So im moving to FL....im an O/O with a few ?s

[Somdow]

im an O/O with about 6-7 yrs exp but 1 1/2 as an O/O and um, oh i have a 53' van....
my ? is, i keep hearing that work is always light coming / going to florida and what not. is this true? i mean its already too late, im already moving by the end of the month but id still like to know from anyone that knows. what can i expect from it all down there? if i could get work from FL to somewhere around NJ and back, or from FL to TX and back then id be okay. just want to know what its looking like down there.

Also another thing that i dont understand is, well i mean, when working for a company as a comp driver the pay is usually straight n stable but as an O/O the pay is always fluctuating especially now with the economy the way it is, low fuel prices (compared to b4) average out my pay etc....jobs just arent paying as much as b4 (from when i started as an O/O ) and also the nature of every haul etc.....the $$$ i get is always sorta different from week to week. What i dont understand is, why is it that when i go from lets say, NJ to TX (east to west ) i get less $$$ to go than i do to come back.

in general EVERY time i go somewhere from east to west, i make less money than when i go from west to east. SO FOR EXAMPLE, i may get a load from NJcity to houston (east to west ) for like 15-1600$ but to come back it will be about 17-1900$...i always make more coming back east. any ideas why?

any other tips for a NoOb are welcome lol thanks.

[guess_who]

jersey city, nj to houston, tx...1630 miles for $1500-$1600 bucks?? That's only 92 - 98 c.p.m. You can't afford to move to florida if you expect your rates to decrease!!

[pro1driver]

Originally Posted by Somdow

im an O/O with about 6-7 yrs exp but 1 1/2 as an O/O and um, oh i have a 53' van....
my ? is, i keep hearing that work is always light coming / going to florida and what not. is this true? i mean its already too late, im already moving by the end of the month but id still like to know from anyone that knows. what can i expect from it all down there? if i could get work from FL to somewhere around NJ and back, or from FL to TX and back then id be okay. just want to know what its looking like down there.

Also another thing that i dont understand is, well i mean, when working for a company as a comp driver the pay is usually straight n stable but as an O/O the pay is always fluctuating especially now with the economy the way it is, low fuel prices (compared to b4) average out my pay etc....jobs just arent paying as much as b4 (from when i started as an O/O ) and also the nature of every haul etc.....the $$$ i get is always sorta different from week to week. What i dont understand is, why is it that when i go from lets say, NJ to TX (east to west ) i get less $$$ to go than i do to come back.

in general EVERY time i go somewhere from east to west, i make less money than when i go from west to east. SO FOR EXAMPLE, i may get a load from NJcity to houston (east to west ) for like 15-1600$ but to come back it will be about 17-1900$...i always make more coming back east. any ideas why?

any other tips for a NoOb are welcome lol thanks.

all i can think of right now is that you are not as knowledgable an O/O as you SHOULD BE.

you SHOULD HAVE done your homework regarding where you SHOULD have moved to.if the rates are higher "out west" why didn't you move out west...???

florida never really amounted to too much northern freight years ago when i was hauling as a company driver. you claim to have 6-7 years of driving experience, you mean to tell me you didn't do any homework in all that time and get to SEE where the freight is...??

you as an O/O HAVE TO charge accordingly to your expenses and bottom line profit(s). in this economy as you alluded to, only the strong will survive. right now i highly suspect you are just "squeaking by" which may have been a deciding factor in your moving to florida. you might live "cheaper" in florida, and that's good for you, because whatever you are charging will fit right into your living expenses down there. but you'll never earn more than you should.

unless you demand higher freight fee's you will continue to spiral downward. its UP TO YOU to get the higher rates, not the shipper, telling you what they will pay you.

bottom line here, you really DIDN'T do any homework BEFORE you moved to florida, and frankly, you made the wrong decision. you COULD HAVE moved to (say) texas (or any other mid-west state) and haul freight (say) to virgina (or probably the carolina's) and back...........

homework........plan ahead.........homework somemore.........then move...

[CDL holder]

Florida is mostly a tourist state and that means that you don't have the factories and distribution centers that generate freight and the need for trucks. People still need things there so there are trucks going in but getting loads out isn't as easy as other places because manufacturing is limited.

My theory on your e/w question is that supply and demand causes lower rates for freight generating on the east coast. There's a lot of freight to move from the east and there are a lot of carriers trying for the business. The return from w/e sees less carriers willing to quote a good price. I guess any carrier has their price but there are many regional carriers that don't want to run NYC or the east coast for that matter. So, there are a lot of carriers in the east that are more than glad to run west but there are a lot of carriers in the west that shy away from running east. This affects market prices.

[Gonfercoffee]

39
Pickup Location:
TAMPA, FLCurrent Weather Forecast
Drop-off Location:
DANBURY, CTCurrent Weather Forecast
Mileage: 1169
Pickup Date: 4/15/2009 (Wednesday April 15th) Any Time
Equipment Types: Van
Load Quantity: 1
Load Size: Full
Load Weight: 43643 lbs.
Oversized: No
Overweight: No
Team Preferred: No
Payment Amount:
$1050.00FreightCheck Approved Broker
Company Name: LANDSTAR LOGISTICS-MPJ SERVICES INC

plus you have tolls to pay
you are going to have to learn how to stay in busness hauling dirt cheap freight
I don't know if its possible
Right now every reefer in the country is eyeing florida for nursery ,produce, melons etc
You might make it with a vented van for melons

[Cerberus_Kelpie]

Another of the many whopping pay for loads OUT of FloriDUH.
$1050.00 for 1169 miles equals $ 1.11cpm. is a FLUKE, and with Fuel at 2.90+, just don't eat. 44K you'll be doing good to get 5mpg.
Most loads out of there pay $.85cpm and LESS and this rate is from last year.
Terrible idea moving there expecting to make ANY money.
Maybe you can do some in state shuttles yet O. O. S. runs will be horrible pay wise.
Start eating Baloney, Peanut Butter and Sardines.