Is the freight really slow

Good post! I wanted to add to your rep but I have to spread it around to others

 

Thank You, I just get frustrated when people can not see the light. It is like a spoiled child wanting mommy and daddy to bail them out when they get into trouble.

The older generation had it right and I learn many things from my grandmother.

"Live on less then you make and pay CASH for everything"

Society can not get a grip on that philosophy

 

The Gov.wants to keep people from losing theyre over priced home to keep the Finave Cos and Banks from going belly up but see if they help anyone in the trucking bussiness.As for people with the money and a bussiness check and see if they are paying taxes like you do I bet not because they hide lots of personal property so they will not hae to.In Texas you by law you report personal property but how many does?This takes money out of theyre pocket AND yours too realy

 

long haul has been dead in this country. It's all I used to do. COast to coast or west coast to midwest. There is very little of it now from the big companies taking it all and putting it on rail. it's been this way for years.

I live totally on cash. Unfrtunatly it took a catastrophy to learn that lesson. I totally agree people can not learn to live on what they make and that's a major part of what has gotten us where we are

 

Thats an awsome post, seems like alot of people want a handout or want the Govmt to take care of them and pull them out of a hole they dug.

Screw that..........Thats just what we need :more govmt." And all these crying assed liberals lining up like the govmt is passing out food stamps........If I can get my candidate in they will fix all my screw ups and all of my stupid decisions.............
If I make enough to support my kids for the rest of their lives, thats my bussiness......I earned it, I can do what I want with it........What would others have them do with the money......give it back when they die??????????
Of course crying wolf and telling everyone to get out of the bussiness would be a way to drive the rates up.......
I'm just starting in trucking but also have my military retirement and we live within our means. I drive for my brother and after 15 years of trucking, last year has been his best....Will it continue?????Only if he keeps making smart bussiness decisions!!!!!

Once again Steelerfan great post...........

 

Where I work, freight has been slow lately. Some blame the economy. Everyone is afraid to spend money.

 

There will always be drivers doing long haul runs as long as there are trucks to drive and fuel to run them. maybe not as many, but the need will still be there.

Sure there are drivers who don't want to stay out for several weeks running coast to coast or are to lazy to run the miles each day to deliver those kinds of loads on time. But I think there are other reasons also.

When I went to a couple of company's who promised long haul runs, the only time I did a long run was to get to the east coast. Then they would run me back and forth between Ohio and New Jersey for 3 weeks and then give me a long run back to the west coast for time off.

When I started driving the company's could really care less about legal logging. But now they call you in if your fuel stop is 15 min off or you try to log the speed limit. And I have heard many stories from drivers who constantly have to do restarts on the road away from home when many regional drivers can do that at home and not at a truck stop

I don't see anything wrong with someone not wanting to run closer to home when OTR company's have repeatedly shown they can not run efficiently enough to get you home when you need to be, or when it is time to be home.

Then there is the company's own policy's that keep drivers from staying out longer. If I am told in orientation or by a recruiter that I will get 1 day off for every 7 on the road and I stay out for 8 weeks, at most company's you will only be allowed to take 4 or 5 days off max without turning in the truck. So 1 day off per week on the road is only true if you go home at least 1 time per month in reality.

When I was younger and had really no reason to be home, I stayed out longer. Now that I am older and have a house and many relatives who might not be around much longer, it is important to have time with them that I did not need in the past.

I don't think it is sad that drivers want to be home more then a couple days a month. I think it would be more sad if you had nothing to make you look forward to going home.

And lets face it, the OTR lifestyle is less appealing every year. The independent truck stops that catered to drivers are disappearing and more community's are passing laws restricting where you can park and what roads you can travel and won't let you idle to stay warm or cool. Fuel costs have made even bobtailing to a store a reason to terminate employment.

New drivers may not know or care what it used to be like driving OTR, but many of us do and choose not to run OTR with all the restrictions and driver abuse that make it really suck IMO these days.

Smart people won't put up with a carpy job for more then they need to and it looks like the company's are running out of people who will believe all of the bull they tell you in orientation and need to find drivers from outside the country to fill their seats who don't care about freezing or roasting while they sit unpaid at docks and truck stops and have no home to go to.

 

You mean the poor I see saving their money to buy a $4 pack of cigs or a $15 half rack instead of feeding their kids. I think if you really look at how people spend their money and not how much they make you would see about a 50% drop in the number of truly poor. The rest are just knuckleheads. Then they could bring all the money we spend outside the U.S. feeding other country's and take care of are own poor with training and education or workfare.

But the leftists in this country, like in any country, only get elected when they have lots of self made victims to vote for them with promise of a better life without much effort. But in the end they only become dependent on the leftists and their need to take from the rich to give to the poor which like in Soviet Russia, led to a total collapse of the economy and made almost everyone dependent on handouts.

 

I'm seeing more of the fat trimming, going into effect each day. I'm still getting miles, I'm still making money.

But...I see

Companies instituing "new" policy to force drivers into situations that could get them fired, for what used to be considered a minor boo-boo.

While others, restrict speeds to such an extent that drivers are taking an average 10% cut in weekly pay. Whether they want it or not.

ANY company that forces a tightening of the belt, from the bottom UP. Are bottom feeders in my opinion.

While there are areas that fat can be trimmed within the trucking industry. Drivers PAY is not one of those areas. I will sit on my ### and draw food stamps, before I work for 1985 wages.

The guy that gets the 6 figure bonus, is the last to loose his, if at all. While the guy that has the 3 figure paycheck, is the first to see a reduction in pay.

Want to cut cost? Get rid of the older experienced drivers, who make .35 and up per mile. Replace them with student drivers who make .21 - .30 a mile.

Someone explain how the higher accident rates, and the insurance rates that follow. Actually save a company money?

Riding the storm out, I'll just wait until the insurance companies FORCE companies to hire drivers with 2 or more years experience. THEN smack their ### with a demand for .45 a mile to start.

What goes around, comes around. Full circle. And it doesn't take a high school drop out to figure out. IF your cost are going up. You have to charge more. NOT, give away more of your employees wages.

 

What are the publicly traded companies saying about that? This past week some of them filed their 1st quarter reports. JBHunt, Werner, Landstar and Con-Way all posted operating results, and offered comments going forward. The aforementioned offer a pretty good overview of the trucking industry as they collectively include; Truckload, LTL, Intermodal, Expedited, Warehousing, and Non-asset based perspectives. In general, recent performance and the near term prospects aren't real good. Both JB and Werner report a considerable reduction in their truckload fleets, instability of fuel pricing, stepped up fuel efficiency programs, slowing economy, excess capacity, extreme winter weather conditions, price sensitive customers moving to Intermodal were also cited.

On Wednesday the 23rd, most of the remaining trucking companies will file their 1st quarter '08 reports. I would imagine they will all offer similar commentary.

For better or worse, the one bright spot was Intermodal. (flame retardent suit put on) As diesel fuel prices continue to escalate, (T. Boone Pickens was the 1st to forecast $100/bbl oil, and has since predicted $120/bbl) it's a safe bet that Truckload will continue to contract, while Intermodal expands.