Truck Load Rates Halt 8 Week Slide 2.0

I’m sending a truck to AZ, then on to CA so rates are probably going to go down by the time I get there. lol

 

Don't jinx us.

 

I want the rates to go downwards now.
At a delivery a young man driving a spotter confided in me about quiting and buying a truck with his friend as a partner. Asking questions about this and that.
Now, like a bear before Winter, having grown a layer of fat on me, I would not mind a hibernation mode and the rates plummet down to cool down the enthusiasm of such people.
Unfortunately, this trucking industry seems to have too much romanticism in minds of people who had little patience for school, education and learning a real trade. Now they think that with as little skills as driving or fixing a truck requires, this is the best option in their lives and from what they hear, the money is also good.
I don't blame them. I could not stand a cubicle job myself, not to mention a factory "Charlie Chaplin" sort of job.
I wish there was something in this industry which would "appear" to require more skills and more know-how. Of course there are deterents such as a failure rate of new owner operators or....certain threads in this forum (but not this one) but everyone thinks that they possess something unique about themselves which will make them failure immune.
Then those fools become mad at everybody else who is capable of withstanding difficult times by hauling low rates or nothing at all.
They are the ones shouting everywhere " don't haul cheap", " You are killing this industry", "You take these rates, your truck must be duct taped and tied by a shoe string".
Well...keep crying but I'll be glad to see 1.50 per mile for a few months again.

I am certain, that this is the result of
1. Immigration policies that allowed influx of people from 3rd world countries - little level of education / acquiring a trade skill not much above than agricultural and extremely low living standards.
2. Stupifying and decreased educational ambitions of current young American society. College and University level education in technical fields is no longer an element of desire of too many young guys.

 

This must be some sort of Jedi mind trick?

 

Yeah....LOL. You can read me like a book.

 

It's weird to see where/how the rates are in flux. Had one partial that I've consistently paid $1000-$1100 on for the past three years- usually moves like clockwork.

Just paid $1400, because the customer needed it moving. The $200 I lost isn't gonna hurt as much as making said customer mad, but jeez.

 

Some "HOT" loads out of Oregon going south into California to pick up those big paying $3.50 to $4.00 a mile loads.

Just do the math on the roundtrip rate.

 

It’s always nice when people wish to inject humor into the work day.

 

It’s been a crazy week. Picked up 3 new customers. I haven’t added 3 customers hardly in the last year.

Shippers are desperate for people that will shoot them straight and live up to their word. It’s a nice change from only caring about cost. Amazing what happens when freight sits on the dock and doesn’t move.

 

Add to the fact that it just ain't that easy to get into the game with one's own numbers right now. Insurance being the biggest impediment.

E-commerce is fueling most of this restrictive capacity.

I wouldn't write a 2.0 version of the "Ship has Sailed" just yet LOL