and now I'll do a last email-check before going to sleep. ALL of the loads coming out of there probably pay little due to supply-and-demand. The important thing is to get out of the truck-saturated zone with your fuel paid for and at least a few bucks left over.
I even checked some of the zones they were going to, and found several loads coming out of the northeast, where I was considering taking one load. I didn't check the rates; the main thing is that I knew I could get out of there.
Loads northeast tend to pay more because nobody wants to ge there. Lots of tolls, traffic, and hazardous conditions this time of year. Most experienced drivers know how to bypass some of the tolls and most of the traffic going north of NYC, but still hate it up there. But I grew up in Cleveland. I can take those loads.
What you get coming out is often very heavy--as often as not paper. It burns more fuel through the appalacians and makes you extra-vulnerable to slick roads. And I'm guessing (since I'm not sure) that you do a little better than break even on it.
But I have to fight my way into this as best I can, and will have to take some loads I don't want. I now suspect that another reason many owner-ops go under is because they're spoiled, and consider these rates beneath them. I even see signs on the back of trucks saying "say no to cheap freight".
There's an independant contracting union organizer. I'm supposed to be a good union guy and starve to death in order to extort more money out of shippers. These guys have no "enough" on their greedometers.
Anyway, Troy the broker called and asked about the paperwork he'd faxed last night, and I called Wayne to remind him. He found it and will take care of it. (I'm always afraid of the piano falling on my head. "The boss said we won't let you do that". Same thing as I feel every time I use an ATM.)
However these loads will now ship thursdays and fridays so I'll get mine the day after tomorrow, meaning another night in the hotel, and a new batch of load-searches and truck-postings. (I knew it would be involved, but am enjoying this process of learning about operations, and developing a schedule and system to compete with my fellow greedy bastards).
Now I know that I'll need to bust ass to get the load in by 3 pm friday. (I forgot to ask about weekend deliveries, so I default to the worst-case--I can't keep pestering Troy; GET Logistics is nationwide, and this guy is a valuable contact for me. You see, he knows where I'm going and will know when I get there, so he'll look for loads out of there for me before anything gets to a load-board. You want these people to like you, so you don't drive them crazy.)
This means that I probably get nothing until monday the 22nd. I will search more for the 19th, but shipping hours are often over before 5 pm, and that's a tough one to find. Most shippers don't ship on weekends. I'll focus on the 22nd with a certainty that I can be anywhere when anyplace opens for business. (You also need to prove yourself reliable. These guys don't know me from Adam yet).
I'm learning fast. I've thought more about the weekly loads from Fort Wayne to Katy...Now I'll keep those in mind as I seek to establish a regular route. I'd need another place in between.
For example, I find a shipper near Katy who ships to Pittsburgh on mondays. I deliver there wed. morning, and get a load back to near Fort Wayne to deliver thursday, and grab and repeat the cycle every week. But this is embryonic...we'll just see.
I saw that JB Hunt and Schneider list a lot of these, functioning as open market brokers. That's interesting. It means that the Schneider guys have no advantage whatsoever on me. Possibly, through a closed system the Schneider guys get the alerts faster, but it didn't feel like that. My free board's alerts included links for "details". These took me to their site, where I often saw "this load is no longer available". On a couple, the load still was on-site, and the dispatcher I called learned for the first time that it was gone upon doing a search.
This meant that I was the first driver he had to tell that to, which means in-turn that I barely missed it.
So screw Schneider--I can get the same loads, and make 7% more as it is...and probably more after Randy talks to Da Boss.
Troy just confirmed that I have the load. I'm supposed to get the specs from my own dispatchers, but Troy said I can pick up anytime after 7 am, which means that tomorrow I head there and park overnight. I want to get loaded before 0900 so I can cover over 700 miles, and without difficulty get there well before 1500 friday.
I'm supposed to call the reciever for an appointment--this is some of the extra stuff you have to do when you work with brokers.
Now that I've got the load locked down, know I'll have money coming in, and know that I can get back out of there, I'm thinking about spending thirty bucks for my first month of the Network loadboard. Katy is on the gulf, and a lot of imported commodities move out of there. Houston also has some manufacturing and stuff.
The thing sith that site is, they offter the 30/month plan, but also a discounted 6-month prepaid plan. But they say "you can cancel every six months". Aren't they saying that I'm comitting to the six-month plan either way?
Anyway, now I need to adjust my postings and do some new searches for loads out of there okbye
But as soon as I got into this hotel room, I hit the internet and did some more checking. I grabbed the Fort Wayne to Katy TX load once I confirmed that I could net about 600 bucks on it. This is so that I can contact the company in Katy which might have regular early-delivery-ok overnight parking ok runs for me. Texas is full of empty trucks, and I knew that I was risking getting stuck down there.
But then this week I got blitzed with Emails from one of my free boards. There were a whole bunch of brand-new listings coming from Houston and nearby for friday, and for monday (I intend to be empty before noon on monday).
I logged on at 8:45. When I called on the best-looking loads, they were all gone already...they never even made it to the board. This means that the loads still on the board probably suck.
This boosted my confidence, since normally on the road I'm up and could be online before 8 am; I'd have a good shot at these loads. I'm also often up past midnight, and now I'll do a last email-check before going to sleep. ALL of the loads coming out of there probably pay little due to supply-and-demand. The important thing is to get out of the truck-saturated zone with your fuel paid for and at least a few bucks left over.
I even checked some of the zones they were going to, and found several loads coming out of the northeast, where I was considering taking one load. I didn't check the rates; the main thing is that I knew I could get out of there.
Loads northeast tend to pay more because nobody wants to ge there. Lots of tolls, traffic, and hazardous conditions this time of year. Most experienced drivers know how to bypass some of the tolls and most of the traffic going north of NYC, but still hate it up there. But I grew up in Cleveland. I can take those loads.
What you get coming out is often very heavy--as often as not paper. It burns more fuel through the appalacians and makes you extra-vulnerable to slick roads. And I'm guessing (since I'm not sure) that you do a little better than break even on it.
But I have to fight my way into this as best I can, and will have to take some loads I don't want. I now suspect that another reason many owner-ops go under is because they're spoiled, and consider these rates beneath them. I even see signs on the back of trucks saying "say no to cheap freight".
There's an independant contracting union organizer. I'm supposed to be a good union guy and starve to death in order to extort more money out of shippers. These guys have no "enough" on their greedometers.
