The Quiet Exodus

[OntarioVanMan]

Seems Bolt is losing vans at a good clip....owners I talked with all said the same thing....50-.70 cent freight fsc and DH inclusive....all were told not every load was to be that low but reality all have been...Know of 2 more owners leaving in the next couple weeks....
Is this the beginning of the end....

AnneM what the hecks going on?

Seems chefdennis you are going to get busier....good thing you don't need the money....*LOL*

 

[RLENT]

Can't speak for Anne, or anyone else ..... but below are the rates (all inclusive) I've seen for my last 9 loads:

$ 0.728
$ 1.124
$ 0.785
$ 0.800
$ 0.907
$ 0.651
$ 0.810
$ 0.814
$ 0.761

Only one lower than 70 cpm (and it was a shorter one)

Those numbers date from 07/15/09 to present (I was OOS a couple of times during that period)

I have been OOS since 08/10/09 (taking care of personal matters - the gas company is getting ready to sink a well on our property - free gas !!! ) - scheduled to go back in on Wednesday ...... so I can't speak to what is being offered since 08/10 ...

 

[60MPH]

RLENT , How many of those loads were sprinter van loads?? I only see one that is pay appropriate for a sprinter. I have seen a up tick of cube van and sprinter freight recently just wondering if you are getting your hands on it. I think anyone running a sprinter or a van with a medium to high payment would have a very hard time with those rates. This is just my .02 cents. As for Bolt vans dropping off I do not know, I never see any in my operating area so I never get to talk to any.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Can't speak for Anne, or anyone else ..... but below are the rates (all inclusive) I've seen for my last 9 loads:

$ 0.728
$ 1.124
$ 0.785
$ 0.800
$ 0.907
$ 0.651
$ 0.810
$ 0.814
$ 0.761

Only one lower than 70 cpm (and it was a shorter one)

Those numbers date from 07/15/09 to present (I was OOS a couple of times during that period)

I have been OOS since 08/10/09 (taking care of personal matters - the gas company is getting ready to sink a well on our property - free gas !!! ) - scheduled to go back in on Wednesday ...... so I can't speak to what is being offered since 08/10 ...

Remember Rlent I said DH inclusive...that would be ALL miles....with that though your a straight talker, NOT prone to exageration I'll do more checking with my sources.....just to be fair...

 

[Oilerman1957]

I have a good friend driving for Bolt and his pay rate has been mostly in the 65 to 70 cents range, he is getting very frustrated with these rates also. That doesnt even include deadhead, but does include fsc.

 

[Falligator]

The same is happening to everyone tho. I'm hoping that as the economy improves so does the money that we are making, and that the carriers are not just out to make a buck off of our backs. I've been taking a few loads .70 + .08 cent fuel....but long loads. I take "almost" everything that I am offered.

 

[chefdennis]

i am in a hotel room and my run log is out in my van and i am too lazy to go get it so i can't print them out now, but i can tell you the DH miles over 50 are NOT included in pay per mile and while i have run a few $.70 a mile runs, i am not averaging that at all, and iam running for more per mile then that on avg...as OVM said, looks like ill be busy.....works for me....

And i'll add oe more thing, if the rates are too low for anyone, then they are right to move on...its not an issue for me....while others are complaining about sitting in the atlanta area for extended times lately, i hve been here less then 12 hours and have a load out of here in the morning running 483 miles and paying $.78 a loaded mile...have been in and out of GA 3 times in the last week and only one run paid $.70 and it was back to michigan and it took me home... so let them go, i can continue to see the countryside and get paid to do it....

PS: i jiust thought abiut it...maybe its time for another "Cheesecake!" Keep that "Chosen one" status goin!!!

 

[RoadZombie]

Hello Everyone,

This is my first post here, I don't spend "alot" of time of time here, I use it for info on the state of expediting and for that I thank EO for the job they do. I have been in expediting for about three years as a CV owner, I wanted to make a comment on this post as it has hit home for me.

I worked for Bolt for 3 months and I must agree with OVM, my load offers were never anything close to what Mark said they would be at orintation, i.e .78+.12fsc, my offers were .38+12fsc, .43+12fsc at the most .55+12fsc... that was only for very short runs, I am talking under 150 loaded miles, I may have had one at that rate for 500 miles when I first started with them.

I have always done everything possable to be professional, I treat all shippers and consignies freindly and with the respect that they deserve, even when it was not resipical. I was always ontime or early, and I have been for any company I have worked for.

With the pay that I was getting from Bolt, I knew everytime the phone rang with a incomming from Ohio, I would be losing money. how they expect a person to pay for a new set of tires on that pay, let alone a rebuild on a engine or transmission is beond me.

It seems that many of you get good loads from Bolt.... The cherrys, Me... seems I got nothing but the pitts, It appears I am not alone.

So, I have moved on, taking some time off, trying to figure out what is the best action, keeping tabs here trying to figure if it is worth persuing expediting anymore, being I live in Michigan, there are not many options that I have.

