You are right, Garman, you have your opinion and no one can take it away from you. As an experienced expediter, you are free to base your opinions on the facts of your experience. If you sincerely believe that staying home until April 1 is the smart-money move, by all means, go for it!
Now, for newbies and expediter wannabees, let me offer a different opinion, one based on the facts of our experience. This is not to say Garman is wrong. It is to say that experiences and opinions vary in this business, and that newbies and wannabees would be wise to consider a number of views before forming views of their own.
Diane and I (not fleet owners, not catered to) have been in the business and with the same carrier since August, 2003. In that time, the January, February and March months have been as busy as the others.
This year, January revenue was below average, but it was not the freight's fault or our carrier's. We were out of service 10 days in January for personal reasons. As with many months, February, 2008, started slow but is picking up now.
I think that is partly because a number of people do take time off in the winter, which leaves more freight for a lesser number of available trucks. While the freight itself may slow, the fewer number of available trucks helps keep us busy.
It is also due to how we have equipped our truck and credentialled ourselves. Being able to haul just about every kind of freight our carrier hauls (reefer, lift gate, HAZMAT, etc.) makes us eligible to haul more kinds of loads. While general freight may slow down in the winter months, there is nothing in our experience to show that specialty expedite freight does.
Load strategy also plays a role. For example, on Friday, we got what would be considered a specialty load. It was a single envelope, reefer load that paid $560 for a 16 mile run with little deadhead. There are teams out there that would turn that load down because it is not a "team" load (meaning longer miles). We took the load.
The run gave us less than 75 status, which put us at the top of the board for next offers. With a handful of trucks in the area, being at the top of the board was a plus. The next offer came in moments later. It was for a 1,160 miles but paid ten cents less per mile than the minimum we like to run for. Looking at the bigger picture, we took the load.
By combining both runs, we were running at the per mile rate we like to stay above. Given the time of day, had we turned down the second load, we may well have sat over the weekend. The second load was not on the board earlier that day. It was true hot freight shipped in response to an emergency order placed by the consignee. The load was dispatched to our truck 12 minutes after the customer called in the order. Had we not had less than 75 status, the load may well have been offered to a truck closer to the pickup.
The second load sent us to Texas for a Saturday delivery. On the way, we were predispatched for a Texas pickup on Monday. That is another specialty load going 1,200 miles that pays well above our minimum rate per mile.
Had we not taken the short run to a pain-in-the-rear downtown Chicago location, we would not have earned less-than-75 status. Without less-than-75 status, we would not have received the offer to run to Texas. Had we ruled out the Texas run because it paid just a little bit too little, we would not have been predispatched on the Monday run.
Making the decisions we did got us running from Friday through Tuesday, making good money the whole time. Had we been grumpy about that non-team load or just-below-minimum pay on a particular load, we could very well be sitting today where we were sitting Friday morning.
Newbies and wannabees, listen up. It is not slow for everyone out there. Your carrier choice matters. Your driver credentials matter. Your truck capabilities matter. Seeing the big picture matters. And most important, your attitude matters.
Not grumpy here, and not sitting at home.
