Sitting here in Here in Great Falls Montana. I'm roaming the hallway of the hotel trying to figure out which room Hannah Montana is staying in. Oh, wait, she would never say in a dumpy over-priced motel six.
Well, I was at home on monday planning to take a full week off. I had even turned off the cell and shut down the computer for a day. But then I got curious as to what all I was missing out there on my partner carrier load boards. Logged onto one carriers board and saw a 100 mile in state run and booked it for 250 bucks.
I got up at 4 AM on Wednesday and ran the load. I deadheaded back home and logged onto some other partner carrier sites, and right before I decided to take a nap a load popped up from Ontario California to Logan Utah. 727 miles and I got the load for 990 dollars. Then I looked at another partner carrier board and saw a load picking up in Pocatello Idaho the next evening and realized that I had time to deliver the first load, sleep,and then deadhead from Logan to Pocatello and make a pick up to go to Havre Montana.
I got the second load (500) miler for 700 dollars...the benefit of being in areas where there is no competition! I have averaged 1.40 per loaded mile as I have done approximately 1300 miles or so for about 1900 dollars. I got curious and did a vehicle search on a site where everyone posts their available vehicles and realized that I was one of 2 cargo vans in the entire state of California, and the other company that had a van posted in Montana has been kicked off of the partner carrier site that had the Pocatello load posted on it.
I guess i'll stay in a room tonight, get some rest, and then deadhead back home tomorrow if I don't see at least a short load to pick up along the way. I bid higher rates out west simply because I have to go over a dollar a mile in order to cover the cost of my dead head and to help offset the higher price of fuel. Looks like things are getting a lot better towards the end of the year!! Good luck out there.