Truck Load Rates Halt 8 Week Slide 2.0

@SteveScott, I am happy for you.
I myself dream to get out of this Chicagoan urban swamp at some point. I can't stand it. The older I get, the more seclusion I seek. I'd be all right somewhere in Wisconsin forests or Minnesota. I just wish I could retire with enough resources and well enough health to be far from hospitals and...this urban malaria infected people.
I watched a nice movie lately "The land" that a handsome women, after a tragedy moved out to wilderness to find peace and mental healing, quite inspiring and injecting positive energy.

 

Rural life is not all it's cracked up to be. I've got 4 rural properties and they all have their challenges. You can guarantee that eventually the people you were looking to get away from are going to find their way out there at some point. Or maybe that the people already there are just as bad.

 

Oh I'm not looking for a boat to make money, just something to spend my days fishing for pleasure. Probably in the 22-26 foot range with a small cuddy cabin to keep the wind and spray off of me when it's cold. My property is near Bandon, so I'll probably spend most of my time on the Coquille river. You can crab and clam inside of the jetty and do quite well. Then on flat days I can go outside the mouth for some rock fishing. I love crab, but I doubt if I'll be doing much of it. Even when I do, there is a place on the wharf in Bandon that cooks and cracks your crabs for $1 a piece which is a real bargain. I'll probably just keep a couple hoop nets stowed on the boat when I'm in the mood. Crab pots take up too much room. There are fish running on the Coquille year round, so there will always be something to catch, and it's so far out of the way there isn't a lot of competition.

 

Thanks Joe. I made sure we were within reasonable distance of a hospital. My property is 30 minutes from Coos Bay, and they have a hospital there, or for smaller things, there is urgent care just 10 minutes away. I just knew I didn't want to live in a snow area again, and get away from the fires and drought of California. I think I found it.

I grew up on a farm in southern Ohio and know the rural life well. I'm looking forward to spending what's left of my life there. No place is perfect for everybody.

 

Good plan. Much smarter than buying a commercial boat and easier on the wallet too.

 

Had a broker buddy tell me that he sees a lot of overseas "carriers" that aren't even in the States. They operate solely from other countries.

 

Let your primal instincts do the talking.

 

I’ve had some loads going to prisons or military that require US citizens. It takes some extra doing for sure to find a carrier that has full on US citizenship. I realize a lot of “foreigners” drive trucks but figure many were citizens but it’s not always the case.

 

Citizens? Sometimes, sometimes not. Especially in an agriculturally based economy.
A couple of years ago La Migra pulled a raid north of Sacramento and scooped up almost fifty drivers, mechanics, and office personnel from a couple of farm related "trucking companies". What few green cards they had were all bogus.
The companies consisted of a bunch of junker trucks, rented trailers, a few vacant lots, a couple of cheap apartments, burner cell phones, and a made-up Cat-T number scribbled on the door with a Sharpie.
The raid was good for the local economy 'cause it happened right before all the various harvests started and the farmers had to scramble for new carriers. There were some really nice rate increases that year.
I wasn't involved in any of it but it was sure fun to watch.

 

Here is my last "military load" experience I had couple of months ago.
Booked a MI-SD 1000 miles load for $4k, broker was stressing out about citizenship, clean background and all that stuff. Told him all is good and went to the shipper.
Upon checking in, nobody knew what I am supposed to get, eventually they sent me across the street to a different warehouse.

The same thing over there. Took three people and half an hour to figure out my load. It ended being just one pallet.
No ID check, no seal was given, nothing.
I leave, get to Michigan City,IN, broker calls me, saying they loaded wrong stuff. I come back to Detroit, there is only one guy at the warehouse. He removes the pallet, loads a 15 feet long box instead and I leave. Again, no seal. Oh and when I asked what's inside, he told me it's a rocket shell.

I get to SD, they remove my box and I leave. The same story, no ID and no background checks.