Fuel for Thought

Missed Opportunities

 “I won’t take a load for less than $x.xx per mile.”  “The least I will run for is $x.xx per mile”. “Why do they even call me with such ridiculous offers?”  “I can’t believe someone would haul a load for $x.xx !” We all hear these comments and many others like them all the time, but I wonder if these people ever consider the alternatives ?

 The first two statements are basically the same. If you mark that line in the sand, how long before you relent? How long will you wait for that magical number? While every mile you run has an associated cost, so does sitting and waiting. Everyday you sit and wait, without a load, is revenue lost. So, again I ask, how long do you wait?

  “Why do they even call me with such ridiculous offers?”

I get offers all the time that I decline, but I appreciate the offers, however low they may be. I would much rather have options, even low ones, as opposed to none at all. Plus, at least when low offers are presented to me, I have the ability to try to negotiate a better rate. If I just dismissed all the low offers, it could be an opportunity lost. Ridiculously low offers are still offers.

 “I can’t believe someone would haul a load for $x.xx !”

Why not? There are so many factors that go into your decision on whether or not to accept a load. Don’t you think other drivers could have different factors that they calculate into their decision to take a load? We all have different needs and different expenses. What works for me may not work for you, and vice versa.

  I took a 6000 lb. load out of California to South Dakota, in a straight truck, for $0.73 per mile. Yes, over 1700 miles for $0.73 mile to South Dakota, in a straight truck, solo driver ! No, I don’t live in SD, or anywhere near there, so it wasn’t a load going home. It was, however, a good load. Where many would dismiss this out of hand, I say look at the bigger picture. I was also able to take another load from California to South Dakota with this one. This other load paid a good rate, so the $0.73 load was basically a bonus. When I dropped the better paying load, I was only 400 miles from the delivery of the $0.73 load. So 400 miles but paid on over 1700 miles @ $0.73 per mile is now looking much better. Had I just dismissed this offer as ridiculous, I would have missed a great opportunity.

 Circumstances dictate good from bad offers. The next time you get that call for a cheap load, consider your options. Can you negotiate a higher rate? Can you haul another load with it? How long have you been sitting there waiting for your magical number to come up? If you sit for a week to get one load, how much revenue have you lost? I’m not advocating cheap freight, I’m just saying to consider alternatives.

See you down the road,

Greg

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.

- Winston Churchill

16-1, 22-2, 7-14, 21-6, 13-5.