Cheap Freight

Its that old supply and demand that dictates rates. How many trucks vs how many loads so when you have more trucks then loads rates go down. Wasn't always this way back before deregulation of rates.

 

10 years ago it was June 2008. I wasn't around for that, but everyone I've spoken too has told me that 08-09 was the worst freight market in US history.

 

10 years ago economy went to crap and I don’t remember rates being that great, but I was a company driver back then and just started trucking in 06. You gotta go way back to deregulation when everything went down hill. Again it’s supply and demand issue. Also depends what do you haul. More specialized freight will pay more, containers will suck no matter what economy is like.

 

To answer your question, it is better but it also has a caviat attached to the better.

I won't explain what I mean.

Now that said, a couple things I have to get out of the way.

I own a fleet, I have since ... well a while.

I have employees and drivers.

Both of those groups have in them legal immigrants who work just as hard as the 'American' employees and drivers.

Now I fight the ignorance of those who think the following statement is true -

if we didn't have all these immigrants driving a truck, rates would be higher.

It isn't true, it is a made up excuse that people use to justify their own problems with making money in this industry. And without going into detail of how the industry actually works, I will say those who are cheap owners and run their business cheaply don't effect rates that most company DRIVERS ever will see. They get what the company gives them and that's it.

However what it does effect is the safety, HOS and other regulations because these cheap owners screw everything up. While they do take advantage of drivers, they also run their trucks into the ground.