Anyway, Troy the broker called and asked about the paperwork he'd faxed last night, and I called Wayne to remind him. He found it and will take care of it. (I'm always afraid of the piano falling on my head. "The boss said we won't let you do that". Same thing as I feel every time I use an ATM.)
However these loads will now ship thursdays and fridays so I'll get mine the day after tomorrow, meaning another night in the hotel, and a new batch of load-searches and truck-postings. (I knew it would be involved, but am enjoying this process of learning about operations, and developing a schedule and system to compete with my fellow greedy bastards).
Now I know that I'll need to bust ass to get the load in by 3 pm friday. (I forgot to ask about weekend deliveries, so I default to the worst-case--I can't keep pestering Troy; GET Logistics is nationwide, and this guy is a valuable contact for me. You see, he knows where I'm going and will know when I get there, so he'll look for loads out of there for me before anything gets to a load-board. You want these people to like you, so you don't drive them crazy.)
This means that I probably get nothing until monday the 22nd. I will search more for the 19th, but shipping hours are often over before 5 pm, and that's a tough one to find. Most shippers don't ship on weekends. I'll focus on the 22nd with a certainty that I can be anywhere when anyplace opens for business. (You also need to prove yourself reliable. These guys don't know me from Adam yet).
I'm learning fast. I've thought more about the weekly loads from Fort Wayne to Katy...Now I'll keep those in mind as I seek to establish a regular route. I'd need another place in between.
For example, I find a shipper near Katy who ships to Pittsburgh on mondays. I deliver there wed. morning, and get a load back to near Fort Wayne to deliver thursday, and grab and repeat the cycle every week. But this is embryonic...we'll just see.
I saw that JB Hunt and Schneider list a lot of these, functioning as open market brokers. That's interesting. It means that the Schneider guys have no advantage whatsoever on me. Possibly, through a closed system the Schneider guys get the alerts faster, but it didn't feel like that. My free board's alerts included links for "details". These took me to their site, where I often saw "this load is no longer available". On a couple, the load still was on-site, and the dispatcher I called learned for the first time that it was gone upon doing a search.
This meant that I was the first driver he had to tell that to, which means in-turn that I barely missed it.
So screw Schneider--I can get the same loads, and make 7% more as it is...and probably more after Randy talks to Da Boss.
Troy just confirmed that I have the load. I'm supposed to get the specs from my own dispatchers, but Troy said I can pick up anytime after 7 am, which means that tomorrow I head there and park overnight. I want to get loaded before 0900 so I can cover over 700 miles, and without difficulty get there well before 1500 friday.
I'm supposed to call the reciever for an appointment--this is some of the extra stuff you have to do when you work with brokers.
Now that I've got the load locked down, know I'll have money coming in, and know that I can get back out of there, I'm thinking about spending thirty bucks for my first month of the Network loadboard. Katy is on the gulf, and a lot of imported commodities move out of there. Houston also has some manufacturing and stuff.
The thing sith that site is, they offter the 30/month plan, but also a discounted 6-month prepaid plan. But they say "you can cancel every six months". Aren't they saying that I'm comitting to the six-month plan either way?
Anyway, now I need to adjust my postings and do some new searches for loads out of there okbye
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Load Planning
First, my schedule: Tonight I have to take my truck to the dealer and have the hotel shuttle follow me and bring me back. Tomorrow I'll call the dealer before checkoiut to get a prognosis, and probably shuttle back there. Before I do, I'll call the computer guy to see if I can trade computers that day.
Ok. It's become pretty clear to me after more research. Two of my free load boards are exact duplicates, and the same loads appear on several of the paid ones. One of these only had one unique load each that weren't on the free boards. www.getloaded.com is the one that had a whole bunch of unique loads. Most of these were pretty short, but they were there.
Also on getloaded they have charts: truck-to-load ratios, inbound vs. outbound truck ratios, etc. by state, which are extremely helpful in planning ahead; knowing where to look to haul a load.
I have a new respect for company load-planners, and understand why my current company doesn't preplan.
I've started actual mapping for my first trips. For each trip, before I call a broker or anything, I need to calculate my costs, and determine my bottom line (at 74%), so I'll have a figure in my head before the broker tells me what the load pays. (You don't negotiate. You take it or leave it. You might say "call me if it goes up", but that's about it.)
I can even roughly anticipate the rate, based on origin, destination, and weight--but will need a lot more practice with this before I get very good at anticipating stuff.
Anyway, I'm making absolutely sure I can pick up a load, so my searches are for the 17th. I might do it over for the 16th, but know that most of the loads posted are probably actually gone, and just nailing something down for the 17th is probably smarter.
I found several going to Texas (the Utah is gone). One of these looks familiar, but the origin is different. This run is from Fort Wayne, IN, and in my searches I've detected a bi-daily run. It's possible that this is one I should reach for at some point.
You see, with USA I fell into a two-way run, carrying empty racks one way and supplies the other. I could do them as fast as I wanted, and there were always loads waiting for me on each end. Zero deadhead miles, minimum wait-time, and I could park overnight at either location. It was great.
For now, it's a 187-mile deadhead, and I found zero loads coming out of Texas, or even the region. On monday, or even on friday (let alone the weekends.) It's not that nobody is shipping, but that all that freight has been gobbled up, and there are simply too many trucks there. I'll ask the broker about this load anyway. If it's the same reciever, then I know that I can get a load back out, and they just don't bother listing them.
Of course, this was as a per-mile driver--I still don't know if these loads pay anything; racks I know do not.
At any rate, I found one to New York and one to New Jersey. These might pay better, because nobody wants to go there. I calculated my costs (fuel and tolls) for each trip, including deadhead miles. (This was a factor--both shippers are less than 75 miles from my company). I eliminated a load as soon as I saw that it was south Philly.
Then I searched ahead to friday the 19th, when I was certain I'd be empty--for loads coming out of these areas. This knocked out the other New Jersey load---nothing happening there, and I might get stranded.
This left me with three possibles out of New York (to Springfield, OH, where I could consider dropping the trailer back at base and seeing the family for Xmas), to Rome, GA and to Texarkana, TX. The deadheads were from 206 to 326 miles. After some figuring, I determined that I'd take a lot of toll roads, since I'd pay the same in fuel if I tried to avoid them. On the Springfield or the Texarkana runs, I would save at least 50 bucks in fuel by stopping at a specific truckstop.
