OUT AND BACK
- Thread starter hedgehog
- Start date
I should explain why I prefer the OAB thing... and I believe this is the key point, all of my customers are located where I live. I make every attempt to get a back haul headed toward home, or at least within 200 miles. That doesn't always happen, but when it does, it's money in the bank.
Can you actually get loads that way? Well, of course you can because youre doing it. But I would have to assume you would need nearly double the rate of an otr van to make that possible. Why would someone pay you double when they can get it cheaper from an otr guy?
Living near a major city where your carrier is and has regular customers = more profit OAB. YMMV
On that point you are correct OAB would not work for everyone.... One must figure out what profits they can live with...
Anytime your driving unpaid miles your reducing profit. Besides that if I was always home I would find a girlfriend, there goes all profits.
The OAB. Yep, this could be the expediters sweet spot, especially those with families. It provides the work-home balance and healthy family relationship. But realistically, the chance of getting into the true OAB type of works is almost impractical without crossing into the courier or dedicated lane employee type of categories. Therefore the rest of us will still be in the parking lots, away from home. Mostly not by choice.
From reading the past postings here on the EO, in my opinion, one of the major factors that most newbies lasted less than a year is probably due to the separation anxiety, feelings of being home sick, lonely, depressed, guilt, fear, etc. And for those who lasted, will eventually try to find the way to get closer to home. The family relationship plays the big part in this line of business.
For me, OAB is neither about the rate per hour nor lost times in the parking lots, it's about coming home to the family. For the past 7 months, I have experiment with the OAB, I really enjoyed the part of being around the family. But what I don't enjoy is, I often spend more times cutting the grass around my van tires. Lol..
I'm still researching for ways to have a cake and eat it too. Lol...
From reading the past postings here on the EO, in my opinion, one of the major factors that most newbies lasted less than a year is probably due to the separation anxiety, feelings of being home sick, lonely, depressed, guilt, fear, etc. And for those who lasted, will eventually try to find the way to get closer to home. The family relationship plays the big part in this line of business.
For me, OAB is neither about the rate per hour nor lost times in the parking lots, it's about coming home to the family. For the past 7 months, I have experiment with the OAB, I really enjoyed the part of being around the family. But what I don't enjoy is, I often spend more times cutting the grass around my van tires. Lol..
I'm still researching for ways to have a cake and eat it too. Lol...
So, what you are saying is , after delivery it's best to go to a place where you can get another load. Interesting.
Isn't that what its all about?
Oab works for those whose business model is set up for it.
My owner has been doing business oab for nearly 30 years. Works for him.
In the past 9 years I'd stay out a week at a time, and the money was great. But not so great that I can now retire early or something. Time with friends and family is important. My best friend died of a heart attack last year, and my wife is deathly sick, not to mention my youngest daughter has had a terminal illness since birth.
Guess my point is, time is more important, and I learned that firsthand. This job is great with the money provided for occasional work. Those who think steady work would be more important probably shouldn't be doing this
Guess my point is, time is more important, and I learned that firsthand. This job is great with the money provided for occasional work. Those who think steady work would be more important probably shouldn't be doing this
Key West FL do expediters actually reside there?!?!?! bahahaha thats some serious deadhead.
Turtle what is the norm when asking for dead head pay .45 - .50 a mile (half miles paid on return) or do you get less/more? I guess it can depend on how much the customer is willing to pay or how bad the carrier wants to keep the customer happy. I remember I was in Roanoke VA one time and the load picked up near Pittsburgh and delivered 300 miles north of Toronto I if I remember correctly the load paid me around 1200-1300, I basically got all miles paid and some deadhead. Another load I did picked up in Chicago went 300 miles south to very bottom of IL, ended up getting a $300 bonus and deadheaded right back into Chicago to pick up next load. It was on a Friday night around midnight I believe that helped with the pricing.
Didn't know loads came out of Billings, maybe vans should start deadheading out of Denver to MT.
