How Slow is Freight at Your Company?

[mbadriver]

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?

[shyykatt]

Freight usually is slower this time of year :wink:

[Jumbo]

We are busier than usual. I could work more than my 70 each week and still not catch up. Sorry about your luck.

[Double L]

I think the only segment of trucking that is really busy year round is the reefer haulers. We all got to eat! :wink:

[Jumbo]

I think the garbage haulers and septic drivers may have something to say about that. There are two other things we gotta do.

[Windwalker]

I think freight has slowed down a bit more than most years. I'm pulling a reefer, and last summer, they had more freight than drivers. Near Christmas, they "DOWN-SIZED" by ten trucks, and now they have more drivers than freight. I've had days when dispatch said they have nothing for me, but so far, that's only lasted one day.

First time I've EVER heard of a company DOWN-SIZING. I couldn't believe it.

The price of oil is going to spike again, and freight may slow down even more. It's going to take longer this year to pick up than most years.

[coachman]

I am not seeing any slow down at my company, Produce hauling is going strong, (people still want their damn Bananas and veggies).

[Sammonman]

Flat, and step business is on the rise.

[inked out trucca]

my company hired 6 guys ina month to meet demands of the business. but this place is pretty seasonal. winter months not many people need roofing supplies

[geeshock]

i haul international paper and uline and average 3k+ per week but have noticed a considerable slowdown among most companies

[INKTOXICATED]

starting to get slow here in november. not to many roofers in the snow. hoping to get at least 40 hours a week

[Phantom433a]

I linehaul sheetrock form Vegas to Northern Az and id slowed down SOME after the housing market crashed, but now with winter coming on.....I;ve been only getting 3 loads a week.

[BIG JEEP on 44's]

This is also the reason I'm taking a hostling job at the brewery, as beer/liquor seem to always get purchased especially during hard times.

[Jimbpard]

It's pretty bad where I work.
We have (had?) an account that delivers to all the Rite Aid pharmacy stores in western part of the state, and yesterday, they laid off 14 of the 17 drivers, with pretty much no chance of getting called back because operations are moving 2 hours north to Erie, PA and shrinking to 8 drivers total, which they probably already have up there.

I was spared because I'm on a totally different account hauling steel.

It sure was a "sobering" phone call though when the boss called me up yesterday and told me he just laid off 14 of 17 drivers, and DIDNT TELL ME I WASNT ONE of them until 5 minutes into the conversation. I thought for sure I was a goner because I have the least amount of time in there, and I was expecting him to tell me they moved one of the older guys into my position.

Thank god for dirty smelly hard wet rainy cold snowy sweaty tarpin flatbeddin, that nobody wanted to do when they had the chance!

[Colts Fan]

They're cutting back at my barn. They are outsourcing my run. They are cutting the Mon-Fri day drivers to 4 days to shore up on OT costs.

[wanderingson]

It has been slower than normal at my company too. It's a sign of the times, with the economy being the way it is.
The last few weeks has picked up though!
Flatbed work has really been busy for me. I pull van and flat. I guess it pays to be versatile.

[bentstrider]

The container-hauler I'm at right now is quite slow as well.
I'll usually make 3-4 pulls a day, 4-5 days/week, then either sit in the yard in Montebello, or get a load back to Victorville.
For the most part, alot of this is mainly done in the LA and San Bernardino County areas.

Any way, I found out recently that the company does no HAZMAT whatsoever, and that's what tends to lure alot of these O/O's to this company.

I'm basically the only guy there that doesn't know a word of Spanish and I have every endorsement on the CDL.

I'm just doing this right now as a requirement for a rehire to my former company.

[Royedw]

It's awful at the small company I work for in Virginia. My last three checks netted $211, $662 and $150 yesterday. Last week I sat 5 days waiting for a load, the week before it was 4 days. The loads we're getting don't pay a lot either. Yesterday my Safety Director told me one broker offered dispatch a load, 1300+ miles, and wanted us to take it at .88 cents a mile! Another load was at .92 cents. I'm under load now, delivering on Monday, a 400 mile run that pays the truck $450, of which I get .27%.

It's a brokers market and for those who stand up and try and get good rates, there are those drivers who will take the low paying loads just to be able to move. So yeah, its slow and I wonder how many of these low paying loads companies like JB Hunt and Schneider are psiking up because their trucks are all over the road, in a manner of speaking!!!

[Bug]

Over here at CRST on the L/P side it has been pretty slow. I sat for 6 days a few weeks ago in Denton, TX and when i was offered a load it was for a total of 150 miles going to Oaklahoma City OK and the worst part wasnt i would have broke even but was told by dispatch Oaklahoma was even worse that week to find freight. So their advice was to not take the load.

[zipy46]

I am doing my second 34 hour reset in a 7 day period as we speak....it really slow right now