All these loads are over 40,000 lbs., so I had to figure my mileage with that, the terrain, and speed limits in mind. I'm giving myself lots of extra time allowing for inclement weather and other delays.
The three coming out of New York are, fortunately, all listed by the same broker, so that's one phone call. Before I make the calls and stuff, I would also check ahead to monday loads at the destinations from New York, but that will be the 22nd, and I'm libel to be stuck anywhere I land.
So Springfield might get a little extra weight...I'll want my computer back anyway.
I'll have to make the calls and get all the rates before I decide. It's incredibly deep.
For example: To take the New York load, it's 80 deadhead miles, then 737 trip miles. I'd be there in the morning, so that's one day for me (with the wormholes and alien abductions and all). I go past my cheap truckstop and save on fuel, too.
The return to Springfield would make that would be 206 more deadhead miles (fuel 70.00, tolls 50.00) for another 527 paid miles with a 45,000 lb. load. That's 1,264 paid miles, minus what a lot of weight and tolls cost me (plus the 50 bucks or so I'd save buying cheap fuel).
The return to Texarkana would be 360 deadhead miles (fuel 120, tolls 50), but then 1300 paid miles. That would make 2037 paid miles (at 38,000 lbs. so I could save about 50 bucks on fuel).
See all the problems lurking around every corner?
Shippers do factor in tolls and the unpopularity of an area when they put rates on loads, so the one going to New York might pay well, but the return might not be as good.
Where it gets more complicated for me is when I consider that the Fort Wayne to Katy TX load only weighs 25,ooo lbs., I'd pay zero tolls, and driving intelligently I could get GREAT fuel economy. That one is 187 deadhead miles and 1200 paid miles. It's an easy delivery on friday...with no listed return load.
However, this Fort Wayne-to-Katy load is a repetitive listing, and might just be the same reciever in Katy I have in mind. They might have a return trip to Fort Wayne or a location in Illinois that I was going to which isn't listed (these would be the return racks. They can't pay much, but weigh less than 8,000 lbs.)
Even if it's not the same company, I could just go to that place and solicit my own rack-load!!
It might well be worth the (relatively small) risk. I'm wildly guessing that the Katy load pays around 1600, 74% of which is 1180 or so. I'd net about 600 bucks. That's not great. The rack load on the return (to Fort Wayne would pay a lot less, but also cost less...I might only net 300.
However, if I could establish this cycle, and it works like it did with USA, I could complete this round-trip...easily and legally...twice a week.
Conversely, on the two-way to Hudson NY, then back to Texarkana, I might net about a grand, with little chance of another load in a truck-dense area three days before Xmas.
This is why some owner-ops go under. You have to consider a whole lot more than the rate, and you have to think moves and moves ahead.
Gee...writing really helps you think, ya know? You have to slow your brain down to get the speed you can type, and you have to focus.
Anyway, I have pretty much settled on www.realtimefreight.com as the one and only paid service I'll use (at 30 bucks/month). Additional analysis and triple-checking shows me that in addition to their in-network freight, they also raid other load-boards.
Most of the freight their shipper members list are probably not listed elsewhere, giving me an advantage over a lot of my fellow greedy bastards. Also, their system is efficient. A shipper lists a load, and I bid on it right on-line (if the rate is listed. I'm hoping that most of them do that, so I don't have to call them to ask and waste my time like that).
As with the other services, I post my truck as available in an area at a given time. With the other brokers, I doubt that anybody ever reaches out to them, but within the realtime network, that might be more likely. I mean, if I were a shipper, I'd check my area for trucks and send them a message before I bothered to list it. This way I'd make absolutely sure that the RIGHT people would know about my load, and I'd have a much better chance of getting it convered.
Also, this is a closed network. I'm more likely to make repeat runs for the same companies, and get consistant work. It should be more predicable, and speed up my search process--or maybe if the Katy TX thing isn't there, some other regular, lucrative 2 or 3-way run might be.
I said before that I didn't want to be a dedicated driver. That was only because trucking companies factor in home-time (reducing the miles) in order to retain drivers. But since I will now be self-dispatching, I can be dedicated "full-time", and maximize the money I make. I can also create my own little 2 or 3-stop circle.
While I do still think that these loads will tend to be heavy, I know that there are a lot of them, and some pay better...like say onions (I think), or chemicals...plus they do say that they've got some manufacturers on-board, so I might find some lighter stuff, or even high-value stuff.
I'm feeling pretty positive now, except my inner-child is frightened of making the phone calls, and my ennate laziness wants me to keep taking it easy. For example, I've considered remaining here at the hotel one more night to watch the Browns game. I've considered using the computer thing as an excuse to hang around another week.
But my inner-adult knows that I need to get rolling again. If I don't get at least that 600 or so bucks going to my account THIS WEEK, I might be bleeding cash until January 2 2009. (I could--but it would be stupid.)
Of course, I might be stuck here monday night anyway. That's why I searched for loads on wednesday, to make sure I could go get them.
Well okbye.
Ok. It's become pretty clear to me after more research. Two of my free load boards are exact duplicates, and the same loads appear on several of the paid ones. One of these only had one unique load each that weren't on the free boards. www.getloaded.com is the one that had a whole bunch of unique loads. Most of these were pretty short, but they were there.
Also on getloaded they have charts: truck-to-load ratios, inbound vs. outbound truck ratios, etc. by state, which are extremely helpful in planning ahead; knowing where to look to haul a load.
I have a new respect for company load-planners, and understand why my current company doesn't preplan.
I've started actual mapping for my first trips. For each trip, before I call a broker or anything, I need to calculate my costs, and determine my bottom line (at 74%), so I'll have a figure in my head before the broker tells me what the load pays. (You don't negotiate. You take it or leave it. You might say "call me if it goes up", but that's about it.)
I can even roughly anticipate the rate, based on origin, destination, and weight--but will need a lot more practice with this before I get very good at anticipating stuff.
Anyway, I'm making absolutely sure I can pick up a load, so my searches are for the 17th. I might do it over for the 16th, but know that most of the loads posted are probably actually gone, and just nailing something down for the 17th is probably smarter.
I found several going to Texas (the Utah is gone). One of these looks familiar, but the origin is different. This run is from Fort Wayne, IN, and in my searches I've detected a bi-daily run. It's possible that this is one I should reach for at some point.
