Getting Truck / Authority Beware - The Ship Has Sailed

Wow Oct 18th seems like such a long time ago. Great that this thread lives on in 2019. How many lives has this thread saved??


NONE!!

 

I could not book anything decent for Monday yet. Looking out the window I see it is snowing and I'm glad I am home. I remember that the beginning of 2017 was even worse but that was the end of the down cycle and now we have the beginning of it. I wish I had some historical data of freight rates from the last 15 years to see the trends and how long the down cycles lasted. The recent momentum for good rates was from Fall 2017 and still continues until the general freight averages will fall below 2 dol which is pretty near or even 1.75. The gravy time was not for too long.

The prophets of ELD boosted rates are quiet already. It is rather painful to get accustomed to run for $500-600 or even $1000 less on some lanes. I will go out there to keep up some revenue sooner or later but I don't anticipate to work my ### off this winter or even the entire year. Some of local open deck and dump truck owners are complaining about the lack of work too, which historically is a litmus test for a freight market saturation. They'll join the general freight carrier force soon too. Here's my prediction of 2019: averaging 2 dol a mile this year may not be something to laugh at. Sometime in Spring there will be good time for shopping around at Arrow Truck Sales, if someone is interested.

 

Hopefully the new Trailer sales cycle is finally over. Usually a 9 yr cycle. Was boosted and extended recently. I’d like to see better pricing. In 2008 I could have gotten a brand new 07 Dry Van for $20 k. Financial markets frozen though.Dealer had big $22000 letters on side. No buyers.Freight rates are so volitile. Even past trends mean nothing. Waiting for a drop since fuel went down. So far steady rates are holding for Me.

 

So far (knock on wood) my jobs are all holding at $2.75 to $3.50 a mile here on the west coast when I need to use brokers. My contract freight is holding steady well above that, in fact other carriers in my lanes raised their rates January 1st, so hopefully that will bode well for me being slightly less than them.

 

Good for you! Go get 'em, tiger.

 

I feel like January is always rough when it comes to rates. Most people just captured their previous year numbers and immediately start to panic. I got quoted 750 on a 500 mile run. After some back and fourth, I turned down the load. Rep called me back later and we got above my minimal rate, sob story about how his boss was forcing him to go with those rates because they had spent too much on freight the previous year.

 

I'm glad I paid forward and saved a few bucks going into the new year.

The van rates (spot freight) on the I-5 have fallen off very sharply as have many other other parts of the country.

Look at some of these rates. The $3,200 rate from Portland to Atlanta disgust me. That's a Pepsico offering btw.

 

I never go by those. I call and negotiate. Can bounce a few 500 mile runs and make more in the same time