Does anyone know when freight should pick-up

Anyone know when freight is expected to pick up? These past 2 to 3 months freight has been very slow. We are making about 1/3 t o1/2 of what we were before. Actually had to dip into the savings this month?

 

Usually it picks back up when spring hits, (about the Middle of March), that's spring to us...lol but that's no guarantee that it will this year.

 

So not until around April. OUCH! How many miles should we be seeing this time of year as a team? Last year we were running hard in Dec and Jan. Feb was a little slow and then we were running pretty hard in March.

 

Well you have to consider lots of things. IE...what do you do? You deliver freight that people buy. People buy when they have money, but if you watch the news and track the economy, youll know by now that the economy, many think, is in a recession. People are spending less, are in more financial hardships, foreclosing left and right (I might join that crowd soon)...etc. Now think of this time of year when spending from the holidays comes back to bite the consumer. They spend less as they try to pay off debts and such. Now combine that normal drop in spending and purchasing with the current economic situation and you will find that the normal drop in freight that occurs this time of year is worse than normal.

It may pick up, but I don't think it will pick up that much as long as the economy is in flux.

Another thing to consider. You know how the home market is sucking at the moment, nobody selling hardly, hence not many people are moving around. The household moving companies are taking a hit. One of the big ones that runs two national moving companies declared bankruptcy this past week. The current situation with the economy is impacting those drivers even more than the regular OTR driver, PLUS with the bankruptcy....not good.

 

So tell me why I owe a doctor bill of $20.00 and they turn it into a bill of 440.00? Now do they "REALLY" THINK I could afford that when I couldn't afford to pay the $20.00? So yeah the attorney gets 420.00 and I suffer that much more for my kids to suffer with their dental work, hmmm wonder why this world is in recession? I can also say bounced checks (ashammed, but not) I am short .80 and they charge me 34.00 almost 1 weeks worth of day care, hmmm wonder how that solves the problem, it only makes me short to possibly bounce another check!
This is the whole worlds problem! Now I just got a statement stating the insurance paid some money in November, never recieved a "new statement" from the "new dentist" (the original dentist closed his office/why??? I DON'T KNOW, he sucked though I know that much) so I was waiting for new statement and got a summons to court, wow I was ready to settle due to tax check here in this week. Wow why all of a sudden are these debt collectors going straight to attorneys and not collection agencies?

I am sorry just got 2 of these in the last month, the total I "would of" paid out was $50.00, but no the attorney wants to charge 300-400 to let the judge say whatever! I know I should be able to pay this, but did they ever think $20.00 bill versus making it 340.00 or 440.00 would be even that much harder for "that person" to pay. I mean if I had the money I would LOVE to pay it! I would LOVE not to owe anyone!

Ok sorry didn't mean to make this something bigger than what was discussed, just venting, again I am sorry just depressed # the thought I get money to spend on the kids and someone wants to take it as freaken usual which means it only sets me back and then makes me so freaken depressed

 

Lol I agree with you. I don't like the recession stuff myself and the business out there that make the money aren't complaining when they GET the money as long as they get it somehow. I went to a Taco Bell last summer, used a check for my BOA credit card and it bounced or something, basically my 11 dollar meal for my wife and I cost about 75 bucks because it was sent to collection. I called BOA and they couldnt see my point of view...I actually argued in a fairly loud shouting match with the rep who was giving me crap for what I did.

Just last week, on thursday, we made two purchases which overdrew us...which is 34 each overdraw. I called Wells Fargo because those didn't go through until Friday and I get paid on Friday, but it doesnt matter, it just matters when the transaction happens. I dont know how much money I've given lost due to friggen overdraws. Really torks me off, 34 here, there everywhere. Banks make the $ through fees, fines and interest. Credit Card comps make oodles of money through interest. I paid almost 10 grand in interest for my mortgage last year! Which means like 4 bucks went to the principal! lol.

 

All businesses have a lull after the first of the year. It has to do with what people are buying. Most people pretty much blow their money over the holidays,and then things slow down.Some years it lasts until the end of March,other years things pick up a lot sooner. Its just one of those things you have to budget for. When you are making those nice big paychecks,set aside part of it to get you thru the slow part of the year.Sometimes this is a good time of the year to take your vacation,depending on what you have planned.During my years on the road I stayed pretty busy year round,guess I was one of the lucky ones.

 

LAst year I had over $900 in overdrafts in a month and a half. My wife loves o use her debit card for everything. Every $2 cup of soup for lunch etc. never carries cash. With all those overdraft fees I never would have been $100 in the hole. it gets to where you can't catch up. We were depositing $2k paychecks and they were just gone and some thing HAVE to be paid. you have to have gas to get to work, you HAVE to buy food so you keep buying that stuff even knowing it will bounce. That is the problem with direc deposits. If you get a paper check you can always go cash it and not have it just be deposited or the bank to just take it all and leave you with no money to live

 

Thank you congress for giving our jobs to Mexican Truck Drivers, You are all true patriots of Mexico... why don't you go down there and steal from them for awhile we can no longer afford your greed or stupidity.

Stay angry and vote the bums out.

 

I agree. Im in the same boat here.
Now one thing that I have noticed is something that alot of Hispanics do. And NO, I AM NOT saying anything about legal status, lol. God thats getting old. Lots of Hispanics who are Am. Citizens have no trust in the banks, which is something I think comes from Mexico. They get a check, cash it and carry around the cash with them or put it in their house. Heck of a lot easier that way to pay bills. No credit cards to worry about. They just take out some $$ and pay it, easy as that. sort of reminds me of the envelope system of budgeting.

Well for one, I think they technically are working legally here if its part of that cross border program.
Second, its the people we elected that allow this to happen. Cant blame them for us electing them.
Third, if we as US people werent so cheap, our jobs wouldn't have gone to Mexico in the first place. The Mexican drivers are making like five cents a mile, so they arent the problem, its the companies they work for. I don't think the drivers want to be up here. All they are doing is bringing up the freight from companies that used to be in the US.