Hurry Up And Wait

There is no point in hauling cheap freight.  You use your expensive equipment, your time, and purchase expensive fuel.  You are also putting your life on the line to deliver equipment and toilet paper all while keeping those around you safe from harm.  

Even if your truck, house, and retirement is paid for, you still can't afford to work for free.  Every time the truck moves down the road, the tires lose a little tread, the fuel injectors lose a little life, and the whole truck wears down a little more every day.  When those wheels are turning, you need to be earning.  

My first two years as an owner were filled with disappointments.  I lost money for all sorts of reasons, but I had fun in the process.  One of the ways I lost money was working for cheap.  I was working for people who had zero appreciation for all the money I was saving them.  They would post a cheap load and I would take it.  I would run as hard I could to make delivery early, but it was all for nothing.  

There was rarely a repeat call for my services, but when there was, the customer wanted an even cheaper rate.  There is a drive by the industry to provide affordable rates to the customer, but there are customers that are not worth dealing with because they are unrealistic in their desire to move their freight for as cheap as possible.  

Finding the loads is easy, but getting paid for your time is not.  You must fight for every dollar that you make in trucking.  No one will hand it to you, but it is rewarding when you win what you have worked for.  Anyone who would deny you your hard earned deserved pay for your time is not the kind of person that you want to trust your business to.  And trust is earned, not given away.  

Once you have earned a place as a trusted carrier who is on time, delivers freight damage free, and is honest about how you do your work, you should be paid for your time.  It's as simple as that.  Keep in mind that as a driver, NOTHING, and I MEAN NOTHING, gets done without your hard work.  Even one day when robots will possibly be controlling these rigs, there will be people to maintain them and own them.

Unless the Terminators take over

But then, driving a truck will be the least of your problems.