Need help from the seniors of expedite...

[mrgoodtude]

I am confronted again with the same ole self doubt.....
Should I have accepted that load offer this morning? Didn't seem that great when I turned it down but at 19:00 seems like the best buy on the block! I am not new to this but yet so naive! Every measure of accountability is through the roof but my acceptance. My per mile is off the hook but I don't feel loved? I am interested in the views of all, but for those of you that cannot be shaken from your passion of expedite, I am your willing understudy.
Mike and Cyn

 

[terryandrene]

Talk to us. Where are you? What did you refuse and Why?

 

[ATeam]

I don't know if this helps or not. A fleet-owner friend once told Diane and me, "If you have to think about the load for more than a minute, take the load." That approach works well most of the time.

 

[Tennesseahawk]

Usually my gut tells me yea or nay. Sometimes I have regrets taking or not taking a load. But what really helps is making scenarios of what I would take or not out of an area, depending on the length, how good or bad an area I'm in, and how good or bad the area is I'm going. When all that fails, the instinct kicks in, and is usually right. Trust your vibes! They, along with knowledge, are the live or die in this business.

 

[mrgoodtude]

Hey Terry, I am just speaking in general...Was in KC for the end of week and hoping to lock on to a T-Val load and turned down a good paying express load. It worked ok for me in that I still locked a slow mover to Ohio that payed decent. I just have to wonder sometimes since I trust my gut like Hawk said if it is a sign of the times and maybe I have to adapt a "new" strategy. Phil's response may be the ticket as I find myself too often chasing the elusive $$$ freight when I should just take freight that makes sense and enjoy the Golden ticket runs when they happen. I spent a weekend watching the deadliest catch on discovery channel awhile back and I guess that was a bad thing as I find myself dropping crab pots only in areas where I have known the T-val crabs to have been.
Mike and Cyn

 

[x06col]

Ya bud, you can't hit a home run EVERY trip to the plate. Also, would some of you experts enlighten me on where the "bad" areas are?

 

[kwexpress]

KW Express
o/o till i die

I have always thought KC was a bad area.But Im independant so maybe thats why

 

[cheri1122]

Lord knows I'm not a senior, & those cashiers who ask if I get the discount are just infants, but I have been hoping for a delivery somewhere in the vicinity of Pittsburgh, so maybe I could pop in to visit my daughter, but have never gone anywhere near there, in 18 months, so far.
And of course, we hear that Fla is like "Hotel California", but I have only been there once or twice. It just doesn't appear much as a destination, though I wouldn't mind going now & then.

 

[highway star]

The A-team responce was a good one. If you spend more than a minute you're starting to bring the "what-ifs" into play. If I take this groaner, what if something better had come along. If I don't, what if something better does'nt come along. Sometimes it can seem like you just need to do something even if it's wrong.

 

[jackdixon_2000]

Yeah Col, the bad areas, lets see?
Miami, Fl but I have run Carpet from Miami to Bristol,Tn...... Brownsville,Tx? Well, lots of discount auto parts to the midwest also El Paso and Phoenix, same for Laredo...... Phoenix? I have done loads to Albuquerque, Seattle, Wash DC etc..... Salt Lake City? A few locals, Portland,Or Kansas City,Mo........El Paso? several predispatches back to Detroit and Buffalo areas. Portland Seatac.......? Probably over a dozen short runs paying over $500, Yakima,Wa to Chicago, Wilsononville,Or to Tampa,Fl. Montreal?.......Some runs back to Ny, NJ area one northern Qe run from Riviere du loup,Qe to Chicago,Il

Here's my bad area, when I went to Nova Scotia (once) got shut out. And I have never heard of a load comming back from Alaska.

My point is this business can be a real guessing game and I am also a follower of the "follow yer gut" method. Numerous times after taking that marginal load to that "bad" area it has been followed up by a dynamite load. But, you also must know you're costs, variable and fixed per mile. For instance when I take a load to Portland,Or I automatically tack on 600 miles back to Reno or Sac and know my minimum acceeptable rate per mile to meet my expectations. Same with Salt Lake City and I also don't stay overnight in Phoenix.
When I do get loads out of those areas I just consider it a bonus.

As far as second guessing you're decisions. You have to focus on the big picture, not the last week or month or several months. This is a streaky business and much can be said for right place at right time.
I have a tendency to be a bit impatient and maybe more readily then most accept the marginal runs cause I like to keep the wheels turning.
I understand the self doubt and second guessing but you just have to learn to put it out of you're mind. Imagine if we knew every time we accepted that 300 mile run and 10 min latter a 1500 miler popped up.

