seadog6608
Seasoned Expediter
Has anyone here picked up any loads with UShip.com? I'm wondering if they are a reliable source of income. It sure seems that there is a lot of stuff to be hauled around posted on there. Thanks, Seadog
UShip
- Thread starter seadog6608
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sometimes it takes weeks to line up a load and that is a problem because we never know where we'll be in a few weeks....you sure don't want to go far outta your way at the prices...now if you stayed out like I do for 5-7 weeks at a time and used that time to set-up a pick up along the route home it might be worth it just to get fuel money...
bluejaybee
Veteran Expediter
I agree! Uship has the most cheap skate shippers around. Nothing wrong with wanting it shipped cheap, but, they are so afraid to commit because they think the next bid will be lower. This makes for a scheduling nightmare. You don't bid and expect to get it in time to meet your plans. I gave up trying to find back hauls from their site. I don't believe some of them would let you haul it free for them. I admit, I have had one item shipped very cheap myself, but this shipper quoted me a really cheap price right from the start. I personally have never won a bid to haul anything from them.
I have a few shipments in the past not recently...on my terms, my schedule and on my way home...it is a PIA..I've given up on it as well.....even tho...there is a lot of bikes to be moved to Rapid for the Rally...and return...a multiple load could pay well is setup right...as a part time gig...
seadog6608
Seasoned Expediter
Thanks for the answers guys. The info is appreciated. I'm still studying the feasablity of buying a truck and deciding how I want to conduct my business. Was hoping there might be enough work on uship to keep a straight truck busy. thanks again and stay safe out there. Seadog
Brisco
Expert Expediter
DO NOT invest in a truck to run UShip freight, period. OK..........
That's all I can say and others will probably have the same sentiments once they read what you said above.
Look at other venues where a Box Truck might bring in a decent income and just get UShip out of your mind.
seadog6608
Seasoned Expediter
Done. Its gone! Tell about other venues! I really want to stay independent with my own authority rather than giving up 35% of the load to Panther, Tristate etc... Thanks again. Seadog
bluejaybee
Veteran Expediter
One post you speak of Uship and the next post, you mention Panther, TriState, etc. Not quite the same freight scenaro.
Now if it is expediting you want to do, there are many independent guys out here to run for. Most will let you run the way you want to. Meaning, no forced runs, time off, etc. With your own authority, you can pretty much call your own shots. Whether or not you could make any money on your own depends on how much you want to run versus being off. My broker takes 15% and that's all. They get me the runs and collect the money. I do not have my own authority and lease myself and truck to him. Works for me. I have said it several times before, there are many ways to do this. You have to figure out which way would work best for you.
Jefferson3000
Expert Expediter
That 35% is almost enough to cover up your ignorance of the freight industry. When your third truck and insurance payment comes around under your own authority, and you're still trying to figure out what is a profitable load source for your company, you'll appreciate what a good carrier can do for you.
seadog6608
Seasoned Expediter
Thanks BlueJay. I am still trying to figure how to go about doing this. There are a lot of options and I want to pick the right one. I appreciate your help. Seadog
seadog6608
Seasoned Expediter
Thanks for pointing out my ignorance! I would expect a newbie in any industry to be pretty ignorant of that industry. I'm still assessing whether or not to have my own authority. And whether or not to sign on with a large or small company.
Ouch, maybe the written word comes off sometimes a little harsher then intended.
But I would suggest what others have said, get a van and run for someone for while. That 35% goes to insurance, and other operational costs as an independant is very hard to cover being a one man company, also there are customers...that's another area that 35% goes for...also payroll and cash flow which is very difficult to handle for small companies. I know more guys that went broke getting their own authority only to sign on with a carrier 6 months down the road after they lost all their operating capital because a customer didn't pay an invoice, or a big repair happened you couldn't afford. Being a newb, i would strongly suggest not to jump into this rat race of a business without being an expert in it first. It's very tough being behind the wheel and running a expedite company, almost impossible at times IMO and most, more then most fail trying to transition from driving to operating an expedite company. Most dispatchers and dispatch managers cannot jump in a truck and do your job on the road and i say it's vise versa trying to make the transition to company owner from driver from what I have seen in my many moons in the business. Especially running Uship crap freight! The onbe that have success have a soild account or two where their brother in law works or somehow formed some relationships over the years to get them jumpstarted in the business and have some sort of foundation to build on.
But I would suggest what others have said, get a van and run for someone for while. That 35% goes to insurance, and other operational costs as an independant is very hard to cover being a one man company, also there are customers...that's another area that 35% goes for...also payroll and cash flow which is very difficult to handle for small companies. I know more guys that went broke getting their own authority only to sign on with a carrier 6 months down the road after they lost all their operating capital because a customer didn't pay an invoice, or a big repair happened you couldn't afford. Being a newb, i would strongly suggest not to jump into this rat race of a business without being an expert in it first. It's very tough being behind the wheel and running a expedite company, almost impossible at times IMO and most, more then most fail trying to transition from driving to operating an expedite company. Most dispatchers and dispatch managers cannot jump in a truck and do your job on the road and i say it's vise versa trying to make the transition to company owner from driver from what I have seen in my many moons in the business. Especially running Uship crap freight! The onbe that have success have a soild account or two where their brother in law works or somehow formed some relationships over the years to get them jumpstarted in the business and have some sort of foundation to build on.
seadog6608
Seasoned Expediter
Thanks for that Vinnie. That makes a lot of sense to me. Now here's another question. Can a solo driver make it in this business or do I really want a codriver?
