Is freight really the slowest in 20 years??

Have you looked up local companies in the area and cold called? Kind of seems like the best way to do things to me.

 

Companies one year will hire and build plants to scale up on demand. 5 years later they cut costs and scale down but invest somewhere else. It's not as if they are building trucks that last for ever. Corporations will cut facilities that arent efficient. Thats all that means.

 

Im in this region every day with nearly dedicated bachauls from many places. Me and 2 others have scoured our phones and old BOLs. Truck is posted too. I cold called 3 places and it was a waste of time. Napping seems like a better strategy. Try again tmrw

 

It's the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Think that might have something to do with it?

 

Has everything to do with it.

Just called on a load i know. Moncure nc to nashville.. Thats general shales plant over there. Usually 2 or 3 hours in line, no bathroom. $575 for 517 miles. Thats $1.11/mile and then 2 hours deadhead to get home. Piss on that.

 

I think you missed my point. You can't use market conditions right before a major holiday to gauge the state of the market.

 

Local trucking won’t give you good rates year round on the spot market, unless you’re willing to continuously be moving to other local markets that are hot.

Personally I don’t do local. I do nationwide local. The entire US is local for me. I got no kids, wife, girlfriend, or anyone. I won’t worry about it until a few years later. To be clear, I am a regular OTR driver. I book about 1-3 loads per week.

 

Only Volvo hasn’t invested anywhere else during this downturn.

 

I think you missed that i didnt miss your point.. When i said it [the holiday] has everything to do with it.

Well i do, and theyve got to eat.

Im a driver for a quarry with a 25 year old retail customer base that doesnt bounce around.. and an equally established lineup of backhauls. Ive used spot market to produce loads that beat my usual backhaul options, got the truck back from an odd position or moved it to one. But i think this is the first time there really hasnt been a backhaul option. That $1.11 a mile offer isnt an option because deadheading home would be cheaper.. And as yet ive not be given permission to do so.

 

What lanes are you working in? Have you tried Uber and Convoy as another source of backhauls?