Just how bad is the freight these days?

I live in the L.A. metro area which is surrounded by the Santa Monica Mountains, Santa Susanas, the San Gabriels, and the San Bernardinos forming a basin. Air quality is a major issue there as well. But let's use logic and not jump to shortsighted conclusions.
The air quality is a 100% better now than it was 30 years ago. There are less 2nd and 3rd stage alerts than there were back then. But air quality is just not automotive, industrial, and domestic pollution. The air quality is downgraded when the Santa Ana winds blow in from the east as well because of dust particulates.
My point is that enviro-whackos are an impatient group who would rather we go back to wax candles for light and horses for transportation to improve the air quality back to pre-industrial age levels.

The same technology that built the machinery that pollutes is also the solution in the works. It will take time, not overnight but within the next ten years engines will be far more efficient and emit almost zero emissions.

The Envior-whackos won't wait so they came up with an ageda that punishes the average man and the small business operator and at a much higher cost towards the economy.

 

It works the other way too... LA is an example of development gone berserk. But that and enviro whackos is a different topic... back to how bad is freight!

It's not universally bad. Depends on the kind of loads you haul, and where you're at.

 

I have no problem finding loads. There are always shippers who have a load on the ground. Sometimes you have to take a load for cheaper rate to get to a load that pays within your range.
I find it humorous when someone tells me that they're getting $3/m+ loads consistently and now. These are the same guys that criticize someone for taking "Cheap Freight" (A while ago I had load that paid $.50 over my break even point and another driver called it "Cheap"). When I ask where they get these loads, the answer is always about the same: "Well I got those loads from "X" industry 2 years ago."
It's not 2 years ago or even 6 mos ago. Rates are down due to fuel costs (shippers and receivers watch the price of fuel too) and the lack of freight in some industries; and the weather plays a role as well.

 

Much of Californias pollution is coming from China. I read that by 2020 China would account for 50% of the pollution.

 

And China laughs at CARB regs.......

 

Yeah, no kidding...

When I was in China in the early 90's they(China's industry) found that R-12 Freon was really good for washing integrated circuits. They were literally washing them and letting the gas and propellent vent. Ozone? They seemed like they could care less about it.

And in the USA, you could not even buy a little bottle to fill your cars AC when low.

 

"The Ozone layer is an overrated Capitalistic plot"
-Chairman Mao