Truck Load Rates Halt 8 Week Slide 2.0

I have 60k on it now. Lifetime is 7.11, last 4 weeks is 7.58. On that trip to Idaho I had to run the speed limit (80 in SD, 70 everywhere else, 65 on the two lane) so I could make my delivery appointment and ended up getting 6.85 from central South Dakota out to Idaho. I didn’t think that was bad considering the speed and I had 42k on headed out.

 

Not bad especially if you had the wind in SD as I seem to hit it every time. I have been trying to go out to WA in new truck to test out what I get going that way. Just have not found anything lately. I am filling my paperwork out to go to Oregon now so that I can go out that way soon. I know a few loads that I can get that is worth it now that rates are taking a little bit of a hit. I hit a ton of wind the first part of my trip this week so will see Monday where I end up at. All heavy loads as well. Was 6.8 after the wind to Tenn from Mo and 7.4 with some idle time from TN to MA and took the long way in mountains on 84. Should had been around 7.7 if I did not idle. Last trip is from Ma to MO and I am average 7.1 right now on the two trips.

 

I did 4 loads this week. The first one, which was the best: $1700 from WI to MI 480 miles, I picked up last Friday to deliver on Monday. The other ones were 300 - 400 milers between $930-$1330. Most of them involved some deadhead, midnight running, and creativity with the newer 14-hour clock shift extensions that are allowed since September 2020 - without which it would not be possible to cover all 4 loads.
With deadhead, it took me about 1800 miles to arrive at $5000 gross. Fuel and tolls are about $1600. All of it within IL, WI, and MI.
This one load per day tactic is exhausting - it means that you have to go through the process of delivery and pick up on the same day.
Tomorrow, I am picking up a heavy animal feed load to delivery in Indiana - 220 miles for $970 then I deadhead 25 miles to go back to the same area for $850 and repeat the process. After I get empty on Tuesday I am taking the rest of the week off, gardening - I have to build a trellis for sweet peas and watch some Wimbledon tennis. The decision of excluding Russians from the event was absolutely wrong in my opinion. Medvedev is not a declared Putin follower with "Z" letter inscribed on his tennis shirt. Or take that girl Azarenka...why the hell do they blame her for her country being ruled by a dictator that kisses Putin's arse? I mean, I am sure that most Russian people are against that war and ashamed that their rulers went nuts attacking Ukraine. I was never a believer in en masse liability. Not every German in the 1930s was to be blamed for Hitler coming to power, and we should not blame every Russian for the war in Ukraine.
Good that fellow Americans are not as delusional as the Brits and allowed them to play in US Open.
Watching tennis relaxes me...just like watching golf does it for some of you.

 

Completely opposite. Tons of my classmates and just friends moved to Russia in the last 20 years. When I speak to them, they say pretty much 80% support Putin (including my friends too). They are like complete zombies. It's insane how Russian propaganda became like a state of the art. They are really really good at it. People there are living in a different reality compare to the rest of the world.

 

I don't have any idea why would someone support Russian agression, especially after seeing all the vast devastation of the civil areas and civilian casualties. Ordinary poeple were deprived of ther very modest and simple lives, that's all they had, and forced to flee and did that accomplish, another 200 year feud between two similar nations.

 

People in Russia don't see that. They are told that Russians are only striking military bases and that Ukrainian army is bombing its own cities, to get the West "pity" and ask for more money.
They all basically believe that Putin is a Godsend and is saving Russia from the West, who want to take over Russian resources.
For them Ukraine is the aggressor and if Putin did not attack, Ukraine with the help of West would literally attack the next day.

 

I think what the average Russians believe about Ukraine is 50/50. I watch a few different YouTube channels that interview Russians and many know somebody in the war and they hear the truth. The older generation that lived under communism is more likely to support Putin, where the younger generations seem split between not talking about the war or politics at all from fear of their own government, or those that do talk don't like what Russia is doing. Just like the US, many Russians seem perfectly happy just living their lives and accepting whatever their government does is for the best. By the time they realize that they were wrong to feel that way, it's too late.

 

I don't find it hard to believe that many of the people in Russia might support the invasion of Ukraine. Look at how many Americans supported the occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even if you figure most people are against it, the people in power are going to serve their own interests before that of the people they're supposed to represent.

 

Someone needs to put down the crack pipe.