FL

[Broompilot]

Who gets goose bumps every chance the Q com beeps or the phone rings knowing your going to FL?

Do you know your going to get the great load out of there or is the wait not worth the effort?

Just curious.

 

[Streakn1]

Are there loads to FL? Every time we want to go home we can't buy a load to FL! LOL

Seriously, if you except a load to FL you should factor in the deadhead miles back to Atlanta. Use that figure as your total pay per mile. If that amount is exceptable to your needs then take the load, if not, then don't. Or you may try getting dispatch to pre-plan your express center layover to be Atlanta and pay you for it. If not figure you will be offered Miami, Tampa, or Orlando to vacation in, or get to drive out on your own nickle!

 

[greg334]

oh... your talking about Florida not freightliner

 

[Wingnut]

We must be one of the lucky ones 'cuz we seem to get out of Florida really quick with a load during the week. We learned the hard way to never take a load any further south than Tampa unless we want to do all that deadheading, which obviously we don't.

Personally I don't mind getting 'stuck' in Florida over a weekend 'cuz I get to go to the beach, but that rarely happens. Like I said, we must be one of the lucky ones. We seem to have a harder time getting out of Atlanta than out of Florida.

 

[Jefferson3000]

Gosh. I don't know about every carrier coming to Florida, but I see Fedex E units lining up every day in Orlando. I've seen as many as three in a row lining up at Ryder to pick up. I didn't even get to meet Bob and Linda Caffee when they were here, as they were so fast at getting out.

True story though. I was talking to a friend who is in sales at a freight forwarder in Tampa recently. He said that they normally use Panther or C&M when they need ground expedite. Recently, they had a shipment that needed to go to Atlanta from Tampa. They called one carrier (not sure which of the two) and tried to negotiate something slightly lower than book rate, as it was a question whether they would truck it or fly it, and they knew that there would probably be someone wanting out. The load was evidently big enough that it needed a box truck. The dispatcher told them that the truck available was called and the driver turned the load down, saying that it was too low. So the forwarder ended up shipping it another way.

About a week later, the same size order with the same urgency came up from the same customer. The forwarder called the same expedite company, only to find that the same truck was still sitting in service waiting for a load out. This time the same offer was made and the truck accepted. No I don't know what the expediter charged, nor do I know how much the load was offered to the driver for. Just interesting.


Drive Safe!

Jeff

Driver for 15 years
O/O for 13 years
OOIDA #829119

[em]"Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed." --Mark Twain[/em]

 

[Tennesseahawk]

As I have learned from your advice, Broom, I will not take a run to southern FL unless it's coming from north of NC. One exception to that... we got a run from Charleston, SC to Pompano Beach, and were preloaded from Miami to TX. Bet your butt we're taking that!

Not afraid of going to FL, as I know the miles were good going in. I give it two or three days and head to SC. If I deliver in north FL, I immediately head to SC. Only deadheaded out once... delivered in Jacksonville, headed to SC right away. That's when we were loaded back to FL and then to TX. So, I've had decent luck there, for the miles going in.

-Vampire Super Slooth Trucker!!!

 

[davekc]

Can't say we have ever had a problem unless it is the week right after a holiday. Then its DH to Atlanta or somewhere in SC.









Davekc
owner
23 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[Broompilot]

The rule I used was I had to be North of NC or TN so I could factor in the DH miles.

First three loads I took last year to FL, I waited couple of days and than left on my own nickle back to Columbia (Atlanta was to hit and miss for C&M). I had 2,100 DH miles back to back to back for three loads.

Next three loads, was assigned a load with in hours. Following load DH back. Locations everywhere except Jacksonville.

3 out of 4, does not seem bad. Know what it did to my bottom line and HOS.

Thats another thing, the new HOS no 34 hour restart. This is gona be troublesome, for D-C units solos.

 

[ATeam]

>Who gets goose bumps every chance the Q com beeps or the
>phone rings knowing your going to FL?
>
>Do you know your going to get the great load out of there or
>is the wait not worth the effort?
>
>Just curious.

Diane and I don't get goose bumps from any Qualcomm beep that I know of, Florida offer or not. Florida expediting loads vary from carrier to carrier, truck type to truck type, and even trucks of the same type within the same carrier. For us, we take inbound Florida loads as easily as we take all others. Some are rejected on pay per mile grounds, but not because Florida is the destination state.

We have been in and out of the state several times with no more trouble than any other "slow" state. A day or two is all it takes to get out. Often, while we are there, short intrastate runs will be offered that keep us in the state and on goal.

If we were sitting in say Orlando and got a $1.50 per mile offer to go to Miami, we would probably accept that load.

 

[joebob1_30132]

We were 3 for 5 with conway,,wasnt too bad 2 times were the same day get out ...PII we didnt wanna try ...too skeered to leave the loop. you know the Mi, carolina, Tn, W memphis,and back to Mi loop where everyone goes round and round and round kinda like a race track..dont ever ever ever leave the loop...Gawd forbid.

 

[ATeam]

Just for fun, I checked our run journal. In about four years and 530 loads, we have picked up freight 23 times in Florida, the top areas being:

Miami: 4
Orlando: 3
Tampa: 2
Jacksonville: 2
Pensacola: 2
All Others: 1 each

We have delivered freight 22 times in Florida, the top areas being:

Miami: 6
Orlando: 3
Tampa: 2
All Others: 1 each

That is not to say that each time we delivered in Florida, we got a load out of Florida. Each of the above runs should be seen independently of the others. One does not necessarily connect with the other.

Of the 22 deliveries into Florida, 18 were followed by pickups in Florida. With the other four, we deadheaded out of the state to get to our next load. But in each of those, we did so under dispatch. We did not deadhead out at our expense to go wait for freight in another state. Sometimes our deadhead to the next load was hundreds of miles, as there was a need several states away for the kind of truck we drive.

The above runs include 7 intra-Florida runs, where the pickup and delivery was made in Florida.

 

[Falligator]

Got a run from Indy to South of Tampa dropping off at a home depot and i went to a family member's house to stay 4 a while. Later the same night i dropped off I was offered a mini but I had to Dh down to Miami and Drop not far a 5 mi run. Dispatch didn't want to offer much 4 dh so i turned it down. was too tired to run anyway. I was sittin in Inverness (West of Ocala) when they offered me the load.

 

[nightcreacher]

evry squirl finds a nut sooner or later