What is your bottom RPM you will run for.

[nightcreacher]

I'm loving this Panther FDCC debate over money.
So I have found out,smaller carriers also know what they are doing.IN 2009,do to having much time off, at the FED my gross was 191000 for 1200000 miles
in the 22 weeks Ive been with Tri State,Ive grossed almost 108000 for 67000 miles,and 2 of those weeks I ran solo,which hurt my total revenue.
Last year my total expenses were 112000 dollars for the 120000 miles,thats a little over 93 cpm ,so in actuality,I could run a load for .94 cpm and stay in the black,but I wouldn't have a drivers pay,so you know I'm not going to do that.
In some conversation here at Tri State,they do have straight trucks doing $200000 plus.and that is just doing dry freight.
I guess waht your looking at is the way one wants to work.
You know,over the years Ive met people that say they stay out several months at a time.You know staying out is great if your making the revenue you need each week,but staying out and sitting doesn't put money in the bank.
Sure if you live in a dry area,and going home means you can't get loaded,then yes,you may have to stay out longer.
Bruno,at one time I told you I'd match my revenue pulling FDCC's dry box against your reefer tractor at Panther,I'll still do that here at Tri State.

 

[iceroadtrucker]

I'm loving this Panther FDCC debate over money.
So I have found out,smaller carriers also know what they are doing.IN 2009,do to having much time off, at the FED my gross was 191000 for 1200000 miles
in the 22 weeks Ive been with Tri State,Ive grossed almost 108000 for 67000 miles,and 2 of those weeks I ran solo,which hurt my total revenue.
Last year my total expenses were 112000 dollars for the 120000 miles,thats a little over 93 cpm ,so in actuality,I could run a load for .94 cpm and stay in the black,but I wouldn't have a drivers pay,so you know I'm not going to do that.
In some conversation here at Tri State,they do have straight trucks doing $200000 plus.and that is just doing dry freight.
I guess waht your looking at is the way one wants to work.
You know,over the years Ive met people that say they stay out several months at a time.You know staying out is great if your making the revenue you need each week,but staying out and sitting doesn't put money in the bank.
Sure if you live in a dry area,and going home means you can't get loaded,then yes,you may have to stay out longer.
Bruno,at one time I told you I'd match my revenue pulling FDCC's dry box against your reefer tractor at Panther,I'll still do that here at Tri State.

You hit the nail right on the Head As I don't go home but that sure feels like getting kicked in the teeth.

Show me the money.
Money Talks and Bull**** walks.
Ive had my fill of the BS.
Ghost Rider.

 

[Bruno]

I'm loving this Panther FDCC debate over money.
So I have found out,smaller carriers also know what they are doing.IN 2009,do to having much time off, at the FED my gross was 191000 for 1200000 miles
in the 22 weeks Ive been with Tri State,Ive grossed almost 108000 for 67000 miles,and 2 of those weeks I ran solo,which hurt my total revenue.
Last year my total expenses were 112000 dollars for the 120000 miles,thats a little over 93 cpm ,so in actuality,I could run a load for .94 cpm and stay in the black,but I wouldn't have a drivers pay,so you know I'm not going to do that.
In some conversation here at Tri State,they do have straight trucks doing $200000 plus.and that is just doing dry freight.
I guess waht your looking at is the way one wants to work.
You know,over the years Ive met people that say they stay out several months at a time.You know staying out is great if your making the revenue you need each week,but staying out and sitting doesn't put money in the bank.
Sure if you live in a dry area,and going home means you can't get loaded,then yes,you may have to stay out longer.
Bruno,at one time I told you I'd match my revenue pulling FDCC's dry box against your reefer tractor at Panther,I'll still do that here at Tri State.

Steve I don't think you was making as much as the Tractor than Integrity ER unit because it was doing way more than it was at FedEx and it was getting 2.36 a loaded mile at fedex

 

[layoutshooter]

How do reefer rates compare? I can't run for .94 cpm. I would be broke in a month if I did that. Luckily we are running for FAR more than that. The ONLY thing that has held me back this year is doctor junk. More of that later in the year too.

 

[Bruno]

How do reefer rates compare? I can't run for .94 cpm. I would be broke in a month if I did that. Luckily we are running for FAR more than that. The ONLY thing that has held me back this year is doctor junk. More of that later in the year too.

