Current rates are now below fleet operating costs! It's official!

And yet there are companies and owner ops who do nothing but stay regional in the NW. There are plenty of options in that area if people put in the work to build relationships.

There are still guys running veneer out of WI out to the coast every week.

Rates have always been funny out west. The I-5 corridor in general has lower rates because people don’t want to run east over the mountains. Off the coast to Spokane or Boise generally paid better. Off the coast to SLC or to about Billings paid great as long as you had connections for a reload. Off the coast going farther east than that the rates really dropped because then you were at the group of guys who wanted to tarp and drive for a week.

People who need to get back to WI or MN have always been better off loading back to the Spokane area and then grabbing a load out of western MT going east. That has always been way more money than trying to load all the way back off the coast.

 

I dont know. i have never run any other market with a flatbed so i have nothing to compare it to. Just sharing the experience i had and i know many others have up there. The local guys up there stay busy... I often wanted to get a maxi trailer and 4axle truck to match. and stay up there... Its definately not out of the cards yet and i still might do it one day if i decide to give up my authority..

 

The key in the NW is and always has been having access to the loads before they hit the load board. That could be why you don’t see the volume you desire posted up to the public. A lot of stuff is already spoken for.

You don’t have to get set up mill direct, getting hooked up with lumber brokers can keep a guy busy hauling from various mills to various customers.

 

Save your breath and hang up driver. They know.

 

And what market isn't? I ain't crankin out 14k$ a week right now, but still doing ok out west.

 

You get paid to go fishing!