Soooo when do rates get better?

Yes, you need higher rates. Agree with you on that. Also a little time waiting doesn’t break the bank. You’re not spending much sitting a few hours. It’s not just top gross that you have to worry about, it’s NET, to include the wear and tear on your equipment. If you’re running hard and don’t make enough to take care of the equipment… but you’re also sitting for 3 days now…. Rates are lower on reefer, yes, but 4400.00 on a 4 stop 1340 mile trip is still fine with me. I can still make ends meet in an economic downturn. Hey, everyone hates reefer (especially if they’re parked next to them) till things go downhill and they loose their truck or their job.

 

Sorry but truth is
Never ever gonna find decent reefer rates on a load board
All the good shippers are partnered with long time carriers
The smaller places and farm directs have been working with same group of o/o and small fleets forever and if needed quick word of mouth gets it covered
47 years now....still never looked for a load and there’s lots of us

 

It’s all about relationships. Nobody wants claims. The guys paying for the freight on open deck can be a farmer that bought machinery or a facility that needs materials for an add on to their structure. It’s not always reoccurring. Food is usually a repeat buyer. Regularly ordered (weekly or seasonally) year after year.

 

Exactly right. There's always a lot of low paying lumber loads coming out of Northern California that go south and east. By lots I mean just about anybody can get one. The lumber brokers will run you on that cheap crap until you go broke. Then they'll find somebody else. It's been that way for as long as I can remember.
There are also a few really good paying lumber loads that a guy can make a good living on and work steady all year around. Those loads are mill direct...no brokers...and they go to local guys with ties to the community. The lumber is always something special like finished molding or premium grade pine or doug fir.
People call the mills all the time trying for mill direct. If they don't know you they won't even talk to you. If they're really hurting for trucks you might get a load or two but it will be cheap. They've been in business for many years and their shipping department knows what the rates are.
None of the small carriers in our area use brokers. If I need extra trucks I call one of my competitors. If they need extra trucks they call me. Outsiders never even hear about it.
Is that harsh? I guess so. But we've all ridden the up and down cycles for years and we've figured out how to get along and how to make money in bad times or good. It works for us and I don't see the situation changing any time soon.

 

X10 for all those that said it. I had no idea what the market was like when I jumped in, but i hit it right


Also, due to the shortage of trucks, lots of brokers who normally didn't, were droppin freight on the boards. They're not doing it now.

Most of the brokers i deal with now, never drop it on the board.

So all those contacts I was able to make when times were great, are paying dividends now.

I've moved 6 loads in the last 9 days, only grabbed one off TS