Oldeskool has bailed out

I respect your opinions and not picking a fight but disagree.. There's probably 10x more owner operators now versus then. Seemed like everywhere I used to load at the past 10+ years with a reefer and van (before I walked away from o/o in 2022) the o/o trucks live loading/unloading always outnumber the megas.

A company I started driving for as a rookie 24 years ago had 99% contract freight for 250 dry van trailers and 120 company tractors. These days all those places where they used to load at the only type trucks you see loading there are owner operators, mostly loadboard junkies booking from freight brokers.

That company abandoned dry van freight entirely about 12 years ago and now has about 120 trucks in various markets running roll offs and hauling scrap metal. Freight brokers and owner operators have cheapened everything so bad that's what companies seeking profit will do, exit whatever and get into something a tad more profitable.

Of course that's just anecdotal on my part. Don't forget the explosion of new MC's during covid and most of those carriers are still hanging in there. To the tune of several tens of thousands more than there were around during the last slow freight period of 2019. Yeah owner operators are plentiful. There's a LOT of people on the sidelines now eyeing up all this used equipment as the prices on it plummet. The guys who are folding up now will quickly be replaced.

 

Good for you, and I hope everything works out in the long run. I retired from the industry 2 years ago this month and haven't missed it one bit. I have no idea how O/O's just working from the spot market are surviving these days. If you don't have an angle that others aren't doing, it's slim pickins for decent paying freight and high overhead.

 

I know ive been waiting to see if i can snap up a nice low mile mack or if super lucky a sub 500k glider lonestar/579. I do know used engine prices have crashed. Used to be a sub 500k 6nz started at around 25-30K and rebuilt units were 55-60K now i can find em as low as 13.5k for a sub 500 and 35 for a rebuilt unit with a 1 year on it.

 

Still sounds like expensive boat anchors even at those reduced prices.

 

More then my pacgarbage has been? Ill take my chances lol

 

Plummeting prices you say? Go somewhere its expected to flood and drive the truck into flood water. Problem solved. Well, maybe.

 

Thanks, rc, we can disagree, cordially, I hope, truthfully, I wouldn't know the real O/O situation from here at my kitchen table, I'm only going by what I saw on a recent cross country car trip, I could count the O/Os on one hand that were actually rolling down the road or getting fuel. Unless the O/Os are still defying the laws, every fuel stop I stopped at, was inundated with megas, doing their 14 off crap, or whatever. Here in central Co., the only O/Os I see, are suicide jockies, flatbed and bull haulers. I don't recall seeing one reefer or van that isn't a mega. It's entirely possible, I just don't see where O/Os go, but I still stand by my statement, in my day, everybody and their brother had their own truck. I just don't see that today. Peace, man,,,

 

Most O/O's understand CO is a dead hole and is not worth going to. They do not pay enough most times to go there and sure as hell do not pay anything going out! Might be why you see mostly Mega contract carriers.

 

Come down to Florida, Atlanta, Nashville, really anywhere major city area in the southeast or even midwest Chicago. Owner operators everywhere leased and independent. Everyone's always said as long as I've been in this industry owner operator's are a dying breed but in my nearly 25 years I have seen the exact opposite more and more contractors every year. You even look at 1099 gig work outside of trucking it's exploded everywhere. Look at what Amazon does I can't even believe they're able to get trucks to work for them but they have no problem whatever with an endless supply of contract workers who eagerly do it super cheap. Just my experience..

 

Im right there with ya. Be shut down by the end of the week and start orientation for a company job monday. These rates arent worth doing the job for and i have no faith in a recovery for over a year. Say what ya want about about normal cycles but this market aint normal and im only here to make money.