We're the reason rates are down

Oh Gawd! I drove an automatic last month. I hope to NEVER have to be subjected to such idiocy again...

 

There are too many trucks on the road be it owner ops or fleet trucks. So, from an owner ops perspective there is not a driver shortage. From a fleet owner perspective there is a massive shortage. Just try hiring a driver and you’ll quickly see how difficult it is. My company pays very well with a large guarantee plus 3 weeks PTO first year and can’t get hardly any calls even with a lot of paid advertising. My market has a lot of trucking companies though so it’s even more tough. Drive half mile down the road and there’s 10 more companies ready to hire you because they are desperate.

 

You can quit a trucking company on Friday and have a new job on Monday. There is a huge saturation of trucking companies. All these exuberant sign on bonuses with strings attached. A lot of former drivers starting their own company because they think they can do it better than the next guy and then you have other guys who thought they'd open up shop with the mentality "How hard can it be, take load from A to B" not understanding all the nuances in trucking and the ups and downs. It's a terrifying industry where most companies are just a bad month away from closing the doors.

I see people bidding on loads that can't possibly have any revenue after cost, which means they have to be running it just to break even. I know it's not a science but I feel once desperate people start taking loads for next to nothing it starts a domino effect and now everyone after that person gets stuck with garbage rates.

I'm just ranting at this point.

 

I saw on the back of a trailer, an advertisement for company drivers...$25000 sign on bonus. I wonder what the catch is. paid in small increments over a 5 year period?

 

I always wondered about those. Probably $100/mo for 20 years. lol

 

its the signs on the back of trailers in Russian that worry me

 

things should be picking up by mid march .... hopefully

 

Just saw one the other day for 25k, thought I was seeing things