Is THis What You Expected

nightcreacher · May 8, 2009

For you that believe that while your wheels are turning, your making money.

Please explain this,when your loads are paying less than the cost of doing business. Or, do you feel your profit is the income tax your don't have to pay.

TeamCaffee · May 8, 2009

When our wheels are turning we are making money as we are not taking loads that do not work for us. When we are sitting we are most often in the truck, working on the truck or out for a walk.

We know what we need per day to survive out here and after cutting as many costs as we can and making better choices on where to layover and running smarter then we have before that number is much smaller then it was last year.

Now we look at two things the Pay per Mile and the day pay. A load that just pays your minimum can be backed up by a load that pays very well. Still the same old business just we have new ways of looking at how we are doing it.

davekc · May 8, 2009

nightcreacher said:
For you that believe that while your wheels are turning, your making money.

Please explain this,when your loads are paying less than the cost of doing business. Or, do you feel your profit is the income tax your don't have to pay.

Who is running loads that are less than the cost to operate them?
I just had to ask.
If it is a tax advantage/shelter one is seeking, there are much better ways than anything in the transportation industry.

pelicn · May 8, 2009

We don't run unless the run pays. We are cutting back on all the extras, and doing everything possible to keep expenses down for our owner.
We negotiated and EM that paid our fuel costs, we don't pay for fuel, but anything we can do to help the owner, helps us as well.

layoutshooter · May 8, 2009

We do not run loads that do not make us a profit. We too are cutting costs and have started building data bases that show us where better layover areas are. It is paying off already. Our numbers year to date, numbers of runs, pay per loaded mile and pay per all miles are still up over last year. I sure hope that continues. Layoutshooter

60MPH · May 8, 2009

Don't know about the tax thing, but I will not run for less than my CPM. IT MAKES NO SENSE. I am in a van and I would never consider some of the rates posted here lately, for a expedite load that is. .41, .48, .50 I get more than that on some of the ltl's I haul. Like last night Conover, NC. to Roanoke, VA. 177 miles load went for $200.00 not great money but better than some expedite rates I have seen people post on here and it was a ltl go figure!!!

inkasnana · May 8, 2009

We're getting the same rate that we started with at E1 thank goodness. As long as the rate at least stays the same, we will do ok for ourselves and our truck owner.

fastrod · May 9, 2009

I write my own rate so anytime my wheels are turning I am making money.

greg334 · May 9, 2009

I'm going to throw this in....

Some of you wait and wait for loads to move you back to another area or make you money, which is alright, but that truck sits it is losing money.

One company would tell me that I have to wait at one location because there may be a load and another locks me in through their Paid DH system. The problem I am seeing is that when you take a paid DH at the rates these companies give you, you are losing money.

By saying that you make money when the wheels are turning and not counting the DH pay, you ignore the fact that you have adjust the earnings by taking some of that money out of the next load to cover the loss you just had to say you make money when the wheels are turning by accepting the DH pay of 20 cents a mile or what ever it is.

If you are not getting any DH pay, like me, then you have the option of taking that 50 cents per mile load or find two of them to get me back to the place you want/need to be.

layoutshooter · May 9, 2009

When we consider a load we always figure in the DH. We figure it into the pay per mile. We also factor in some other things, like, if this cancels are we in a good place for another load? (very important if it is a very long DH) We also look at the possible DH AFTER a load delivers. Very important to loads going to out of the way places. Every load is a business decision on it's own. Layoutshooter

whitewolf · May 9, 2009

We expect the highest level of professional transportation services from our Owner-Operators. In return we will be dedicated to working together with you to help you make your business both successful and profitable. You are not just another contractor to us, you are a part of our team and we value what you do out on the road, each and every day.

That's Bolt promises...Can Expediters online remove there advertising?..This company don't deserve to be here, and for the drivers they have to stop taking low paying freight.

greg334 · May 9, 2009

layoutshooter said:
When we consider a load we always figure in the DH. We figure it into the pay per mile. We also factor in some other things, like, if this cancels are we in a good place for another load? (very important if it is a very long DH) We also look at the possible DH AFTER a load delivers. Very important to loads going to out of the way places. Every load is a business decision on it's own. Layoutshooter

So Layout, then my assumption is that you have the latitude to take 15 or 20 minutes to decide to take the load based on the information given?

What if you get the dispatcher who insists on having an answer right now?

60MPH · May 9, 2009

I wonder what there "the company's" profit margin is on a van load that pays .41 or .48 cents a mile. I often wonder what they are booking it at. I had a bolt driver tell me he gets 70% of the gross "correct me if I am wrong please" so what is bolt booking loads at .60 to .70 a mile??

or lower and taking even less than 30% on there cut just to give the contractors a little more than 70% THAT IS NOT EXPEDITE CARRIER RATES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But I really can't blame bolt 100% because there seems to always be someone willing to take that rate and as long as they get one of there units to cover it they will continue to keep booking low rates from shippers/brokers they deal with. Sometimes you gotta say NO!!!

