Slow Cargo Van Freight Toledo-Detroit

blizzard2014

Veteran Expediter
Driver
Blizzard,if you dont mind me asking who are you sined on with to get all them loads?

I work with three different small companies. I have three dispatch teams trying to load me up at any given minute in the day lol. It's great. PM me and i'll tell you what companies they are,.
 

smarian

Seasoned Expediter
Speaking of cheap .. (and slow)

I'm in Kansas City ... was called about a load to Milford, Ut ... (which one of you got it?).

I told the agent I would do it for $1.30 to the van, (for the road trip value only!) .. as I knew there would be a lot of deadhead back out of there ..... nope ... someone took the load, and I presume the reason was they hauled it cheaper than I would.

I know the moron who took this run. He got 85 cpm. He lives in the van so he doesn't care where the next load goes to.
 

BillChaffey

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
US Navy
I was under the impression that most Expediters lived in their Van while on the road.:p
 

skyraider

Veteran Expediter
US Navy
GOOD GRIEF!!!!!!:eek:

85cpm to a buck a mile,, I take them, remember, many members said not to have a van payment and I dont, so overhead is low for me, yep I live in the van, but I got a jingle in my pocket as in cash and such, well it works for me. If one likes payments, go for it IMHO. Ps someday I will have to get another van, save uppppppppppppppppp.:)
 

simon says

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
'SO John, you deliver to foreign auto plants like the ones in that country they call Canada and that one they call Mexico?"


Really a provincial statement! It does not matter whether someone will deliver to Canada or not: but it is North America! Since all of the Big 3 historically built cars in Canada what is the difference? And in the last 20 years or more, so do all the transplants.

Besides, the unions and the company together echo the Buy America nostrum- but a lot of their sh.. is built elsewhere. Like the Ford Fusion (hecho in Mex.) that was tight and snappy until they managed to soften and cheapen it up in 2010...So my new car is an American made Honda Accord...that's the American way- right? my choice for most bang for the buck...
Besides, I will haul the devil's grandmother for the right price, even to Quebec.
 

vanman10

Expert Expediter
Well folks, it's been a couple weeks since I typed this post and though freight volume started to improve a little last week with 700 driven, and 400 driven so far this week, this is waaaay below the miles I had been averaging of 10-15k miles.

I hope you all are doing better than I am lately.

Have a great day!

Jim
 

Jack_Berry

Moderator Emeritus
last week 2600 loaded miles. good rates. this week? fighting remains of sinus infection and, um, broken foot. rats.
 

Toronto40

Seasoned Expediter
Its slow all over right now. Your gonna find people that are exception to the rule, but overall its pretty slow right now.
 

350rocket

Active Expediter
I bought a CV 3 weeks ago. The week before that my company was so busy it wasn't funny. My van now has basically sat for 3 weeks in the driveway. 2 separate 450 mile runs, both on fridays with deadhead all the way back. Stayed in Atlanta till
tuesday, but no luck! I'm glad it's insulated. It will come in handy when I have to start using it for living space!

Ohio is a financial deathtrap
 

westmicher

Veteran Expediter
We were just in Laredo and it looked like a Bolt CV convention there! There had to be more that a dozen Bolt CVs sitting with almost no one else. It was a balmy 110ish degrees too! We dropped and reloaded out within 3 hours. :):)
 

gatorfan068

Active Expediter
Isnt it Bolt that has a warehouse in Laredo?I got a run to Knoxville last week,sat till Friday and been getting 140 dollar runs ever since.Went to my home board Sunday,didnt get anything Monday,Tuesday Ft Wayne to Saginaw.Sat there 24 hours,refused a hundred dollar load,because it was 15 hours out.Went home,stayed in service last night. Its too slow in my opinion.Yet I have seen people on the web portal getting 600 mile runs.Wondering how many 100 dollar loads do I have to do,before I get a 600 miler?
 

vanman10

Expert Expediter
Yep 350rocket, same here. I had more loads then I knew what to do with until 3 weeks ago, then $100 loads and last Friday a $500 load. I am in Hendersonville, NC trying to figure out next move. :confused:
 

CharlesD

Expert Expediter
Van freight is just plain slow right now, and there are probably a few different reasons for it. I think more freight is getting consolidated onto larger trucks for one, by design or by carriers who are treating cargo van freight like LTL and running it too cheap for exclusive use. I think more of that is going on that any of them are going to admit. At least I can't think of another reason for the rates some people are running them for right now.

