Anyone else seeing reefer loads drying up?

Just saw a news story on farmers have nowhere to ship their produce as restaurants and schools have zero need for it currently. Farmers in Vermont and Wisconsin dumping milk because the dairies have no room for it due to low demand for dairy products. No need to ship it. No need for trucks to haul it. More trucks to haul the other freight. Lower rates, more sitting around.

 

I sat by Portland on Thursday waiting on a load for my company to find. Friday morning they called and had me deadhead 225 miles to Washington and take a reset while they waited for Tyson to fill my trailer. I had 30 hours on my 70 left. Wasn't happy especially since we got a message 2 weeks ago saying not to worry about loads slowing down. Was told that with schools and restaurants closed/slowed down, food demand is down and screwing everything up. Took off with this Tyson load on Sunday and here I sit close to Detroit on another reset cause it doesn't deliver till Friday. Awesome

 

Best is to ignore any FS loads unless you have all kinds of layover/detention in writing.

 

So far on the retail end we've been staying busy at Pepsi. Liquids seem to be in demand, a neighbor works for Coke (Reyes) same thing.

 

Just shows how overproductive the dairy farms are and how much waste happens with the school systems having to buy it.

Milk production was way over the top when I quit hauling in Michigan back in June.

My neighbor down here in Florida closed down the dairy end of his farm in Upstate NY and sold off 500 head he had just a few months ago, not worth it anymore.

Doesn't help that it has been a mild Spring and the cows production goes up in warm weather.

 

The dairy end needs to set up drying the whole milk to milk powder. Then you would get a several year shelf life and underdeveloped countries could use it.
Same for produce and veggies. Dehydrate and make shelf ready. Then when there is surplus, there is a way to deal with it.
Prepare for tomorrow cause this won't be the last of these Pandemic's.

 

My last trip was Nogales to Pasco,WA. 4 days before a reload today. Yakima to Allentown,Elizabeth NJ and Jessup MD for Monday. Glad for the miles cause I expect to sit again.

 

With all that extra milk it seems like somebody could figure out how to make protein powder out of it and rake in some cash.

 

Everything is dried up.

 

That's been going on for years already to preserve the dairy producers.

Only van load I ever delivered was from the dairy processor to a storage facility a 100 miles away in middle of no where. .

The warehouse full of stockpiled powdered milk looked like that warehouse they show at the end of Indiana Jones.