Our first month out with Fed Ex

[rymilburn]

$700 ticket is correct. It is such bull. I understand everything. I'm going to try and pull the "loading and unloading" excuse....There are many many fedex vehicles around my neighborhood everyday...those huge tractor trailer moving companies...you name it. There is a park nearby and everyone parks on curbs..in red zones...you name it. If I had the time or the $$ I would sue them...North Las Vegas Cops for you....(I don't live to far west of the Pilot) Anyways, I found a local fed-ex that is more than willing to let me park in their lot.
The manager actually has been a fed ex employee for 25 years, and always heard of Custom Critical so he was really excited to talk to me and learn about what we were doing. Now to go take care of this ticket...

 

[MarioG86]

I live in vegas. What company are you driving for?? I will starting for a company that contracted to fedex. but they are not out of vegas.

 

[Moot]

Ha @ LDB. Whenever I post here on EO....It doesn't let me use the enter key to make Paragraphs. SO please excuse my lack of proper grammar structure.

Try hitting the enter key twice for a line space between paragraphs.

 

[cheri1122]

yep..heavy truck in residential area....got one with my sprinter!

That really sucks!
I think we should keep a sticky or running thread where drivers can post locations where they've been ticketed - it would at least keep others from incurring the same fate.
On that note, if you deliver to Ford Brook Park, don't park at the big retail lot at the corner of Snow & Smith Roads, a mile or so east of the plant - at least overnight. It's a good spot to catch a nap in the shade, though.

 

[tknight]

it was in an upscale area of DC....also got the "drivers side to the curb" ticket too and 50 bucks...

That's great you got 2 tickets and they gave ya 50 bucks too! Dinners on ovm.

 

[rymilburn]

Just a quick update. After the last post, we had a great week. And then....we mistakenly choose a load that deadheaded to San Francisco from St. George Utah for $1.40 (w/ FSC) and dropped in El Paso. Load from hell since it was double dispatched from the beginning. The other driver said he has seen my posts on here before, and if he is reading this, we know what he didn't want to take it. We got stuck in El Paso, TX for 4 days...had to empty move closer to Phoenix....got a few decent loads. And then bam...the past 2 weeks we haven't gotten any loads over 900 miles for the week. Now we are sitting up in Reno, NV and have been here for about 30 hours. We generally have not sat for more than 24 hours. Our rule of thumb is we will pick up in these areas if they deadhead us to them, but we will not drop because you can usually plan on getting stuck there for 48 hours. ---------------------------------------------------I guess I didn't read the part about where not to go on this Forum when we first started. El Paso is a no, along with Reno, Loredo, TX (only if the money is good) or McAllen, TX (if the money is good) I will add more to this list later on as things progress. If anyone has anything to chime in on, please feel free to add something.

 

[runrunner]

Hey,in this line of work getting stuck some where happens to everyone sooner or later mostly sooner. You guys are doing great! Have you gone to White Glove training yet?

 

[usafk9]

Got plenty to add.

We're in Reno now. Feel free to use the PM function.

 

[ATeam]

If anyone has anything to chime in on, please feel free to add something.

It's good to make note of busy and not-busy areas as you are doing, but be careful about getting wedded to strongly held opinions in that regard.

We recently met a couple who were adamant about not going to Canada, and then met another couple who were thrilled to have just been dispatched on a $13,000 run in and out.

You might find yourself stranded in an area for a week and decide that you will never again go back there. But that was a one time event, and maybe you happened to be there at a time when it is slow in general at that time in that area but busy all other times.

You might find yourself waiting among a bunch of other trucks in an area and decide to stay away for that reason, but you may not know about the once-in-five-years special project that some company had going on that brought a bunch of trucks in at that time.

When we were with your carrier, we came to regard Seattle as a place to avoid. But with our present carrier, it is one of our best cities in and out.

You are not wrong to develop caution about certain areas and circumstances, but be also cautious about developing strongly held opinions about such things. Diane and I have met a number of drivers who have made and stood by freight-area vows that provide emotional satisfaction when made but also cost them lots of money in future business.

Yesterday, Diane and I made the decision to deadhead out of Salt Lake City after getting skunked there for a couple days. It was a long deadhead to Los Angeles (Ontario) but it seemed best to get there before Friday in hopes of catching a weekend run.