You see, with USA I fell into a two-way run, carrying empty racks one way and supplies the other. I could do them as fast as I wanted, and there were always loads waiting for me on each end. Zero deadhead miles, minimum wait-time, and I could park overnight at either location. It was great.
For now, it's a 187-mile deadhead, and I found zero loads coming out of Texas, or even the region. On monday, or even on friday (let alone the weekends.) It's not that nobody is shipping, but that all that freight has been gobbled up, and there are simply too many trucks there. I'll ask the broker about this load anyway. If it's the same reciever, then I know that I can get a load back out, and they just don't bother listing them.
Of course, this was as a per-mile driver--I still don't know if these loads pay anything; racks I know do not.
At any rate, I found one to New York and one to New Jersey. These might pay better, because nobody wants to go there. I calculated my costs (fuel and tolls) for each trip, including deadhead miles. (This was a factor--both shippers are less than 75 miles from my company). I eliminated a load as soon as I saw that it was south Philly.
Then I searched ahead to friday the 19th, when I was certain I'd be empty--for loads coming out of these areas. This knocked out the other New Jersey load---nothing happening there, and I might get stranded.
This left me with three possibles out of New York (to Springfield, OH, where I could consider dropping the trailer back at base and seeing the family for Xmas), to Rome, GA and to Texarkana, TX. The deadheads were from 206 to 326 miles. After some figuring, I determined that I'd take a lot of toll roads, since I'd pay the same in fuel if I tried to avoid them. On the Springfield or the Texarkana runs, I would save at least 50 bucks in fuel by stopping at a specific truckstop.
All these loads are over 40,000 lbs., so I had to figure my mileage with that, the terrain, and speed limits in mind. I'm giving myself lots of extra time allowing for inclement weather and other delays.
The three coming out of New York are, fortunately, all listed by the same broker, so that's one phone call. Before I make the calls and stuff, I would also check ahead to monday loads at the destinations from New York, but that will be the 22nd, and I'm libel to be stuck anywhere I land.
So Springfield might get a little extra weight...I'll want my computer back anyway.
I'll have to make the calls and get all the rates before I decide. It's incredibly deep.
For example: To take the New York load, it's 80 deadhead miles, then 737 trip miles. I'd be there in the morning, so that's one day for me (with the wormholes and alien abductions and all). I go past my cheap truckstop and save on fuel, too.
The return to Springfield would make that would be 206 more deadhead miles (fuel 70.00, tolls 50.00) for another 527 paid miles with a 45,000 lb. load. That's 1,264 paid miles, minus what a lot of weight and tolls cost me (plus the 50 bucks or so I'd save buying cheap fuel).
The return to Texarkana would be 360 deadhead miles (fuel 120, tolls 50), but then 1300 paid miles. That would make 2037 paid miles (at 38,000 lbs. so I could save about 50 bucks on fuel).
See all the problems lurking around every corner?
Shippers do factor in tolls and the unpopularity of an area when they put rates on loads, so the one going to New York might pay well, but the return might not be as good.
Where it gets more complicated for me is when I consider that the Fort Wayne to Katy TX load only weighs 25,ooo lbs., I'd pay zero tolls, and driving intelligently I could get GREAT fuel economy. That one is 187 deadhead miles and 1200 paid miles. It's an easy delivery on friday...with no listed return load.
However, this Fort Wayne-to-Katy load is a repetitive listing, and might just be the same reciever in Katy I have in mind. They might have a return trip to Fort Wayne or a location in Illinois that I was going to which isn't listed (these would be the return racks. They can't pay much, but weigh less than 8,000 lbs.)
Even if it's not the same company, I could just go to that place and solicit my own rack-load!!
It might well be worth the (relatively small) risk. I'm wildly guessing that the Katy load pays around 1600, 74% of which is 1180 or so. I'd net about 600 bucks. That's not great. The rack load on the return (to Fort Wayne would pay a lot less, but also cost less...I might only net 300.
However, if I could establish this cycle, and it works like it did with USA, I could complete this round-trip...easily and legally...twice a week.
Conversely, on the two-way to Hudson NY, then back to Texarkana, I might net about a grand, with little chance of another load in a truck-dense area three days before Xmas.
This is why some owner-ops go under. You have to consider a whole lot more than the rate, and you have to think moves and moves ahead.
Gee...writing really helps you think, ya know? You have to slow your brain down to get the speed you can type, and you have to focus.
Anyway, I have pretty much settled on www.realtimefreight.com as the one and only paid service I'll use (at 30 bucks/month). Additional analysis and triple-checking shows me that in addition to their in-network freight, they also raid other load-boards.
Most of the freight their shipper members list are probably not listed elsewhere, giving me an advantage over a lot of my fellow greedy bastards. Also, their system is efficient. A shipper lists a load, and I bid on it right on-line (if the rate is listed. I'm hoping that most of them do that, so I don't have to call them to ask and waste my time like that).
As with the other services, I post my truck as available in an area at a given time. With the other brokers, I doubt that anybody ever reaches out to them, but within the realtime network, that might be more likely. I mean, if I were a shipper, I'd check my area for trucks and send them a message before I bothered to list it. This way I'd make absolutely sure that the RIGHT people would know about my load, and I'd have a much better chance of getting it convered.
Also, this is a closed network. I'm more likely to make repeat runs for the same companies, and get consistant work. It should be more predicable, and speed up my search process--or maybe if the Katy TX thing isn't there, some other regular, lucrative 2 or 3-way run might be.
I said before that I didn't want to be a dedicated driver. That was only because trucking companies factor in home-time (reducing the miles) in order to retain drivers. But since I will now be self-dispatching, I can be dedicated "full-time", and maximize the money I make. I can also create my own little 2 or 3-stop circle.
While I do still think that these loads will tend to be heavy, I know that there are a lot of them, and some pay better...like say onions (I think), or chemicals...plus they do say that they've got some manufacturers on-board, so I might find some lighter stuff, or even high-value stuff.
I'm feeling pretty positive now, except my inner-child is frightened of making the phone calls, and my ennate laziness wants me to keep taking it easy. For example, I've considered remaining here at the hotel one more night to watch the Browns game. I've considered using the computer thing as an excuse to hang around another week.
But my inner-adult knows that I need to get rolling again. If I don't get at least that 600 or so bucks going to my account THIS WEEK, I might be bleeding cash until January 2 2009. (I could--but it would be stupid.)