But I find it more frustrating, say on a Fri morn to get that 500 mi for $800 offer but am looking for the big weekend score, then comes the 200 mi offer then a 350 then the phone calls, "you are the only truck in the area", "we really need yer help", "we must service this customer". Then at at 5pm "oh oh, I might be stuck here for the weekend"

As Ateam posted, if after 1 minute of trying to deceide, just accept the load and don't look back, sounds reasonable to me. And just pass on the obvious clunkers. Dispatch knows which ones they are and usually understand why you won't take em. But the order is there and they have to offer it, anyway.

 

[davekc]

If you know your cost per mile and where the freight is, you will have the majority of it figured out.
That is how you are seeing many with low deadhead numbers.
It is easy to get wrapped up in the paid loaded miles. Always watch for what you are making for ALL miles.
As for KC, for us it is a quick turnaround except for Sat or Sun.








Davekc
owner
22 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[TeamCaffee]

By no means are we seniors in expediting but we have learned some hard lessons and I have a problem with the one minute rule. We have found if we do not really look at the load offer we get stung. The worse one is we look at the money it is great you accept it. Then you find out it doesnt pick up till the next day or later, you look at exactly where it is going and it is the middle of no where, you did not consider the roads you would be traveling so forgot to figure in the tolls, and the great one is we didnt look at how many stop there are. We have learned to take our time and really look at the load offer then go from there.

 

[davekc]

I would agree with Teamcaffee.
A minute isn't long enough. It may provide a surface answer as to whether milage to pickup, the run, and DH if any to the next load is acceptable.
Additionally, we look at how many loads from where the truck is at, how many trucks in that location, and then the same on the destination. If there are alot of trucks say in Dallas, we may not go there if the delivery is tues through thurs. A larger percentage of freight moves on Monday and Friday from that location.
Same with other locations. How many trucks? and of that number, how many are teams? Makes a huge difference in many locations, and the day of the week.
Other locations we review freight volumes in the event we are obtaining our freight. Those numbers can change considerably through the course of the month. Some are slow the first week, and going like gang busters the last.
For us, there is alot of variables we look at prior to taking a load. Some are no brainers, and some require a real close review.
By doing the above, we are able to make sound decisions, eliminate costly mistakes, and excessive deadhead.










Davekc
owner
22 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[Tennesseahawk]

The Colonel asked what we deem as being bad areas. I can only speak from experience, and I'd say it is wherever there is no freight. Well duh! But it may not be as simple as an area. It could be a certain time of the week, as Dave explained about Dallas. It could be a drought area for weeks at a time, as many experienced with the northeast in March. Several hit or miss places, like Detroit, Atlanta, or Laredo could affect things, though the first two are only a hundred miles or so away from a completely different zone.

During the day, I keep an eye on what loads are doing, and try to remember the areas they're coming from. If I see a lot of freight going to TX, but none coming out, I know it's not wise to go there. Same with CA. I pick up on things like PA, NJ, GA, NE, MO... all hit or miss areas. Is it moving there now, or has it in the past week? If the answer is no, I'd then figure out how far my likely dh would be compared to the lm of the load going there. If it's too high, instincts kick in.

I relate it to a roulette wheel. Loads to Ohio are almost always black or red, whereas a load to Montana is like picking an individual number. Depends on how much you want to gamble and if you're feeling lucky. Take note of the odds tho, as they're usually right on.

 

[ATeam]

Readers, espeically newbies and people researching the industry, should note that not all carriers, trucks, or drivers or teams are alike; and that will affect one's views of an area and load acceptance strategy. Some trucks, because of their configuation or equipment can carry loads other trucks cannot. Some carriers have a national reach, others are stronger only in certain regions.

Thus, where one driver may have no trouble hauling a load to say Denver, another will avoid the town like the plague. Both decisions are right since both serve to keep the drivers in freight.

 

[x06col]

Precisely. The Charlotte's, Chicago's, Atlanta's are not "good spots" every day of the year. Also, the middle of Montana or Kansas etc. are not "bad spots" every day of the year. You need to operate equipment that will handle every bit of freight that comes available, each time it comes available. Additionally, it helps to be lucky rather than imagine I have all the answers.

 

[mrgoodtude]

That is why I am a raving fan of the forum! Everyone is different as is each circumstance... We have worked for 2 major expedite companies and what works for one in Laredo just doesn't work for the other, same with Kansas last week as my 1st carrier would have had me dead in the water but my current carrier could have dispatched me on a load that would make my week's revenue. The cost per mile is certain to be a factor when considering an acceptance as is the likelihood of securing a good load out. What I have gained in this is that every situation is different and there is no gauranteed formula for success, by the time you think you have it figured out someone throws a monkey wrench in the works. I believe you have to have a certain knack for intuition, be a team player, add a pinch of good luck and watch your controllables, and maybe then...
Thank's to all that have responded
Mike and Cyn