How Slow is Freight at Your Company?

[solo379]

In past years, loads coming out of the CT, NY, and NJ area were always good.

Is that a misprint? Did you mean "coming into"?

[Rev.Vassago]

That has me scratching my head as well. Loads out of the Northeast have always sucked, haven't they?

[Triple Digit Bob]

That has me scratching my head as well. Loads out of the Northeast have always sucked, haven't they?

Yes,I have seen outbound rates as low as .70cpm with no fuel surcharge going all the way to the west coast. And they get MOVED! In the northeast,especially MA.,they don't care if their load sits on the dock for a year. I was blessed to find a load paying 1.40pm going south. Rates staying in the northeast are in the 3.50pm range but they only go 132 miles and take more than a day to unload.

[Rev.Vassago]

Rates staying in the northeast are in the 3.50pm range but they only go 132 miles and take more than a day to unload.

Those annoy me. I've seen several of them on the Landstar board paying over $5.00 per mile, but they are only paying $400 total, and they want 2 days minimum.

I was fortunate enough to book one from Richmond, VA to NJ paying $2.68 per mile on 300 miles that didn't want to use my truck as a warehouse.

[marcel27208]

i usually never go to the northeast but i happen to get a load out of there yesterday 498miles $712 bucks about 1.43pm which is pretty good!!!

[solo379]

i happen to get a load out of there yesterday 498miles $712 bucks about 1.43pm which is pretty good!!!

Probably to another "dead", or troubled area. Let me guess, Upstate NY, or PA? I assume, you are pulling a box?

[marcel27208]

Probably to another "dead", or troubled area. Let me guess, Upstate NY, or PA? I assume, you are pulling a box?

yeah im pulling a box with schneider(for the moment) and i got the load going(home) to NC, got load out of NC for 2.26per mile to ohio... but this week much different....there is freight on SNI load board but its dirt cheap...makes me wanna stay home for a few weeks!!!

[Rawlco]

I am guessing that what WW was referring to with the "good" comment was: Loads were always "available" in the northeast. Even if they were not particularly profitable there was at least something to do.


Freight was particularly slow for us over the holiday weeks, but this week has been great, for this time of year at least.

[marcel27208]

i feel grateful now, i talkd in depth with a JB owner operator, and he was telling me he has been sitting 24 to 36 hours between loads and getting 700 miles per week, he was on the JB %program he said all loads are cheap cheap cheap!!!!

[thbogle]

The only thing that seems to be moving steady now for me is reefer loads outta CO. and lumber outta MI. Raw materials are starting to pick up. I am pretty sure thats a good thing. I've been hearing from my customers that they will pick up more around the middle to end of Jan and keep getting steadier from there. I dunno just my take on it looking at what freight Ive been getting and what Im told.

[Jackrabbit379]

They keep me running, but sales is down. We cancel a lot of our routes. I guess the economy has some to do with it.

[dobry4u]

I spoke to a friend of mine that runs for PAM dedicated and he hasn't had a load since before Christmas. He was on a dedicated run with auto parts. He is told to call and check every day and nothing.

[GMAN]

That is pretty tough, dobry4u. I am sorry to hear about your friend. We are all forced to doing some belt tightening.

[Windwalker]

I spoke to a friend of mine that runs for PAM dedicated and he hasn't had a load since before Christmas. He was on a dedicated run with auto parts. He is told to call and check every day and nothing.

I've gone by a couple of automotive assembly plants lately, and there have been no cars in the employee's parking lots. One was Chrysler, and it looked like a ghost town. Acres of parking, and not one single car parked there. I believe that the annual change-over would be over by now and the new models would be in production. From what I've seen, nothing at all is going on. Most years, the maintenance dept. would be working overtime.

[lazow1md]

Has anyone had any luck pulling oil and gas related loads? These used to be an area of strength and had decent rates.

[GMAN]

There doesn't seem to be much of anything moving. With oil prices suppresses anything related to oil and gas is not doing much either. I had a truck near Cleveland a few days ago. It was a challenge to find something. I finally deadheaded almost 200 miles to find a load that didn't pay that great. That is usually a good area. Apparently, many of the automotive and steel plants are either not working as much or had their hours dramatically cut. It makes it difficult to find a decent load with so many trucks competing for the same load.

[DaveP]

There doesn't seem to be much of anything moving. With oil prices suppresses anything related to oil and gas is not doing much either. I had a truck near Cleveland a few days ago. It was a challenge to find something. I finally deadheaded almost 200 miles to find a load that didn't pay that great. That is usually a good area. Apparently, many of the automotive and steel plants are either not working as much or had their hours dramatically cut. It makes it difficult to find a decent load with so many trucks competing for the same load.

Not only that but because so many HAVE cut their hours this means in a lot of cases the shipping/recieving "window" has also been shortened.

Kind of makes it even tougher to unload then get a decent reload the same day.

[Daddy's Rig]

I work at Superior Carriers. Since the New Year it seems each week freight keeps ratcheting down and down. It has become pointless to volunteer for extra work, because there simply isn't enough "regular" work to go around.

Anyone else care to comment about the freight slow down?

Freight is usually slow this time of year..But right now it's wwaaayy slow.
I only ran about 6000 miles for the month in Jan(out almost 4 weeks)..bout 4000 in Feb(home every weekend)..and now in March 0..so far..Got home Feb 27th..It's now March 4th..waiting on call from
driver mgr now..I believe we're in this slump for the long haul..

[GMAN]

I see some slight movement toward more freight, very slight. this week. For the last several weeks I don't believe that I have hauled more than 2 loads per week. Either the loads were not there or the rates were so cheap that I couldn't make anything on them. I see no point in hauling a load unless I can make something on it.

[Snowman7]

I worked 3 days this week. I've been squeaking out 4-5 lately (30-40 hours). I've averaged 50 hrs/week the last two years, until October. Even if business doesnt pickup vacations will be starting soon so things should get better for me.