Reefer Rates are great, but the cost of repairs can add up fast. Just for a Generator it can cost you over $3000.00 to have replaced. Is it really worth it? Sometimes yes and sometimes no.

 

[layoutshooter]

Reefer Rates are great, but the cost of repairs can add up fast. Just for a Generator it can cost you over $3000.00 to have replaced. Is it really worth it? Sometimes yes and sometimes no.

I have a reefer already. The alternator cost me $900.00 to replace this summer. That was not was I was asking.

The post above was talking about .94 per mile. I can't work for that. When I talked to Panther they told me that I would likely LOSE money if I signed on with them. Too much "special" work they don't do that makes up the bulk of my income.

 

[Ragman]

I have a reefer already. The alternator cost me $900.00 to replace this summer. That was not was I was asking.

The post above was talking about .94 per mile. I can't work for that. When I talked to Panther they told me that I would likely LOSE money if I signed on with them. Too much "special" work they don't do that makes up the bulk of my income.

Would this be known as reefer madness?

 

[layoutshooter]

Would this be known as reefer madness?

Sumptin like at!!!

 

[Dakota]

I run for a minimum of a $1.20 per mile. If I was doing a hotshot I'd expect an additional $.40 cents per mile for fuel/mileage charge on my truck to make it profitable.
I run local/routes for Towne. I figure my mileage Fort Wayne terminal back to Fort Wayne terminal, not as unload/loaded/deadhead My average this year is $1.54 per mile

 

[nightcreacher]

How do reefer rates compare? I can't run for .94 cpm. I would be broke in a month if I did that. Luckily we are running for FAR more than that. The ONLY thing that has held me back this year is doctor junk. More of that later in the year too.

shooter,how does it cost so much to run your straight truck,like I posted,last year my truck cost me just a little over 93 cpm to run,that didnt include my pay. In the 120000 miles I ran,my net was 75000 bucks.I wouldnt take a load for 94 cpm either,but if I needed to I could

 

[greg334]

900 for an alternator?

OK I guess.

It cost me 1100 for IP and injectors.

My alternator was $148 with no core charge - next time I will just rebuild it myself at $54.

The thing about reefer work is you have to actually have it to recoup the cost of maintenance. If you are not using that reefer at least four times a month, AND being compensated for it, it is simply not worth having it on the truck.

 

[layoutshooter]

900 for an alternator?

OK I guess.

It cost me 1100 for IP and injectors.

My alternator was $148 with no core charge - next time I will just rebuild it myself at $54.

The thing about reefer work is you have to actually have it to recoup the cost of maintenance. If you are not using that reefer at least four times a month, AND being compensated for it, it is simply not worth having it on the truck.

I was in Canada when it went out. I was at their mercy. I had a load that used the reefer later that after noon. No chance to do it cheaper.

Four times a month? Often more like four times a week this year.

 

[layoutshooter]

shooter,how does it cost so much to run your straight truck,like I posted,last year my truck cost me just a little over 93 cpm to run,that didnt include my pay. In the 120000 miles I ran,my net was 75000 bucks.I wouldnt take a load for 94 cpm either,but if I needed to I could

A little over 1.10. My average is MUCH higher. I would take .94 in an emergency, just to cover fuel on a needed DH home.

I only have EVER taken one low paying load other than that. It was backed up with a REALLY good load and when I added the two together I came up with over 1500 miles at 2.10 per. I took that cheap one.

 

[ATeam]

There are several things to think about when it comes to truck operating costs and revenue. Note that you get more of what you think about.

If you think only about cost savings, you will end up in a little puddle jumper, rattle trap truck that has revenue limitations and future major costs built in. If you think only about maximizing revenue per mile, you will end up in a very expensive truck that is so specialized that it may only do a few runs a year because the truck was built for unbelievably high pay-per-mile loads only (cryogenics for example).

There is a sweet spot in between, the nature of which varies greatly by the other considerations individual drivers bring into the game.

Forget about what other people are doing. Forget about making other people right or wrong. What is right for you is wrong for another, and vice versa.

NOTE TO EXPEDITER WANNABEES:

Carriers view you not as a driver or a truck but as a purchased transportation package. A driver cannot carry freight without a truck and a truck cannot move freight without a driver. Carriers call it truck number xxxxxx. They mean you and your truck together.

