STOP RUNNING CHEAP FREIGHT!!

I agree, which is why I outlined multiple proposals that if all implemented would be a substantial system Overhaul.

 

Translation: I don't actually have a counter argument

 

The system I'm advocating for is the system we had here in the U.S. prior to 1980. It may not have been perfect but it was alot better than what we have currently. Capitalism is a vehicle. It's a great vehicle that has demonstrated throughout history an ability to advance civilizations. That said like any vehicle it requires someone at the wheel. What I don't like is rogue runaway Capitalism leading to serfdom.

 

That's interesting, I didn't know that about Hawaii. I haven't got a floating truck yet so haven't been able to make it over there to see what's going on. I'm primarily looking at how the industry has evolved nationwide and it doesn’t appear to be in a direction that benefits either company drivers or small businesses in the industry. There's a lot fewer independents today than there was in the past and everyone across the board is having to do alot more for a lot less. It also appears that is likely to continue into the foreseeable future unless some major changes are made. We see the decline starting in the early 80's and continuing up to now with it appearing likely to continue until major changes are made. Obviously we can't count on businesses themselves to make the sweeping changes needed as they're all too busy under cutting each other in order to secure contracts. That's what has been termed "race to the bottom". I appreciate you telling me about Hawaii as I didn't know that but it does provide an interesting and relevant case study. I'm curious about how you would go about addressing the issue.

 

You actually asked multiple questions there but good questions. I would like to point out that I never once said that everyone deserves to be successful or that buying a truck should guarantee success. I didn't say that nor do I believe that. In fact I believe my statements were much to the contrary as I've on multiple occasions used the term "oversaturated" meaning that I'm perceiving too many players in the industry. As for your final question my answer is a resounding YES! I believe it is entirely way too easy to get into this business. No, I don't think any idiot should be able to buy a tractor and be in business for as little as $300. So the answer to who stays and who goes is those who achieve the higher barrier to entry stay and those looking for a quick easy business they can easily dive into with zero experience get locked out. Let's look at other trades. Say I want to become a plumber. I can't just complete a 3 week school for $10k, payments $300 and submit a couple quick forms and start plumbing with a van I just slapped a logo on the side of. I have to complete a 4 year apprenticeship to become certified to do plumbing in the first place. Then if I want to go into business for myself I have to go through a whole process of getting a contractors license right? If I got $100k saved up and am looking to start a business I can have Bret's Trucking LLC up and running before the end of next month even if I never even held a CDL, even if I just jumped the border last week and still haven't learned English. That's a problem I think.

 

There's no perfect system but here’s some numbers for you.

Average annual income for a truck driver in 1980: $38,000

Average U.S. house price in 1980: $42,000

Average rent on an apartment in 1980: $300

Average new car in 1980: $4,500

Average truck driver annual income 2024: $48,000

Average house in 2024: $400,000

Average rent on an apartment in 2024: $1,700

Average new car in 2024: $50,000

What happened there?

Here's some more numbers. So you you know that the average truck drivers annual income is $48,000 which means that half earn less than that and half earn more than that because that's how averages work. The percentage of truck drivers earning $80,000 a year or greater is 5% and 1% of truck drivers earn $100k a year or greater. So basically only 5% of the industry earns the type of income that all of the recruiters are promising. There are a few successful businesses in the industry but they're few and far between. What we have is surviving owner/operators not successful owner/operators. My boss who is selling off all of his trailers that he paid off a long time ago in order to pay us after taking out a 2nd mortgage at today's crazy high interest rates in order to cover maintenance on his trucks is unfortunately very typical but also not sustainable. I'll probably be looking for a new job soon when this operation goes under. I like the guy, he's owned trucks for over 50 years and has a lot of wild stories about trucking in the 70's but he's definitely struggling these days like most in this business. I feel bad for him.

 

Less than operating costs required to sustain your business. $0.70 per mile just barely covers fuel if even that.