what to charge for short hauls

there comes a time, either with partials or with short stuff, you simply charge a rate and forget about miles. Only you can determine that based on your history and expenses.

 

Trying to charge by the mile for short runs pulling a lowboy is tough. Most of the guys I know local will either charge buy the hour, or something along the lines of 250 bucks to show up and load the equipment then give them the first 25 miles. Any thing over you can charge by the mile, depending on weight, is it oversize, permits, low weight bridges you will have to go around, all will make the rate increase fairly quickly. I think most of the guys around here get 80 to a little over 100 bucks an hour for local lowboy work. The thing I see is there is way to many of them, and they are always cutting each others throat, so I have never even gave local lowboys a second thought. The only guys I know that do decent is the ones that have a brother in law deal with a big construction company or tractor company.

 

What's it worth to you? I cannot speak for an rgn rate. Flatbed under 200 miles is 400 minimum. If you charge by the hour make sure its worth your while. I recall bidding an rgn load out. Fort riley to KC. I had it bid at 2750. That included everything short milage my time and trailer rental along with the permit I was going to need for being all of 6" oversize. I'd say bid it by the job you know your costs and what you will need to make money. I know to move a D6 a local rock company up here charges $150/hour. Weather that is a good rate or a bad rate I cannot say they have no competition around here. So if the job takes 2 hours its $300 IMO that is a crap rate and its way to cheap for an rgn running local. I would say bid it by the job not by the hour and do it flat rate all in.

 

When I do farm to processor work, it is an hourly rate or daily rate.

 

I have never or will ever move a load 200 miles for $400!!!!

i charge $350 for a local run up to 50 miles and will give them two hours on each end after that its $60 a hour. im 100 miles or so from houston i charge $550-$600 on that and 75% of the time i D/H back so its got to be worth your time. Dallas is 300 miles from me and seems most people are happy with getting $2/mi but after spending two hours loading and driving five hours only to spend two more hours off loading you have wasted your hole day and only made $300 you will go broke fast doing that.

I have a few people i move stuff for by the hour i charge $110 a hour for that its still $350 charge but after that 3rd hour i start charging that $110. you have to have a minimum charge

 

What do you need to make each day?

Say it's $500 a day.....Figure in a per mile or per hour charge accordingly......

 

I see what you're saying but that is an example. What you charge your customers is your deal not mine. None of my business as far as I'm concerned. I used that as an example and that's what I have usually seen. Key words being UNDER 200 miles. Most of the time at 200 miles I want to see at least $500 also depends on where I'm going to go. If I'm going to go into a dead hole or a cheap lane I have to make it up on the trip down. I understand where you are coming from as well bayou. However I'd rather haul 4 loads of shingles/day at $400 and moving 50 miles and a 50 mile bounce back (P.O. to P.O. total round is probably 65 miles).

Also realize what you're saying with that quote. You mean to tell me you wouldn't run a load 200 miles for $400 in order to pick up a load that was 5000lbs paying 3.50/mile moving 800 miles into a lane where the going rate is 2.50/mile with minimal dead head? Never say never. It's more profitable for me to haul the 200 mile load paying $400 in that situation. Once again another example. That's just the other side of the coin. I have read many of your posts in the pasts. You don't like hauling for cheap and don't like loads paying 2.00/loaded. I understand why but you also have to realize not all of us need 2.00/mile to make it. My situation is different than yours is I understand that. If that's what you need hey I don't blame you for hauling what you haul I'm glad you get good rates. But keep things in mind. Just because you won't do it doesn't mean somebody else cannot make money on that load and line up a good week starting off with that load.

Not trying to argue or downgrade you or build up my example. I'm just stating other situations that's all. Be safe out there and have a good rest of the night.

 

My local rate is $100/hr, $500 minimum/day.

I could actually go a little cheaper on some stuff by separating it out by mileage + detention or actual fuel + $75/hr or something. But I think most of the time even if you are trying to give people a better deal it just confuses them. They don't want to think about how much you're paying for fuel or how much cheaper it is for you to sit than run down the road. They just want an easy flat rate, take it or leave it.

Plus I live in a community where everybody knows everybody. It's important to charge everyone the same or else somebody might wind up thinking I gave someone else a better deal and get mad at me or something. I don't need stuff like that.