We can officially call it the floor of rates

No problem... I didn't ask what you haul for, just looking for overall data so I'm not on #### list of taking low rates, which I TOTALLY agree is a problem and only hurts everybody. Over all contractural rates seem to be better than spot... at least thats what I have found so far. And I know everybody's CPM is different so there are a lot of variables.

 

Is transportation a domain that can be worthy of being called business at the level of a solo owner operator at the mercy of the spot market?

The way I look at is that business, as a general phenomenon of self fulfillment pertaining to the mankind, is an autonomous invention, then knowledge of its execution, that's next impossible to replicate.
Something that requires a unique skill, mental predisposition, earned trust from the customer with regards to quality and reliability of the product or service.
Therefore, there shouldn't be any concerns by someone who excels at something to be undermined and replaced by a wannabe. Truck owning and driving may be a business but ranks inherently low if someone is worried about a complete stranger to become a threat to their livelihood and wellness.
A carpenter, excelling at his craftsmanship, can show all kinds of projects on YouTube and then the look of their finished work, without worrying that I would buy a bunch of tools and undermine them.

 

Incorrect.
To begin with, trucking is not 'special'. It's an industry filled with amateurs, pros, and OMG's. And there is little that separate them from 90% of the market. There is little that requires a 'unique skill'...........99% of it is holding a steering wheel and staying awake.
Finally, if I'm selling tomatoes in Georgia for 99 cents and Florida has a bumper crop and can sell them for 80 cents, it's no one screwing me over; it's called the marketplace.

When I put my business plan together (many years ago), I projected worst case, and I was never, not once, disappointed.
"Some days are diamonds, some days are coal.".

A lot of you guys need to get a grip and understand that the problem is not the rates, but your failure to anticipate and plan accordingly.

 

Try lanehoney.com....but don't be surprised if you get laughed at.

 

That was a well thought-out post. Too bad your argument doesn't hold water. All things being equal, if I find a great customer that pays a great rate, why would I share that info with ANYONE? I would have to be an idiot. Especially if it took years of me busting my arse to build that business. Trucking is notorious for people cut-throating each other. Wake up and smell the java.

 

OK

 

Ghe

The problem with that is a trade skill is harder to do and so not the same dumb people will come along and do the job for half the original price. For one they will not have the skill to do so even though they watched a YouTube video as you said. I have many skills that most people could not do when it comes to custom work. Hell I ran a shop and could hardly find anyone to do the jobs we did and we also trained them.

 

So what is it you are trying to say?
The message I was sending was exactly about no escape from new waves of hopefuls because anyone with a sack of money can buy truck and trailer and do the same as you do on the spot market. No real skills required. There are those who say that they have their direct contacts and costumers but then they need to keep it secret, afraid that someone else will approach them. 'Afraid' is the key word. So I was pointing at the feeble aspect of this o/o business in which not trade skills learned through years of apprenticeship and the quality of product but rather mechanical skills, a cheap shop at the disposal and good cash reserves determine of survival in times of crises. That's the sad part, I tried to point out - that your business cannot depend on the quality and reliability of your work because it is too easily replicable.

 

You said:
"That's the sad part, I tried to point out - that your business cannot depend on the quality and reliability of your work because it is too easily replicable."

And that is EXACTLY why you shouldn't give away trade secrets. It isn't fair to the people that struggled for years and made it on their own wits and work ethics. A lot of these newbies that start their own trucking companies start blindly and then EXPECT for others to wet-nurse them along. They even have the audacity to get pissed or bad-mouth others for not helping them out. They are the "pampered generation". They need to pay their dues.

Shippers and brokers want to make the most money possible. They don't give a hoot about quality, because they know that almost every trucking company out there offers comparable execution. Of course you have outliers on both ends of the spectrum. There are some companies that are so bad that a shipper or broker won't touch no matter how cheap they offer to haul, and there are some companies that are so good that they can demand a premium. But for the most part, everyone else is the same. I can have an agreement with a shipper to haul for $3 a mile, but the minute that someone similar to me comes along and offers $2.75, they will pounce on it. I had a friend who had 5 trucks and had his throat cut by another carrier because he opened his big mouth and shared his customer's info with the other carrier.

There is one person on YouTube (I won't mention who), that posts a video every week on where the most inbound and outbound freight is. So what do you think happens? The viewers will flock (if they can) to the area that has the largest divergence between outbound and inbound freight. So now, since there are more trucks in this particular area, guess what happens? I'll let you figure it out. How stupid do you have to be to post this info so the whole world can see? And then you come on YouTube a few days later and cry that you are stuck in Ohio because you can't get a decent load out of there? GTFOH.

 

It is all good dude~!
I am not picking on you. Of course, we don't want anyone else to ape our operations! What you do is perfectly all right!
I replied to your post, not because I wanted to somehow criticize you but to express my general observation that applies also to me and most of us...bums with one truck and one trailer wishing for a dignified livelihood on this freight garbage disposal called the spot market.