That's amazing. I'm weighing 10,000 pounds less and I got the green light too but then the signs on the side of the road started flashing that I must enter scales. I assumed cause the weight on the steers and drives were close, but since you made it I don't know why they flagged me in.

Glad you made it though though.

 

I was just trying to see what kind of reaction I could get from readers...they took 2 cubes off so still about 82500 but still....they took the two off the drives so im assuming since I was legal on all axles at that point they didn't notice....

 

So I deadheaded about 500 miles today out of PA. I still kept a decent rate and am in Toledo. I ran a bunch of scenarios for different Ohio cities and figured this was my best bet. So we'll see how this goes. My wife wanted to know why I didn't take just anything to get back to a good area :?

I met an old man today from Tenn. I think. He was driving for Big G Express or something like that. He has been in this for many years and at one time had 17 trucks. He told me in his opinion that anyone that can hang on for a few years should do well. He sees future consolidation of the big companies which should drive up rates. I asked him why he got out and he said the same as I keep hearing on why O/O fail; the maintenance. He couldn't keep up with drivers beating up the equipment.

I told him I was deadheading out (this was in PA) and he felt I was doing the right thing. I wish now I asked how he kept the trucks he had running, that his did he have contracts or how did he obtain work.

I got a PM done and they all seem to comment on how clean everything looks. I stand there and ask them to check everything. I asked him to show me where those mushroom things were for the differential that Alan told Steve to check but I guess I don't have them, I have hoses which I guess don't clog up according to him.

I was going over my numbers last night and I was a little disapointed with them. So far it seems I've made about $17,000 more or less in 5 months but that was paying for the insurance for the whole year and I had a bunch of start up costs that I don't forsee going through for a while.

But I can't forget that I will not get rich doing this and that I don't plan on staying in this truck for long. Especially when you prepay things it's easy to forget that when you are not running you are losing money. My insurance comes to about $275 a week so two weeks down as I was with the fifth wheel cost me about $500 just in insurance.

This is like the 3rd time in a month I am in this area. I guess the thing with reefers is to "follow the freight" that is produce. I don't think I am going to do that. It seems to me you will get good rates going out of these areas but bad ones going in and I'd rather just be seen in a area on a continuous basis and build a steady rep. This seem to be a decent area when it is "down" as it is now. I mean once Michigan hits it's produce season this is a great area supposedly but I am doing good out of here now so like I said I want to be a continious sight here.

 

Thank you for bringing that up, I was going to say that but forgot. It's a newer style, and they're supposedly better. But I've heard of them clogging as well.

One thing, they will not let water in as easy.

 

Well I guess I'll just grab the hose every now and than and squeeze it or so to make sure nothing is getting stuck. Not really what I'm squeezing or what gets stuck but I just know I don't want to replace a broken item.

So so far this deadheading to Ohio hasn't panned out. I looked on the map and I should have went to my brothers in Charlotte. Same difference and I'm out of the truck. Two calls today that's it. One was from a Landstar Agent I guess in Canada and he wanted to send me to Orange, TX for $1.40 a mile. He wanted to know if I could help him out. I burst out laughing. On top of that I told him I can't get out of there. He said he could get me out but I told him I want a rate confirmation sheet. He replied he had no visibility and could only see loads ready for the next 24 hours. (Never heard that word like that before).

The other was for New York and it was for $2.00 a mile. That's not enough.

I was reading on one broker today and I clicked their charges (here's the link http://www.pathmarktrans.com/images/...ges%202007.pdf)

they charge fuel surcharge (I always wonder if these brokers get this or not) and then they charge "congestion" fee for New York and other Northeast zip codes. They also charge $75 for tarping, I'm not sure how much the flatbeds get.

Other than that I slept all day which I never ever do. I just did the calculations since I left my house in the beginning of December. I've done (not including the deadhead I just did) $19,100 on 11663 miles for a total of $1.63 a mile. Not bad I guess. And that is on every single mile on the truck.

Hope tomorrow is a better day. I'm thinking of listening to the broker who told me I might as well go home for the first couple of months of the year.

 

If you are still in Toledo tommorow,I will be rolling thru in the afternoon,lunch on me,I mean if you can get out of the truck in the chilly weather long enough to make it to the resturant.....

 

Actually I'm at the Flying J in Perrysburg. The weather actually isn't too bad, it's breezy and really not bad at all. Compared to every other time I have been here this must be seasonably warm. But I should be here, I am usually not in a hurry to take the first load out. 8)

 

Perrysburg again?! :shock: Well I won't be meeting you this time either. Just got off the slopes and I'll be headed back up again tomorrow. I'll try and catch up to ya on Wed :wink:

 

Back to the slopes? Boy you spend an awful lot of time on those things for a warm weather guy Unless there's a palm tree up at the top there I'll wait for you in the car at the bottom I still have nightmares on the one weekend I went up.

This area has been pretty good to me I'm hoping it will come through again. Well enjoy yourself up there; better you than me

 

Well this was something. I get a load. Basically the same load I had the other day from the same broker. Actually the girl on the phone was on vactation last week so she didn't know me. She looked up what I ran it for last week and said they must have been desperate as they paid me $2800 and only had $2821 in it.

So they wanted to pay me $1800 on a slightly different run and for less miles (720) I told them I need $2000. So finally she gives in and tells me that they are losing money dealing with me and that if I want to continue working with them I need to drop my rate. That they have no choice right now but to pay me but they are losing money. Basically I told her to go find someone else to haul it. I don't need to hear that. If they don't want to do business with me then don't.

I was thinking, these brokers quote the least amount possible to get the load and then expect us to work in that environment. Actually if I could get out of PA the rate wouldn't be bad.

Hey Mike if you end up coming through here I am in the back (on the right side) white freightliner with red lettering (Florida). I might go get an iced coffee over at the pilot then come right back. I think if I can't get a load, that later I will drive more west. I still got very good money on the last load that driving another 150 miles or so I will still maintain the rate.