OUTSTANDING QUESTION!!! Finally, someone rises willing to question the per-load mentality that, in my view, produces more bookeeping work than benefits.
We know our cost per mile to run the truck and accept or delcine loads on that basis. We do not try to calculate profit per load. I believe it is foolish to do so. So many expenses bleed over from one load to another. A fuel stop may carry you through three loads, for example. If you blow a tire on a run, do you charge the cost of a new tire to that run or all future runs? Either way, what difference does it make?
When you go out of service and deadhead home on your dime, what run do you charge that fuel expense to? The previous one? The next one?
At the end of the year, your account does not need to know what money came from what runs. He or she needs to know how much revenue you generated and what your expenses were. He or she does not even need to know how many miles you drove, loaded or empty. At the end of each week or month, the revenue and expense information can help you keep track of your profit or loss for the period. It does not matter if you completed 10 runs, 20, 30 or zero. You can still calculate your profit or loss.
I know there are a lot of drivers and fleet owners out there that will proudly display the run envelopes they use. I have yet to understand what benefits are gained by per-run accounting. Perhaps they can educate me here.
I believe per-run thinking can be counterproductive. Drivers that turn down runs because "this run does not pay over $1.25 per mile" or "this run is not profitable" end up practicing a fragmented load acceptance strategy that blinds them to how a bad or marginal run may set them up for a very good one.
The successful expediters I know do not think run-to-run. They think month-to-month.
