So everyone wants to know "what's going on?"

then you have some "free lancers" or backyard mechanics that cut down those prices even more.

don;t take much to buy a used pick up truck, slap some welding gear and go free lance, and pocket money, rather than to pay taxes on it. see it all the time up here.

 

I one of those "buy my truck types", but I don't consider myself part of the problem.

Mainly because I have serious issues against cheap rates as a company driver. I seriously doubt my attitude towards cheap rates will change just because I'm a big, fancy Owner Operator.

 

that may be YOU....but for every one of YOU, there might as well be 100 (or more) that haul for cheap rates, and you know from just this website alone, that to be near the truth about those others, hauling cheaply.

 

We will have to go back to 1978.

Technology will smooth things out fast.

In Regulation from what I understand is if you wish to BE or AM a motor carrier you needed to prove to ICC that you have the freight to support your operation from A to b etc.

Once allowed to open as a motor carrier you ran according to script.

All of these hotshots all the way up to rogue russian MC's and DOT holders in many places will not be a going concern after such regulation is re-enacted.

 

For every 100 who start, another 100 (or more) fail. The capacity market is ever so very slowly beginning to equalize in the dry van/reefer side.

And in all honesty, I'm not involved in that market at all. I'm a flatbedder. And while our market is a bit jacked up, it is nowhere near as bad as dry van/reefer. Our rates are largely getting screwed due to brokers. The contract freight is moving for decent if not great rates.

Brokers are using the dryvan/reefer market to try and squeeze the flatbed rates down. If we stand and refuse (which I do regularly NOW as a company driver), the rates do start climbing to a fair level.

I am sorry for the dryvan/reefer guys and gals. That market got more than glutted last year, and it is taking longer than I thought for the shoe string operations to finally close up shop. But on the other hand, flatbed does involve a lot of additional liability on top of everything the dryvan/reefer runners already deal with.

 

Interesting thing is I’m seeing lots of Penske truck rentals on the road, that’s interesting. Increasing capacity as needed.

 

And then you have the hazmat tanker world.

 

Those illegal that you are talking about are the ones working in the field under 110-115 degrees. For $10 per hours, 10 to 14 hours at day, are you willing to work on those conditions? I don’t thing so.

 

I'm not going to get into the finger pointing fray to much other than to say yes in 17 and 18 every tom dick and harry raced out and bought a truck but we've seen this before so no big surprise there .
The market will adjust itself and probably fairly quik as the unestablished johnny come latelys wont be able to hang on in a cheap market and the auction lots will swell with repos.
The other scenario is the short sighted that didnt plan for the future of they're truck and took leisurely vacations, bought fancy new pick ups , boats , campers and homes .
I'll admit I'm surprised to see things fall so far so fast and really thought we had another year yet .
I didnt pocket alot of money the last 2 years knowing what the was coming down the road with my truck and shoved all my money back into the truck and getting my financial house in order ...no vacations either .
Glad I did cause I'm set to weather the storm now .
Ps ...as many people as I hear crying poverty I sure dont see many people taking they're foot out of the pump .
I've slowed down to 62 .