J.B Hunt Intermodal Question

They ship a whole string of 53' containers for the cost of sending one or two coast to coast by truck.

If 1/2 of your feet of trailers is on the rail [TOFC vrs COFC] you still have tires, light and brakes on 100% of your equipment so by using cans they only need 50% as many chassis saving megabucks.

So they have beaten the cost of shipping down; do you think they want to spend any extra for the trucker at each end?

Since deregulation the shippers have been able to loose their entire traffic department and simply pit one trucker against another.

Sadly this is one business where a good customer is the one who calls and offers the opportunity to keep their business by dropping price down to the latest low ball offer.

Double sadly this is one industry where someone WILL undercut your price to the point where the only winner is the shipper.

JB is simply using size and scale the same way as most intermodal shippers have for decades.

 

We bill BNSF for every little thing also empty$10 crosstown $30 detention starts after 2 hr. 35$ for every drop and hook. That’s what I make god only knows what JB is charging

 

Any contact info for JB Hunt intermodal division? I'm in northern CA near Stockton,CA.

 

I used to be a fleet manager for jb in SoCal and saw their rates they were charging, trust me they’re making money just not the drivers. Jb was the first to get in the intermodal game and they have that sweet bnsf contract

 

FWIW, back in the early 90's when I was working for them and they just started getting their rail containers, they DID have both 48' and 53'. Also, they bough a bunch of both sizes in regular dry van trailers with "clamp protectors". Also, they would often send older, 'slightly damaged' road trailer to go piggyback.