What am I missing?

I think its already out of control and has been for a lot longer than we were aware. "They" are good at hiding things from the public. No, I am not paranoid LOL. I've been in trucking for a long long time and I've never seen it this bad.
Customers are getting calls from carriers that never called them and from carriers they have never heard of before. A friend of mine who is a traffic manager said she wishes she could just have a recording that says, sorry but we dont have any freight today. But she talks to each one and explains that their business is down and she has to work with the people that have stood by them for years.
I'm seeing an industry that I have a passion for slide down the tubes right before my eyes. It's sad and I'll be flippin' burgers right beside 1POD because I can't find a job either when I try to go back to work.

 

trucking companies will fold under, and o/o's will be almost gone if not gone, if it keeps up, and these trucking companies will pay less and less as years go by because of the flood of new drivers waiting at the door. its already happening with companies and there hiring freeze, they are choosing the cream of the crop or who will work for the least pay.

 

I wonder, is there any law that states freight HAS to be booked through a licenced broker? Why in the world does it make any sense right now for a shipper with a list of carrier's phone numbers to use one?

 

The only good thing about economic forces is that different parts of it have to adjust to make sense. Freight pay is down, so replacement trucks are getting much cheaper to buy, and as replacement becomes cheaper than repairs, mechanics are going to have to ajust prices as well to stay relevant.

I see trucks on the lot for 5k. If it'll run a year, it's cheaper than most major repairs and will still pay for itself.

 

Their predictions are wrong... Its been happening, small and midsize carriers have been sliding under the waves at an alarming rate for the past couple of years. I know this due to the posistion I worked in. I was directly involved with carriers in 8-10 states and 3 providences as a carrier advocate and I have watched some pretty neat guys go out of business. I'm not talking about the guy with one truck either. Although, they go out too and have just as much at stake as the others. The main reasons are 1. driver retention 2. insurance costs and 3. fuel costs Now that fuel is less expensive doesnt help those people, they couldnt make it and had to shut their doors.
The government has NO clue whats happening to one of the most important industies in the nation. But they will, when the stores have no product. Then some idiot in Washington will say, uh oh, we shoulda been listening... Too little, too late for the people who have lost everything.

 

many shippers use a broker because they have a lot of freight to move and not enough time to "shop" for carriers and rates. this makes it easy for them. some shippers or let me say this a little more correctly. the Decision Maker for the shipper. uses a broker because they actually dont have the time or staff to make decisions. uses a broker because they are too flippin lazy to do the homework. uses a broker because... omg, they are getting a kickback from the broker. yes ladies and gents it does happen. maybe not in cash but a lot of other freebies and i'm not talking a business lunch. thats why SOME decision makers use brokers.
and this is what gives brokers a dirty name. you have the illision of some guy in his basement at home with an undershirt and shorts on, smoking a cigar, and drinking coffee out of a syrofoam cup, talkin to shippers and truckers. are you gonna get paid or screwed? ruins it for all the honest people out there trying to make a living.

 

I am optimistic, and I still HAVE to believe in my position, that anyone who owns their own truck and works it themselves can stay in business. Small fleet owners are most at risk because no discounts and they still have to pay drivers something to retain them and somehow be profitable. The huge guys, discounts be ######, can't compete with a guy with a 20k truck that pulls and pays no one.

 

panting, gasping for breath, after falling off my soapbox.... sorry, i get wired about some things... LOL

 

You want to see cheap trucks for sale??? Go on EBAY!!! I've been looking at them for a practice truck. LOL Am I crazy or what?!

 

Quite honestly, I love your concept, but where is a "one truck wonder" going to get decent freight? Therein lies your problem. Don't forget your expenses... Are you going for your own auth. or leasing on with someone?