Turning my authority back on...

[Waterloo]

Well, took everything back to old carrier, no paycheck, which I figured. Said I should have it today or tomorrow. We shall see...

Still waiting on IFTA stickers... Looking like Monday or Tuesday of next week. Used to be you could just walk in and get them up near the IRP office, not anymore, they have streamlined the process... Instead of 15 minutes standing at a counter filling out a form, and walking out with your new permit and stickers... Sure, "streamlined". Idiots.

JB Hunt Power Only called yesterday, I am in the system and can roll as soon as those IFTA stickers arrive. He wanted me to start yesterday, shortage of power only trucks.

One of my other buddies started at Menard's this week, they are running him, knocking off some good miles, out and back. He is getting 400+ miles a day and not even trying. I guess the pay works out to $1.70 a mile, for all miles, I had some wrong info. But still, that is for all miles, empty or loaded. And, you have no trailer expense, tag, insurance, maintenance, etc. Honestly does not sound bad.

Only issue I have is that they have this setup as a lease operation, weekly settlements and they want you dedicated exclusively to them, again, like you are leased on. Is this a good deal? I guess it all depends on how you view this kind of setup. He will not see a settlement check for another three weeks, again, like a lease op. His cargo and bobtail insurance are his one expense, $700 for cargo and what ever he pays for bobtail. Menard's does not charge any fees, and does have a fuel card with up to .50 off a gallon. So, weigh it out, most carriers will skim that $700 off the top anyway. So, maybe Menard's is not that bad a deal, they run 24/7 and are screaming for trucks.

My other buddy, over at the old carrier got screwed again, sat all day in a parking lot and went home. He is going to start the process of turning the authority on next week. My other buddy over there is in the shop, fuel issues, sounds like a bad seal in the system, sucking air, he is not doing to well financially. We both told him he is coming with us, getting his authority. And if need be we will help financially to get him rolling, he can pay us back later. We leave no men behind!

That is all I've got for today.

[Rawze]

(06-26-2019 )Waterloo Wrote:  ...
His cargo and bobtail insurance are his one expense, $700 for cargo and what ever he pays for bobtail. Menard's does not
...

Manards is not a grocer so much but..

i would think that Manards should have their own cargo insurance. It is not unusual receivers/DC's for food and retail products will make all sorts of claims again any deliveries that they can, so they can scam the insurances. Everything from "not the exact temp on the reefer", to rejecting half the load for a dent in a single can of soup somewhere, etc. those kinds of things.

I would say he needs to keep a close eye on that end of things if he is using his own insurance, something smells fishy if they require you to have your own insurance, yet they use their own trailers etc.

Other than that, all one can do is crunch numbers and see what the profit margin is (like i mentioned here: http://rawze.com/forums/showthread.php?t...7#pid40497 ).

[hhow55]

Mr. Rawze is right. There was an article in landline Magazine, about requiring carriers to provide cargo insurance, pulling their trailers. You may want to call ooida business services.

[Chamberpains]

Im with Rawze.. the one huge difference between own authority and lease is the lease guy doesn't own the cargo insurance and doesn't deal 1st hand with claims. If I were to lease to Menards it wouldn't be under those terms. They would have the cargo ins. Because after all its their freight and I'd have it writen in the contract that I'm not exclusive to Menards freight. That way they can't pigeon hole me when times get slow. Or someone gets a bug up their ass and won't run me.

All contracts are negotiable. If they need the trucks, they'll bend.

[Waterloo]

Menard’s is definitely a weird setup, no arguing that.

[Volvo8873]

I run out of Menards here at the main DC in Eau Claire, WI. I have been with the company for over 12 years as a bare skin nobody poor farm boy employee that repaired pallets to O/O pulling their trailers. The rate is roughly 1.70 GIVE OR TAKE!!! They pay out more on live unloads and vendor pick up's so that could be more. On top of this they pay. 05 a mile bonus per loaded mile for the whole year.

I have my own plates, authority, and insurance. My insurance for this year is $6251 through Great West Casualty. The insurance they require is a 1,000,000 liability and 750,000 cargo, ETC.

