Anytime the foam is cheap, just go ahead and assume someone is pocketing too much. We get better money for the foam than any other items we haul. Second to that was air conditioners which are easier to haul than the foam and they have DIED! The Styrofoam has died as well. We used to haul a load or two most weeks. We haven't hauled it now in probably at least 6 or 8 months and even then it was scarce. We have never hauled the Pevely MO stuff as it has not paid ever since I learned that about the only thing leaving Pevely is foam. But most other places paid. TX, GA, NJ all paid. Granted we could never haul the Pennsauken NJ foam as they load it from a darn dock.
All of the freight "experts" are saying that van and reefer are more stable and going more as predicted where flat is not holding up to the predictions of a good second quarter. And the reasoning frankly made very little since to the point that I don't even remember what they said was the reasons. After what I paid for my 2013 stepdeck, I will take a nap on it before I put cheapo freight on it and if all other flats would do the same, then we wouldn't need these conversations. But I know that isn't going to happen. Just me and a small amount of others are taking a stance for NOTHING. Of course that is a stance we have no choice but to take. At least if we go broke, we will be going broke with no effort to do so. As for all of you who cannot figure out what it cost to haul a load versus fixed cost and other variable costs, you guys can have the cheap freight and drive around all day every day like someone's punk. Thanks Mommas Money for the info. This helps me to not feel so alone out there.
You don't even need a lot of training or practice in reading charts, to understand this one. The left side of this image is what you are being sold. The right side is the reality, so far. A major part of the economy was tied to housing. This is a chart of the housing recovery. There is no recovery in housing nor the economy at large. Regardless of the propaganda. Of course, you are aware of the shadow inventory right? That is the foreclosed homes that are being held off of the market.
Lol, my wife will think I really have lost it when I go get the rifle out of the closet so I can use the scope to read his graph.
It is really quite simple. The left side of the graph shows improvement. The right side of the graph puts into perspective, over a longer time frame. We fell off a cliff. We did not bounce back up to the top. Instead, we are running along the bottom, a lot like riding over wash-board roads. And, that landing from the fall off the cliff... That was the short drop vs the real drop, which we seem about ready to take. Don't ask for a time frame though. By all accounts, the big drop should have already happened. I have no way of knowing how up to date you might be, regarding current events. Neither am I here to try to convince anyone of anything. It is a given than ain't nobody gonna be sold on nothing, unless they sell themselves. All I can do is point you in the right direction. It is a take it or leave it proposition. Depending on your available time and abilities, here are a couple of links from which you can start. This stuff is not for the faint of heart. John Williams: How to Survive the Illusion of Economic Recovery http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article38919.html Shocking Numbers That Show The Media Is Lying To You About Unemployment In America http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/...is-lying-to-you-about-unemployment-in-america Jim Willie: Cyprus is the Flash Point that will Result in Massive Shift into Gold & Silver http://silverdoctors.com/tag/jim-willie/ The U.S. Economy Is Now Dangerously Detached From Reality http://www.alt-market.com/articles/1326-the-us-economy-is-now-dangerously-detached-from-reality Before you ask, I have 3 tabs full of news feeds. Keeping up with current events can be a full time endeavor. You are responsible for your own knowledge and education. And, ignorance truly is bliss, until it isn't.