Of course, I might be stuck here monday night anyway. That's why I searched for loads on wednesday, to make sure I could go get them.
Well okbye.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
OverLoaded
First, my hotel/backup laptop's plug-in gave up the ghost and refused to take ac power, so I spent a couple hours scouring the phone book til I found a guy to fix it and dropped it off. I'm now using HAL, who has his plug siliconed in because he's not far from doing the same damn thing to me.
If I can get the #2 laptop back on monday, I'll drop HAL off to get him fixed next. If the guy doesn't have the plug in stock, I'll have him ship it to my PO Box and try to get HAL to him when I can.
Dammit. Stuff just keeps happening.
Anyway, I continued my obsessive/compulsive loadboard research. I now have three free ones in a separate favorites folder. Found another one for ten bucks a month that appears as good as the others.
The expedited load board isn't special at all with the normal loads they list. Only the urgent/expedited load feature would separate it from the rest of the pack, and my last couple searches of it showed zero results.
The shipper-direct site started by networking commodities, and my current research indicates that the bulk of their van freight might be onions, paper, chemicals, and other raw materials. These loads tend to be heavy, which would cost me fuel, and not to pay as well as car parts, shoes, or other finished products, so I'm leaning away from them as well.
It's beginning to narrow down somewhat. I'll be running more comparisons of the other sites, but at this point am seeing the ten buck/month one as just about as good as the rest.
So far, the site with the fewest redundant listings is www.directfreight.com, but www.123loadboard.com is right behind it. these both have a lot of loads, but directfreight is the boss there.
My further research will have to stress non-redundancy with the three free boards I'll use, for one thing. Then I'll focus on hauls over 1500, and over 750 miles. I kinda think I'll be picking just one paid broker to go with my three free ones.
My plan is to have these in a favorites folder, and, once I know where I'm going and when I'll get there (usually before I even pick up my current load), I'll search them from least to most redundant, and grab the next load days in advance.
I've determined that to get the really good long ones, you need to look seven or more days ahead, and I'll probably start doing that...staying two loads ahead. If they're not drop-and-hooks, I can stay out as long as I want with my company's trailer.
One load which is on every single load board is 42,000 lbs. and goes to Logan, Utah. I salivate over 1500-plus mile runs like that, but it's probably long gone and nobody's bothered to pull it (because it attracts so much attention), or else it pays beans.
Well back to the grindstone okbye
If I can get the #2 laptop back on monday, I'll drop HAL off to get him fixed next. If the guy doesn't have the plug in stock, I'll have him ship it to my PO Box and try to get HAL to him when I can.
Dammit. Stuff just keeps happening.
Anyway, I continued my obsessive/compulsive loadboard research. I now have three free ones in a separate favorites folder. Found another one for ten bucks a month that appears as good as the others.
The expedited load board isn't special at all with the normal loads they list. Only the urgent/expedited load feature would separate it from the rest of the pack, and my last couple searches of it showed zero results.
The shipper-direct site started by networking commodities, and my current research indicates that the bulk of their van freight might be onions, paper, chemicals, and other raw materials. These loads tend to be heavy, which would cost me fuel, and not to pay as well as car parts, shoes, or other finished products, so I'm leaning away from them as well.
It's beginning to narrow down somewhat. I'll be running more comparisons of the other sites, but at this point am seeing the ten buck/month one as just about as good as the rest.
So far, the site with the fewest redundant listings is www.directfreight.com, but www.123loadboard.com is right behind it. these both have a lot of loads, but directfreight is the boss there.
My further research will have to stress non-redundancy with the three free boards I'll use, for one thing. Then I'll focus on hauls over 1500, and over 750 miles. I kinda think I'll be picking just one paid broker to go with my three free ones.
My plan is to have these in a favorites folder, and, once I know where I'm going and when I'll get there (usually before I even pick up my current load), I'll search them from least to most redundant, and grab the next load days in advance.
I've determined that to get the really good long ones, you need to look seven or more days ahead, and I'll probably start doing that...staying two loads ahead. If they're not drop-and-hooks, I can stay out as long as I want with my company's trailer.
One load which is on every single load board is 42,000 lbs. and goes to Logan, Utah. I salivate over 1500-plus mile runs like that, but it's probably long gone and nobody's bothered to pull it (because it attracts so much attention), or else it pays beans.
Well back to the grindstone okbye
Friday, December 12, 2008
Columbus OH
I forgot. My company relied on DHL for the bulk of it's freight, and when DHL left....
The owner-operators are the outter branches on the tree. We dry up and fall off first as the company tries to weather the storm. Usually, the company's trucks are financed, and the company drivers are paying loans and other bills for them. I have been out of business for three weeks. This brings us up to date.
My APU is fixed, but because the technician was unable to get an answer from the appropriate party at the warrantee dept., he had to rig it to run continuously to avoid burning out the starter.
The problem was/is that in comfort mode, when it's supposed to keep me from freezing to death, the temperature range is factory-set at three degrees. As a result, it was literally starting every five minutes. All night. I'll undo what the tech did and just extend minimum "off" time. The reason I had that time-out time shortened was the fact that the bastard was stalling after so many hours of being shut down, and I got sick of waiting to try to start it again.
Shoulda did that before my fourth starter burned out.
Anyway, now I'm at the Super-8 because I can't get my truck in the shop until monday (it's friday). The transmission is showing signs of locking me in fifth gear; low range. When it happened before, it ended up sticking me at 15 mph. Ever try driving 15 mph? Through a cloverleaf? Better safe than sorry.
I've been productive with my time. I've checked out every load board I could find, spending about 11 hours on it, with three emails and a couple phone calls for clarifications.
www.truckbuzz.com is free, but amazingly good. Of that site, I called the listed broker about one of the loads, and determined that I could net about 320 bucks doing that one-day run, and I'd be in Savannah, GA for the next load.
www.realtimefreight.com is a paid membership site which I'm strongly considering (30 buck/month). Unlike other boards, which get their loads listed by brokers--who are commissioned middle-men--this site gets it's loads from the shippers themselves. Shippers are members, who pay their own monthly fees. Usually, these are whole networks--so the trucker can sometimes have loads waiting for them as they deliver, and sweet steady runs can be set up.
At first blush, you'd think you'd make more money hauling that freight because the middle man is missing, but I actually suspect that the shippers simply pay less, so the carrier makes about the same money. (Always see it from their side too).