Thanks for reading,
Best to all,
Roger
a.k.a RoadZombie

 

[buckeyewildman]

i don,t post very much on here but i had to respond to this thread i was with Bolt for 3 years currently i am doing something else on my own however i must say if i signed on with a company i would not hesitate to go with Bolt and that may very well happen during the time i was with bolt i must say i had my share of low paying runs however i had plenty of the goods ones to i will say i made what Mark and Anne said i would at one which was i feel safe to say my last year there my avg. per mile was .85 Or more a mile i had a few well over 1.00 @mile the cheapest i can remember was a load out of Laredo which if memory serves me right was .51@ mile but i had been sitting there for a couple of days and i just wanted to get the heck out of there so Chef i guess you must of taken over the tile chosen one after i left lol
i left for health and personal reasons so if y,all happen to pick up a load at Pacific Mfg in Fairfield Ohio after 7:30 at night just look for the short round guy on 11 or 12 welding line usally at 12-5 robot and say hi

 

[guido4475]

I guess I had better stay where I am at.My pay is great compared to what is stated above, but then again I don't get many loads, either.

 

[chefdennis]

roadzombie wrote:

I worked for Bolt for 3 months and I must agree with OVM, my load offers were never anything close to what Mark said they would be at orintation, i.e .78+.12fsc, my offers were .38+12fsc, .43+12fsc at the most .55+12fsc... that was only for very short runs, I am talking under 150 loaded miles, I may have had one at that rate for 500 miles when I first started with them.

you stayed for 3 months with runs that paid from $.38+fsc to no more then $.55+fsc and only short 150 mile area runs????

Shame on you.....1st for not refusing them and 2nd for staying that long....

the lowest i have been offered was $.48 out of laredo and i posted on that here after 3 of us turned it down....

Now....if you let a company abuse you, (and they all will if you let them) they will...some dispatchers are better then others at making load offers...its up to you to decide what you haul...yes i have been offered low paying loads and yes i'll take them...either when there is a "pre-dispatch" behind them, the run will benefit me (better location, close dh home) or as a favor to a dispatcher that needs a run taken care of in a bad way...but for the most part, I won't take anything that i consider too low...

now as for owners leaving....I have had a few PM's and phone calls from other Bolt drivers asking me NOT to post all of my trips in the "monthly location" threads...its their fear that when people see how many trips and my locations that they might think Bolt is busy and maybe see Anne about coming on with them..there by lowering load offers.....so i guess more then just Randy and myself are doing pretty good with Bolt....

So anyone that thinks all that Bolt hauls is low paying freight, that they only have short runs....thats ok keep thinkin it and stay away from Bolt.....those of us that are doing fine will appreciate it.... that being said, if you aren't afriad to work, move to better freight areas when the need arises and run your tail off (7 runs from aug 11th to aug 14th, none less the $.78 per loaded mile and only 2 under 100 miles and those paid over $1.00 a mile) get in touch with Anne...she will be happy to have someone that wants to work...

 

[x06col]

Careful there Chef, yer using that four letter word ya know. WORK. You'll get the wrath of the "roast goose hunters" if'n yer not careful.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Careful there Chef, yer using that four letter word ya know. WORK. You'll get the wrath of the "roast goose hunters" if'n yer not careful.

you are boosting quantity over quality?

Puzzle me this? If every carrier is say bidding on the same load...and nearly all the top carriers are paying .70 -.85 cents on the same load why does one have to offer .50 on the same load? Is the winning bid that low?
"To get out of Texas"??? The Laredo corridor IS in the freight lanes...I don't buy it! Sorry that is an excuse to rip operators by sticking to company excuse for bad bidding!!
If the carriers were sincere..if they bid.75/ mile they'd offer the operator .65-.70 to get their VALUED O/O, the one they care so much for, rolling again.

 

[chefdennis]

ovm wrote:

"To get out of Texas"??? The Laredo corridor IS in the freight lanes...I don't buy it! Sorry that is an excuse to rip operators by sticking to company excuse for bad bidding!!

i agree...thats why 3 of us turned down the $.48 load.. after that offer i ran up to san antonio for personal business (bought 2 6 volt golf cart batteries for the van), and got a run from there to chicago that pd $.82 per loaded mile with only a 6 mile dh.....

 

[OntarioVanMan]

ovm wrote:



i agree...thats why 3 of us turned down the $.48 load.. after that offer i ran up to san antonio for personal business (bought 2 6 volt golf cart batteries for the van), and got a run from there to chicago that pd $.82 per loaded mile with only a 6 mile dh.....

Thats why I didn't mention any carrier in specific...That is also why the flat rate works in some locations and not others...we sold our soul for X amount per mile, the only thing to negotiate is DH and final destination.

Rookies looking in can see the difference of how O/O's think and work...
I didn't want to pick on Bolt specifically BUT I think they can stand up to scrutiny well. In a good way...

