Why can't I stay in the service area?

[lisalewis]

My husband and I have been hauling expediting freight for 3 months now and can not stay in the service area.? We are trying to be at 100 percent but that takes us out west and to the deep south where we get "stuck" often. We live in Indiana and thought we would be able to swing by our home more but seem to live weeks at a time in states like MT and UT. Not only is freight slow but fuel prices are horrible! We had hoped that the fuel surcharges would be better but they have seemed to have stayed the same since we started, even though we have seen fuel jump over 50 cents over our short driving career. How can we stay in the service area? Should we start refusing loads?

 

[brentwb2]

I would recommend that you be tactical in your freight selections. Understand that there are dead areas, like MT and UT. There is nothing wrong with declining to take a load once in a while. At orientation, they try to tell you to take every load that is offered and like it. The problem with that theory is that YOU are the one who has to make the payments. I would not get discouraged with expediting yet. But I would definitely try to stay from Indiana east and south if at all possible. If they want to to go West, make sure it pays well because you may deadhead out. If you work for Fed Ex, get on the VRU and find out what areas (express centers) are moving that day before you agree to accept a load going to a certain area.

 

[LDB]

Being at 100% acceptance is great in theory but isn't practical for the reason you've pointed out. If you take 4 out of 5 jobs you are doing more than many and you can stay closer to the better areas and take better jobs that way. You are in charge of your personal company, the truck you are driving, and only you can decide what is sensible for your company. Run what makes sense to you and makes you money. Good luck.

Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB, OOIDA 677319
Owner, Panther trucks 4958, 5447
Highway Watch Participant, Truckerbuddy
EO Forum Moderator
----------
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

 

[vipra]

Great question, and here are some things that I've learned:
---The first guy who replied said this, but I'll repeat it: try to accept only loads going west that pay at the highest rate.
---If you deliver to MT or UT or anywhere else that you've been before and have sat for days waiting for a return load, when you go there again don't sit at all. As soon as you deliver, turn around and head east to the nearest place that you feel confident of getting a new load. I consider it better to waste money on fuel deadheading to a place that you'll get a new load the same day or the next day, than to sit for 2 or 3 days making nothing.
---Never sit more than 1 day anywhere. There are lots of variables to consider about this, like whether you've had a good or bad week so far, whether it's the busy or slow season, etc.
---As you've found out, it's hard deciding whether or not to accept a load. You don't want to turn down too many because your dispatchers will get a negative opinion of you, but if you accept everything your dispatchers will feed you all the trashy loads that noone else will accept. Talk to others in your company and see what they do.
---See if you're company will let you work for another company as well. Some expediters work for more than one company, but I don't know how much effect this has on their mileage. I've been wondering about this for a while, so I think I'll post this as a new question right now...

 

[davekc]

Some great responses.
The biggest item is to know what it cost per mile to run your truck. Once you know that, it will be easy to determine if a run is profitable or not.
If you or your company can't get you out of certain areas, I would see little reason to go there.
"Businessman first, driver second"






Davekc
owner
21 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[guest]

DaveKc Is so Right, Sometimes you have to look beyond the load and also look at the deadhead after the load, that should also play into the part of doing a load.

Drive safe

Dave Mayfield
FEDExCC/Roberts Express O/O Since 3/1/1995
C1847,C2045,D3397,D5047

 

[JohnO]

The first O/O I drove for solo suggested I take a map of the US and draw circle covering areas where FedEx freight is readily available minimizing deadhead miles.

Inner Circle includes east coast from Norfolk to Boston then west through southern VA, Kentucky cutting up to Evansville, Indiana into Illinois north through Peoria to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Using this as my inner circle my deadheading was minimized for the most part.

Outer Circle increased my deadheading but was still profitable for the most part this included Savannah, Georgia west through Alabama, Mississippi, Memphis, Tennessee north through Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, and Iron Mountain, Wisconsin.

Going outside this outer circle usually meant deadheading back to my inner circle for most profitable runs.

As we all know there are exceptions to this so I just used it as a guideline which allowed me to deviate when I investigated and found probability high that I would get a run returning to my out circle or even inner circle.

Then there were those times I would take my chances to visit a certain area of the US and HOPE I got a profitable run back to my safe zone. Sometimes it was a bust and other times I broke even but I enjoyed the sightseeing which is one of the reason I became an expediter.

The second O/O I drove for philosophy was different and stressed keeping acceptance rate in the 90’s%. Since he was paying for the fuel I had no problem as we usually made a good paycheck. I always wanted a California run and once we got it turned out to be the RUN FROM HELL as we ended deadheading from Los Angeles to Phoenix and then onto Dallas before we got a profitable run. We couldn’t catch a break in California east to Dallas. I always marvel how some trucks have a golden cloud following them no matter where they go.

Another of his trucks would get a very profitable run from the slowest express center on a regular basis. I gave them the name Favorite Sons and we were known as Sweat Hogs.

 

[Broompilot]

I am glad we can agree to dissagree here. One suggestion, MT, UT, etc... Ask for DH back to a better loacation.

I did this last year to Edmonton, AB. Sure enough the customer said WE NEED IT THERE so pay the driver. I got a load from Lexington, KY, to Edmonton, AB paid right back to MNPS, MN. A total of 5 and half days of full driving. 11 hours straight everyday at 60 mph.

If the customer wants it bad enough, than we should not be asked to loose any $ on it. Its not our fault its only one way, why should a customer in Chicago pay the same as a guy in MT, where would you rather your run end at (from a business standpoint) I would rather go to MT but only for a vacation.

 

[LDB]

I agree. The load has to make sense from a business standpoint. Obviously the company wants it hauled for as little as possible. Equally obvious, they know it costs X amount per mile to operate these trucks and that they'll have to pay to move the freight. I'd suggest setting up that after delivery you will wait 24 hours for a job and if there isn't one they then pay you d/h to the nearest viable service area. That has worked well for us in the past because the company sees us as willing to give things a chance but not to wait forever.

Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB, OOIDA 677319
Owner, Panther trucks 4958, 5447
Highway Watch Participant, Truckerbuddy
EO Forum Moderator
----------
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

 

[themagicoen]

Well I agree with don't sit for more than a day BUT this happens.... I took a load to Williamsport, PA. I knew it was middle of nowhere, but it was 804 miles and a very good f/s, they paid 50% dh to pu so I took it. Delivered, closet board for P2 was 150 miles away but ##### EM wouldn't give me nothing so I found myself a nice home in a walmart parking lot in Reading, PA - it put me on 3 boards and only cost me bout 90 miles. Got a load offer picking up 90 miles away going to Chicago - of course P2 dispatch strong arms me - your east, your sitting, your 1st out of 100's trucks, your going to take this load at a loss if you want it. So I take it to keep moving - half way there it dry runs, now its friday night and i have no load. I'm sitting on 3 boards 5 loads a day avg between them, 1 st out. Well its Sunday and I'm still sitting here. I would move but I cant ask for a better position than I am in. Just have to wait sometimes.