Freight bills from 1978

Anyone who has been around that long has earned my respect.

 

That is excellent information. If my numbers are correct you were averaging to you about .648 cpm. It took me a little while to realize how they were bidding the lanes. Once I figured out they were bidding by the weight, which is what I have been saying for a long time now. It make more sense to me then the way they want to do it now. I get paid more to haul the light stuff than the heavy. I heard this as a kid growing up from others that they paid by the tonnage, much like they do in the bulk world. Drivers would not listen to me. Here is the proof, you are the first guy that has ever been able to show me actual numbers from that era. You don't realize how much I appreciate you posting this, it now makes me feel 100% better on how I currently bid freight.

By the way I have heard the BS how they were making $2 - $4 per mile back then as well.

There were to many guys that told me the truth, your numbers match up with the notebook that I have from all the old timers that could still remember. I remember the loads only paying around $1.25 - $1.50 tops in the 80's when I was with my dad.

My cousin was hauling logs in the late 80's and 90's for $1 - $1.25 per mile on top of the price for the logs that he and his dad cut.

I was paying MS Carriers in 1996 $1.65 per mile plus FSC round trip Memphis, Tn to Huntsville, Al and back. That cost me $752.00 for their dedicated service back then. I never complained just marked up the invoice by another 15% and charged it out to my customers.

The only things that made the prices better back then, was the price of everything else was relative and a man could still make a good living being a trucker. Today things are way our of wack, but they are that way for the rest of working America as well.

Thank you so much for posting these BOL's

 

Note: this bill must be paid in 7 days per ICC rules

I'd say compared to what goes on these days that part qualifies as "the good ol days"

 

Thanks for posting these. It is interesting.
Was just looking elsewhere. Diesel went from $.46 per gallon to $.75 per gallon in 1978? Not sure if that is accurate or not as could not verify the link? It was a long pdf.

 

Back then nearly all trucking companies were operating under Common Carrier authority that was very difficult get and they had to file tariffs with the ICC. Tariffs were generally based on weight. About the only companies that still operate this way are the LTL carriers and Van Lines.

Since deregulation most new carriers have contract carrier authority because it is much easier to qualify for. Most of the new carriers are "truckload" carriers that submit mileage based "truckload" rates.

 

You may want to research that a bit more. There is virtually no difference today, in terms of cost to aquire or "qualify" for.

 

Imagine twenty years in the future how effed up it is to look back to 2015 as "the good Ole days".