Rates may soon be coming down

I can say this for a fact, even if this was the case, right now many customers are seriously getting the shaft from the major class 1 railroads because of one thing, crude oil. The railroads are operating at max capacity and raking in money hand over fist with these crude trains and its not going to slow down anytime soon. Ask anyone in the grain industry in the upper midwest how there rail service has been going for them and be prepared for an earfull, had nothing to do with the conditions last winter like the railroads claim. Customers have been complaining to the government and anyone else they can but face it, theres no stopping the railroads when they want to do something.

 

The reason there are so many trucks in Phoenix right now (by the way, I am in Phoenix) is because there is so much freight coming out of Nogales, Aguila, Yuma and soon to be Maricopa, Eloy and the like. The trucks are following that freight, but there is FAR from adequate capacity. I'm paying twice what I normally pay going to Denver, Northern Cal, Southern Cal and the Midwest. I work off of margins, so I'm not complaining, but saying there are enough trucks in AZ right now is just silly regardless of how hard it is for you to find a parking spot.

 

In other lack of news, the stock market may go down tomorrow, & the A's may win .500 this year.

 

Rates are not going to go down if they do you will have to pay to haul it and everyone knows truckers do not have any money

 

No such thing as a truck shortage and never will be ... you can believe that when you go to the store and the owner says "we don't have any meat today because we couldn't find a truck driver to bring it to us" ... what there IS a shortage of is trucks that will run for a lower, more desirable rate for the shippers/receivers ... remember, somehow all the trucking still somehow manages to get done one way or the other, the only difference is at what price it will be done at ...

 

I think the driver shortage is like the food shortage. There's plenty out there, just maybe not where they're needed, or not properly equipped for the job at hand. If there were really a food shortage, the price of corn wouldn't be dropping.

 

I don't understand why some carriers will bring in more drivers than they have avilable trucks.

 

They do tests, listen to trainers. If you get a perfect score, there is a better chance to get a truck right away