Back on the Road Again (almost)

I have spent much of the last 10 months 'based' here in the St. Louis area where I called 'HOME' for much of my life. For those that know me even a little bit know that I prefer to be in Paradise - a sand bar along the Gulf Coast outside St. Petersburg, FL. I have been here establishing a new business that will continue servicing a construction company in St. Louis that my best friend has been delivering equipment for over the last 20 years. He is retiring this year.

Things are now almost 100% in place so that I may get back to doing what I love best - Traveling the USA and then ending up in Paradise for some R&R every so often. My Federal Motor Carrier Authority was granted the beginning of this month and my search for at least one, and potentially several, Owner/Operators has had success. My first Lessee should be on board in a couple of weeks. You will get to meet him - if he allows it - when it becomes official.

And I have had conversation with a friend who drives a BIG truck and he maybe interested in joining my fledgling company. But my focus next is to add some more shippers. It does no good to have trucks and drivers if I'm getting all my loads off the load boards. It seems to me that our economy continues to improve resulting in more freight moving and better rates. Nothing personal Mr. Broker, but I prefer to deal direct with the shipper and get ALL the money.

Let me give you an example of a TRUE STORY. I am going to make this vague because I really don't want to offend anyone.

I subscribe to a website that has a few shippers but is primarily broker-posted loads. I was trying to get to a particular part of the country, so I narrowed my search to loads under 15,000 lb and requiring less than 35' of deck going from St. Louis to this area. It is not uncommon to see the same load posted by multiple brokers, which is what happened in this case.

I called three different brokers listing the same load and was quoted three different rates! The part that REALLY aggravated me was broker #1 wanted to pay me MORE THAN 30% LESS than brokers #2 and #3. I know for a fact that the shipper was PAYING the same thing so who do you think was getting the difference? And for what?

Before I piss off to many of the brokers I do business with -- NOT ALL OF YOU ARE CROOKS! I'll go so far as to say, "MOST of you are honest and perform a legitimate and fair service." But unfortunately there are many that are only interested in making a buck and it's usually at the drivers expense. Like the load I was paid $900 for and found out that the broker was paid $1400. When I picked the load up, there was a note from the broker to the shipper that I wasn't suppose to see but got included in my paperwork.

So the moral of the story is, cut-out the middle-man.

Tomorrow - Sunday - I head to Fort Worth, TX with a load of steel pipe which I will deliver Monday morning. Then I pick-up three ATVs an hour away in Dallas which will eventually get me to within 50 miles of my parents house near Savannah, GA. Along the way, I will grab my youngest son and we will visit G'ma and G'pa for a few days before going down to Paradise for a week.

I'm really looking forward to going back to FL. I haven't been there since the end of May. I'm hopeful Tropical Depression Bonnie did not destroy my beach to much when it past a couple of hundred miles to the west yesterday. I'll let you know.