Is this the WRONG time to get a flatbed?

Your comments about the FL reefer market astound me. I guess, the same lopsidedness in the rest of south FL trucking affects reefers, too?

If it were me, I’d still buy a reefer and just stay above I-10. There’s so much food and produce moving east to west, I’d think it would be worth it.

I had a guy tell me, running straight up I-95 is where the FL reefer money is. He said no one wants to go northeast, so the rates are much better. We were loading out of the Coca Cola/Minute Maid facility in Dunnedin. He said he loads out of there, every week.

 

I would get a low pro step with ramps and haul cars and small trucks just to get out of florida,same thing to get out of new england.

 

It's isn't really open deck season. It will kick off again around the tail end of March, early April when snow disappears & construction picks back up..

Leaving FL sucks on the spot market far as I see it. One can wait around & piece something decent together or make a 100 calls & finally land on $3 bucks a mile. But it goes 700 miles, picks Monday & delivers Wednesday.. lol Time wasted either way..

 

A lot of stepdecks hauling Ford Transits out of the plant I was in Tuesday.

 

I've only come out of South Florida(150 mile search radius from Okeechobee) loaded a few times with a flatbed, all of them except for one required a team so they paid well. The one that didn't was onions that needed to move on a Saturday or Sunday. I think it was $1400 for just under 400 miles, no tarp. Other than that, I would deadhead 300+ miles to get a decent rate.

 

I know it’s not a step, but i seen this the other day
2018 Reitnouer Max Miser Flatbed Trailer

 

I got a 56 week old one of these, I put 2 60” boxes on it. Used it for 5 loads since new. I’d let it go for $45k.