Is THis What You Expected

BillChaffey · May 10, 2009

This is just a thought on my part. Would this site be "FREE" to us, the members, if there were no paying Advertisers?.
Personally, I like the folks at Bolt. If the rate is unacceptable refuse it.

davekc · May 10, 2009

Your opinion is actually true. There are a couple of nameless carriers that give their dispatchers incentives/bonuses to cover a load for the cheapest price. Nothing debatable at all on that one.
I believe that they are doing it to maintain earlier profit margins with less available freight. As long as people will haul it, they will keep doing it. Some freight rates have certainly dropped, but a big percentage haven't.
With regards to "at least your moving",
If you are moving unprofitably, you are likely just going broke at a faster rate.

dabluzman1 · May 10, 2009

Statistics lie, aint that what "they" say.
Loaded mile rate. Deadhead miles. layover miles.
If you arent adding all your miles up and dividing your
gross pay by all the miles ( dhpl + dhpu + run ) you are playing games with yourself.
Take your gross from last year and divide the total mile driven into the gross. Thats what you worked for, then deduct expenses and you will see your net.
I get paid the same milage rate for every mile I drive.
Go figure.

EagleRiverWI · May 10, 2009

2 days ago, when I was 2 months behind on my house payment and did not have a job, I was thinking I might have to put my D truck back on the road. I was down to my last $4.00 in my pocket so it might have been hard buying fuel. Then the phone rang. Tuesday I will be driving semi for a company that will bring me home every week. As long as people need toilet paper, I will have job security, insurance, a retirement account and no truck expenses. Good luck to you all and if any of you are laid over in my neighborhood this summer, let me know. We can waste time on a lake instead of in a truck stop.

nightcreacher · May 10, 2009

There are two kind of costs when opperating any business,constant and variable.When in the retail business,you buy in volume you get a discount,so you can sell cheaper,making your profit from volume of sales.The costs of the products are still variable,but are less in volume.
Your driving a truck. The more miles you run only effect your constant costs,your variable costs go up,so if you hope to make a profit in volume,good luck.
Now if you own a fleet of trucks,that volume is different,as each truck doesnt need to make as big a profit as a person who just owns just one truck.
Just think what JB HUNT makes,if each of the many trucks only makes 1 penny per mile profit.
Yes then volume works,but us single truck owners,dont't even think volume,you have a total cost to keep your truck a float,work under that,you wont be able to pay the mechanic for repairs

guido4475 · May 10, 2009

This is all true.I have had many other owner-operators tell me that they are 1 breakdown away from bankruptcy.I know that if I had a major repair now I could not affford to fix it.if it is that bad, I thought I might as well park the truck while everything is in good working order,roadworthy, easier to sell.I had a freind that owns 3 trucks call the bank the other day to come and get em.He's tired of the same thing.high cost of ownership and cheap paying freight.

shadowtrk · May 10, 2009

as far as the cheap rates go to you have to know how many hands are in the cookie jar the deal im doing now is that we pull jb hunts freight. the other day i get a call from a broker. it turns out. that the flow of the load went like this
Shipper -> Broker -> JB HUNT -> my carrier -> me . thats just too many hands in the cookie jar!!!!

nightcreacher · May 10, 2009

to many hands?but bottom line,if it pays you your price,doesnt matter how the pie is sliced

BillChaffey · May 10, 2009

Someone is making money on Freight being shipped. The higher costs in a Grocery store can no longer be laid off on high Diesel. Last June a 1lb box of store brand dog biscuits were $.99 in the two stores where I shop. Now there $1.95 in one store & $1.89 in the other.

dhalltoyo · May 10, 2009

I particularly like Bolt's newest smoke and mirrors .

You go to their website and look at the "Truck Availibilty".

One is lead to believe that all of the trucks posted are in Bolt's fleet. Not! Fact, there are no disclaimers on the site.

What you are looking at is the GPS.net board.

Bolt is a master at mixing a little truth with a great deal of error.

How?

The "Truck Availibilty" shows more trucks with in a 50 mile radius of Dayton than Bolt has in their entire fleet.

Oh yeah, makes them look bigger than they are, but in reality they only exist because Tri State got out of the NLM auto freight business.

jaminjim · May 10, 2009

Dave are you ever going to let it go?

arkjarhead · May 10, 2009

When I got my truck and trailer in Jan. I figured out what it costs me to run, and what it figure out what I was making as a company driver. I need to profit more than what I was making as a company driver or the headache isn't worth it. I've done pretty good so far. I still have a lot to learn.

BillChaffey · May 10, 2009

Hasn't Bolt Express been the fastest growing Expedited carrier three of the last four years?. Or something close to it. Seems Tri State must have really given up a lot of Business for that to happen.

RLENT · May 11, 2009

dhalltoyo said:
I particularly like Bolt's newest smoke and mirrors . You go to their website and look at the "Truck Availibilty". One is lead to believe that all of the trucks posted are in Bolt's fleet. Not! Fact, there are no disclaimers on the site.

