How is Flatbed Freight? [Archive] - Truck Driving Message Board

lazow1md

10-08-2009, 08:32 PM

Anyone hauling flatbed loads seeing things getting any better? You guys any busier? Rates getting any better or are they still heading down? Just trying to understand what that market looks like right now, any examples and/or information you could provide would be great in terms of what it has been like the last 30-60 days.

RostyC

10-08-2009, 10:03 PM

Last thirty days......:thumbsdown:
Last fourty days.....:thumbsdown:
Last fifty days........:thumbsdown:
Last sixty days........:thumbsdown:

That about does it.

aubie2

10-08-2009, 11:08 PM

Last thirty days......:thumbsdown:
Last fourty days.....:thumbsdown:
Last fifty days........:thumbsdown:
Last sixty days........:thumbsdown:

That about does it.

You could have just said consistent!!

devildice

10-09-2009, 01:18 PM

Last thirty days......:thumbsdown:
Last fourty days.....:thumbsdown:
Last fifty days........:thumbsdown:
Last sixty days........:thumbsdown:

That about does it.

I second that post

allan5oh

10-09-2009, 03:13 PM

heavyhaulerss

10-09-2009, 08:18 PM

Last thirty days......:thumbsdown:
Last fourty days.....:thumbsdown:
Last fifty days........:thumbsdown:
Last sixty days........:thumbsdown:

That about does it.

here is consistency.

RostyC

10-09-2009, 10:24 PM

You could have just said consistent!!

I wanted to give a more detailed post.

Lngtaltxn

10-10-2009, 12:20 AM

Round bales have been moving pretty good last two months @$1.70 mi. but thats starting to run out. don't know how busy the rest of the year will be.

Lngtaltxn

GMAN

10-12-2009, 03:18 PM

jeff1981

10-12-2009, 08:47 PM

We are entering the slow time for flatbed freight. Rates tend to go down during slower times. I don't expect things to be any different this year. The problem with rates right now is that they were cheap during much of the year and now we are heading into the slow time of year.

I'm no expert, but we have been very successful hauling stone and boulders out of Northeast PA (The Bluestone capital of the world)
Most of the smaller quarrymen don't know or care about frieght rates moving up and down, so they pay well year round. They also generally give the driver a check when the load goes on the truck.
The downside is that it takes some getting used to running around on one lane dirt roads with a big truck, and you often have to take the stuff to really tight jobsites. (See my post about Long Island)

However, it is keeping us busy, so I have no complaints.

Jeff

heavyhaulerss

10-13-2009, 03:31 AM

I'm no expert, but we have been very successful hauling stone and boulders out of Northeast PA (The Bluestone capital of the world)
Most of the smaller quarrymen don't know or care about frieght rates moving up and down, so they pay well year round. They also generally give the driver a check when the load goes on the truck.
The downside is that it takes some getting used to running around on one lane dirt roads with a big truck, and you often have to take the stuff to really tight jobsites. (See my post about Long Island)

However, it is keeping us busy, so I have no complaints.

Jeff

good for you Jeff. glad to hear your freight lanes are busy.

GMAN

10-13-2009, 05:18 AM

I'm no expert, but we have been very successful hauling stone and boulders out of Northeast PA (The Bluestone capital of the world)
Most of the smaller quarrymen don't know or care about frieght rates moving up and down, so they pay well year round. They also generally give the driver a check when the load goes on the truck.
The downside is that it takes some getting used to running around on one lane dirt roads with a big truck, and you often have to take the stuff to really tight jobsites. (See my post about Long Island)

However, it is keeping us busy, so I have no complaints.

Jeff

I had a quarry that I used to haul out of until a couple of years ago. The owner and his wife divorced and that was the end of that. Rates were always good and I was paid upon delivery.

tracer

10-13-2009, 05:20 PM

Our freight has been picking up, we have a few customers that are affected by the stimulus and other things that have picked up recently. We also have a deep freight base, as part of the mullen group, we tend to get a lot of freight from mullen, tenold, kleysen, etc.. etc..

i brought a regular flatbed load to houston, tx on friday on my stepdeck and they told me the reload was in baton rouge, la on tuesday. load got canceled on monday because the consignee didn't tell the shipper i had a stepdeck, and the shipper refuses to load these long pipes on stepdecks. so, i'm getting something in the north of texas picking up tomorrow, wednesday :( will push them to pay me 75 bucks a day for the layover (after the first 24 hrs). a whole bunch of flatbeds are sitting here at pilot. there were a couple of loads on the dat load board inside the pilot and i emailed them to Dispatch. they replied that one of those loads was paying $1,200 to go from here to ... vancouver, bc!

