New horizons with Holland Enterprises (Fargo,ND)

Couldn't be any worse than the deadhead I just ran from north central Vermont to just north of Portland..... Total fun!!!! NOT

 

Casa Grande and Ochelita don't care. Never been turned away from either.

 

Getting frustrated again. Last 2 loads have had too much time on them due to holiday, extra drops, and weekends. Emptied this morning in SW Wisconsin and had 24 hours on my 70 so was hoping for something good to utilize those accumulated hours and make up for piddle-farting around the last couple weeks. What do I get? A 120 mile bounce to load the next morning to carry 1,200 miles across 2 days.

I guess I'm doing Ok if you look at the numbers, but Ok is being optimistic compared to the way I like to/need to run. Small paycheck coming this period. But I just feel like I'm sitting ALL the time, lately. Sitting on 24 hours now I guess backs that up, I don't care what the numbers say. Too many carriers competing for the same freight. Not sure if I can ride out this summer at this rate. Be glad when the snow starts to fly and these fair weather idiots head back home to the south and leave our northern cross-country routes and freight alone.

Averages are trending down, and unless I get a few coast to coast runs to close out June, June will be bad both in terms of average length of haul and total miles

 

So you're saying 1300 plus miles over two days is a pathetic run?

 

I can do 1900 miles in 3 days standing on my head. I'm saying I have -3- days to run 1300 miles while sitting on 24 hours with decent hours coming and in Holland's back yard market does not make me optimistic about my future pay. And I have a feeling drivers with limited hours are being dispatched out to Washington or California and will have to swap somewhere.

 

The economy is down also. Though then a lot of people get depressed and eat more. But that drives up competition among those who start taking more refrigerated freight because of other industries suffering. There's not many places to run, though run many will.

I have always done well here when I look at my year end statement. But some just can't wait that long. And if we are heading into a recession, it might not be so great this year. But then it won't be so great anywhere probably.

 

That's sort of the point. If I'm going to make mediocre pay checks, I can do that and not live in a tin can watching trucks speed through truck stops. If things are in fact going to get worse in the short and mid term, then hit and miss OTR trucking is not where I want to spend my final years on this God forsaken planet.

I guess we all have different ideas of what makes a job worthwhile.

 

Its getting rough,sat all weekend in Cheyenne,Wy got 900 mi load to MN,now have been sitting all day so far with no load. I dont think Im going to even get 30,000 mi. For the quarter. Wish I had something good to talk about.Hopefully it will turn around next quarter.

 

http://www.ccjdigital.com/indicator...aign=site_click&utm_source=in_story_promotion

The dotted line is last year freight availability, the blue bars are this year.

Interesting to go read the O/O and Brokers forum here. Rates seem to be getting increasingly worse as well.

 

That's freight availability based on how many trucks and drivers there are out there vs the amount freight. The article said overall freight is down 2-4% over the past few months which is pretty bad but much worse when there's too many drivers and trucks competing for the crumbs.

I'm sure it is difficult for companies to find a balance on how many drivers and trucks to employ when the economy naturally goes through up and down swings. What is inexcusable, though, is this idea of a driver shortage that is being pushed every year by ATA and big business. Just about twice a year, like clockwork, you see articles in many of the major newspapers and tv news spots, on local and national news, talking about the driver shortage. And the mega carriers who have a constant turnover so they can pay low by having new drivers all the time are a big part of the equation as well.

These Florida O/O's are protesting low rates. They should be protesting in DC and with about an addtional 100,000 drivers, but they got some attention.
http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...ng-cheap-freight-shutting-downs-roads.316409/