Closing up shop or thinking about it? The latest…

Being in the construction hauling side of things all you hear is infrastructure spending…

BS all the big players around me are slow and worried about next season…….

 

Good luck to you man, enjoy reading your posts.

 

Everybody is worried, Bought a long arm quilting machine recently and the owner was telling me how traffic has died down in his store. Not a lot of people have disposable income and not a lot of people visiting stores. Traffic in New England is lighter now than five years ago. Poop going to hit the fan soon. Hope all of you members have your ducks in a row.

 

We've cut back quite a bit. Not because we have to or because we're not making money but because I can see the handwriting on the wall. Our P/L statements are still good but they're getting a little tighter every year. It's been a long time since California was a good place to run a small business and I don't see that changing any time soon.
I started planning this about three years ago and June of this year I began to trim down. The tankers were sold to the people they were hauling for. (They're already screaming about the operating costs but that's another story) The rock trucks were sold a local quarry. One rgn was sold to it's driver. He's doing fine. The logging trucks were sold to a company in Mexico, as were the flatbeds and several of the T800s.
I kept one rgn with the newest T-800, three flatbeds with their T-800s, half a dozen water tenders, and some of the newer road construction machinery...dozers, graders, and a couple of excavators.
I leased the shop out to my mechanic and the office (except for one little corner that I'm claiming) will be leased by my book keeper and her accounting business.
Most of the drivers retired. The youngest guy I had was 45 and he went with one of the tankers. I have enough work to keep the non retiring drivers busy.
Like I said, I was making money but every year it got a little thinner. Our operating costs are a lot cheaper than some outfits and we have virtually no debt load but it's still a struggle sometimes.
Plus, honestly? I'm seventy seven and it's just time for me to slow down a little. The fun/aggravation balance is all out of whack. I used to really enjoy running things. Now? I can do without it.

 

77? I am ready to quit at 60. Yes I am a sissy.

 

Hard times right now. Would hate to see someone with a lot of debt try to survive this. I think this downturn will make 2008 look good.

 

Couple of different runs outside my usual comfort zone, but still here, about to start year 5

Buying a lot of tools this year, need a write off but equipment deals while starting to go, aren’t as great as they will be by spring im betting, been kicking around looking for another project truck as well but no huge rush on that either, trying to come up with a list of things for the shop I use to fix in December when I take the week off and I’m running out of things to add to to it

 

LOL. Probably half of us would end up in jail. A few would go missing for a couple days. I’d probably need to find alternative housing.

 

Career long ‘company driver’ here, thought I’ll chime in. Left my job end of May, just turned 62, filed for SS early October, will receive first payment in November. Figured enough was enough. House paid for, all vehicles are paid for, reasonably healthy so going to chance it till 65. With what my SS will be, plus Wifey SS and pension, she assures me we will be fine.
If things get to tight for comfort, SS does allow earnings of $20,400.00 per year, before reducing SS monthly payment.
Plus 3 401(k) accounts that may not need to tap until the mandatory dispersement age.

 

Why would you expect anything to go back to a record year? Wouldn't you call that a bubble like the 2000 stock market the 2008 stock market. The times we have now are regular times we have been spoiled