Trucking before and now

De-Regulation. Loosened set rates, allowed easier competition with rates, and made it easier to get into the trucking business with much less filing (more competition). Used to be you had to jump through all sorts of hoops to get authority, had to declare your lanes and rates, all this hassle kept the masses out. In a lot of ways and places it was "fixed" like a mob operation. If you had connections and could get in the door, you did real good. That's the short answer.

You had to deal with a lot of states in terms of fuel reporting, ton/mile taxes, authority to traverse, etc. Virtually every state you had to deal with on several levels. It was so much hassle, few wanted any part of it and as such rates were fixed relatively high. No way we could run the amount of freight we do today in that environment.

People say we are over-regulated today. BS. They don't know what regulations were compared to what they dealt with in the 70's just to run 48 states.

 

Never been an OO but how about 30 cent diesel

 

I too have never been a O/O. But I can tell you that there were a lot of folks "back in those GOOD OLD DAYS," that went bankrupt trying to be "businessmen in trucking." Sure things have changed. But what has not changed, is that if you are not smart, if you are not absolutely determined to make your business go, if you are not willing to do what it takes, from keeping moving to doing most of your own maintenance work, to doing your own accounting so you always know exactly where you are, you aren't going to make it.

It always makes me shake my head when I see posts that say something like, "I just bought, (or inherited or was given,) this truck! I'm gonna be a trucker! So what do I have to do, to get into business?" We really don't see a lot of those posts, but you do see them on here from time to time.

 

True, but in trucking as any other business, many do well, many do lousy. Most fail for a whole lot of reasons, some their own fault, some the fault of their circumstances/location. Be careful and know what you're getting into and know what you're doing.

 

Yes back in early 1970's fuel cost was LOW $250.00 CALIFORNIA to NYC produce team run so were the wages lead driver got $240.00 ( $0.07 / mile ) co driver $170.00 ( $0.05 / mile ) load paid $2,600.00 85% to the truck owner less fuel / wages. and 15% to whoever you were running under

 

The older generation has selective memories of the good old days. A guy came in ######## about the price of bread and how that was an indication of how bad todays world is and how bad America has become.

Funny I said. My grandpa used to say the same thing when a loaf of bread was 25 cents.

Stagnant wages has more to do with the American trucker falling from the upper middle class to the mid to lower middle class than anything else. Everything then falls into crap because of it. Lower pay less quality people it will attract. Harder to support your business. Family. Along comes lack of respect from society. Lack of progress in moving ahead due to poor wages leads to discouragement, bad attitudes, bitterness that affects everyone and you in your day to day behavior. Lack of wages breeds contempt from those who pay you. The longer your wages fail to keep up with the cost of society the lower you fall. The less you get. The more struggle you will endure. The quality of work. The respect. Will only go lower.

 

I remember several back in the 70's that bought trucks and lost them.

Several reasons, I'll name 4 of them:
1. Some had to out run everyone else, went out because of blown up engines-
2. Some spent all their money on chrome & trying to make their truck pretty-
3. Some got lazy & hired someone to drive their truck staying home & spending to much money-
4. And several of them were to lazy to do ANY of the work on their trucks-

And there were some that stayed in their trucks & made money. Back in those days I remember fuel going for under 20 cents per gallon.

I believe it was $250.00 they gave us to run the west coast, we would have money left over, but them the fuel went up, up, & way up & they started giving us $600.00, and we barely had enough to get there & back.

Good days for some, bad days for others.

 

Back in 1862 fuel was free and you had 6 months to get from coast to coast!