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May 20, 2026 at 09:01 AM CST
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
So this morning I open my email to a Bulkloads email stating $5.03/per mile on freight in the first half of the month of May. Am I missing something? Every load I have called on has been in the $2.50-3/mile range. Where is all this high dollar freight? Unless you have a deal with a customer, you are NEVER getting $5.03/mile average off of this site. Sure you may find some short loads that will pay $5/mile but they are so short that you can not make money on them with you amount of time that will be spent on the loads! I would love to see an honest overview of the state of the bulk world rather than the smoke, teddy bears and unicorns we seem to get fed in this world right now! |
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Replied on Wed, May 20, 2026 at 11:38 AM CST
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
Dump the hopper Keith and get a reefer. I read a headline in Overdrive saying $8.00 pm. |
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Replied on Wed, May 20, 2026 at 04:14 PM CST
+ 2
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
Hey, Keith. These rates are based on actual transactions and moved loads. I'm happy to show you if you'd like to schedule a meeting - my contact info is below.
Email: [email protected] |
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Replied on Thu, May 21, 2026 at 08:33 AM CST
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
$5 a mile sounds great, but ALL MILES are what's important. If fuel is costing you more than a 3rd of gross, you aren't making much. With $6 diesel a truck needs $3+ ALL MILES to stay in the black. I've been able to run a hopper for $3 ALL MILES lately with loads booked on BulkLoads. Is it easy? No.
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Replied on Thu, May 21, 2026 at 08:34 AM CST
+ 1
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
Hello John, show us some loads in MN and ND worth waking up for. I parked seven trailers and layed off three owner ops in Jan. Still nothing out there worth hauling! IMO. |
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Replied on Thu, May 21, 2026 at 08:34 AM CST
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
John id have interest in your numbers although fuel volatility probably changes things. Art Pfluger |
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Replied on Thu, May 21, 2026 at 08:34 AM CST
+ 5
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
Quote: "Hey, Keith. These rates are based on actual transactions and moved loads. I'm happy to show you if you'd like to schedule a meeting - my contact info is below.
Email: [email protected]"
Why a meeting? Why not with everyone?We all pay to subscribe.
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Replied on Thu, May 21, 2026 at 09:07 AM CST
+ 3
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
Sometimes number can be ficticous and twisted to benefit someones agenda. I was taught that in 2016 when Hiliary was going to win in a landslide... |
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Replied on Thu, May 21, 2026 at 10:42 AM CST
+ 3
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
Good morning to all. It was a great couple weeks here at our small company with $7.15 a mile on a 545 mile run to the low of $3.38 a mile on 250 mile runs. We run 70% dedicated loads and fill in with a select few brokers that have proven themselves to be solid companies to work with. Most brokered loads paid between $3.38 to $5.25 a mile with one topping the week at $7.15 a mile. For the week I offered services to 9 brokers on 26 loads and turned down 13 loads on their counter offer. 50% rejection rate which we all know wont be reported. With the first dollar a mile going to fuel its quite obvious that $3.38 isnt a good rate anymore. Our company went from 55% to 40% ROI in the past two and a half months mainly do to fuel and rising misc. costs. To be fair to Bulkloads and their service they provide i find it a key tool to finding shippers and receivers who are wanting solid/honest carriers who provide solid and timely service rather than throwing caution to the wind and trying to use brokers to fulfill their inbound or outbound product needs. With the FCSMA and all the spotlight on shady brokers and carriers I believe this is a great time to be in the bulk hauling industry despite high costs. As a whole the services we carriers provide are needed more now than ever. We need to keep our pencils sharp and do weekly cost overveiws and not be afraid to say no to cheap rates. Tell them what you will haul it for BEFORE they even shoot you a rate. Keep the ball in your court not theirs. Have a great rest of the week ya'll
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Replied on Thu, May 21, 2026 at 01:23 PM CST
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