Not far out of Salt Lake City, an agent called us with a load that we took at a good all-miles rate (not great but good). We will deadhead 600 miles to the Friday pick up and drive 2,200 miles loaded over the weekend. When I told the agent how grateful we were for this load and that we "got skunked" in Salt Lake City, he said "It's July. After twelve years of July's, I hate them."

Our experience and the agent's comment could easily provide material to vow to never take a load to Utah in July. But the fact is that we got paid well to go in and got out in fine style, albeit out on August 1 in this case. July was an acceptable gross-revenue month for us. August is off to a fantastic start. And a "remote" place like Salt Lake City helped make that happen.

 

[runrunner]

It's good to make note of busy and not-busy areas as you are doing, but be careful about getting wedded to strongly held opinions in that regard.

We recently met a couple who were adamant about not going to Canada, and then met another couple who were thrilled to have just been dispatched on a $13,000 run in and out.

You might find yourself stranded in an area for a week and decide that you will never again go back there. But that was a one time event, and maybe you happened to be there at a time when it is slow in general at that time in that area but busy all other times.

You might find yourself waiting among a bunch of other trucks in an area and decide to stay away for that reason, but you may not know about the once-in-five-years special project that some company had going on that brought a bunch of trucks in at that time.

When we were with your carrier, we came to regard Seattle as a place to avoid. But with our present carrier, it is one of our best cities in and out.

You are not wrong to develop caution about certain areas and circumstances, but be also cautious about developing strongly held opinions about such things. Diane and I have met a number of drivers who have made and stood by freight-area vows that provide emotional satisfaction when made but also cost them lots of money in future business.

Yesterday, Diane and I made the decision to deadhead out of Salt Lake City after getting skunked there for a couple days. It was a long deadhead to Los Angeles (Ontario) but it seemed best to get there before Friday in hopes of catching a weekend run.

Not far out of Salt Lake City, an agent called us with a load that we took at a good all-miles rate (not great but good). We will deadhead 600 miles to the Friday pick up and drive 2,200 miles loaded over the weekend. When I told the agent how grateful we were for this load and that we "got skunked" in Salt Lake City, he said "It's July. After twelve years of July's, I hate them."

Our experience and the agent's comment could easily provide material to vow to never take a load to Utah in July. But the fact is that we got paid well to go in and got out in fine style, albeit out on August 1 in this case. July was an acceptable gross-revenue month for us. August is off to a fantastic start. And a "remote" place like Salt Lake City helped make that happen.

I second that it's good advice,well said!

 

[jackdixon_2000]

Just a quick update. After the last post, we had a great week. And then....we mistakenly choose a load that deadheaded to San Francisco from St. George Utah for $1.40 (w/ FSC) and dropped in El Paso. Load from hell since it was double dispatched from the beginning. The other driver said he has seen my posts on here before, and if he is reading this, we know what he didn't want to take it. We got stuck in El Paso, TX for 4 days...had to empty move closer to Phoenix....got a few decent loads. And then bam...the past 2 weeks we haven't gotten any loads over 900 miles for the week. Now we are sitting up in Reno, NV and have been here for about 30 hours. We generally have not sat for more than 24 hours. Our rule of thumb is we will pick up in these areas if they deadhead us to them, but we will not drop because you can usually plan on getting stuck there for 48 hours. ---------------------------------------------------I guess I didn't read the part about where not to go on this Forum when we first started. El Paso is a no, along with Reno, Loredo, TX (only if the money is good) or McAllen, TX (if the money is good) I will add more to this list later on as things progress. If anyone has anything to chime in on, please feel free to add something.

Hello Ryan
I am the other driver that was dispatched on the El Paso load. Its not so much I didn't want the load but that you had deadheaded much further then me and I didn't mind taking the $650 dry run pay and deadheadin 70 miles back to the house.
As far as learning where not to go it is more like knowing the slow area's and getting paid accordingly. For instance I run often into the northwest and usually assume I will dh out so add those miles to my acceptance offer.
As far as Reno I usually just dh to Sacramento after delivering in Reno but you never know, like today I am at home in the Oakland area and being a bit picky. I have allready turned down a 761 mile run at 1:41 from Reno to Phoenix,Az for $1746.00 then at 1:51 they sent it back for $2046.00
Then at 2:20 an offer from Sparks,Nv to Las Vegas 447 mi for $1078.30

 

[layoutshooter]

Is it just me but does anyone else find the rates being quoted in this thread rather low?

