Truck Load Rates Halt 8 Week Slide 2.0

I came through smooth and rolled through a lot of scales late this week.

In other news I lost my cool yesterday dealing with a jerk at my last drop and jumped in the truck and backed over a utility pole, destroying a new deer basher I put on my truck 3 days earlier. This makes the first time I have ever touched anything aside from a dirt bank with my bumper, or any other part of my truck for that matter. I was pissed. Swapped info with the owner. He said he wouldn't contact me if the light still worked and didn't fall in the next few days. It was an old wooden lightpole.

Anyway, still mad at myself about it. It does prove a very important point that maybe some other can use a reminder of. Every few years, and I've been driving something or other commercially for about 25 years now, you have a close call, minor accident/incident or something like that the wakes you up from your lazy habits. Always happens. I bet the most proud among us never share. I know exactly what I did wrong yesterday, about 5 things, and next time I hit the road I'll be on red alert to up my game and go above and beyond.

First, I went to a really steep and tricky dock that I've been to before and said I wouldn't go back to.
Second, the head guy is a real *ss and he stressed me out and was watching me back in (that one isn't a big deal for me but it contributed).
Third, I didn't g.o.a.l. after my near argument with him before I backed in or I would've easily seen this pole.
Fourth, I had skipped lunch to try to get home early on a Friday. Personally, never a good thing.

 

A lot of drivers don’t care about the carrier’s CSA points or safety rating and would just bounce around. That why we ended up with the PSP so potential employers can look and see what kind, if any, of violations they were getting.

 

I'm having a great week. $5200 for 3 days. I'm at Dave's favorite spot in Central Point OR for the night, and it's freekin 105 outside. Looks like I'll be idling for a while. My reefer is working overtime trying to maintain -20.

 

You can clearly see how brokers and shippers are trying to pull back on the rates, but they are not succeeding. There are lots of loads not getting covered .
I wouldn't say market is really good right now for carriers, but it is healthy. That's where it should be all the time.

 

I was for 3 days and one of my two home AC units crapped out this evening just before I left. My better half is just so happy to deal with stuff like this while I'm gone. Meanwhile I'm happily sitting in my ice cold APU fed truck.

@SteveScott, it's hotternh*ll over here in the east too. 97 today, 'feels like' was 102.....but we get the humidity too. I think it's about 400%.

 

Busy trying to get this new broker trained in the way I do things. He seems to have deep pockets,so that helps me have more patience.