I've passed on loads that looked pretty good when you only looked at the rate. Why? Because rate is only one part of the decision. Before I take a load, I want to know at least these things: 1. What does it really pay on ALL miles? Not just loaded miles. If it pays $1,500 for 500 loaded miles, that's $3.00/mile. Sounds great. But add 150 miles of deadhead and now it's $2.31 on the 650 miles the truck actually has to travel. Still might be a good load — but that's the real number I'm making the decision with. 2. How much time will it consume? A 400-mile load that picks up quickly and delivers straight through is different from a 400-mile load with a 5-hour pickup window and an appointment tomorrow afternoon. The truck doesn't just sell miles. It sells time and capacity. 3. Where does it leave the truck? $2,000 going into a market where I can reload easily may be worth considerably more to my week than $2,200 going somewhere I'm likely to sit or deadhead 200 miles to get out. I want to know what happens after I unload. 4. What does it do to the driver's clock? Can the load realistically be completed without running the driver down to nothing? And what hours will be available afterward? A load that barely works legally can create problems with the next load. 5. Does it fit the rest of the week? This is the one I think gets overlooked the most. A load can be profitable by itself and still hurt the week. If taking Tuesday's "great load" means I lose Wednesday and part of Thursday, I need to account for that. So my decision isn't simply: What's the rate? It's: Revenue - cost - time - deadhead - HOS - destination - next opportunity. Then I ask: Does this move the whole week forward? Sometimes the answer is yes. Sometimes the right business decision is to tell a broker no — even when the rate looks pretty good. For the dispatchers and carriers here: What is your biggest deal-breaker when you're looking at a load? Rate? Deadhead? Appointment times? Destination? HOS? Broker? Something else?

Most load decisions get calculated using miles and dollars. But there's another number that can be just as important: How much of the driver's clock does the load consume? Two loads can both be 400 miles and pay $1,200. Load A 40 miles deadhead 1-hour pickup 400 loaded miles 1-hour delivery Driver finishes with enough usable time to reposition or set up tomorrow Load B 40 miles deadhead 4 hours waiting at pickup 400 loaded miles 3 hours waiting at delivery Driver's day is basically gone Same miles. Same revenue. Completely different load. That waiting time didn't just inconvenience the driver. It consumed a resource the trucking company can't buy back: available hours. And this gets even more important when you're planning multiple trucks. A dispatcher can put together a week that looks great on paper and still create HOS problems if every load requires the driver to burn the full clock just to make the appointments. That's why I think we need to look at two clocks: The driver's HOS clock — Can the load legally and realistically be completed? The business clock — What does this load do to the next load, tomorrow, and the rest of the week? Sometimes the highest-paying load isn't the best load. Sometimes the better load is the one that leaves the driver and the truck in position to make money again tomorrow. I've started thinking about revenue per hour of truck time, not just revenue per mile. A $1,200 load that consumes 8 hours is very different from a $1,200 load that consumes 13. Dispatchers and owner-operators: when you're evaluating a load, how much weight do you give the driver's available hours versus the rate and miles?

When people talk about planning, they usually think about rates and revenue. But poor planning can also cost you: Available Hours of Service Driver fatigue Missed appointments Lost reload opportunities Customer relationships Stress A truck that's sitting because the driver ran out of hours isn't making money, even if the last load paid well. Sometimes the best decision is the one that keeps your options open tomorrow. Question: What's the biggest planning mistake you've seen cost a trucking business—not just money, but time or opportunity?

For years, a lot of us have been taught to chase the longest, highest-paying load. But I'm starting to wonder... Is there an optimal length of haul—not just for profit, but for the driver's health and overall quality of life? A 700-mile load might pay well, but it can also mean: - Long days behind the wheel - More fatigue - Less flexibility - More nights away from home A 250–500 mile load might mean: - Better sleep - More consistent routines - Less stress - More opportunities to reposition for the next load Of course, every operation is different. A dedicated lane may be completely different from running the spot market. What have you found? If you could build your ideal operation, what average length of haul would you aim for—and why?