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As an Owner
Operator, you will always be choosing between this load and that load and
having to decide which is the best load. Many factors are
involved in making the decision.... See what you think of the two trips
below.
It is winter.
It is a Friday afternoon. You are in the Midwest and have been
given two choices of loads. They are both loaded and in your yard,
where you are. A storm is coming in towards the east coast.
Which load would you choose?
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Load A |
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Load B |
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Destination:
Connecticut |
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Destination:
Georgia |
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1300 Paid
Miles |
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1000 Paid
Miles |
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$ 1.10 per
mile to the truck. |
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$ .98 per mile
to the truck. |
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50% of your
tolls paid by carrier. |
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No tolls |
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Average Fuel
Cost Per Gal: $1.53 |
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Average Fuel
Cost Per Gal: $1.25 |
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Delivers
Tuesday at 8AM. |
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Delivers
Monday at 7AM. |
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Both have good freight coming out of the
location you are delivering to. Your truck gets about 5.5 miles
to the gallon, underestimating to account for idle time. |
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Some
Considerations:
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If a storm is coming in, it may
be worse in the north -- but it may be ice in the south. Northern
storms can result in feet of snow but they have the equipment to better
deal with them. Since the south doesn't have such weather, they
don't have much equipment, either.
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Fuel costs will be higher going
into the NE.
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The tolls going into the NE are
50% paid by the carrier, yes, but remember you will also have tolls
getting OUT of the NE.
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Although this example tells you
about the freight coming OUT of the area you are going into, this is a
major consideration when choosing a load. Sometimes it is necessary
to take a load you might not want in order to get into an area where
freight / freight rates are good.
Which load
would you choose?
When you've decided, please go on...
(There really is no "correct"
answer. The next page will simply point out a few things you might not
have considered and make some comparisons between these loads.)
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