Turtle what is the norm when asking for dead head pay .45 - .50 a mile (half miles paid on return) or do you get less/more? I guess it can depend on how much the customer is willing to pay or how bad the carrier wants to keep the customer happy. I remember I was in Roanoke VA one time and the load picked up near Pittsburgh and delivered 300 miles north of Toronto I if I remember correctly the load paid me around 1200-1300, I basically got all miles paid and some deadhead. Another load I did picked up in Chicago went 300 miles south to very bottom of IL, ended up getting a $300 bonus and deadheaded right back into Chicago to pick up next load. It was on a Friday night around midnight I believe that helped with the pricing.
Didn't know loads came out of Billings, maybe vans should start deadheading out of Denver to MT.
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I don't know that there is a "norm" for deadhead. Might be at some carriers. But basically, the customer couldn't care less about my deadhead, unless they're out in the boonies and need something shipped really badly. For the most part, I don't ask for deadhead. Either the load pays enough for me to take it, including deadhead, or it doesn't.
In the above example, I made it as far as Billings, where I got a load out of Williston, ND. It was 325 miles dead, then going 1000 miles to Chicago. It paid something like $1600, which was more than a dollar a mile for all miles.Didn't know loads came out of Billings, maybe vans should start deadheading out of Denver to MT.
But I have gotten loads 3 or 4 times out of Billings itself. I've gotten several loads out of Montana. Pure luck every time, I'm sure, but I will spend a day or two in Billings, as there are a few expedite loads that come out of there.
I do the out and back thing. Sometimes that means staying out overnight. And sometimes it doesn't make sense so I will stay out about 4 to 5 days max. I always get home for weekends as a general rule but will work the out and back freight for as much as I can when it's there. Some times of the year it is more plentiful than others. Wouldn't have it any other way. You have to in the right lanes and have the right equipment to be able to do it. Pulling a 53' dry van I can't think of anywhere east of the Miss River where it could not be a successful model.
Getting paid for every hour out there? Nope. It will never. It's just the nature of this business. If that's what you want get a job working for someone else preferably not in transportation. If you are out overnight you're going to lose some time to not being paid. If you can get customers to pay your for well above and beyond the normal time it takes for what they need you to do, in such an over saturated business where capacity is so cheap, then more power to you.
Getting paid for every hour out there? Nope. It will never. It's just the nature of this business. If that's what you want get a job working for someone else preferably not in transportation. If you are out overnight you're going to lose some time to not being paid. If you can get customers to pay your for well above and beyond the normal time it takes for what they need you to do, in such an over saturated business where capacity is so cheap, then more power to you.
That's true if I was in a str8 I'd be sitting at a Walmart with the rest of them
I guess not knowing what rates anyone is or could get with a van or even a straight I have to ask why the fear of deadheading? I will deadhead 300 miles or more back home like it is nothing. Camping out in truckstops or Wal Mart parking lots when I can be at home, no hesitation on what I will choose. I eat a LOT of deadhead every year. More-so than most people pulling a van. I run around 23% deadhead a year. I think most trucking companies with 53' vans try to be around 6-8% or less, which isn't difficult to do. A couple of years ago it was much easier to get customers to cover big deadhead than it has been recently. It's a challenge but things always have a way of averaging out for me.
Like I said...... if it works for you is all that matters..... works for me and my owner.
Slo-Ride
Veteran Expediter
I would be willing to bet I can match your Deadhead or exceed it or anyone else on this forum. Heck I might even put it up against anyone in the industry. )Well except for Fastman of course, as he has been at it longer and with the same company longer then me.) Without pulling out the log book its fair to say our deadhead is getting stupid. Sometimes exceeds 50% on some offers, and 8 out of 10 offers are to pick up in a different state then where I'm sitting. With .50 cents paid after giving up 50 miles its not worth running those load offers. After turning down offers its a safe bet your better off just heading home because they won't look any farther. Take a long deadhead and the chance of wrong address/canceled load not being paid anymore it just isn't worth taking the chance. Near 50% deadhead leaves nothing on the other end of the load especially if your dead heading towards the drop.
Yep I'm at 50%, wow 50cents after giving up 50 miles, I get 20 cents, used to be a quarter