Their primary consideration is, "How little can we pay to put our customer's freight on a truck and have it moved safely and on time to its destination?" The question is simple but the answer is not. A host of considerations enter into the answer (legal, safety, professionalism of the drivers, truck qualifications, customer needs and much more).

The question an independent-contractor expediter must ask is, "What do I want out of this business and what am I willing to give to get it?"

That too is a simple question to ask but not simple to answer. Considerations include lifestyle and financial requirements (a street person may be happy to exist hand-to-mouth in a truck while others see that as having no life), one's tolerance for sitting vs. the need to keep moving, the willingness to live in a small sleeper without a generator vs. a large sleeper with all the comforts of home, the opportunity limitations and additonal cost per mile of having a pet on board, and much more.

Expediting is a highly-individualized endeavor that involves numerous choices that must be simultaneously made. Notice that when discussions like the one above surface here in the Open Forum, it is never the case that the whole package is discussed. It may be referenced from time to time but it is never discussed because it would take a book worth of writing to do it.

Discussions like the one above take it one aspect at a time. Someone who wants to be right about not owning a reefer talks only about the disadvantages. Someone who wants to be right about gross revenue at a given carrier will cite high numbers but seldom if ever cite total miles driven over a meaningful period of time. Someone who wants to be right about lifestyle will talk about the joys of a big sleeper and the fun that can be had while sitting but de-emphasize the costs.

For the expediter wannabee, the most effective approach (effective as in producing good results) to these conversations is to identify the various aspects of the package you yourself will present to carriers and/or customers. Sleeper size is an aspect. Gross revenue is an aspect. Reefer and generator are aspects.

Use the Open Forum to identify all aspects (read old posts). Weigh all aspects. Then put together the package that is right for you.

Or do it the way losers do. Get into a truck without much thought and then try to make yourself right for doing what you have done.

 

[Bruno]

There are several things to think about when it comes to truck operating costs and revenue. Note that you get more of what you think about.

If you think only about cost savings, you will end up in a little puddle jumper, rattle trap truck that has revenue limitations and future major costs built in. If you think only about maximizing revenue per mile, you will end up in a very expensive truck that is so specialized that it may only do a few runs a year because the truck was built for unbelievably high pay-per-mile loads only (cryogenics for example).

There is a sweet spot in between, the nature of which varies greatly by the other considerations individual drivers bring into the game.

Forget about what other people are doing. Forget about making other people right or wrong. What is right for you is wrong for another, and vice versa.

NOTE TO EXPEDITER WANNABEES:

Carriers view you not as a driver or a truck but as a purchased transportation package. A driver cannot carry freight without a truck and a truck cannot move freight without a driver. Carriers call it truck number xxxxxx. They mean you and your truck together.

Their primary consideration is, "How little can we pay to put our customer's freight on a truck and have it moved safely and on time to its destination?" The question is simple but the answer is not. A host of considerations enter into the answer (legal, safety, professionalism of the drivers, truck qualifications, customer needs and much more).

The question an independent-contractor expediter must ask is, "What do I want out of this business and what am I willing to give to get it?"

That too is a simple question to ask but not simple to answer. Considerations include lifestyle and financial requirements (a street person may be happy to exist hand-to-mouth in a truck while others see that as having no life), one's tolerance for sitting vs. the need to keep moving, the willingness to live in a small sleeper without a generator vs. a large sleeper with all the comforts of home, the opportunity limitations and additonal cost per mile of having a pet on board, and much more.

Expediting is a highly-individualized endeavor that involves numerous choices that must be simultaneously made. Notice that when discussions like the one above surface here in the Open Forum, it is never the case that the whole package is discussed. It may be referenced from time to time but it is never discussed because it would take a book worth of writing to do it.

Discussions like the one above take it one aspect at a time. Someone who wants to be right about not owning a reefer talks only about the disadvantages. Someone who wants to be right about gross revenue at a given carrier will cite high numbers but seldom if ever cite total miles driven over a meaningful period of time. Someone who wants to be right about lifestyle will talk about the joys of a big sleeper and the fun that can be had while sitting but de-emphasize the costs.

For the expediter wannabee, the most effective approach (effective as in producing good results) to these conversations is to identify the various aspects of the package you yourself will present to carriers and/or customers. Sleeper size is an aspect. Gross revenue is an aspect. Reefer and generator are aspects.

