What Constitutes A 'lousy Load' In Freight Hauling?

I thought drivers get paid strictly by the mile and not by the "load quality"?

In Brett's Raw Truth, Page 62 as follows:

"But companies are desperate for good drivers so if you can prove to them over a period of time that your are safe, hard working, and reliable then they will do their best to compromise with you. If you'll haul a LOUSY LOAD for them every so often then they will reward you with consistently good miles, a lot of good runs, and respect and tolerance for you as a driver and nd a as a human being."

Now, I can see some ROUTES' being lousier than others. I would always want to be driving on the relative safety of well-maintained Interstates (the beaten path) as much as possible and far away from high-crime areas and traffic congestion as much as possible. Flat, straight, wide open roads in moderate climate would be more welcome than ice-cold twisty winter mountains with treacherous grade percentages and scorching summer deserts.

Its subjective. One i did ...i came off home time and went to a produce place that is always at least 4 hours getting loaded then drove 78 miles and spent 2 hours getting unloaded. At 50cpm the load paid less than $40 and took all day due to our contract with the customer. Detention didnt pay at either end. I normally make $250-$300 per day. big difference. The next load was 1700 miles and easy.

When i got paid, i had a "bonus" of $150 which made up for it. as a great driver they took care of me. if i had been an average driver, im sure i wouldnt have gotten that bonus.

It turned out that shipper nearly lost the account with the receiver due to incomplete orders in the past. They told Prime this load was extremely important. Prime promised them an outstanding driver to make sure the load went smoothly.

and since your next question will be about detention...we get paid detention based on the appointment time and it starts 2 hours after the end of the appointment window. My appointment was 1200 to 1600, I got there at noon. That means i would not get paid detention until 1800. By that time i was almost to the receiver. same thing at that point.

Quote from Becoming A Truck Driver: The Raw Truth About Truck Driving

If you'll haul a LOUSY LOAD for them every so often then they will reward you with consistently good miles, a lot of good runs, and respect and tolerance for you as a driver and nd a as a human being."

Taken within the context of Brett’s point; operative phrase is; “every so often”. Focus on that thought Todd, for a good driver it’s the exception and will be rewarded whenever possible with a much better load.

I am not the best person to reply to this since there are very few Walmart store loads that I consider “lousy”. Having the dock out time delayed by several hours is about the worst thing I deal with.

Rainy’s reply suggesting it’s subjective is a good answer. Everything must be applied to the bigger picture, good drivers, conducting themselves safely and professionally typically deal with their definition of a lousy load as an exception, not the rule.

The routes we must drive are predicated by many factors, most out of our control. However it’s a big part of our job to effectively adjust and manage the situation at hand, and exercise good judgement in the case of (for instance) driving during a bad storm. In a Utopian world all shippers/receivers would be within 1 mile off the Interstate exit. Rarely the case and complete fantasy if that’s your expectation.

You must safely and efficiently conduct business as if you are your own boss; making good decisions based on sound, well grounded judgement.

I don't know what a lousy load is or how to define one. I get paid for every mile they dispatch me for. I get Northeast pay for miles I drive within CFI's designated Northeast area. I get short haul pay for all loaded miles under 200 miles. I get hazmat pay for all placarded hazmat loaded miles. I get extra stop pay for every stop between the first pickup and last delivery. I get detention starting 2 hours after my appointment time, assuming, I get there early or on time.

With all that, I only count my miles. All the rest is bonus that I don't see until my pay check is processed for that week.

I thought drivers get paid strictly by the mile and not by the "load quality"?

When an over the road driver refers to a load as lousy, it isn't a reference to the "load quality." It could be a lot of different variables that make it undesirable, but none of it is in reference to the quality of the load affecting what you get paid.

Let's say I have six hours left on my clock when I empty out from my current load at 0700, but my dispatcher needs me to go pick up a live load one hour away from me, but it's scheduled to load at 0900 the next morning. We might call that a "lousy" load. It makes us sit and wait longer than is efficient. Sure, we will get some layover pay, but who wants to be inefficient and settle for such pay when we could be maximizing our pay?

The whole point of the context of his remarks is that highly valuable drivers who are willing to do what's needed will be rewarded for taking such loads willingly and agreeably.

