COVID-19

I am not, but my stuff is tied to the electric grid. Pretty much everything revolves around it. Just like America relies on trucks.

 

Not yet business as usual!

 

I do food service. First the schools closed now bars and restaurants. Definitely famine time here. I lie in a rural area so I am set up to work part time for a agricultural feed company. Will be working there on days off to stay busy since my routes are being cut.

 

Not seeing a slow down yet, but I was in rural AR today and 2 diffrent truck stops I stopped at said they've seen a drop in the amount of trucks coming in..

My worry is not getting loads, but rather what happens if you get a load then show up at the drop and they are shut down.. The Govoner of PA today ordered all non essential businesses to close down today, so what happens if you were under a load to PA, now you are screwed. NYC is going into quarantine I heard.. I dunno what that means are they shutting down all traffic or just enforcing a curfew?

I'm leaning toward trying to find a load home after I drop tomorrow and taking the 2 or 3 weeks off... It's getting harder to eat on the road and I'm not set up to cook in my hotshot truck.

The other thing, if they ban all non essential travel its kinda hard for us flatbed or car hauler guys to say we are essential... What happens if you are half way across the country and they do that....

 

Talked to a buddy at US Foods I. Spokane cut 16 routes over night that’s 16 drivers not working and sounds like cutting more

 

I work at a warehouse as a yard dog and we just doubled the loads that wee are shipping out.

 

Work thru this if at all possible. Keep up with the news and closures. As a guy starting out you need to continue to make new connections. You never know when you will come into good contacts. I understand it would be difficult to find places to eat. I remember old Marine Corp saying “ adapt and overcome “ I don’t envy your position right now but when you go home you might stay longer than you intend to. Another thing that come to mind, unless it really pays good skip going into New York City.

 

Yes! Normal high volume areas are dead. Or the rates sank. I was just at a shipper and normally it’s not busy but a lot of the megas dedicated cheap hauls are stopped and now they are booking the same load as me but for 1/4 of what I haul it for! Now that $4.70 a mile I’m hauling it for will become $1.20 a mile because megas will haul it that cheap. But it’s all good I think when I get home tonight I’ll just stay at home the next couple of weeks and fish.
Please don’t book cheap freight (but don’t gouge either) it’ll only hurt the industry in the long run.