Use the Open Forum to identify all aspects (read old posts). Weigh all aspects. Then put together the package that is right for you.

Or do it the way losers do. Get into a truck without much thought and then try to make yourself right for doing what you have done.

Good post Phil. But everyone has a rate that they will not go under. As for you and Diane you have a rate that you will not go lower than I'm sure. Your truck is a nice truck and your not going to move cheap freight, I would hope that you wouldn't. Yours maybe $1.60 per mile.

 

[ATeam]

Good post Phil. But everyone has a rate that they will not go under. As for you and Diane you have a rate that you will not go lower than I'm sure. Your truck is a nice truck and your not going to move cheap freight, I would hope that you wouldn't. Yours maybe $1.60 per mile.

Yes, we have a nice truck. Yes, we have a rate that we will not go under. And yes, there are exceptions.

We are in San Francisco now and Diane needs to get home to Minnesota for a dental appointment. If a load offer came along at $0.80 a mile that took us to Minneapolis, we would have jumped on it. As it happened, we took an offer that pays over $2.00 a mile (all miles) to go someplace else. We may end up flying Diane home for her appointment.

Our minimum price per mile depends on the truck operating costs. It also depends on the market. Lately, we have turned down several loads that exceeded our minimum because reefer freight has been stronger, more lucrative and more frequent. It is better to wait for the reefer loads than take dry loads that exceed our minimum. We had one of our best months in seven years in September, thanks to the reefer.

Truck capacity is tightening. A CSA-induced driver shortage is developing. Freight volumes and rates are increasing. In this market, shippers are having to pay more to put their freight on trucks. Some shippers who use our carrier are not willing to pay more and we see that in lower-paying load offers. Diane and I seek to serve the shippers who are willing to pay more so we decline the low-pay loads and take the ones that pay more.

Finally, regarding the amount of our minimum, I prefer to keep that number to myself. The $1.60 you mentioned came from you. I will not confirm or deny that number or any other.

 

[14Wheeler]

Whats with all this refig freight, Phil ?

The Guy i'm parked next to has hauled nuttin but
reefer last 45 days and they got him on "perm lock"
for more this week. He says it was nuttin but dry this
time last year.

 

[layoutshooter]

Yes, we have a nice truck. Yes, we have a rate that we will not go under. And yes, there are exceptions.

We are in San Francisco now and Diane needs to get home to Minnesota for a dental appointment. If a load offer came along at $0.80 a mile that took us to Minneapolis, we would have jumped on it. As it happened, we took an offer that pays over $2.00 a mile (all miles) to go someplace else.

Our minimum price per mile depends on the truck operating costs. It also depends on the market. Lately, we have turned down several loads that exceeded our minimum because reefer freight has been stronger, more lucrative and more frequent. It is better to wait for the reefer loads than take dry loads that exceed our minimum. We had one of our best months in seven years in September, thanks to the reefer.

Finally, regarding the amount of our minimum, I prefer to keep that number to myself. The $1.60 you mentioned came from you. I will not confirm or deny that number or any other.

Sept was our second best gross month of this year so far. Almost all reefer work. It was our best net month of the year. We too have been turning down decent dry loads to wait on a better reefer load. It has been working well.

 

[ATeam]

Whats with all this refig freight, Phil ?

I don't know. I only know to make hay while the sun shines.

The shippers are no different than those we have served before. The freight is no different than what we have hauled before. The difference is the shippers are shipping more and paying more.

September ends the third quarter of 2010. Our year-to-date numbers show us running at pre-recession rates and volumes, largely because the third quarter was very strong and brought the entire year up. I have no idea how long this will last or if it will last at all. Thus our commitment to make hay while the sun shines.

 

[layoutshooter]

I don't know. I only know to make hay while the sun shines.

The shippers are no different than those we have served before. The freight is no different than what we have hauled before. The difference is the shippers are shipping more and paying more.

September ends the third quarter of 2010. Our year-to-date numbers show us running at pre-recession rates and volumes, largely because the third quarter was very strong and brought the entire year up. I have no idea how long this will last or if it will last at all. Thus our commitment to make hay while the sun shines.

Our rates have been going up all year. They took a HUGE jump in Sept. Hope it holds for a bit.