Loads For Newbies!!!

[gregsr40]

Trying to get started and see who I can sign on with.I have read alot of things on here and have had alot of ?s answered--However I see that some drivers of cargo vans say they have sat alot and some say they haven't.
Can some of the drivers(cargo vans) of ANY and ALL the Co.s sound off as to if they are keeping busy.Just when I think I can make a good choice a flag goes up.
Thanks for any and all help.

 

[Turtle]

Any and all cargo vans from any and all carriers are sometimes very busy and sometimes very slow. No one is always busy.

Some are always slow, tho. Lazy and stupid is a bad combination in this business.

 

[gregsr40]

I must agree bad combo. for this or any business.I know that a driver will sit but I am still going to look for answers.

 

[chefdennis]

You are going to sit with any and all carriers. The amount of time isn't always on the carrier either. Not taking weekends into consideration...i don't sit any longer then 36-40 hours total. I will Dh on my own dime to another area where there is freight and or an lesser # of our units sitting. You can sit and wait, or you can be pro-active and chase the freight and put yourself in a better chance of making money......

Fact is you are going to sit no matter who you lease to, how long is up to you as well as the carrier..but more on you...ultimately you work for yourself and you need to be reponciable for the decisions you make....

 

[gregsr40]

So will the carriers tell you where there is more freight and less vans or trucks sitting?I don't have a problem DH on my dime--I look at it like this sometimes you have to spend money to make money.

 

[chefdennis]

Some will tell you if you ask. Then from what i have heard, some won't let you move without the loss of your "dwell" time....

 

[gregsr40]

"Dwell" is that the same as down time?

 

[chefdennis]

the accumulated time after you have dropped your load until you get another load....

 

[gregsr40]

So this "dwell" time --that is a period of"sitting" time that I will have to have regradless if I DH on my own?

 

[chefdennis]

ok, you drop your freight and send dispatch a QC mesage and let them know...you head over to the "J" and await your next load....dispatch lets you know you are 4th in line on a board that avg's 3 loads a day......you sit and wait.....30 hours later (your "dwell" time) you are still 3rd in line.....now me, i am moving after taking to dispatch to find out where my "dwell time" will take me to a place where their might only be 1 van sitting and we avg 3 loads a day.....that is where i am going...and if my dwell time along with the time it takes me to get their totals more time then the 1 van sitting there (if he is even there when i get to the area) i will move ahead of him because i took my accumulated "dwell time" with me.....

Some companies will cancel out your dwell time and make you tart over when you "arrive" at the new location....sometimes thats no big deal ( when there are no ther vans there) , other times it is......

the thing to understand is that you are going to sit no matter who you lease with....after you learn the freight "lanes" for the carrier you are with, you can position yourself so that your wait can be les, but you are going to have times when you will sit , sometimes for days, lol then about the time you "learn" those "lanes", they change......so if i were you , id either find a different issue to worry about or......well just realize that you are the one that has the most direct input on how successful you are going too be.....in another thread i think it was Dave that said, " don't sweat the small stuff"......keep that in mind....

 

[gregsr40]

Thanks C-D now I know what you mean---don't worry about the small stuff!! Like I said I know that I will sit-no problem--I also know you have to spend money to make money--Thanks again!!

 

[Tuckster]

Are there any companies that allow you to run a van under your own authority and will use you when they need you (like Landstar). I have outbound freight (from Virginia) and would like to at least occasionally have freight on the return. I'm basing my rates on DH home so anything would be a bonus. Also, what are some sites/load boards that post van freight ??

 

[chefdennis]

I think you might want to call the small to mid-size carriers, I am sure you will find more then a few that will take you on as a "partner carrier"....

 

[greg334]

Landstar does that?

I was told NO ... they don't allow that but they, like FedEx and Panther and others have a clause in their contract about running separately, meaning covering up the signs, providing your own insurance and being totally responsible for the load but this is a bit different than running for two companies.

 

[Tuckster]

My comment was misleading. Landstar has a division for TT's that allow you to pull loads off their board from your laptop. I was hoping someone had a similar program. Don't know where to start looking for cargo van frieght (other than get loaded)

 

[greg334]

That's a bit different.

I heard that once you are accepted in their outside carrier program, there are a number of "Good Incentives" that go along with it, mainly it seems fuel discounts and so on.

 

[nightcreacher]

The concept of most carriers,and size of truck doesn't matter,this is very important,something all should remember.What If there is a load, and we don't have a truck in the area,therefore,all express centers have more trucks than needed.This would be different if we were all on forced dispatch,or if all loads were perfect.But since this will never happen,someone is always going to sit, and be that truck that is needed in case a load should pop up.To get around this,go to express centers you have had good luck with.