Brisco
Expert Expediter
You're on the right track in your quest for "other venues". I'm not really the one to give advice when it comes to actually running "Expedite" freight since I have not tried it yet. Trucking and OTR advice I can give, advice on operating as an "Expediter" I stay away from.
One question I do have though is where are you located? I wish everyone would put their locations down in their profiles. If you're in a major metroplitan area, cities with a 2-3-6 million population count (like the DFW area), I and others could possibly give a little advice on how to put a Straight Truck to work tomorrow to at least have an income coming in while you work to advance that truck towards other venues.
As far as UShip, stay away, far far far away. Probably 75% of the loads posted on UShip are from Morons finding stuff on E-Bay, Craigslist, or other online Auction/Sales sites who are trying to get an idea on how much would it cost to ship what they're interested in buying to them. Example, a guy down in Miami Florida finding a 95 Ford Escort in Seattle Washington for $600. He thinks that's a great price but before he bids on it or buys it, he looks at shipping quotes. The big guys on E-Bay (DAS-Etc) quote him $2300 or so. The Moron now says Sheeeez.....I'm not paying $2900 for that car. Now he posts an ad on UShip hoping to get that car shipped for $450. To him, spending $1,050 is worth it for that car. Well, bid after bid comes in for days and days, if not weeks and weeks, with lowest offer to ship being $1200 from some illegal renegade trucker running with a 12 year old pickup truck and 14 ft trailer. Guy finally gives up trying to buy that $600 car up in Seattle.
If you have time, pick 10 items listed on UShip that are needing to be shipped. Watch the bids that come in. Watch how long it takes the person who posted the ad to answer each bid (there's hundreds of ads there that the person who placed the ad never even respond to bids being posted) and see how many items are actually shipped out of those 10 you are watching. I can almost guarantee maybe 1 or 2 of the 10 you are watching will actually be finalized.
So, just DO NOT put plans to ship UShip freight in any business plan, thoughts, or dreams to build a company around, OK.
Good Luck!
seadog6608
Seasoned Expediter
Thanks Brisco for that answer. I have been watching uShip and noticed the same thing. A lot of private Joe's looking for unrealistically low prices to move their stuff. I was slowly coming to the realization that that was not the way to go.
Other venues. I am a Floridian so there are big cities all over the place. I am in the market to buy a straight truck with sleeper rather than a semi becasue of slightly lower fuel and operating costs. Expedited freight is a possibility but not a necessity. Now I'm ready for ideas on how to get this idea rolling down the road.
BTW, I've been in trasportation for 30 years. Not trucking, ships. I move about 20,000 tons of bulk stone, coal, sand or salt every load.
Other venues. I am a Floridian so there are big cities all over the place. I am in the market to buy a straight truck with sleeper rather than a semi becasue of slightly lower fuel and operating costs. Expedited freight is a possibility but not a necessity. Now I'm ready for ideas on how to get this idea rolling down the road.
BTW, I've been in trasportation for 30 years. Not trucking, ships. I move about 20,000 tons of bulk stone, coal, sand or salt every load.
Jefferson3000
Expert Expediter
My apologies. What I am referring to is the "35%" you are worried about losing. If you want to jump into this industry as a carrier right off the bat, then you will no doubt find a way to do it.
First off, I am not trying to dissuade you so I can recruit you. The carriers you listed (Tri-State and Panther) are good solid companies. The 35% that you wish to save for yourself may realistically only be an extra 10% in the beginning, especially after you take into account the added expenses of being a carrier. You may be using freight brokers a lot in the beginning.
Add to that a pay schedule. 30 to 45 days to pay is normal. So you want to factor the brokers? There goes another 5%. Ask yourself what kind of deadhead you will have initially. Will you only have a few customers of your own in the beginning that require you to return home? Let's just be really conservative and remove only 25% of your time and money for that.
So where you were saving 35%, you are now -20% (very conservatively). The truth is, you were never paying 35% to the carrier. The carrier was paying you to take care of their customers; Customers that took time and effort to win. The term "ignorance" was not meant as a slam, but as the opposite of knowledge; The knowledge of where the freight comes from, the knowledge of how to charge a customer, and the knowledge of how to fund your business. Once you have the numbers all in, you'll know if that 35% or so saved, is really saved at all.
seadog6608
Seasoned Expediter
Thanks Jeff. I got a pretty thick skin, like most sailors, so no harm done. i see your points more clearly now. Like I said, I am leaning more towards a straight truck operation rather thatn a semi because the operating costs are a little lower. Not necessarily moving expedited freight. It seems like you guys sit quite a bit between loads. What I'm thinking about now is joining OOIDA and using their services including their loadboard. There must be LTL's posted there that would fill a 24 FT box on a regular basis. Wouldn't you think?
Jefferson3000
Expert Expediter
In order to make LTLs work in a straight, you would need to put enough of them on there to build up your rate. I actually called on a couple LTL loads today, in an attempt to move one of our straights from a congested area. Baltimore to Jacksonville paid $450 on 757 miles. (3 skids, at 6400 lbs.) Just under .60 per mile. At that kind of rate, you would need at least three to make it worth your while. There are better payers and many that are worse. The problem with a straight doing LTL work, is that you may run out of space and/or weight before making a profit.
With the right small to midsize company that allows you to use paper logs, you can. Any company that uses electronic logs, very difficult to make a living as a single driver.