GMAN

10-14-2009, 03:11 AM

a whole bunch of flatbeds are sitting here at pilot. there were a couple of loads on the dat load board inside the pilot and i emailed them to Dispatch. they replied that one of those loads was paying $1,200 to go from here to ... vancouver, bc!

I have no doubt that someone took that load. That is the problem. These owners and drivers are so scared to sit for a day or deadhead out to a decent load that they will take anything to keep moving, even it it costs them money to do so. :roll:

lazow1md

10-22-2009, 12:43 PM

Seems like the number of loads posted on load boards is starting to roll over a little.. you guys seeing the same thing? Rates seem pretty low still, kinda status quo there.

RostyC

10-24-2009, 01:21 PM

Western Express just came in and cut the rate on one of our regular loads by 150.00.
We can have the leftovers at a 75.00 cut to the rate. :roll3: No thanks.
We'll see how long it lasts.

rank

10-25-2009, 02:13 AM

Rumours of TMC's demise have started up again. If it comes to fruition this time that might help some.

RostyC

10-25-2009, 01:48 PM

Rumours of TMC's demise have started up again. If it comes to fruition this time that might help some.

Yeah I've been hearing that too, it'd be nice but I wouldn't place a bet on it.

Hawkjr

10-25-2009, 11:33 PM

i would love to buy one of those petes if they do shut the doors!!

jonp

10-27-2009, 03:07 AM

I had a quarry that I used to haul out of until a couple of years ago. The owner and his wife divorced and that was the end of that. Rates were always good and I was paid upon delivery.

I hauled limestone curbing out of southern Indiana into NJ/NY for a little while. Except for the small roads and tight places that I delivered to it was a very positive experience.

shadowsknight

11-03-2009, 04:00 AM

Rumours of TMC's demise have started up again. If it comes to fruition this time that might help some.

Get real Rank. You have been hoping for years that TMC will fail. Our freight base is very strong and growing. I run Texas and the surrounding states and I stay as busy as ever. Matter of fact I made $15K this month and was home 3 full weekends and out 1 weekend with a good paying load to Cali.
TMC fail....not happening! Our freight base is too strong.

rank

11-03-2009, 04:29 AM

Get real Rank. You have been hoping for years that TMC will fail.
Huh? You must have me confused with someone else.
Personally TMC doesn't affect me much anyway. I don't own a single flat and I don't think I've ever seen TMC pull a step or a double drop. Drivers are probably too young.

Our freight base is very strong and growing. I run Texas and the surrounding states and I stay as busy as ever. Matter of fact I made $15K this month and was home 3 full weekends and out 1 weekend with a good paying load to Cali.
TMC fail....not happening! Our freight base is too strong.
Are you the accountant? How does freight base have anything to do with profit?

Glad to hear you had a good week though. Is that an average month? Are you % or mileage?

GMAN

11-04-2009, 02:27 AM

I hauled limestone curbing out of southern Indiana into NJ/NY for a little while. Except for the small roads and tight places that I delivered to it was a very positive experience.

Most of those quarries can be a challenge to get to, especially in bad weather. I always enjoyed hauling rock, even though I was always heavy. It never took long to load or unload and people were always nice on both ends.

shadowsknight

11-05-2009, 03:44 AM

Huh? You must have me confused with someone else.
Personally TMC doesn't affect me much anyway. I don't own a single flat and I don't think I've ever seen TMC pull a step or a double drop. Drivers are probably too young.

Are you the accountant? How does freight base have anything to do with profit?

Glad to hear you had a good week though. Is that an average month? Are you % or mileage?

Yes, we have steps and dd. They are mostly used to haul John Deere tractors.

I keep my laptop beside me at all times. I put all of my load, fuel, and expenses into an open office spreadsheet that I designed. I am paid 70% of the gross and 100% off the fsc plus TMC matched DOE fsc rate even if the shipper doesn't pay it. I haul a company trailer that I don't have to pay rental fees for.
I also put my fuel into an app called road trip on my iPhone so that I can keep track of my fuel mileage all year. The past weekend I stayed out on a run to Cali and I am loaded going back into Texas and I've made $6100 this week to the truck in 7 days. It's definately a great week.

rank

11-05-2009, 04:14 AM

I thought TMC was 100% company drivers. Are o/o's a new thing for them?

crowhrse

11-05-2009, 08:54 AM

Hey Shadowsknight,
Nice tractor,did you but it from TMC or buy it out right yourself?

shadowsknight

11-10-2009, 01:14 PM

Hey Shadowsknight,
Nice tractor,did you but it from TMC or buy it out right yourself?

I bought it from them last Sept. I've had it now for 14 months.

We've had OO's for quite a few years. I'm number 907 and there are many more that arenumbered differrent depending on division.