Still, with this site, you make contacts with volume shippers. It's simpler, since the rates are (allegedly) often listed--or at least standardized. There are none of the complications there are with brokers, and most of the routes are well-established.
But it's sort of a three-way tie between this organization and two others:
www.directfreight.com, unlike realtime, was able to let me view their (edited) board and do sample searches. I found 151 loads within 150 miles of Jamestown. My target date would be the 17th, or soon after. I found about eight loads that I'd take a shot at (of course I don't know the rates yet...I just mean the weight, date, distance, and location).
www.expediteloads.com was similar. I found fewer loads there, but it was close. That one costs 39 bucks a month, too. For 50 bucks/month, you can look for expedited freight which pays more, and at which I excel. These are urgent or late loads. Because the higher rate on even one of these in a month would make the extra twenty bucks a joke, so I have to consider it.
The issue there is, I'm a solo driver. Runs longer than...so many miles on these (wink-win-nudge-nudge) are scheduled for two drivers.
www.123loadboard.com is telling me that there are no loads available in Ohio, but I must have done something wrong, and aren't about to bash them (yet).
GLAD I DIDN'T! It was my mistake on the sample search. They only cost twenty bucks a month after a ten-day free trial, and they have most of the loads the other guys do (including some identical ones). For a penny-pincher, this is the best deal. In reality, though, ten bucks a month doesn't matter if you miss just ONE load that you would have wanted.
www.getloaded.com is only 25 bucks a month and is pretty good.
For the moment, I like www.truckbuzz (free) and will sure keep it, regardless of which one or two boards I sign up with after I talk to Jamestown.
Here's the deal with that: Expecially with www.realtimefreight.com, I'll have to use Jamestown's permits and authorities with my subscription, and literally function as their authorized agent. I think if I'm out there finding them loads and business contacts, I should get a bigger piece.
Of course, I'm not dealing from a position of strength, and need them more than they need me. So I'll just throw it at them, and see what I can turn up. Greed isn't a big part of me, and the good will could make me better off down the road.
It's friday. My subconscious will clear it up somewhat before I get down there, and I'll have a definite proposal. Since all the other owner-operators are gone, I might be able to get eighty percent or something. Randy mentioned a potential raise like that when this all started happening, and is "one of us", so I think he might back me up.
After all--I might be saving the company.
At any rate, I need to talk to Wayne, Randy and those guys to find out how much more expedited tends to pay, make sure they know I'm throwing their permits and insurance information around, etc. before I can make decisions on what and what not to pay for in the way of memberships and access.
I have three days nere, waiting. Plenty of time to go over them with a fine-tooth comb and write stuff down for comparisons. I'll do my half-ass mathematical analysis stuff and rank the sites for my needs.
I'll look for redundant loads, highlight unique ones, count them, etc. and by the time I get to Jamestown will have most of my planning done.
Right now, I sort of suspect that the expedited load site, for twenty or thirty bucks more per month, might actually be a good one for me. DHL was all expedited, which is why it paid so well--and I had no problem running it. And www.realtimefreight.com. Those two for eighty/month plus truckbuzz might be best. Each offers unique advantages. But who knows?
Well okbye.
The owner-operators are the outter branches on the tree. We dry up and fall off first as the company tries to weather the storm. Usually, the company's trucks are financed, and the company drivers are paying loans and other bills for them. I have been out of business for three weeks. This brings us up to date.
My APU is fixed, but because the technician was unable to get an answer from the appropriate party at the warrantee dept., he had to rig it to run continuously to avoid burning out the starter.
The problem was/is that in comfort mode, when it's supposed to keep me from freezing to death, the temperature range is factory-set at three degrees. As a result, it was literally starting every five minutes. All night. I'll undo what the tech did and just extend minimum "off" time. The reason I had that time-out time shortened was the fact that the bastard was stalling after so many hours of being shut down, and I got sick of waiting to try to start it again.
Shoulda did that before my fourth starter burned out.
Anyway, now I'm at the Super-8 because I can't get my truck in the shop until monday (it's friday). The transmission is showing signs of locking me in fifth gear; low range. When it happened before, it ended up sticking me at 15 mph. Ever try driving 15 mph? Through a cloverleaf? Better safe than sorry.
I've been productive with my time. I've checked out every load board I could find, spending about 11 hours on it, with three emails and a couple phone calls for clarifications.
www.truckbuzz.com is free, but amazingly good. Of that site, I called the listed broker about one of the loads, and determined that I could net about 320 bucks doing that one-day run, and I'd be in Savannah, GA for the next load.
www.realtimefreight.com is a paid membership site which I'm strongly considering (30 buck/month). Unlike other boards, which get their loads listed by brokers--who are commissioned middle-men--this site gets it's loads from the shippers themselves. Shippers are members, who pay their own monthly fees. Usually, these are whole networks--so the trucker can sometimes have loads waiting for them as they deliver, and sweet steady runs can be set up.
At first blush, you'd think you'd make more money hauling that freight because the middle man is missing, but I actually suspect that the shippers simply pay less, so the carrier makes about the same money. (Always see it from their side too).
Still, with this site, you make contacts with volume shippers. It's simpler, since the rates are (allegedly) often listed--or at least standardized. There are none of the complications there are with brokers, and most of the routes are well-established.
But it's sort of a three-way tie between this organization and two others:
www.directfreight.com, unlike realtime, was able to let me view their (edited) board and do sample searches. I found 151 loads within 150 miles of Jamestown. My target date would be the 17th, or soon after. I found about eight loads that I'd take a shot at (of course I don't know the rates yet...I just mean the weight, date, distance, and location).
www.expediteloads.com was similar. I found fewer loads there, but it was close. That one costs 39 bucks a month, too. For 50 bucks/month, you can look for expedited freight which pays more, and at which I excel. These are urgent or late loads. Because the higher rate on even one of these in a month would make the extra twenty bucks a joke, so I have to consider it.
The issue there is, I'm a solo driver. Runs longer than...so many miles on these (wink-win-nudge-nudge) are scheduled for two drivers.
www.123loadboard.com is telling me that there are no loads available in Ohio, but I must have done something wrong, and aren't about to bash them (yet).
GLAD I DIDN'T! It was my mistake on the sample search. They only cost twenty bucks a month after a ten-day free trial, and they have most of the loads the other guys do (including some identical ones). For a penny-pincher, this is the best deal. In reality, though, ten bucks a month doesn't matter if you miss just ONE load that you would have wanted.
www.getloaded.com is only 25 bucks a month and is pretty good.