 

[RLENT]

you are boosting quantity over quality?

It's always a delicate balance. As you know, one has both variable costs, and fixed costs. The more miles you run per unit of time (week, month, year), the more your fixed costs decrease per mile .....

Dunno about you (actually I do - your van is paid off ) .... but my fixed costs run about $1K per month ..... so I need to run some miles ...... in order to spread out that fixed cost.

Puzzle me this? If every carrier is say bidding on the same load...and nearly all the top carriers are paying .70 -.85 cents on the same load why does one have to offer .50 on the same load? Is the winning bid that low?

Over a year ago my former carrier (not Bolt, who is my current carrier) went from being a business which depended almost entirely on their own dedicated customers ..... to one which began using bid boards (in addition to their own customers) ..... largely to book backhauls I guess ..... since they had previously had mostly one way loads ......

To paraphrase, the owner, one of the dispatchers, and the operations guy - after they got hooked up on various bid boards:

"You would not believe how cheap some of the freight is going for on these bid boards"

They were utterly aghast ...... and couldn't believe that people (independent O/O's and larger companies) would bid that low for freight ..... keep in mind that when I had been there a year or so before that, I averaged $1.20 per loaded mile with this company ... which tells ya something about the coin they were able to get out of their dedicated customers .....

Competition vs. no competition ....

"To get out of Texas"??? The Laredo corridor IS in the freight lanes...I don't buy it! Sorry that is an excuse to rip operators by sticking to company excuse for bad bidding!!

Supply and demand ...... go to Laredo when there is 20 vans hanging around there ...... and then go to Laredo when you are the only game in town .... big difference.

What do you think it going to happen when you have half a dozen companies, with a total of 20 or 30 cargo vans and Sprinters down there .... and there is only 5 or 10 loads per day coming out ? (.... if that .....)

Take a look at inbound vs outbound loads for Texas vs other states .....

If the carriers were sincere..if they bid.75/ mile they'd offer the operator .65-.70 to get their VALUED O/O, the one they care so much for, rolling again.

Yeah ...... don't think so ..... any carrier is going to be trying to make money on every load they book and haul .... if they were to do otherwise, they would be poor business people ....

Having said that, I do know on occasion, at least some of them will give it up ....

 

[OntarioVanMan]

It's always a delicate balance. As you know, one has both variable costs, and fixed costs. The more miles you run per unit of time (week, month, year), the more your fixed costs decrease per mile .....

Dunno about you (actually I do - your van is paid off ) .... but my fixed costs run about $1K per month ..... so I need to run some miles ...... in order to spread out that fixed cost.


Over a year ago my former carrier (not Bolt, who is my current carrier) went from being a business which depended almost entirely on their own dedicated customers ..... to one which began using bid boards (in addition to their own customers) ..... largely to book backhauls I guess ..... since they had previously had mostly one way loads ......

To paraphrase, the owner, one of the dispatchers, and the operations guy - after they got hooked up on various bid boards:

"You would not believe how cheap some of the freight is going for on these bid boards"

They were utterly aghast ...... and couldn't believe that people (independent O/O's and larger companies) would bid that low for freight ..... keep in mind that when I had been there a year or so before that, I averaged $1.20 per loaded mile with this company ... which tells ya something about the coin they were able to get out of their dedicated customers .....

Competition vs. no competition ....


Supply and demand ...... go to Laredo when there is 20 vans hanging around there ...... and then go to Laredo when you are the only game in town .... big difference.

What do you think it going to happen when you have half a dozen companies, with a total of 20 or 30 cargo vans and Sprinters down there .... and there is only 5 or 10 loads per day coming out ? (.... if that .....)

Take a look at inbound vs outbound loads for Texas vs other states .....


Yeah ...... don't think so ..... any carrier is going to be trying to make money on every load they book and haul .... if they were to do otherwise, they would be poor business people ....

Having said that, I do know on occasion, at least some of them will give it up ....

By your own math...20-30 vans...5-10 loads a day...think I'll wait 3-4 days and get one at full rate...

 

[RLENT]

By your own math...20-30 vans...5-10 loads a day...think I'll wait 3-4 days and get one at full rate...

Yeah ... the prospect of arriving home musta caused your eyes to glaze over .....

"and there is only 5 or 10 loads per day coming out ? (.... if that .....)"

 

[Turtle]

....I have had a few PM's and phone calls from other Bolt drivers asking me NOT to post all of my trips in the "monthly location" threads...

I really miss Paul Harvey.

 

[FIS53]

And to think we've got guys complaining about runs paying .91/mile. Actually last week the guy doing a reg run that pays the .91/mile normally, got it with an extra so he got 1.24/mile and he still didn't like it! This is all miles for the run dh incl'd. Sometimes there be no making someone happy with the price of a call. I don't mind most of the short runs as they are based on a minimum charge making the price per mile much higher. The longer hauls are much lower per mile especially since we have few backhauls. This is where we try to economize in every way possible.
Rob