info on van loads versus flatbed

[mac]

Hello
well this is my first time on site and i have a question about which would benefit me the most cost wise. Using an internet load board i find there are more van loads available than flat. I don't mind all that is involved in pulling a flat but i find that van loads pay somewhat more, But i hear and am concerned about what loads and the percentage require lumpers to unload. I would like to pull vans but i do not want to have to pay lumper fees for all that i pull. I guess it may be a issue between the broker and carrier. Just some feedback would be helpfull.

Mac

[Preacher]

I don't know what boards you're looking at but I find that there is a HUGE amount of flatbed freight out there. As far as vans paying more than flats, I don't know what side of the planet you live on but flats almost always pay more than vans, and usually alot more.

[Foxfire]

mac, I do believe you have been listening to a bunch of Chicken Haulers.....lol. J/K Seriously, flatbed loads always pay more. And while there may be some companies that pay lumper fees, the majority will argue you to death before they give you the PO number to pay that lumper. Sure there is a lot of physical work involved in loading and unloading a flat, but since we don't have a chance to do a lot of that, I found it to be beneficial.

[daytrader]

Van freight dose pay much better then flat bed. There is plenty of cheap flate bed freight. The van freight pays the same or better then alot of flat bed freight. Man hate to admit it, yet it is fact.

Now, not all flate bed freight is cheap, but there is a reason why many flate bed carriers haul van freight.

3 bucks a mile is getting to be pretty normal for dry van.

Get some short haul under 400 miles you get to see 5 bucks a mile in some areas.

[Preacher]

Dude, I don't know what world you live in, but it ain't this one!

[daytrader]

I have brokered to many loads to know the truth.

I am sorry to not stroke the side you want, but prove me wrong?

The most profitable fleets haul what? Dry van.

Flat bed is a usefull item in places with no docks and cranes. That is about it. It is a very over sold area of trucking. To much capacity.

As for the lumpers. It is all covered in the freight contract. No supprises. Flate bed you get to make crane times and lift times. Dry van, you can play around. Plenty of docks and fork trucks.

[Foxfire]

DT, I'm sorry but you need to check out what you are saying. I've pulled a reefer, flat and even hauled a few cows and flat pays better and is easier to do in my book.

[daytrader]

Ok,please post miles and rates from your last few loads. Hell even point us to the many load boards with the freight on them. Many here prob look at them every day. Plenty of flat loads. The vans are a little hard to come by. Refers weight to much, yet are great for loads that have to be cold or hot.

Shippers that can ship van and flat will take the flat easy. It is cheaper.

Why do most Owner ops take on a flat bed? Easy to fill up with 1.50-2.00 a mile freight. All day long. Plenty of it. They do not have to compeat with the van freight folks.

Look at Landstar. They do plenty of flat work. The Van guys love it. You think that Green Giant account they have will ship flat bed? They bring in the veggies yet a refer takes it out and also brings it in. You get to play flat to refer. They also love the carborad account(dry van) to bring in the boxes to package them. Can't get 47k on to bad. They are home every night and earn more a year then you do with the same company.

Now, the nice over sized loads that can only be shipped VIA bed. Still pays about the same as a dry van on a good account.

[daytrader]

Schneider got out of the heavey haul for a reason. Sure was not because they were making so much off it.

Glass pays, they still put all they can in a dry van. Most can go via rail.

http://www.drpt.state.va.us/downloads/files/i-81-final-report-apendices.pdf

[Preacher]

Loads I found on TruckersEdge.net

Current Loads for Region 7 - (South Central)

Number of Loads Departing From:

State Flat Van Reefer

NM 115 90 32
OK 972 482 57
TX 3795 3815 791
AR 3558 855 140
LA 1576 686 56

Region Totals F=10,016 V=5,928 R=1,076


Number of Loads Arriving In

State Flat Van Reefer

NM 596 161 33
OK 1033 653 91
TX 4191 2369 456
AR 604 430 39
LA 761 492 87

Region Totals F=7,185 V=4,105 R=706

[joerockhead]

Daytrader posted:
Schneider got out of the heavey haul for a reason.


Schneider got out of the HEAVY haul because the incompetent help they hired couldn't tie a dog to a post let alone secure freight to a trailer. :rofl:

[Foxfire]

I hate to bust your bubble but Landstar is not only flats, stepdecks and double drops. They have vans also.

[daytrader]

Landstar has a good thing going on the flate side. They have lots of Owners that have special flat equipment. Like double drops and supper low boys.

Some stuff needs special trailers. This will pay more. The normal flat bed load can be a mix. Something that is 13', now that will prob pay good. I do not know for sure. Never had to mess with any of that.

Just one would think. If it is 13' tall. They need a very low flat bed to get it on. The shipper may pay good for the trailer for the load and for all the dead head to get it there.

[Foxfire]

If it is 13' tall then they need to pay for an oversize permit. And an escort.

Ok,please post miles and rates from your last few loads


Jenkintown Pa- Marboro, NJ....65 miles.....$613.00



Here is an oldie but goodie..
Edison NJ-Brooklyn NY...35 miles...$613.00

Brooklyn NY to Akron OH..450 miles....$1000.00

This is the only time you'll ever see me post any rates.. Of course it looks good to anyone that sees this, however you dont know the work, the time, that is involved in all this......

To come here and make a claim, that you can get 3-5 dollar a mile vanfreight, is not only absurd, it is also irresponsible...
there may be new people wanting to get into being independent, who read these boards, and maybe thinking, hell.....this is easy, and I will make all kinds of money..then after a while, they will see the real truth, but by then usually its too late :yikes:

What is it that you do exactly, now?

