Driver layoffs coming

I hear we are slowing though it hasn’t affected my dispatches too bad (lucky), and other drivers in the company I’ve talked to are still running every day or most days.

What has happened is that I’ve been pulling dry loads for a week, with trip distance down. I’m in the reefer division, and before this week rarely took dry loads. But I smile and take what I get. I do have a frozen food load tomorrow. .

Hang tight brothers and sisters. This will end and economy will pickup. I think everyone agrees, the country needs to get back to work - both sides of the fence. That’s a good thing.

 

With me so far, I have definitely noticed the freight slowing down. I have been waiting longer than usual this week for loads, ussually a 2 to 3 hour wait on average. Along with an increased amount of broker loads, and on Tuesday had a load go into Detroit, but ended up having to dead head 240 miles into indiana to get my next load. I'm wondering where things will go from here.

 

I'm heading out tomorrow on my 1st run of 1234 miles. Don't know when the second will be. Business isn't all bad I guess if they're still putting on new drivers.

 

At some point, many of us will be on vacay at the house soon collecting that boosted unemployment benny check.
Prepare accordingly and soon.

 

Seems to me that most truck companies are stuck with the trucks so it's better for them to just pretend that everything is going to be fine while they leave the drivers hanging out in the truck waiting for a load most of the time.

If the driver doesn't like it they'll quit, and not receive any unemployment.Then later when the economy picks back up all these companies will have to crank the training wheels again because they all lost 1/2 of their drivers but still have lots of trucks.

 

Yeah, they probably make more on unemployment than they do in the restaurant. I'm disgusted that they still pay waitresses "wait staff minimum wage" instead of "national minimum wage" and still charge $8 for a bowl of oatmeal.

Anytime I go there, I'm not getting out of there for less than $15 but it only takes about 7-10 minutes to serve me. So if these restaurants weren't dying/dog slow, a single server could be turning over $90 in receipts an hour. Maybe more.

 

Freight apparently is dismal in the mid south. After a delivery yesterday picked up in Chicago on Thursday (weekend at home) they said there was essentially nothing else and I was offered a week off at home. This from a company where for almost 3 years I’ve NEVER sat around waiting on an assignment.

 

Funny thing. I stayed a night at my home terminal. Inside they’re still doing classes for orientation. After driving low volume this past week and all the negative outlook ahead, i was receiving a mixed message seeing orientation still going on.

 

I still maintain that's gonna be to replace drivers that get sick, or refuse to go into hot zones.