Is it the ECONOMY? Or are we to blame for the low rates?

**davekc** · 01-29-2010, 01:25 PM

Originally Posted by bubblehead

. And to the loud mouth 'Sam Brannan' types, thanks for nothing.

Don't have to dig too deep to find those select few in the forums.

**jj214** · 02-01-2010, 04:58 PM

Originally Posted by fastrod

I sure can. Anything under 90 cpm in a van, $1.40 in a straight truck and $1.80 in a T/T would be cheap freight.

.90 cpm at 60mph =54.00 per hour. I know what my cpm are and if I could not make money at .90 per mile, I would have to take a hard look at my expenses. I have never purchased a new Van, let alone a Sprinter, I get passed all day by Cargo Vans driven by guys who complain about their expenses. Taking a "cheap freight" load going to Chicago makes more sense than a load paying 1.20 going to the UP in Michigan. Sitting in a non-productive express center is not without expenses. Choose your loads based on more than cents per miles. For the most part, we are independent contractors with the emphasis on independent. You have to decide what "cheap freight" is. Is your van paid for or did you just buy a Sprinter with all the bells and whistles and pay someone to outfit it for you. CPM will not be the same!

**CharlesD** · 02-01-2010, 05:53 PM

Carrier A bids a van load at $1 a mile and pays the O/O .70 a mile.

Carrier B bids a van load in the same area for the same miles at .90 a mile and pays the O/O .80 a mile.

Which freight is cheaper?

**x06col** · 02-01-2010, 08:24 PM

Originally Posted by CharlesD

Carrier A bids a van load at $1 a mile and pays the O/O .70 a mile.

Carrier B bids a van load in the same area for the same miles at .90 a mile and pays the O/O .80 a mile.

Which freight is cheaper?

Charles....that is far and away to tuff a math question for most. They jes no comprendo.

I had numerous folks tell me as drivers they would drive for me at 60% of $1.50, but wouldn't touch the truk for 50% of two buks. Go figgure the new math when you git numbers stuck in your head.

**davekc** · 02-01-2010, 08:28 PM

Originally Posted by x06col

Charles....that is far and away to tuff a math question for most. They jes no comprendo.

I had numerous folks tell me as drivers they would drive for me at 60% of $1.50, but wouldn't touch the truk for 50% of two buks. Go figgure the new math when you git numbers stuck in your head.

Sad but true. It amazes me the calculators that some use. Same with people that demand 40 percent and the owner pays the fuel and they actually think they are making more.

**x06col** · 02-01-2010, 09:11 PM

Ohh yes, I still shake my head when memorys of some of the clowns i've incountered in this biz.

Had one fella sitting in South Dakota one day and turned down better'n 4K of freight going south or west, because he had contracted to save $50 for each service on his truck, and needed to get back to Louisville.

A dispatchers dream....

**Bruno** · 02-01-2010, 09:42 PM

Originally Posted by CharlesD

Carrier A bids a van load at $1 a mile and pays the O/O .70 a mile.

Carrier B bids a van load in the same area for the same miles at .90 a mile and pays the O/O .80 a mile.

Which freight is cheaper?

Some would say they all are.

**CharlesD** · 02-02-2010, 12:01 AM

Originally Posted by Bruno

Some would say they all are.

Maybe so, but neither of those bids would have won a load out of Laredo last week.

But still nobody's answered my question. Which set of numbers do we use to determine what freight is cheap, what carriers are bidding or what drivers are being offered?

**jaminjim** · 02-02-2010, 12:28 AM

Originally Posted by CharlesD

Maybe so, but neither of those bids would have won a load out of Laredo last week.

But still nobody's answered my question. Which set of numbers do we use to determine what freight is cheap, what carriers are bidding or what drivers are being offered?

Thats simple, since more than 95% of the people on this site are Drivers, it's what they are offered!

**CharlesD** · 02-02-2010, 08:42 AM

Originally Posted by jaminjim

Thats simple, since more than 95% of the people on this site are Drivers, it's what they are offered!

But is it really that simple? Two carriers might be paying the same rate and most people around here won't bother to look beyond that, but what if one carrier is running those vans at a nickel a mile profit because they have a larger number of vans. For this reason, they routinely outbid everyone else. Could this carrier be having a more adverse effect on rates than the other, even though they both pay their drivers the same.