It’s all about finding a backhaul. Anybody can book a load, but it takes someone with experience and insight to understand that sometimes $3.00 / mile is good... and sometimes it is awful. There are many areas of the lower 48 states where finding a backhaul is nearly impossible. Denver, Colorado is one of my favorite examples. Denver imports roughly 3x the freight that it exports. Therefore, there will be three drivers competing over a solitary load. This freight imbalance is one of the primary drivers of pricing. An open deck trailer has little chance of finding a backhaul. Most drivers will prefer to leave empty and deadhead 500 miles or more, rather than haul for $1.20 per mile or less in a Hotshot. A seasoned dispatcher knows to stay away from places like Denver. They do not become distracted by a $4,000 load to some freight desert. Instead, they stay disciplined and regularly say “no, thank you” to freight where finding a backhaul will be a problem. An astute person might ask whether the truck you are in matters for the backhauls. Absolutely! A reefer truck will have access to backhauls that don’t exist for hotshot or open deck trailers. Open deck trailers are in demand anywhere there is a lot of manufacturing or construction activity.
Last week, my Georgia driver pulled the elusive Triple Lindy. I booked three separate loads, all within 45 miles of metro Atlanta. He had three separate deliveries in Wisconsin beginning near Milwaukee, continuing in OshKosh and finalizing in LaCross, WI. The combined weight was 9,300 lbs and required 37' of deck space. Driver had one 12' piece that needed tarps. This route paid $4,600 to the truck on 1,086 miles . . . on a non-CDL hotshot! We are going to continue working smarter to make good drivers as much money as possible.