Quote from Becoming A Truck Driver: The Raw Truth About Truck Driving

If you'll haul a LOUSY LOAD for them every so often then they will reward you with consistently good miles, a lot of good runs, and respect and tolerance for you as a driver and nd a as a human being."

Taken within the context of Brett’s point; operative phrase is; “every so often”. Focus on that thought Todd, for a good driver it’s the exception and will be rewarded whenever possible with a much better load.

I am not the best person to reply to this since there are very few Walmart store loads that I consider “lousy”. Having the dock out time delayed by several hours is about the worst thing I deal with.

Rainy’s reply suggesting it’s subjective is a good answer. Everything must be applied to the bigger picture, good drivers, conducting themselves safely and professionally typically deal with their definition of a lousy load as an exception, not the rule.

The routes we must drive are predicated by many factors, most out of our control. However it’s a big part of our job to effectively adjust and manage the situation at hand, and exercise good judgement in the case of (for instance) driving during a bad storm. In a Utopian world all shippers/receivers would be within 1 mile off the Interstate exit. Rarely the case and complete fantasy if that’s your expectation.

You must safely and efficiently conduct business as if you are your own boss; making good decisions based on sound, well grounded judgement.

As a car driver on long trips occasionally, I see the heaviest concentration of big rigs on Interstates and major/state highways. It's just an observation of mine. I see few trucks on rural roads unless they are logging trucks, grain/feed trucks, hay trucks, fuel tankers or milk tankers. I can't ever remember seeing a dry-van or reefer a rural/county road.

I thought drivers get paid strictly by the mile and not by the "load quality"?

When an over the road driver refers to a load as lousy, it isn't a reference to the "load quality." It could be a lot of different variables that make it undesirable, but none of it is in reference to the quality of the load affecting what you get paid.

Let's say I have six hours left on my clock when I empty out from my current load at 0700, but my dispatcher needs me to go pick up a live load one hour away from me, but it's scheduled to load at 0900 the next morning. We might call that a "lousy" load. It makes us sit and wait longer than is efficient. Sure, we will get some layover pay, but who wants to be inefficient and settle for such pay when we could be maximizing our pay?

The whole point of the context of his remarks is that highly valuable drivers who are willing to do what's needed will be rewarded for taking such loads willingly and agreeably.

Yes, I personally hate being inside a motor vehicle that is NOT MOVING! It's aggravating and boring as hell just sitting in my car and be waiting! As a driver I would want to be rolling as much as possible on duty. It's not so much a lousy load as it is a lousy schedule.

I thought drivers get paid strictly by the mile and not by the "load quality"?

When an over the road driver refers to a load as lousy, it isn't a reference to the "load quality." It could be a lot of different variables that make it undesirable, but none of it is in reference to the quality of the load affecting what you get paid.

Let's say I have six hours left on my clock when I empty out from my current load at 0700, but my dispatcher needs me to go pick up a live load one hour away from me, but it's scheduled to load at 0900 the next morning. We might call that a "lousy" load. It makes us sit and wait longer than is efficient. Sure, we will get some layover pay, but who wants to be inefficient and settle for such pay when we could be maximizing our pay?

The whole point of the context of his remarks is that highly valuable drivers who are willing to do what's needed will be rewarded for taking such loads willingly and agreeably.

Old School, with that in mind, I think most drivers would favor drop and hook over live loads. Some companies probably do drop and hook exclusively or most of the time. Drop and hook sounds like my kind of bag. This practice seems common in freight railroading.

I think most drivers would favor drop and hook over live loads.

Of course they would. Unfortunately there's times and reasons why we can't always have our preferences. Maybe that will help you understand the reference to a load as "lousy."

Flatbed drivers seldom see drop and hooks, much like tanker yankers. Trucking is as varied as it's many customers are.

I think most drivers would favor drop and hook over live loads.

Of course they would. Unfortunately there's times and reasons why we can't always have our preferences. Maybe that will help you understand the reference to a load as "lousy."

Flatbed drivers seldom see drop and hooks, much like tanker yankers. Trucking is as varied as it's many customers are.

I have had a decent amount of drop n hooks flatbedding. HOWEVER, I still have to secure the load. I am not a huge fan of this method, simply because I was not there to see it loaded, and therefore being more confident that the load is centered and balanced.