I have been in this chair for 17 years now. I used to think I did a good job but lately I have been doubting myself. We have lost accounts this year, a year of skyrocketing costs, to people cutting our rates! We did not raise the rates due to higher costs, yet someone has stepped in and cut the rate by 25%. What is wrong with this picture? Was it bad service? Nope, never missed a scheduled load and communication was good. It was the almighty dollar and someone deciding that they could do the loads for less than what I consider to be break even. When I was ask if we could match that rate, my answer was not no but HELL no! So I guess I still don't see the big money that is considered to be out there. We are considering a fleet reduction or short shut down until things turn around. I will be honest, I have hauled some high dollar freight in the past month, but have not found any on a load board. |
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Replied on Fri, May 22, 2026 at 09:19 AM CST
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
Quote: "Good morning to all. It was a great couple weeks here at our small company with $7.15 a mile on a 545 mile run to the low of $3.38 a mile on 250 mile runs. We run 70% dedicated loads and fill in with a select few brokers that have proven themselves to be solid companies to work with. Most brokered loads paid between $3.38 to $5.25 a mile with one topping the week at $7.15 a mile. For the week I offered services to 9 brokers on 26 loads and turned down 13 loads on their counter offer. 50% rejection rate which we all know wont be reported. With the first dollar a mile going to fuel its quite obvious that $3.38 isnt a good rate anymore. Our company went from 55% to 40% ROI in the past two and a half months mainly do to fuel and rising misc. costs.
To be fair to Bulkloads and their service they provide i find it a key tool to finding shippers and receivers who are wanting solid/honest carriers who provide solid and timely service rather than throwing caution to the wind and trying to use brokers to fulfill their inbound or outbound product needs. With the FCSMA and all the spotlight on shady brokers and carriers I believe this is a great time to be in the bulk hauling industry despite high costs. As a whole the services we carriers provide are needed more now than ever. We need to keep our pencils sharp and do weekly cost overveiws and not be afraid to say no to cheap rates. Tell them what you will haul it for BEFORE they even shoot you a rate. Keep the ball in your court not theirs.
Have a great rest of the week ya'll
"
What is it you are hauling ? That might need to be considered in the statement you are making.
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Replied on Fri, May 22, 2026 at 09:19 AM CST
+ 2
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
Quote: "Hey, Keith. These rates are based on actual transactions and moved loads. I'm happy to show you if you'd like to schedule a meeting - my contact info is below.
Email: [email protected]"
They might very well be actual transactions....but are they local grain loads bouncing back empty to reload ? You can't base a number like that and mix over the road loads with local grain loads and call it a real number. Show me one load going over 400 miles paying what you are claiming. If it is, the number you claim to be "transactions", must be the brokers per mile number. It isn't happening. I appreciate bulkloads and what it's for. But this statement is way off base. Do some real research before making a statement as such. By asking real owner operator's what THEY are seeing.
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Replied on Fri, May 22, 2026 at 10:58 AM CST
+ 2
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
Quote: "They might very well be actual transactions....but are they local grain loads bouncing back empty to reload ? You can't base a number like that and mix over the road loads with local grain loads and call it a real number. Show me one load going over 400 miles paying what you are claiming. If it is, the number you claim to be "transactions", must be the brokers per mile number. It isn't happening. I appreciate bulkloads and what it's for. But this statement is way off base. Do some real research before making a statement as such. By asking real owner operator's what THEY are seeing."
To make local one way (deadheading back) grain loads pay decent you need $6 to $7 a loaded mile. If someone is running $5 a mile loaded one way and deadheading back to reload, they are actually bleeding out because their ALL MILES are only $2.50 at best. If a truck averages 6 miles to the gallon and fuel is $6, you are burning a dollar a mile just for fuel, then split the $1.50 that's left between maintenance, insurance, replacement costs, and driver wages... There's just not much left at $2.50 all miles. Most of the longer lanes I enquired on this week here on BulkLoads are paying $2.85 to $3.60 a loaded mile in freight rich areas. If loads are going to a freight desert like the east coast, they had better be paying $5 to $6 a loaded mile. We are all operating with 2022 fuel prices without the 2022 rates. My strategy has somewhat shifted from trying to book loads a week in advance, to just running on the spot loads simply because they tend to pay better later in the week when they realize they can't get the freight moved. If I can't hit my target numbers my truck sits in the driveway.
