Diesel prices spur trucker to turn down loads, call lawmakers

Bravo Matt- don't take the cheap freight. It'll go up. I know a lot of the truckers up by Rogers City and Presque Isle and they are refusing to run loads for the lowball number. And guess what- the prices are starting to go up. Best way to handle the cheap brokers/customers.

 

thank you! i have been tyring to teach some of these 'expierenced" o/o's that for a week now! All I get told is "you don't know crap"! lol

That is the best strike method, JUST DON'T HAUL IT!!!!

 

I got a lot of crap back in 1980 when I expressed my belief that deregulation was not good. I was forseeing a glut of trucks and cheap freight, which is exactly what happened.

The fact is that for a shutdown to be effective in a very short time would reguire both companies and O/Os to stop all activity, beginning with the gas haulers. It would not take long at all because everyone would be feeling it in short order.

We all know this will NEVER happen. Being good business people, refusing cheap loads and RUNNING LEGAL is the only realistic approach.

Hate to say it, but there's just too many trucks and the herd needs to be thinned. Also, the mega companies are just too mega and have too much influence (money). Unfortunately nothing can be done about that. The issue of poorly trained and unqualified drivers being brought into this country will only be addressed when there's enough highway carnage to raise concern.

 

Right on- and 'running legal' is another good point. We pull between 30-40 permits a day from the SOM and a few customers get irritated when they get charged for 2" overwidth, etc.

Guys- we're running legal. If we get hit, we pay for it. ESPECIALLY with overweight right now. People complain about our 13 axle setup to haul during frostlaws. Yet they have no idea what that setup cost to purchase, house, setup, and insure.

Had a customer call us for overlength to Florida- 58' long. Wanted it on a 53' trailer, and renegade it down hanging over a few feet. Pay $3,500 to Florida.

Nope- permits. Someone moved it for $3,500- not us. We refuse to run illegal.

 

Must not be to many in Texas shutting down I have heard very little news reports on it.

 

Deregulation wasn't all bad. I don't know about the rest of you but having fresh produce in the stores is rather nice. As with anything there are trade offs. More affordable consumer goods are nice, the jobs provided by and unfettered trucking industry are too plentiful to count. OF Course the losers in the game lost their choke holds on regions of the country and compition has indeed driven some under. More will surely fail here in the near future and that will drive rates upward...till more seeing the higher rates get back in thus driving them down again. It is a cruel cycle.