WHERE’S THE FREIGHT

Yup, dead everywhere

 

I know 0 about flat beds, but here's my theory.

Last year the highway bill got signed. That was an ### load of equipment, steel, and pre fabbed beams and other pieces that got moved into place.

 

We have had 4 all time record months in a row here. It’s so far from dead it’s not even funny.

 

Not dead in my lanes. Maybe try a different location?

Loadboards showing some lower rates,.. I'm attributing that to the surge in new rookie O/O's who dont understand the game yet and going to dead places and flooding those markets making it even harder on the locals who normally run there.

The regular hot open deck lanes are still cranking out the freight.

Trucking always has and always will be based on supply and demand. You dont want to be competing in a market with too many trucks. You need to know where the hot lanes are,.. the places the rookies dont know about and then adjust your location as the season and markets change.

Never go into an area with out knowing where your next load will be coming from. Taking a load blindly into an unknown area and then checking the loadboard for loads after you deliver eats up too much time and if you havent figured it out,.. its probably a dead or slow market with cheap rates because your competing with too many other trucks who just took the same high gross loads. What good is a $2mi $3000 load that just put you on the west coast with nothing paying to get you back?

I made a killing from about late April into into Sept moving pretty much nothing but steel, over size crane loads and roofing shingles. Markets change,.. adjust your lanes and learn were the good shippers are and the brokers who have them as clients.


If you guys who are struggling with loads think its tough now,.. no offense,.. this is as honest as I can make it,.. but its only going to get worse here on out. You need to expand your sources and methods for getting loads.


Hurst

 

Guess it's a regional thing, I mean it's been slow where I'm at but I drive for a private carrier and don't haul general freight.

That said, we needed to get some stuff moved by an outside carrier the other day and it was hard to find a flatbed.

 

Ought to be an ### load of shingles amd lumber moving around Florida and the Carolinas soon.