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Replied on Tue, May 26, 2026 at 08:02 AM CST
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
Fuel surcharge, Fuel Surcharge, Fuel Surcharge! Guys with dedicated customers and locked in rate cons with their customers are using base rate+FSC. I bid rates for a yr, and set my base rate based on what the companies FSC payment is, Some pay full FSC others pay 50% of FSC. So with FSC added I'm currently working in the $7-8/mile range with tankers, and with good fuel programs my highest fuel has been $5.11 (was 50 cents under pump price). So the prices certainly are real, companies not getting them need to look at their business models. Brokers are ok for backhauls or to fill in the end of a week, but guys really need to work on landing some dirtect customers. No middle man taking a cut, whats is a broker keeping 3,5,10% who really knows! Normally faster pay (my dedicated shippers pay in max of 14 days from delivery, some as quick as 72 hrs) all without farctoring, there is another 2-3% in your pocket. Steady depenable work, priceless. |
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Replied on Tue, May 26, 2026 at 08:02 AM CST
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
Ok John. You are being called out. Let's do this for everyone. Open up. Show us. I'm not seeing it. And if you talk to one of the thousands of crack brokers this site is allowing to post about these rates they simply tell you "I'm getting it hauled all day for this". So yeah. Let's be open and transparent about this. Let's talk "fuel surcharge" as well. That's apparently a taboo topic with brokers. Right along with "detention". Only a few brokers will be honest about these topics, they didn't want to ask for extra because they know these buyers won't call them back to cover loads, they didn't care about the "extras" because they don't honestly make anything for those. And let's be honest to ourselves that there are way too many low class carriers pulling for cheap and definitely not able to maintain the fleet at those rates. We are all hurting right now. And there really is no reason for it.
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Replied on Tue, May 26, 2026 at 08:02 AM CST
+ 1
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
Not only are these rates on bounce rates, but they also aren’t telling you about the 3 hours of sitting time! I did 3 weeks worth of work getting paid by the hour, I suppose if I figured it by the mile, I’d have made somewhere around $50/mile!
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Replied on Tue, May 26, 2026 at 04:02 PM CST
+ 1
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
Quote: "Dump the hopper Keith and get a reefer. I read a headline in Overdrive saying $8.00 pm."
I have seen people jump from wagon to wagon and in my opinion, we would be better served riding out the tough times with the hopper, servicing our customers and doing maintainence in the slow times so we can make money when there is money to be made. I have seen several people jump from wagon to wagon only to lose money. I guess we are just going to stay firm in the bulk world and wait for some more guys to go under or leave this sector. It will happen, I have seen it several times before. Then the other sectors get over saturated and those same guys come back to the bulk sector to cut rates until they are a blown tire away from bankruptcy! It is a vicious circle but if you have been in the game long enough, you will have seen the majority of plays that are made. |
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Replied on Wed, May 27, 2026 at 08:08 AM CST
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
Quote: "I have seen people jump from wagon to wagon and in my opinion, we would be better served riding out the tough times with the hopper, servicing our customers and doing maintainence in the slow times so we can make money when there is money to be made. I have seen several people jump from wagon to wagon only to lose money. I guess we are just going to stay firm in the bulk world and wait for some more guys to go under or leave this sector. It will happen, I have seen it several times before. Then the other sectors get over saturated and those same guys come back to the bulk sector to cut rates until they are a blown tire away from bankruptcy! It is a vicious circle but if you have been in the game long enough, you will have seen the majority of plays that are made."
I bought my first new Wilkens walking floor in 1996. I picked up my seventh new one yesterday. I've mostly been a one man band. The longer you do something, the better you get at it. At least you should. Relationships. Good service. Fair rate. Efficiency... |
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Replied on Thu, May 28, 2026 at 12:21 PM CST
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
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Posted by a private FlatLoads.com member.
Quote: "What is it you are hauling ? That might need to be considered in the statement you are making."
We haul pretty much anything you can load in a hopper. Not sure what you are asking with your comment
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