Is it me or ?

I just drove past the Ritchie Brothers auction yard by Napavine Washington (just south of Seattle), and it was lined up with Grabel trucks and trailers too, and I don't remember seeing them last week when I was through there...

 

The South Vienna, Ohio (west of Columbus) Ritchie Brothers lot had a ton of them recently, as well. That place fills up practically overnight, and empties out just as fast. They move a ton of equipment.

 

Grabel was bought by the money handlers behind All My Sons who know nothing about the industry. They thought it would be a quick and easy expansion. Problem was they didn't buy Grabel Relocation which had all the corporate customers and which immediately looked for other partners then the Grabel agencies. It didn't take long for the overhead to overwhelm the amount of tonnage.

 

Surely don't see them like I used to.Back in the day,the entire back row of any given larger truckstop,would be filled with bedbug trucks waiting their next assignment.Cooking out,drinking beer,trailer doors open lounging on furniture blankets.Don't mean this as something bad,as I and many others did the same thing.Just didn't have a van trailer or blankets.
Talked to the owner of the old Evergreen (Conoco) truckstop,in Federal Way Washington,at Hwy 18 and I-5 one time.Big place good sized lot,and back row always full of bedbuggers.He complained the bedbuggers camped out for weeks at a time,never spent 3 cents in the truckstop.Bought all their groceries and beer at the 7-11 across the street,and just used his bathrooms,and generally just sh## up the place.Could see his point,used to see them in the silver dollar bar there next door(Gee Gee's),but I don't think he got any cut of that.This was before paid parking truck stop days.
Different times for sure.

 

LTL carriers moved in on the business as well you can have ABF Park a trailer at your house and you load it and they haul it

 

That has had an impact, corporations don't move people like they used to, nor does the military. The van line industry has declined over ten percent the last three years alone.