 

[jjoerger]

The $1.40 rate to El Paso is a bit low but the rates Jack was quoting are great. A 761 mile run for $2046. I'm on it. ($2.69 a mile) Don't care where it is going.
We are not all TVAL trucks.

 

[layoutshooter]

The $1.40 rate to El Paso is a bit low but the rates Jack was quoting are great. A 761 mile run for $2046. I'm on it. ($2.69 a mile) Don't care where it is going.
We are not all TVAL trucks.

I would have thought that $1.40, including FSC, was kinda low. I was not comparing it to TVAL rates. $2.69 could be a good rate, depending on the load. If included a long DH out it would not be all that good. It is quite easy to lose money on a load that pays $2.69 per mile.

I wonder what that $1.40 load paid per mile, just the loaded miles, minus all other included monies? That would tell the story. Looking at that figure gives a MUCH better idea what is going on with rates than the totals do. High fuel surcharges can "mask" rates that are static or even dropping.

 

[BillChaffey]

In the Milburn's original post he say's "put gas in duel tanks" I hope by now they'er using Diesel.

 

[MissKat]

If you are still in Reno, park in the back parking lot behind Sheels and try the Jazz restaurant. Fabulous New Orleans hot hot hot spicy food and walk to Target too. No one ever bothered us in the Tractor trailer of a straight there. Same exit as Petro, just North instead of South.

 

[rymilburn]

Sorry its taken me a few days or a week to respond, been re-thinking strategy. I appreciate everyone responding to this thread and giving advise. We were actually stuck up in Carson City, NV, we parked behind a Save Mart Grocery Store or something rather....right by the mountains....quiet...no one bothered us. Lot's of old folks home's in the area, so I'm sure no one even bothered to care Ha! We were lucky at about 48 hours of DWELL time we got an offer at midnight to pick up a Temp-Control Shipment from the FedEx location in Oakland, did a short run. Sat for a bit, got offered a run down to Florida from Oakland....only $1.40 per mile ALL MILES. We were smart enough this time to turn it down, then we got one for $1.60 (with FSC) from LA to Dallas, TX. Here's were at the pilot waiting to Drop tomorrow morning, and there are 16 trucks currently here. Again I can't use the fricken enter key....so here's another paragraph................................................... So here's to JackDickson_2000 we were not trying to complain or anything, it was just a load from hell. Given that the $1.40 (with FSC) was ALL MILES....we had an huge deadhead, but FedEx screwed up the shipment multiple of times, it was just a nightmare. About halfway down there we got Pre-Dispatched to ABQ-Las Vegas on a slot machine load, at $2.00 all miles. Sweet. However, then FedEx changed the delivery date on us so we lost out on the pre-dispatch. Anyways, after usually about 24 hours of sitting we start looking to go somewhere else. The O/O that I work for does not allow us to empty move what-so-ever to another express center. They claim that after 72 hours of sitting they will re-visit it and will make a decision. We are very happy with our owners but don't really believe in that. We had to dead-head and pay for fuel ourselves and got closer to the Phoenix Express Center and then got a load out within the hour. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices in order to get out. You can't make money without spending some right? We are in a Surface Dry Box w/Lift gate....in the past few weeks we have been offered a lot of White Glove Loads and have done some, even I have as a SOLO. We will be attending White Glove Training within the next month. And to @BillChaffey we have gotten that many times, we put diesel in the right at all times. No more gas! Ha! Thanks everyone again for your knowledge, support, advise and strategic knowledge. Let's just say that we won't be accepting loads at $1.40 anymore. It actually wasn't my fault in the first place, I blame it on my wife!! Hope she doesn't read this....

 

[TeamCaffee]

I am curious about the weight of the load going to Florida and how deep into Florida it delivered?

 

[The Enemy]

I was wondering, since you are a Surface Dry Box, how were you able to do a temp assure load?

 

[jjoerger]

Although $1.40 is a very low all miles rate we would have taken the load from CA to FL (if it were time for a break) if it didn't go south of Orlando and was not heavy. (Over 7000#). Our reasoning is simple. We live in North Florida and it is hard to get a load home. We have deadheaded from Dallas, Laredo, Michigan, Memphis, etc.
A load close to home will save us many unpaid deadhead miles and put more money in our pocket even at the lower rate.