Truck Load Rates Halt 8 Week Slide 2.0

As soon as I heard the meat plants were shutting down, I knew it was just a matter of time. I'm lucky in that regard because I buy my meat locally from a rancher and keep my freezers well stocked, but people who buy a day or two before preparing a meal are in for trouble. If the plants remain closed for very long, it will trickle down to other types of food that require meat products like frozen meals and fast food. Before long if this continues, you won't get a number to buy meat because there won't be any meat to sell. Maybe I'll sell my truck and buy a commercial fishing boat since I live on the coast. I'm guessing seafood prices will be going up in the very near future.

 

Some of my family are in commercial fishing. Tough racket. At least with a truck you know you'll make something every day. I remember as a kid working on the boats and fishing all week for pocket change because there weren't any fish. Plus, the buyers, who make truck brokers look like choir boys, will drop the price on you without warning. The more fish there are the less they will pay you for them.
When I was young I had a choice between fishing and trucks, I'm glad I chose trucks.
Here's a listing of boats for sale. Usually the reason they're for sale is because somebody went broke. Either that or the boat is such a junker and requires so much expensive maintenance that they can't afford it.
Hit the upper right hand corner and you'll see the full listings.


Dock Street Brokers | Dock Street Brokers, Serving Northwest Fishermen since 1976


tl/dr...keep the truck.

 

Do you haul reefer or dry?

 

Oh I know it's a tough racket. I was saying that tongue in cheek. Of course if there's no meat available I would head out to do some sport fishing and crabbing to keep my freezers full. I've known a number of commercial fishermen over the years and it's always been a boom or bust kind of business. I just love fishing in general, especially ocean fishing.

 

Same here and I still get the fever to have my own commercial boat. I help out on the boats, especially during crab season.
LOL...That usually cures me for awhile and my little boat looks better all the time.

 

This is a nice achievement.
I was never good at getting good scores. When people were posting here how they were able to get their outstanding rates on the same lanes, I was never close. Maybe because, I stuck to mega brokers 90% of the time or generally speaking, I was lacking their rate convincing skills.

I don't care that much about rate per mile, any more. If I set to go on a trip, my goal is to get $2 500 or more per week after trip costs (fuel, tolls, scales) and do whatever takes me there. I don't mind working harder, since I may be lacking in a good rate getting, I need to somehow make up for it.

Therefore, I'd rather see the rate per mile as a calculation showing efficiency, sometime when it is time to compare a month to month, quarter to a quarter, a year to a year but not the goal in itself.