Will this help or push rates into the crapper?

This!!
Well said @Ridgeline

 

This seems to be the closest to the truth, except we allowed it to happen and many of us defend it as the only way the system can survive.

 

These large Companies, trying to Capitalize, rely on independants, and small Fleets. Without them, the plan doesn’t work. I see it as an overall bad thing, in the long run. Automotive Expediting, being a good example. Used to pay well, now it’s so competitive, decisions are made by a Computer, bids are placed, 15 min afterwards, the Computer, decides, based on price, performance,safety, in that order. I saw it on TV, about 10 yrs ago. Talk about Commodity pricing. Blaming Foreigners is a cop out. Many of them have Trucking and Mechanical experience before arriving here. Making for some tough Competition. But we’re all in the same boat. I’ve been working on my Truck all week, my neighbors where I park are mostly Foreigners, they’re no dummies. Very helpful, when I need a hand or a tool, or even a smoke, Lol. It works both ways.People migrate to the jobs available. Used to be Manufacturing, now it’s Trucking and Medical.

 

App based load booking and autonomous trucks introduction attempts only attest to the low perception of this industry. It is hated by many because it might prove that their so called negotiation skills are reduced to the click and book - a monkey can do - thing. Same thing with autonomous trucks. Yeah, it is Science Fiction, yet is isn't entirely. Of course, it will attract more newcomers as long as the income level for the "low professional skills / unable to find better work with the acquired sills" portion of population remains so low. It will be a race to the bottom because there are not too many alternatives.
It is not going to get any better in the long run.
The skill set is what it is needed to drive a truck. These are naturally very low. It takes a few weeks to obtain CDL and a few months to grasp the feel of driving a big vehicle then the job gets done.
You have chosen to be in a transportation business which requires low entry prerequisites. Many would like to artificially raise them to make themselves feel better. All the skills/titles/degrees you have acquired are meaningless here. The are only good for the occupation you do. The same thing is when someone chooses to be in a janitorial business while holding a degree, let's say, in engineering.

 

The thing is this.

Ever since deregulation people saying “oh it’s not going to last” “they will call in the experienced drivers back”. Yet we claim it’s a race to the bottom.

So which is it?

A race to the bottom? Or will it get better?

Last year we had a anomaly in the rates causing more people to jump in the pool. Yes some will exit some will cause vets to exit.

I don’t see the pool being empty anytime soon and I do see the likes of Amazon Uber and the rest making things easier and pushing brokers and owner operators out out.

Even Amazon is pushing more freight on their spot market away from the likes JB Hunt and Swift.

In business loyalty goes as far as a persons pocket book, and shippers will look for cheaper options because manufacturers have to compete in prices.

 

I don’t see bottom yet. Bottom is self driving trucks and the extinction of brokers.