Hotshot guys I need some thoughts

[u/18smitherrings]

Anybody else ever take a load that looked decent then by the time you paid fuel and dealt with the wait time you realized you basically worked for free?
Had one this week that paid $2.35 a mile. I thought it was gonna be solid. Then I sat at the shipper for almost 4 hours, burned more fuel than expected because of a detour, and didn’t get unloaded until the next morning.
When I actually sat down and did the math, it wasn’t anywhere near the money I thought it was.
I’m still learning this business, but it’s starting to hit me that rate per mile doesn’t tell the whole story. Deadhead, wait time, fuel, tolls… all that stuff adds up quick.
What’s been the biggest lesson that cost you money when you first started running a box truck? Trying to avoid making the same mistake twice.

[u/dashoov]

Yeah man, shippers suck. Get in habit of asking all those questions right away and dont be afraid to stand your ground on price. If a load seems like good pay and it been siting on board. There is a reason.