I know that expediting in a van can be a blast. I did it in a Sprinter for a while and had a ball. I love being able to park wherever I wanted and run around wherever I wanted to go when I was off duty, but I wonder if those days will ever be back. It might be time for the people who want to make any kind of a living in this business to rethink the kind of vehicle they're running in. If freight was good for all vehicle types, I'd take the van in a heartbeat because of the freedom, but right now that freedom doesn't exactly pay the bills.
 

davekc

Senior Moderator
Staff member
Fleet Owner
Van freight is just plain slow right now, and there are probably a few different reasons for it. I think more freight is getting consolidated onto larger trucks for one, by design or by carriers who are treating cargo van freight like LTL and running it too cheap for exclusive use. I think more of that is going on that any of them are going to admit. At least I can't think of another reason for the rates some people are running them for right now.

I know that expediting in a van can be a blast. I did it in a Sprinter for a while and had a ball. I love being able to park wherever I wanted and run around wherever I wanted to go when I was off duty, but I wonder if those days will ever be back. It might be time for the people who want to make any kind of a living in this business to rethink the kind of vehicle they're running in. If freight was good for all vehicle types, I'd take the van in a heartbeat because of the freedom, but right now that freedom doesn't exactly pay the bills.

I would have to agree with you. Some people are under a false illusion that vans are taking all the straight truck loads.
Sorry, but just not seeing it. If one looks at a few expedite boards that will likely confirm the findings.
Much of the low van rates that Charles mentions is in fact going on straights. You throw a handful of those cheap van loads on a straight and you can move with a pretty respectable rate.
I've been known to go to the well myself on occasion.
"Double dipping" has been going on for awhile. The more freight slows, the more of it you are going to see.
 
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purgoose10

Veteran Expediter
Van freight is just plain slow right now, and there are probably a few different reasons for it. I think more freight is getting consolidated onto larger trucks for one, by design or by carriers who are treating cargo van freight like LTL and running it too cheap for exclusive use. I think more of that is going on that any of them are going to admit. At least I can't think of another reason for the rates some people are running them for right now.

I know that expediting in a van can be a blast. I did it in a Sprinter for a while and had a ball. I love being able to park wherever I wanted and run around wherever I wanted to go when I was off duty, but I wonder if those days will ever be back. It might be time for the people who want to make any kind of a living in this business to rethink the kind of vehicle they're running in. If freight was good for all vehicle types, I'd take the van in a heartbeat because of the freedom, but right now that freedom doesn't exactly pay the bills.

I also agree. I have been wanting to buy a new C/V and have been wanting a Cargo Max but I've been kind of nervous about the economy and fuel prices. They say freight is still strong but the high fuel prices are going to slow the freight down eventually. I am running double with my driver on his van and been lucky knowing some people who have kept us busy. Right now LaGrande Or on the way to Eugene Or and then back to Elgin Or to reload then on back to S.Carolina. Have had two and hoping for a third run just like it. Something has to happen with freight and the fuel prices, can't go on like this.
 

chefdennis

Veteran Expediter
I don't think anyone is going to say freight is good overall by any means....BUT..as we all know it is more of being in the right place at the right time or being willing to do what you have to do to get what freight is available....

My last 2 runs since last sunday have been a total of 3055 loaded miles..with 222 dh miles....now both paid over a sprinter rate because they are heavy loads that weren't going in a sprinter and, I offered to DH to the last one on my own dime, 152 miles from San Antonio to Eagle Pass....The company got the load for less then a ST, more then a spinter and I am moving making good money on it and heading home after I drop...

Now that being said, if i were still in my CV, i wouldn't have gotten either of these loads...so again, it is the carrier, the right equipment and doin what it takes to get to the freight....

Chances are i am going out of service for a bit to work on the truck next week, I might come back and find it dead, but thats when I'll DH to where the carrier see' s freight and has no coverage....no way I would sit in Laredo with 15 other units...no chance...

Oh, the last 3 tanks of gas, I have avg'd 16.7 mpg while driving 60 mph....LOL....if thats what it takes, then 6o mph it is....that 2.5-3 mpg improvement over driving 65.....yea I got 15.2 a few times too, so this just might be short lived also....lol
 
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