For me to do this and why? I do know a thing a two when I help out the Transportation office with certain deliveries. Just this week I shuttled empty shopping carts around the Twin Cities between stores. NO ONE! would ever do this type of stuff because they say it is not worth it and too much work! LOL Too me it was just exercise and made the day interesting to say the least. With that 185 miles that day at 6.8 MPG paid me roughly $450. I don't know the exact numbers yet as that is all number crunching in my head but give or take a few cents off that. I will know exact numbers when they pay me which is always at 10 am every Friday.

keep in mind that I haul mainly between the DC and the Twin Cities. It is hard to get consistent good fuel milage with the terrain I haul in. Oh did I say anything yet about the wonderful season we call winter up here? LOL I once hit -42 up in Brainerd, MN few years ago. The truck started acting kind of funny that day and fuel mileage in the winter time? well...

It is not for everyone at Menards though, over the last 8 years I have pulled out of the Eau Claire DC as a company driver and O/O I have seen many MANY!!! O/O come and go... or mainly just belly up because they can not stop whining and crying about rates, keep their truck out of the shop, save fuel, and stop spending their f'ing MONEY on toys!!!

It is a deal whatever you like or hate it. No real consistency on an everyday basis but that is what I like!

[Waterloo]

(06-26-2019 )Volvo8873 Wrote:  I run out of Menards here at the main DC in Eau Claire, WI. I have been with the company for over 12 years as a bare skin nobody poor farm boy employee that repaired pallets to O/O pulling their trailers. The rate is roughly 1.70 GIVE OR TAKE!!! They pay out more on live unloads and vendor pick up's so that could be more. On top of this they pay. 05 a mile bonus per loaded mile for the whole year.

I have my own plates, authority, and insurance. My insurance for this year is $6251 through Great West Casualty. The insurance they require is a 1,000,000 liability and 750,000 cargo, ETC.

For me to do this and why? I do know a thing a two when I help out the Transportation office with certain deliveries. Just this week I shuttled empty shopping carts around the Twin Cities between stores. NO ONE! would ever do this type of stuff because they say it is not worth it and too much work! LOL Too me it was just exercise and made the day interesting to say the least. With that 185 miles that day at 6.8 MPG paid me roughly $450. I don't know the exact numbers yet as that is all number crunching in my head but give or take a few cents off that. I will know exact numbers when they pay me which is always at 10 am every Friday.

keep in mind that I haul mainly between the DC and the Twin Cities. It is hard to get consistent good fuel milage with the terrain I haul in. Oh did I say anything yet about the wonderful season we call winter up here? LOL I once hit -42 up in Brainerd, MN few years ago. The truck started acting kind of funny that day and fuel mileage in the winter time? well...

It is not for everyone at Menards though, over the last 8 years I have pulled out of the Eau Claire DC as a company driver and O/O I have seen many MANY!!! O/O come and go... or mainly just belly up because they can not stop whining and crying about rates, keep their truck out of the shop, save fuel, and stop spending their f'ing MONEY on toys!!!

It is a deal whatever you like or hate it. No real consistency on an everyday basis but that is what I like!

I talked to my buddy, roughly $1.70 a mile before bonuses. He has yet to stop rolling, he hits the DC, there is a load there for him if he wants it. He has yet to sit, other than on a break. So far, all drop and hook.

What I find interesting at Menard's, is that if you have an inexpensive truck to operate, that gets good or better fuel mileage, with their abundance of freight, you should be able to make a comfortable living there. You won't get rich, but you are not going to sit for two or three days in a truck stop waiting for a load either. When those guys are sitting, you are out there generating cash flow. Insurance or not, the money sure does appear to be there. Be smart about it, no toys or costly repairs, you could grow a bank account rather quickly there.

He says he likes it, going to give it a couple of weeks. I'm curious as to how he does.

[Waterloo]

Amazon got a hold of me via email, my insurance is sufficient, they are setting me up now. I still have a few weeks before UPS will accept my authority, he already has work for me, so we both wait. Speaking of waiting, still no paycheck and or IFTA permit or stickers. Meanwhile, JB has my email and is sending me loads to bid on, looks like they are doing Amazon freight too, as that is what they sent. I have three Amazon DC's within 30 miles of me, along with three+ UPS DC's... Hopefully this will work out.

[Volvo8873]

(06-27-2019 )Waterloo Wrote:  I have three Amazon DC's within 30 miles of me, along with three+ UPS DC's... Hopefully this will work out.

That is really nice that you the those options all around you. I see O/O drivers leased onto Fedex pulling freight up and down I-94 all day everyday. Definitely an option for me down the road. It is nice with what I do at Menards because I can hook up to my own flatbed which I intend to buy in the future and pull load board freight, then go back to Menards for a few days for loads.