Truck Load Rates Halt 8 Week Slide 2.0

I'd say the current day/week volumes are still at good levels but I also look to book loads also a week or two ahead of time and the volume of these 'early listings' is especially smaller from what I saw in recent times.
Backhauls to Midwest out of East Coast and Baltimore market are booked faster and cheaper.
Still, netting $3500 - 4500 after fuel and tolls on up to 2500 miles is relatively easy. And as long as it is, times are good.

 

Things are back to usual patterns. South is were the money is now. All along i40 and below from Greensboro, NC all the way to Texarkana. Usually stays like that till July.
Midwest-Northeast will start picking up again in August.
Run from Midwest to south for $2-2.5, get back for $3.5-4.

 

I rarely even consider going that direction.
I don't know the areas or generally what there is.
I'll look at it next week.
Thanks for the tip.

 

The best spots are Charleston, Orangeburg, Columbia, Greenville, all in SC. Also Atlanta, Knoxville, Nashville, Birmingham, Little Rock.
Then there is Memphis, the Godfather of high paying freight in May-June. It's the name your price city right now

 

I'm taking off 10 days the first week of June to help the wife babysit our grandson, so I'm busting my butt to milk all I can out of the spot market before then while it's riding so high. Going to break my own rule in a couple days and do 3200 miles in 7 days all in the west, but that one week will gross more than some individual months did over the last year. Picked up another contract client starting mid-June for an 18 week trial to see how it works for us both. I got a great rate, and they have a reliable carrier that will pick up and deliver their freight on time guaranteed. I haven't been off the west coast since before the pandemic, and it's been a great year. Glad to see we're all doing so well. Makes up for the bad years.

 

That's where I roll. I've noticed this week the truck stops and rest stops are all full now after dark thirty. Haven't seen that in a long while. Rates are softer this week (reefer) than what they've been weeks and months prior. Got turned down by a LOT of brokers trying to name a rate this week and haven't seen that in a while. One got snarky talking about how rich the offer was. Haven't heard any snarkiness like that in a loooong time. Competition is getting a little fiercer but it ain't terrible by any stretch and like you say decent money should last to July, or even well beyond that with a reefer.

 

There is no money in trucking.