For the moment, I like www.truckbuzz (free) and will sure keep it, regardless of which one or two boards I sign up with after I talk to Jamestown.
Here's the deal with that: Expecially with www.realtimefreight.com, I'll have to use Jamestown's permits and authorities with my subscription, and literally function as their authorized agent. I think if I'm out there finding them loads and business contacts, I should get a bigger piece.
Of course, I'm not dealing from a position of strength, and need them more than they need me. So I'll just throw it at them, and see what I can turn up. Greed isn't a big part of me, and the good will could make me better off down the road.
It's friday. My subconscious will clear it up somewhat before I get down there, and I'll have a definite proposal. Since all the other owner-operators are gone, I might be able to get eighty percent or something. Randy mentioned a potential raise like that when this all started happening, and is "one of us", so I think he might back me up.
After all--I might be saving the company.
At any rate, I need to talk to Wayne, Randy and those guys to find out how much more expedited tends to pay, make sure they know I'm throwing their permits and insurance information around, etc. before I can make decisions on what and what not to pay for in the way of memberships and access.
I have three days nere, waiting. Plenty of time to go over them with a fine-tooth comb and write stuff down for comparisons. I'll do my half-ass mathematical analysis stuff and rank the sites for my needs.
I'll look for redundant loads, highlight unique ones, count them, etc. and by the time I get to Jamestown will have most of my planning done.
Right now, I sort of suspect that the expedited load site, for twenty or thirty bucks more per month, might actually be a good one for me. DHL was all expedited, which is why it paid so well--and I had no problem running it. And www.realtimefreight.com. Those two for eighty/month plus truckbuzz might be best. Each offers unique advantages. But who knows?
Well okbye.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Dammit
After filling out and faxing appilcations I just got rejected twice based on my DAC report, which apparantly makes me look like Son of Sam or something to insurance companies.
I do have some legit stuff on it, I know, but no way should this information be preventing me from leasing onto a new carrier. Many truckers have bogus or distorted entries on their DAC report, and one organization exists to contest them.
I had been set up for a drugscreen and physical and assigned to a terminal with Universal Can-Am when the rectuiter informed me that their clearing division rejected me based on an unsafe record. I immediately contracted www.DACfix.com to get this crap cleaned up. Unfortunately, I was told that the process could take eight weeks or longer.
My pending application with Landstar will probably also get shot down for the same reasons. I've informed both recruiters of the actions I'm taking, hoping that they'll hold my applications and let me try again later. I'm also suspending applying to other companies for the time being, as it looks like a waste of time until my record is cleaned up.
I might catch on with an outlaw company, but the only way I'll find one is by wandering around the truckstops and interrogating drivers. I may do this tomorrow while waiting for my APU to get it's fourth starter replaced tomorrow (I'm at a hotel in Hebron, OH waiting for the SOB to get delivered to the shop next door. After this I have to go to Freightliner in Columbus to get my transmission looked at for a familiar problem that they fixed before).
I've been loadless for three weeks, and am bleeding my cash reserves.
When the going gets tough, the tough get going. I was always at my best just shy of rock-bottom or on the edge of the abyss. Something in me snapped, and, fighting a slow, slow wireless connection every step of the way, I started fighting back.
I Googled "load boards" and found several. To my suprise, some of them were free, and one I'm considering only costs 25/month.
For non-truckers, shippers have brokers handle their loads for a commission, and the brokers post these on load boards. Independant truckers, fleet owners, and trucking companies get most of their loads this way.
I'm not independant while wearing Jamestown plates, ie running under their authority. However, they told me that if I could dig up my own loads, a broker had only to fax some paperwork to Jamestown to form a standing agreement (if none exists), and the load I find will go to me.
This means I get 74% of the load revenue (but don't have to COLLECT, buy my own authority, negotiate my own insurance, construct my own statements, forego fuel discounts, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.)
Ok-ok so I found several loads at www.truckbuzz.com. I actually like it. After a non-intrusive registration, I had to list my truck as empty in a given place on a given date. I could then go to the loadboard where loads within 150 miles are listed, from that date backward to pickup dates to the day of the search.
A "watchdog" feature lets me request alerts for new listings. I can list one truck in several locations to conduct other searches, but of course after my intial investigation, I cleared all my empty truck entries except the one in Jamestown, OH for monday.
The brokers using this site will, I presume, see these listings and might contact me directly. Otherwise, their information is there for me to use, and since working for Jamestown I know all about talking to brokers.
My tentative plan is to return to Jamestown with my fixed truck--I hope on monday. I'll modify my empty-truck listing for several days ahead of that, and might even grab a load tomorrow.
(You see this is competitive. I know that other drivers and fleets will be grabbing the good ones early, and only the crap loads sift through as you go back in time. I'm prepared to wait several days for a good load, and to search ahead of the expected delivery date around where I'm headed).
It's a pain, really, since the brokers rarely list the rates on the loads. You have to call them, and a lot of times they give you bad news. But I did find one rate, on a load to LA; $1.40. After some calculating, I estimated a 300+ dollar net to me on this load, which I could run in ten hours easily. That includes my empty miles going after it and Jamestown's 74%.
I saw some Laredos (1488 miles) five days away. Often longer loads pay less, but at 1.30 for something I'd get there in two days, that's adequate money on one of my favorite routes--these are the loads I will reach for a whole week or more in advance to get started.
That's a trade-off. Rates coming from Laredo will suck. That's supply and demand. In Laredo, there are always tons of empty trucks, so I might only get 74 cents/mile coming back out. Still, that net would be 36 cents/mile. That would be fine in today's market, even if I got stuck waiting awhile, or had to chase it down 200 miles north (it's possible my weak connections couldn't get me a load at all).
I'll feel things out. I need little for subsistance--it's inflated by my hotel stays, but I can stay afloat and even save a few bucks this way. I might well pay the 25/month for the DirectFreight loadboard if I feel it offers better quality. When I get to Jamestwon, I'll interrogate some people about that prospect.
They might well work with me and help me out, since I'll be getting them in touch with more local brokers at a time when they're hurting. I'd like to think they'd appreciate the extra 26% of whatever I'm going out and getting for them, so that maybe they'd help me get out of Laredo (for example).