So, like ..... what are you actually accusing them of ?

Being good at marketing ?

What you are looking at is the GPS.net board.

Well, duh .... big newsflash there ......

Bolt is a master at mixing a little truth with a great deal of error. How?

Yes, pray tell ... please inform us !

The "Truck Availibilty" shows more trucks with in a 50 mile radius of Dayton than Bolt has in their entire fleet.

Omigawd !!!!

I'm utterly flabbergasted ! .... just speechless .....

You mean that they are actually promoting their partner carriers trucks - so that one of their customers can see that a truck is available and close by to meet their needs - and then might book a load with Bolt that could be carried via a partner carrier ?

How dastardly !!!

Is that even legal ? If it is, it probably shouldn't be .... hard time for them all ....

Where the *ell is Elmer Gantry when you really need him ... oh wait ... I think I know where Elmer is .... he's close ..... very close ....

Hmmmm ... now wait a minute here .... something is coming back to me now .... it's foggy .... but it seems to me that I have a dim recollection that the above was the general idea and premise of GPS.Net and the The Expedite Alliance of North America .... ya know - don't turn the customer away, and if you don't have a truck to cover it in your fleet, then book it on a partner carrier's truck and get the load hauled - what am I missing here ?

"GPSNet's vision was rather unique. Take a group of competing companies that share similar business issues and get them to make more money by selling each others products.

For the companies that have joined and believe in this business philosophy, the rewards have been handsome. Subscribers to the GPSNet Technologies software have shared access to a much larger fleet ... thereby allowing them to say YES to their customers more often. Likewise, they share the availability of their own fleet with other subscribers so that their drivers keep moving with better paying loads."

So are you saying that Bolt can't use those vehicles as part of their "virtual" fleet to have their customers freight hauled, if they can come to a workable arrangement with their partner carriers on a specific load ?

Do you think that they shouldn't use partner carriers vehicles ?

Aren't you a member of one of the above - and if so, are you no longer in agreement with their aims and purposes ?

If that's the case, you should probably resign or separate yourself them and avoid selling yourself out and compromising your high moral integrity for filthy lucre ....

Oh yeah, makes them look bigger than they are, but in reality they only exist because Tri State got out of the NLM auto freight business.

They exist because of the efforts, talents, and business accumen of those that run and work for the company.

Leave it to you to try and minimize the accomplishments of someone else ..... while no doubt informing us all of how accomplished, righteous and pious you, yourself, are ....

BTW, are you still even in the expedite business ? Not leased to Tri State anymore are you ?

Last I heard you were doing courier work or something .... drugs ?

RLENT · May 11, 2009

jaminjim said:
Dave are you ever going to let it go?

Hey Jimbo - good see ya around - hadn't seen ya post in awhile and I was worried we had lost ya .....

On your question, I wouldn't presume to answer for the Rev .... but I think you already know the answer ......

Ark,
Good to see you as well - congrats on the new endeavors.

moose · May 11, 2009

arkjarhead said:
When I got my truck and trailer in Jan. I figured out what it costs me to run, and what it figure out what I was making as a company driver. I need to profit more than what I was making as a company driver or the headache isn't worth it. I've done pretty good so far. I still have a lot to learn.

I kind of mist that part of the evolution.
care to tell us more ?

also , i think that the income of a co. driver , have very little to do with what an O/O should set aside to pay 'personal bills'.
many small business take more then a few years to pay back , i think that in general trucking , if you make 30K at the first year in business , you are doing very well.
over that amount, and you need to see what it is that you are doing wrong.
I will be happy if you can share your business plan .

Moose.

ericmoss37 · May 11, 2009

If your in a place like central Florida it's okay to take a load that gets you into a good area at a loss. Other wise your just going to deadhead. We just got a offer at $1.10 a mile pluse .10 cent fuel surcharge and it gets us to Houston, TX.

nestor7 · May 14, 2009

Yes and no. I have been with Tri-State for almost a year and Fedex before that. I am a solo cargo van driver, driving for an owner. I am happy with my situation for the most part because I like this kind of work. Sure, my income is way down but usually I have a good week or two every month that keeps me above water. My living expenses are rather low, so I can survive on less income. I have a few other minor sources of income I can use from time to time to make ends meet.

Since I made the choice to get back into this business in late 2007, I feel it is my responsibility to make the most of it. I never turn down any load, I co-operate with dispatch, treat each customer with respect and expect the best to happen each day. My owner is very good to work for and maybe in that I am lucky. But I also make it easy for him to employ me by doing my best to make a profit for him as well as myself. And I have gotten some good perks along the way.

As far as expectations go, no I didn't expect the business to weaken as much as it has and yes I still enjoy it and plan to do my best to make it work for me. If you don't want to put your best effort into anything your are doing, then you are wasting your time. If you want to blame the economy or everything else for your lack of success, then you will get what you expect. I say the heck with everything crumbling on the outside because it is how you see the world from the inside that really matters. The best to you, Tom