AND KUDOS TO BOLT IF THEY ARE STILL CHARGING EXPEDITE RATES 1.30 PLUS FOR VAN LOADS AND GETTING THEM AT THAT AND JUST GETTING AWAY WITH GIVING IT TO THERE CONTRACTORS FOR REAL CHEAP!!!

FYI SHIPPERS AND SOME BROKERS ARE STILL PAYING 1.30 PLUS A MILE FOR VAN EXPEDITES SO DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOUR CARRIER SAYS ABOUT THERE NOT BEING ANY MONEY LEFT IN THE LOAD

layoutshooter · May 9, 2009

Greg, it takes about 1 minute to figure the rate per mile, maybe a bit less. We kinda know our freight lines and where our express centers are. All we have to do is look at where the load delivers or picks up, put two and two together and decide to take it or not. The entire process is complete in under 5 minutes. We seldom take to dispatch anymore, all done over the Clink. Layoutshooter

xiggi · May 9, 2009

My magic 8 ball lets me know in less than 30 seconds if i should take the load or not...

layoutshooter · May 9, 2009

We had one of them but it broke when it bumped up against our crystal ball!! Layoutshooter

cheri1122 · May 9, 2009

whitewolf said:
We expect the highest level of professional transportation services from our Owner-Operators. In return we will be dedicated to working together with you to help you make your business both successful and profitable. You are not just another contractor to us, you are a part of our team and we value what you do out on the road, each and every day.

That's Bolt promises...Can Expediters online remove there advertising?..This company don't deserve to be here, and for the drivers they have to stop taking low paying freight.

You're asking EO to remove a [paying] advertiser, strictly on your request, no proof of any wrongdoing whatsoever, just because you say 'they don't deserve to be here'?
Dude, maybe your meds need adjusted, not to mention your attitude, cause that's not how it works. Allegations require proof, and I'd be willing to bet any amount you lack the tiniest shred of it. The 'promise' you cite doesn't guarantee anything except an effort, does it?
You'll have the same luck attempting to force drivers to 'stop taking low paying freight', too, even if you can get anyone to agree on what exactly 'low paying freight' is...
Can't help but wonder how long you've been expediting, to make such demands?

Jefferson3000 · May 9, 2009

whitewolf said:
We expect the highest level of professional transportation services from our Owner-Operators. In return we will be dedicated to working together with you to help you make your business both successful and profitable. You are not just another contractor to us, you are a part of our team and we value what you do out on the road, each and every day.

That's Bolt promises...Can Expediters online remove there advertising?..This company don't deserve to be here, and for the drivers they have to stop taking low paying freight.

They way I read it, the ONLY way a carrier really deserves to be listed on this site, is if they pay their advertising bill. Plain and simple. Advertising is simply the means of marketing what you offer. Some ads work and some don't. Some ads don't work because they have yet to understand how to communicate what they do to their potential clients and partners. Some ads don't work because the company advertising cannot or will not live up to the expectations created by their marketing promises.

There is no such distinction as companies who deserve to be listed and those who do not. The only distinction is some advertise here, and some do not.

By the way, do you really believe that a carrier listing on this site represents and full endorsement of all of its practices by EO?

nobb4u · May 9, 2009

I have come to the conclusion that if I take a lot of loads that are below my operating cost and I get enough of those runs I should be able to make it up in volume.

Seems to be some carriers way of thinking anyway.

guido4475 · May 10, 2009

When I get offered a load I do the same thing as layoutshooter.I add the empty and loaded miles together and divide that total into the total load pay..If it is below what I like to make per mile,I ask if there is any room for adjustment on pay to bring this up.You'd be surprised how many times it has actually worked to my advantage.As far as cheap freight rates being offered to me, I have always heard the reply from a dispacher"well, at least youre moving" too many times.alot of distatchers really dont have a clue as to how much it costs to maintain and operate a truck.Not too long ago I hauled a load for a expediting company.While delivering to the paying customers house on a saturday,we got to talking and he asked me what I got paid on this load.He was a driver as well, so we could relate.(I usually don't discuss my pay with anyone else)So I told him, and he says,"Come into my office, I want you to see this".He showed me the bill on the computer for the load, and he was being charged $2.70 a mile.So I dont believe half of this garbage about low-paying rates that dispatchers are telling me.I think companies are paying us less to compensate for the lack of freight.But, of course, this is all my opinion.