Truck Load Rates Halt 8 Week Slide 2.0

Since I gave my trailer to the guy I hired, I myself ended up doing power only runs last week. Things were going normal with regular rates, but then on Thursday afternoon, after JB Hunt ghosted me out, I saw Swift posting few PO runs for some crazy money. Like really stupid good money.
Thinking it's some BS I called anyway and booked two of these loads. The pay was correct and it was just simple drop and hook runs with their trailers.

While doing these runs I kept waiting for them to call me and cancel, saying they made a mistake or something. But no, everything went good and I completed the trips without problems, at the end finding out why the pay was so good.

The big distribution place in Chicago I took the loaded trailers to, is shutting down next week due to the Covid and they simply needed to get the product there on time.
I guess we will start seeing shortages in stores again

 

Covid, covid, covid! My brain might explode if I hear or read covid 10 more times tomorrow before noon.

 

Were you shuttling goods from MI to CHI? I know Michigan is closing down later this week. Would make sense they are emptying Michigan out? But you said the Chicago one is closing?

Glad you snagged some good runs regardless.

But hey at least salons stay open for now. Good for your wife.

 

IL State Gov. Pritzker is disconnected from what people of Illinois want. Makes you curious who exactly he is a servant of. My condo tenants moved out back in February just before Covid and I never rented the property due to the statewide eviction moratorium. So they want to extend it again. Many rental property owners are in dire straits. Meantime, Cook County made the attempt to raise taxes on that by nearly 100%, so instead of $3200 they expected over 6 grand for a 1400 sq ft 2 bedroom. The further story is all too common not to suspect a scam play...the association hired a law firm (the same over the years) to lower it down by 75% from which savings I had to pay 50%.... Enough for me! I've sold it and the closing is after Thanksgiving but if there is a shutdown I don't know if that would not complicate the deed.

The rates in Chicago and surrounding area could not be better. I am taking a $5 per mile from Indiana to Maryland (550 miles), pays enough for me to deadhead from NW Chicago 125 miles after tonight's delivery - and the only time home is now from 11 am to 6 pm. New rules make it possible but I'll still run on recaps from the last week...right now I have only 8 hours left on my 70. I am sick of the truck but I (greedy me) can't pass on those juicy rates...5-7K after fuel and tolls week after week after week... kind of got used to it to the point of not being very much excited any more. My last 30 days revenue is over 30K...I've never had it like that before. If it cools down over Thanksgiving and Christmas I won't complain. It's been a good run from the middle of June...I feel tired though. Pritzker my shut it down again but next week I @TallJoe will shut down anyway.

 

If anybody wants to really see how great rates are right now, scroll through a list of what you were making over the last 2 years on the same loads you're hauling now. The rates have tripled on some of the loads I hauled early last year, and I haven't seen the prices on the products I haul go up at all, or no more than a few cents.

Shortages are already starting in many areas like they did early in the pandemic. I went to Costco yesterday to grab a few things, and TP was completely sold out. Two trucks they expected yesterday morning just didn't show up.

 

Brokering today

Had over 3/mi in a dry load to TX. Couldn’t get it moved because it was American citizen required.

Or another load that was reefer and critical. The truck had a broken hood, straps holding the grill, and spray painted unit numbers to say the least.

Trucking today

A construction barrel came flying across the highway at a construction switch back and smashed my trucks front bumper.

Or what about my driver getting flagged for a fever at breakfast and me having to send him home?

It was a very weird day from hell.