Positive indicator

Well tonight I went to park in my usual place, that I park almost every single Tuesday night. I've been parking there almost twice a week since July. Never EVER had a problem finding a spot to park. Tonight I went in there and it was FULL. I couldn't believe it.

And this place was kinda off the beaten path, dirt/grass parking lot with a couple of craters and a sinkhole, but there was always room. Not today. And this is in Texas on US59 somewhere between Houston and Texarkana.

More freight = more trucks, = less parking spots. I think that demand for trucks will indeed spike, but I fear that capacity is going to grow right along with it. We will see if there really is a truck shortage or not in the next couple of months.

 

Yea the reason you couldnt find any parking is the huge demand for trucks to Texasand them suckers take the fregith down there and find out there isnt anything coming out!! SO they sit and wait for something coming east again.

 

In the past capacity has been able to grow quickly. When I started driving OTR in the late 90's there was a real driver shortage. JB Hunt was actually at the forefront of it all raising driver pay to over 0.40/mile. back then many of us were making less than 0.30, companies started offering sign-on bonuses, recruiters had little booths set up at truckstops all over. You could get fired or quit and literally walk across the street and get another good paying job and be in a truck the next day.

That can't happen now, too much insurance regulations, CSA data, back then all you needed was a CDL, now there's TWIC, recent verifiable OTR experience............. I just don't see how the majors can possibly add on 300 drivers in a month like they used too.

I'm saying if there was a real quick growth in load volume, and I think there could be, they can't grab it up like they used too.

 

Yes, ok, but like I said, I never had a problem since last July of finding room to park. In fact, it would only be half full most of the time. Fits about 15-16 trucks max, most of the time there'd be 8 or so. Not last night, there was no room to park. If anyone is familiar with the place, it's the small fuel station in Tenaha, TX on US59 about 15mi south of the one in Carthage, TX. That truckstop is full by 7pm, I never even stop there, but 15mi down the road I find a place. If it's like this again next week when I come down, then I'll know something is up, and there are more trucks on the road, or Texas is getting hungrier for more freight.

 

maybe a shipper nearby started suggesting it as a place to park for drivers or something ? Or just a coincidence ?

 

I don't know. Just seems like there are more trucks on the road. Even Arkansas seems a little more congested than normal. I don't think there are any shippers anywhere near that town anyways. Maybe coincidence.

 

I just think those trucks have moved from other areas as places where its usually hard to get parking even early in the day have now been easy to park even at night. I have seen many places with about 50 to 70 % capacity. Not just in the north but also down south.

 

I guess they have also started more major construction zones on I35 between DFW and S.A.
I refuse to go down that road either way, I always use US59. Maybe others are getting the same idea.