Are we fixing to see a huge purge in trucking?

I think it's more the difference between the truck owner op vs. the hired driver. When I was driving the truck, maintenance was foremost on my mind. Once I got off the truck and started hiring drivers, the head-ache was just never ending. So, I buy new.

 

I'am sure this is gona piss some people off . But I'am only calling it as I see it
But the new entery level drivers are not much to choose from .. I would not want to own more than 1 truck and depend on what the schools are turning out
JMO .. but any good driver worth hiring has a good job and is not on the employment list looking for work

 

Back to the original question: What's it going to be like through Winter? Dunno, but looks to me freight is going to have to tick up. Auto strikes are getting settled. St. Lawrence Seaway strike is going to put some stuff on wheels. Low water in the Panama canal is going to switch some stuff to wheels. China prices, down more than 10%. That is going to start moving some stuff our way. Consumers just keep spending like they are in Congress. They started a war in the Middle East, and .... well, nothing much happened to oil or stock market prices.

And then that 3rd quarter GDP number...... almost 5% growth? Say WHAT????? New home sales? Yup, way up, too. Everyone just keeps saying that the sky WILL be falling, but the economic numbers do NOT suggest it will.

The consumer has been splurging on services they couldn't get during the Covidiocy, but that pendulum will swing back to buying stuff, and I imagine pretty soon. Americans still LOVE their stuff. That's going to come on wheels, too.

 

Has anybody heard anything about barges not being able to make it down the Mississippi River due to lower water? Last few weeks I’ve been farming, helping my Dad and that’s a big concern of his since his elevator is nearly full and the big boys he sells to are the same. If grain can’t get to the ships in New Orleans then everything backs up and crops stay in the fields with nowhere to go.

Regarding gdp and economic news… you know things are ### backwards when good numbers are posted and the market drops! All I’m assuming because they think the No rate hike will now be a rate hike but us normal people already knew that. Shouldn’t stocks perform well on good news?! lol

Who knows really on the economy, we just gotta thin these trucks out or one of it matters really regarding this industry.

 

Heck your not going to piss me off any buddy. I totally agree with you on new drivers. The trick is to have those good guys that already have a good job working for your company.

 

I own an old truck and just bought another old truck. I bought a shop and tools to work on my old trucks. I’ve been driving my old truck for about 6 years and over 700k miles. I’m sure I don’t have $90k total in it? Including maintenance and purchase price. Only one time was it not able to complete a load/trip as scheduled. That was my fault not the truck’s really.

Now, if I had even one driver or more. Only option is brand new trucks every 4 years. Including the one I would drive. For all the reasons stated above.

But just me and my one truck? An old junker is the way to go for me.

 

That’s the key to owning an older truck..you got a shop, knowledge and tools to keep it running right. If I owned an older one I’d be a prisoner to the mechanic shops.

Btw, nice looking ride, I wouldn’t call it a junker.

I have had a couple new ones and believe me, you ain’t missin nuttn. Quality control is almost nonexistent at least with Peterbilts anyway.

 

Nice Truck.

 

I’ve had enough fun. It’s time to hang it up. Sell Truck and Trailer for whatever I can get. Neighbor wants to buy my Authority. Tired of it all.

 

The sky fell most of last year. What we’re witnessing is the trough. Anyone still claiming the sky is falling and things will get worse are the same ones who went out and leveraged up just after the peak in 2021. They’ll always be chasing, never scouting.

But in the off chance they’re right and things go south from here, we will all have bigger fish to fry than making a truck payment or repair bill.