Hello
well this is my first time on site and i have a question about which would benefit me the most cost wise. Using an internet load board i find there are more van loads available than flat. I don't mind all that is involved in pulling a flat but i find that van loads pay somewhat more, But i hear and am concerned about what loads and the percentage require lumpers to unload. I would like to pull vans but i do not want to have to pay lumper fees for all that i pull. I guess it may be a issue between the broker and carrier. Just some feedback would be helpfull.

Mac

Hi Mac, and welcome...

It all depends, on what areas you run.
If you run a reefer out of FL, then yes it will pay much better then a flat..

Try that in Chicago, or Ohio, then Flatbed rates are much higher..

It all depends on demand...If you have an area, where more flatbed loads go into, then coming out..rates will be lower...vica versa..

[daytrader]

I drive truck and night and a few other things during the day time.

The accounts I sold out of Arkansa were sign loads that any flate could load. They paid 2.88 a mile all over 800 miles. Didn't seem to good to me. Folks jumped on then for 1.50 a mile.

The soap account (van) going from Pontton beach to St Lois Mo. 9 miles. 350 in a dry wan twice a day. The problem. Load in the am and deliver in the pm. Have to pay 50 bucks to drop and hook.

You seem to have taken the right path. The short miles for more rate. Many want the long haul for next to nothing.

Account out of highland. A very large shipper. Pays Van freight 501-700 miles 4.25 a mile. Flat bed exact same freight 400-800 2.80 a mile. We try to put it on a flat all we can. We have the van side covered.

They load if from a dock. 70% is unloaded from a dock.

This load needs no tarp. The material is sound and the boxes they ship are waxed.

[DrivingZiggy]

Okay, here are my most recent loads taken on my flat bed:

La Grange, KY - Palmyra, VA: 516 loaded, 133 empty, $1250

New Orleans, LA - Bowling Green, KY: 595 loaded, 8 empty, $1000

Arcadia, FL - Harvey, LA: 745 loaded, 208 empty, $1100

Hazleton, PA - Pompano Beach, FL: 1236 loaded, 153 empty, $2300

Okay, so that's an average of $1.83 per loaded mile. $1.57 for all miles. These are the last 4 loads in a row for me, so it's not like I went in my records and cherry-picked only the good ones. These actually have more deadhead than I'm used to--well except for the New Orleans area loads.

[magicman]

I jumped on Landstar's site and found this load for a van. It could also be hauled on a step or flat. BUT, it was listed in the van freight:

Sioux Falls, SD to Leominster, MA for $ 2.86 per mile
1484 miles=$ 4250 GROSS, or about $ 2875 to the truck. This includes fuel surcharge. That makes it around $ 1.94 per mile to the truck.

There are higher paying loads, going all over, but I didn't feel like finding a short, short load paying $ 5 per mile for 100 miles. It serves no purpose.

Although I did see a load to Alaska earlier tonight, paying quite well. But it's gone.....somebody took it.........No, not me :) :) :)

[daytrader]

Alaska, man that would be a fun trip. I have never done it, would like to someday.

Alaska, man that would be a fun trip. I have never done it, would like to someday.

I always wondered what an Alaska trip would pay....how far would you have to deadhead to get out?...Maybe Pipster knows :cheers:

[Big_Dave]

....how far would you have to deadhead to get out?...
Can you spell S-E-A-T-T-L-E? :yikes: :wtf:

A friend of mine used to haul Minn-kota trolling motors up to Alaska. 99% of the time he'd have to bounce down to Seattle, Boise or Portland for something coming back to MN or WI. Usually it was taters. :wtf: :wtf:

[daytrader]

The "hay" out of Idaho going to Lexington shocks me. I see it as hay. It is a special grown mixture of grasses for race horses. Pays very well. I figured hay would be cheap. Just like I figured Chipping taters would be.

[nitestar]

DT said
The "hay" out of Idaho going to Lexington shocks me. I see it as hay. It is a special grown mixture of grasses for race horses. Pays very well. I figured hay would be cheap. Just like I figured Chipping taters would be.

One of the reasons is that most hay has a BLISTER BEETLE in it and it will cause blisters in a horses mouth and it will eventuly kill them.
The sores will prevent them from eating and they die.
However cows are imune to the blister beetle and it does not bother cows.
The growers of this special hay guarantee it to have no beetles.
This type of hay should be tarped too.

HBT said
I always wondered what an Alaska trip would pay....how far would you have to deadhead to get out?...Maybe Pipster knows

I pulled a load from Yuma AZ to Fairbanks ( close) it paid me $15000 and I tarped it. It was military and on a flat bed. It weighed 12,000 lbs

Dead headed from TOK Alaska to Seattle. a bit over 2200 miles. But it was some of the most beautiful country I have ever seen.
Want to go to jail. Get caught flipping a cig butt out the window.
A back haul ( I hate that word) would be lumber but I can't haul 45 to 48 thousand lbs, not licensened for it. can only go 80 thousand gross.


joerockhead said
Schneider got out of the HEAVY haul because the incompetent help they hired couldn't tie a dog to a post let alone secure freight to a trailer.

Actually you are only partialy right. Schneider bought IT And knew nothing about over size freight nor the equipment.and thought that they could dump the IT personell. Schneider thought that the van salesmen and rate people could rate the OS loads. How wrong they were. Van mentality at work once again.
The O/Os quit because they would not haul a $10 a mile load for $1.25 and the powers to be didn't figure in the Permits and escorts and other nesessesry costs.
This led to Schneider to putting van drivers on these loads and other non qualified people.

[Chiefwhatdahey]

Schneider got out of the heavey haul for a reason. Sure was not because they were making so much off it.

Schneider is still doing heavy haul they don't lease o/o's anymore due to the caliber of o/o