Freight Charges

[TravisT]

I've spent hours searching the internet for a published rate schedule for ground freight, and found nothing at all.

The only way I can think of to find out this information is to make a list of fictitious shipments that I need to make, call my future competitors and BS them into telling me what they charge by pretending to be a potential customer. Every time I think about doing this, I start feeling greasy, slimy, etc.

I'm going to be meeting with lots of forwarders, brokers, etc. soon and I don't want to let them know what a total noob I am, I want to at least have some idea of how freight charges are calculated, how the weight/miles/density/etc. all gets figured in to the total charge.

I realize that most of the time, the shippers i haul for will be telling me how much I'm getting paid, not the other way around, but I need to let them know they can't get away with BS-ing me, which at this point they very easily could.

Can anyone point me to a link, or a thread on this site, where this topic is covered? Mucho appreciated.

 

[terryandrene]

This link looks pretty easy. Not exactly what you want, but a start. Try a 2000# load 48x48x48

http://www.ezfreightrates.com/

 

[TravisT]

Thanks, that is an easy way to ballpark. What I'd really like to find is a document explaining all the details and definitions of the shipping industry, and to get that, I think you have to get a book on the subject. I ordered "The Successful Truck Owner Operator" by J.W. Lessing, I'm pretty sure it will have this kind of info. A word of caution to anyone who wants to get this book, Amazon.com sells an outdated edition for $185.00 (not a typo), I ordered the 2005 edition elsewhere for $14.95.

 

[redytrk]

Your search for rates will never turn up the special rates that are cut for special customers.Often these Discount customers make up the majority of a carriers business.

 

[ATeam]

No need to BS anyone. FedEx CC has a shipper rate calculator right on it's web site. Just punch in a couple of zip codes, pick your truck type and presto! you have your rate. The link is:

https://customcritical.fedex.com/rates/?link=1&lid=//Ship//CC+Rates+TT

redytrk's point about large shipper discounts is a good one. The rates you see quoted on the web site are NOT the rates paid by major shippers.

 

[davekc]

Alot of loads from the expediters are spot bid. Especially NLM freight ect. Most carriers have a freight model they use when bidding these types of loads. Just about all auto freight is moved with this proceedure. It is amazing how little or sometimes how high some of the freight is moved at.
Davekc
owner
20 years

 

[TravisT]

Thanks for the tips and information, I appreciate it. I got the book I ordered and it talks about the importance of cost-per-mile calculations, which will be hard for me to know at first. Having a good idea of that figure will make it possible to decide which loads to accept and how to bid.