Truck Load Rates Halt 8 Week Slide 2.0

That’s Quality of Life there.

 

If things get very bad, you drop your insurance to the bare minimum of couple hundred $$ per month and wait it out.
During the lockdown, the amount of stress I had with 3 paid off trucks and my buddy's with 5 new trucks, was not even comparable. He probably lost two years of life during those two months

 

I’m trying to be closed all week but customers keep needing freight moved. First it was ok, we’ll send one truck out and back. Turns out that 4 trucks are now running and still brokered 4 or 5 loads. Rest of my guys don’t want to run and I don’t really want them too either. This down time and family time is important for our longevity through the rest of the year.

I still think the first few weeks leading up the the Presidential swearing in are going to be some of the best money trucking has ever seen.

 

Well crap. Now I have a truck in route to TX and another gonna be in route to AZ. So much for time off.

Couple things going on here...

1. I didn’t used to have many customers, so if I didn’t book anything I didn’t have anything.

2. It’s a different ball game now, I gotta take care of customers so they take care of me the other 50 weeks of the year.

3. I’d broker my but off if I could get a single ounce of interest in a carrier hauling my freight this week. And I’m talking at ANY price.

Carriers have literally made so much money this fall that most have said F it were shut down and don’t need or want the freight! Talk to us well after first of the year.

If y’all don’t get a read off this post then your helpless or blind.

 

I see this as the spot market rearing it’s ugly side. This frustration at the lack of volunteers is mirrored by carriers knowing that any little downturn in demand means you don’t need them. This is a chance for a conversation about asset based brokerage (one that needs more attention) simply put if I was one of your occasional carriers I would have no problem telling you NO. I would be thinking why bother to leave out on a high risk week to make things cushy for your company drivers.

 

I have always treated repeat broker freight like it’s my own customer and I try to protect it. Maybe it’s because I had no actual customers for many years. If I was a repeat carrier for my company then I think I’d be taking it more serious. It just shows how well off everyone is right now and makes a person short sighted.

Yes, at some point the market will flip the other way and if smart then carrier should position to retain good freight. As this point I don’t feel much loyalty so won’t be extending much. I’d rather it be the opposite.