How long do you Stay out?

[chefdennis]

Van drivers, I keep hearing that "no one is making money, everyone is going broke." Now i am not here to say i am getting rich. When i came into this 4 months ago, i was told i could not expect to pay the bills, let alone make a income for myself. Now my expectations were not to even clear a grand a week to begin with, but i can say i have averaged more then that more often then not and overall for the 4 months I have exceeded that (some weeks close to double that). Call it newbie juice if you want, whatever it is, I have no complaints. Oh I don't turn down many runs, as long as it clears what i need to move the van, i move.

Now that being said, I DO stay out for a minimum of 21 days at a time. Yea, if i make a run that takes me within 100 miles of home, i'll run home to sleep in my own bed, but I don't go out of service. I have been out of service twice in the 4 months, once for a prior committment that lasted for 6 days, the other was for my wedding anniversary and i was out of service for 3 days and then back.

I read of guys going out and coming home after each run, or going home each weekend. Can you make any money doing this? And if you are doing that are you the ones saying you are going broke?

So, how long do you stay out?

Oh and when i go home, i don't stay home for a week, 3 maybe 4 days, then its back in service.

 

[hondaking38]

ok i am home most weekends, one due to military..or if i am within 200 miles i will dead head home on the weekend, with that said i have another van with a driver in it, he started april 5th 2008, his first time home was wed night, he got there at 11:00 pm and was outa his house at 1:00 am with a load...so he has lived on the road for over 7.5 months (bless his heart) been home 2 hours in that time frame....is 100% across the board and has been for months. and grosses no more then i do...and less then my friends who keep deadheading back to chicago...... so great numbers dont mean much in the long run...

 

[Turtle]

I go home once or twice a year, for 6 months at a time.

Seriously, I was home in May for 10 days when my mom died, and I was home for 5 weeks (the last week in July and all of August) to do stuff. Other than that, I've been out here.

 

[fastrod]

I go home after every run. I am an independent with my own customers that are all located within 75 miles of my home. This may not work for everyone but it works great for me.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

4-6 weeks here...unless I get one to N.Dakota...I'll beebop home for abit....considering even from Chicago I have a 1,000 mile DH.

 

[CharlesD]

It varies with me. I probably get home more than most people, but as an independent it's easier to cherry pick. I'm usually out as long as it takes to get the next decent paying run back home. I live in a good freight area, so home is often a good place to get a load out of. Sometimes I sleep in my own bed three or four nights in a week and then I might be out for a week or two if I get something going far. The rule is that as soon as I get within three or four hours of the house, I'm heading home. I might think differently if I was single.

 

[gotta go]

I don't fit the criteria since I have a straight truck, bu I'll chime in anyway. I was home from 10/22 thru 10/26, last time before that was 12/20.

 

[hedgehog]

Home?

I have no home.

Hunted.

Despised.

Living like an expediter.

The road is my home.

But I shall show the world... that I can be its master!

I shall perfect my own race of expediters... a race of atomic supermen... that will conquer the highways!

(Apologies to Bella Lagosi and Ed Wood for this blatant plagiarising)

{I knew someday, somewhere, I would be able to use this dramatic speech}

Alas, after 50+ plus years, the opportunity arose, here, at EOL.

Thank you

 

[Turtle]

Great, now I have this mental picture of a bazillion little maniacal hedgehogs driving around the country.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Imagine hedgehogs replacing turtles on our roads?...what is this world coming to...Maybe a world full of MOOT-STERS!!! HaHa!

 

[moparnewt]

Like you,I stay out a minimum of 21 days,unless I'm real close to home, but I'll still be in service. I'm not making that much becuase the company my fleet owner is leased to is solely tied to automotive freight. We all know that has slowed down a bunch resently. I like the carrier and my fleet owner, just too bad there's not much freight at the moment. If I had one criticism of the carrier, it would be they need to be more diversified in the type of freight they haul.

 

[SJMagic]

I stay out until I get close to home, then I stop. The only time I go home under 3 weeks is when the company just isn't moving me around at the time. If I've spent almost a week without a load, I go home on Friday.

Once I'm home I tend to spend 2-3 days here then out for that 3 weeks again.

 

[nightcreacher]

I read this question all the time,for all size units.I happen to live in an area that can keep my size unit busy.I usually stay out 10 days,then home for 3 days.Staying out,unless you stay in busy areas,will have you sitting around too much.Now if you live where you have a hard time getting loaded,or you cant get loaded back to home ,then that is a reason to stay out,'til at least you get a load close to home.There is an acception,if your busy,loading everyday,I dont go home 'til the freight runs out.

 

[chefdennis]

SJMagic wrote:

If I've spent almost a week without a load, I go home on Friday.

I hope the hell this isn't happening more then a time or 2 in a year!!! Since Sept i have not sat over 36 hours during the week days more then a handful of times. I'd ne burning up phone lines or the QC airwaves if i was sitting for 5-7 days!!

Hell, Bolt will pay you (not much) to move after 24 hours!!

 

[Turtle]

I'd ne burning up phone lines or the QC airwaves if i was sitting for 5-7 days!!

Just keep in mind that it's gonna happen. It does to everybody. they can move you, but all they're doing is moving you to another place to sit. You can burn up the QC airwaves all you want, scream at them to find you a load, but they cannot manufacture a load for you. If you sit for several days, it's not because they've forgotten about you, it's because there are no loads that you can haul.

Like I said, it's gonna happen, and that's the hardest thing for someone new to wrap their mind around when it does happen. "They've always gotten me loaded in the past, now they're not, so they must be dropping the ball somewhere and they're not doing their job." I promise you, that's not what happens.

It's just a little headsup for you to keep in mind when it does happen.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

At least with Bolt being a bit smaller they'll have more gaps to fill...more opps to move ya to where they might have thier own customers...if dispatch is on the ball this can really help....

 

[Turtle]

if dispatch is on the ball this can really help....

That's the thing, though, and it's something to be aware of and guard against... Bolt is small enough that it's really not a matter is dispatch being "on the ball", and if you're not loaded you might have a tendency to think that. That would be a mistake.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

True...one could sit tight and if it's chasable they'll pay ya to DH it one way or the tuther....

 

[x06col]

Chef, i had anticipated you were getting a fix on this business until your last post. The squeaky wheel WONT get any grease till the wheel greaser has grease to use.

It's not IF it happens, but WHEN, if you are leased to someone, and have agendas such as min rate, direction, etc.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Col...he's green and has a ways to go about the little things...and man there is a lot of little things, half of I don't remember till the situation comes up....That 1-2 extra loads a month based on knowledge, experience can make the difference between success or failure...