It's a good thing when they shut down those barges, that means more frieght for trucks. Back in 2008 when the river got to high and they couldn't move barges we hauled steel coils from Memphis and Blytheville back to Oklahoma 7 days a week for a month so they could keep the plant going. It was nice to get paid both loaded and empty on a 800 mile round trip.
Agree with highside that hoploads is better. I have gotten some calls off bulkloads but they weren't something I wanted to haul. DDG etc. Bulkloads I believe is $30 a month or 300 a year. Find some profitable loads but majority don't pay that well.
That would've been a nice deal. Around here, for grain at least, its a major pain when barge traffic has a problem. Back in 05 when Hurricane Katrina had New Orleans all screwed up, our harvest was crazy. It was just a mediocre yielding year, but once the river terminals got full, there were temporary piles of corn all over the place. I spent about 2 1/2 solid weeks hauling beans over to ADM's bean meal plant in Quincy, waiting in line about 3 hours every load. But there's been a lot of storage built both farm and commercial since then, and I dare say we could get by just fine with this year's small crop without sending a single barge downriver. I hauled corn today out of a crick bottom into a country elevator, tested between 21 and 17. They said their yield monitors were showing anywhere from 30 bu/acre to 180 in very little distance. There were places in it so dry, the stalks just gave up and were on the ground. First time I've hauled corn out of the field in our area this early.
Just getting started around here,yields have been all over the place so far,anywhere from 165 all the way down to 18 bu/a on corn. It's all about pollination here,and whether or not the bad heat hit it during that. No beans have been run by folks that i haul for yet,but it looks like the late beans are ok. Wheathauler,Big John,ya'll get any rain off the storm,or did it slip by to the east of ya. Looks like R.W. and brianv31 may get heavy rain tonight.
No rain few clouds. Loads starting to slow down here. Corn harvest won't be great, may have some beans we will see.