And think about this: What I'm doing is nearly identical to what Landstar does. I'm picking loads off a board and contacting brokers myself, you see? Only I get 74%--instead of 67 or 65%!!!
I remain determined to clean up my DAC report, but as of this moment am going to explore this load-board thing very seriously, and feel that it's just possible I may never have to leave this company!
Well...ok with Landstar, Schneider, or Universal, their trailers are all over the country. With Jamestown, I'd need to forego all drop-and-hooks, and mostly come back here from wherever I was.
But then...have trailer, will travel, right? Maybe from Laredo, I go to Utah for a live-load! Jamestown doesn't care--they get their percentage and don't have to dig up the load for me. Loads from Utah to Ohio pay a little better, too.
Oh yeah. Maybe by monday I'll have three or four loadboards saved to favorites, and by the time I get to Jamestown will have a deal to make with the company. I might just come out of this dispatching myself and making 7+% more than I would have made at any of the companies that have shot or will shoot me down because of my DAC.
How's THAT for counterpunching?
I do have some legit stuff on it, I know, but no way should this information be preventing me from leasing onto a new carrier. Many truckers have bogus or distorted entries on their DAC report, and one organization exists to contest them.
I had been set up for a drugscreen and physical and assigned to a terminal with Universal Can-Am when the rectuiter informed me that their clearing division rejected me based on an unsafe record. I immediately contracted www.DACfix.com to get this crap cleaned up. Unfortunately, I was told that the process could take eight weeks or longer.
My pending application with Landstar will probably also get shot down for the same reasons. I've informed both recruiters of the actions I'm taking, hoping that they'll hold my applications and let me try again later. I'm also suspending applying to other companies for the time being, as it looks like a waste of time until my record is cleaned up.
I might catch on with an outlaw company, but the only way I'll find one is by wandering around the truckstops and interrogating drivers. I may do this tomorrow while waiting for my APU to get it's fourth starter replaced tomorrow (I'm at a hotel in Hebron, OH waiting for the SOB to get delivered to the shop next door. After this I have to go to Freightliner in Columbus to get my transmission looked at for a familiar problem that they fixed before).
I've been loadless for three weeks, and am bleeding my cash reserves.
When the going gets tough, the tough get going. I was always at my best just shy of rock-bottom or on the edge of the abyss. Something in me snapped, and, fighting a slow, slow wireless connection every step of the way, I started fighting back.
I Googled "load boards" and found several. To my suprise, some of them were free, and one I'm considering only costs 25/month.
For non-truckers, shippers have brokers handle their loads for a commission, and the brokers post these on load boards. Independant truckers, fleet owners, and trucking companies get most of their loads this way.
I'm not independant while wearing Jamestown plates, ie running under their authority. However, they told me that if I could dig up my own loads, a broker had only to fax some paperwork to Jamestown to form a standing agreement (if none exists), and the load I find will go to me.
This means I get 74% of the load revenue (but don't have to COLLECT, buy my own authority, negotiate my own insurance, construct my own statements, forego fuel discounts, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.)
Ok-ok so I found several loads at www.truckbuzz.com. I actually like it. After a non-intrusive registration, I had to list my truck as empty in a given place on a given date. I could then go to the loadboard where loads within 150 miles are listed, from that date backward to pickup dates to the day of the search.
A "watchdog" feature lets me request alerts for new listings. I can list one truck in several locations to conduct other searches, but of course after my intial investigation, I cleared all my empty truck entries except the one in Jamestown, OH for monday.
The brokers using this site will, I presume, see these listings and might contact me directly. Otherwise, their information is there for me to use, and since working for Jamestown I know all about talking to brokers.
My tentative plan is to return to Jamestown with my fixed truck--I hope on monday. I'll modify my empty-truck listing for several days ahead of that, and might even grab a load tomorrow.
(You see this is competitive. I know that other drivers and fleets will be grabbing the good ones early, and only the crap loads sift through as you go back in time. I'm prepared to wait several days for a good load, and to search ahead of the expected delivery date around where I'm headed).
It's a pain, really, since the brokers rarely list the rates on the loads. You have to call them, and a lot of times they give you bad news. But I did find one rate, on a load to LA; $1.40. After some calculating, I estimated a 300+ dollar net to me on this load, which I could run in ten hours easily. That includes my empty miles going after it and Jamestown's 74%.
I saw some Laredos (1488 miles) five days away. Often longer loads pay less, but at 1.30 for something I'd get there in two days, that's adequate money on one of my favorite routes--these are the loads I will reach for a whole week or more in advance to get started.
That's a trade-off. Rates coming from Laredo will suck. That's supply and demand. In Laredo, there are always tons of empty trucks, so I might only get 74 cents/mile coming back out. Still, that net would be 36 cents/mile. That would be fine in today's market, even if I got stuck waiting awhile, or had to chase it down 200 miles north (it's possible my weak connections couldn't get me a load at all).
I'll feel things out. I need little for subsistance--it's inflated by my hotel stays, but I can stay afloat and even save a few bucks this way. I might well pay the 25/month for the DirectFreight loadboard if I feel it offers better quality. When I get to Jamestwon, I'll interrogate some people about that prospect.
They might well work with me and help me out, since I'll be getting them in touch with more local brokers at a time when they're hurting. I'd like to think they'd appreciate the extra 26% of whatever I'm going out and getting for them, so that maybe they'd help me get out of Laredo (for example).
And think about this: What I'm doing is nearly identical to what Landstar does. I'm picking loads off a board and contacting brokers myself, you see? Only I get 74%--instead of 67 or 65%!!!
I remain determined to clean up my DAC report, but as of this moment am going to explore this load-board thing very seriously, and feel that it's just possible I may never have to leave this company!
Well...ok with Landstar, Schneider, or Universal, their trailers are all over the country. With Jamestown, I'd need to forego all drop-and-hooks, and mostly come back here from wherever I was.
But then...have trailer, will travel, right? Maybe from Laredo, I go to Utah for a live-load! Jamestown doesn't care--they get their percentage and don't have to dig up the load for me. Loads from Utah to Ohio pay a little better, too.
Oh yeah. Maybe by monday I'll have three or four loadboards saved to favorites, and by the time I get to Jamestown will have a deal to make with the company. I might just come out of this dispatching myself and making 7+% more than I would have made at any of the companies that have shot or will shoot me down because of my DAC.
How's THAT for counterpunching?
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