economy?

[scania]

Are you OTR (company) drivers taking a hit on the economic slow down?
And what's average mileage for a beginning solo driver?

[ohiomohawk]

Are you OTR (company) drivers taking a hit on the economic slow down?
And what's average mileage for a beginning solo driver?

The trucking company I was hired to work for has been down due to the Axle workers strike in Detroit (I hear some of these workers were making $70.00 and hour and do not want a pay cut) so freight is down.

Average miles?? LOADED QUESTION!! I was on the Schneider Walmart account for 15 months I started out around 1800 miles a week for the first 3 months.

[VitoCorleone99]

Are you OTR (company) drivers taking a hit on the economic slow down?

No.

And what's average mileage for a beginning solo driver?

Whatever you want to hear, you'll hear. There are a ton of variables involved, so just read through all the crap and figure out what you believe. The local guys will tell you they get paid by the hour. The cowboys will say they drive 4,000 miles a week. The tanker and flatbed guys will remind you that miles aren't the whole story. The disgruntled folks will tell you that they get 1,000 miles a week and it's [PICK A NAME]'s fault. And so on and so forth.

[TomB985]

Whatever you want to hear, you'll hear. There are a ton of variables involved, so just read through all the crap and figure out what you believe. The local guys will tell you they get paid by the hour. The cowboys will say they drive 4,000 miles a week. The tanker and flatbed guys will remind you that miles aren't the whole story. The disgruntled folks will tell you that they get 1,000 miles a week and it's [PICK A NAME]'s fault. And so on and so forth.

What he said!

When I got out on my own, I got 2500+ miles a week, and I still do! Much of this economic slowdown is media hype...things are definitely not moving forward economically, but we are by no means in a recession!

[Dunnowhattodowithmylife]

Hmmm...........very interesting. Could you give me directions to the America you live in?

Whatever you want to hear, you'll hear. There are a ton of variables involved, so just read through all the crap and figure out what you believe. The local guys will tell you they get paid by the hour. The cowboys will say they drive 4,000 miles a week. The tanker and flatbed guys will remind you that miles aren't the whole story. The disgruntled folks will tell you that they get 1,000 miles a week and it's [PICK A NAME]'s fault. And so on and so forth.

What he said!

When I got out on my own, I got 2500+ miles a week, and I still do! Much of this economic slowdown is media hype...things are definitely not moving forward economically, but we are by no means in a recession!

[Fredog]

Are you OTR (company) drivers taking a hit on the economic slow down?

No.

And what's average mileage for a beginning solo driver?

Whatever you want to hear, you'll hear. There are a ton of variables involved, so just read through all the crap and figure out what you believe. The local guys will tell you they get paid by the hour. The cowboys will say they drive 4,000 miles a week. The tanker and flatbed guys will remind you that miles aren't the whole story. The disgruntled folks will tell you that they get 1,000 miles a week and it's [PICK A NAME]'s fault. And so on and so forth.

Dont worry about how many miles you get or how much you get a mile or how much you get an hour or how much percentage you get, look at how much in is your pocket on payday, that's what matters..

[GMAN]

Much of this economic slowdown is media hype...things are definitely not moving forward economically, but we are by no means in a recession!

I am not sure where you are living, but there is indeed a recession going on in this country. Building is down, record foreclosures, freight rates are down which fuel is escalating, and hundreds if not thousands of owner operators losing their trucks each week. Some of the larger carriers are in trouble. If you are a company driver, you may not see as much of what is going on as an owner operator or those running their own authority. When building is down, trucking is off. We should see some improvement as the weather warms, but the entire country is in some stress at this time.

As to the original posters question about miles is concerned. You should find that most solo drivers run between 2,500-3,000 per week. During the slower winter months it can drop to as low as 1,800-2,200 miles per week.

[Evinrude]

how much you get an hour or look at how much in is your pocket on payday, that's what matters..[/quote]


I dont agree...if I need to work twice as long to make the same amount of money. Its time to look elsewere.

[terrylamar]

Much of this economic slowdown is media hype...things are definitely not moving forward economically, but we are by no means in a recession!

I am not sure where you are living, but there is indeed a recession going on in this country. Building is down, record foreclosures, freight rates are down which fuel is escalating, and hundreds if not thousands of owner operators losing their trucks each week. Some of the larger carriers are in trouble. If you are a company driver, you may not see as much of what is going on as an owner operator or those running their own authority. When building is down, trucking is off. We should see some improvement as the weather warms, but the entire country is in some stress at this time.

There is no recession. While the economy is showing signs of slowing it cannot be called a recession, yet. It may in the near future, but I think that is fueled more by the media and chicken little's perception that the sky is falling. If a rebate check can pull us out of this "recession" the individule going out and spending $500.00 of his own money will do the same thing and in the long run be much better off for the economy.

[BMiller]

I would guess we are technically and officially in a recession. It has happened before, and it will again. Kind of like kids. They have a growth spurt, then it tapers off. Every 5-10 years these downturns seem to come along. It never lasts. I think its just an unusual combination of factors this time. Fuel prices, housing/mortgage problems, tightening credit, and the never ending war in Iraq.

I wouldn't sweat this slowdown too much. I'm guessing it will run its course by the end of next year. That said, it would obviously be wise to be careful about personal spending.

It would also be wise to be careful in your choice of jobs. Some sectors in trucking are going to be more affected than others. If house building drops who gets hit a little harder ? The flatbedders hauling building materials. Also, some trucking companies will callously use the "hysteria" about this downturn. Come work for us, we're not affected by it. But everybody is affected by it. Nobody is immune.

I heard it said somewhere: Like all things, this too will pass. Personally, I'm glad that includes George Bush. He's good on defense, but he is lost on the economy. Much like his father.

[Karnajj]

I can't figure out how anybody could say we are not in a recession. Just because every thing is going good for one person doesn't make it true for everyone. Personally I haven't seen a drop in miles yet (and hope I don't).

[nsxman2001]

You must be related to George Bush and John Mc cain...

I guess living in your own world is great cause I really don't think your living in the same country as everyone else on this forum..

Good luck!!

Much of this economic slowdown is media hype...things are definitely not moving forward economically, but we are by no means in a recession!

I am not sure where you are living, but there is indeed a recession going on in this country. Building is down, record foreclosures, freight rates are down which fuel is escalating, and hundreds if not thousands of owner operators losing their trucks each week. Some of the larger carriers are in trouble. If you are a company driver, you may not see as much of what is going on as an owner operator or those running their own authority. When building is down, trucking is off. We should see some improvement as the weather warms, but the entire country is in some stress at this time.

There is no recession. While the economy is showing signs of slowing it cannot be called a recession, yet. It may in the near future, but I think that is fueled more by the media and chicken little's perception that the sky is falling. If a rebate check can pull us out of this "recession" the individule going out and spending $500.00 of his own money will do the same thing and in the long run be much better off for the economy.

[vinocat]

Last week i ran 1700 miles, was told there was no freight.

[GMAN]

If you want to go by the economist's definition of a recession, then we may or may not technically be in a recession. However, we are in a slow down. Many veterans of this industry have conveyed to me that they have never seen things in this slow before. One told me that they have not seen things like this for at least 20 years. While some of it may be the result of media, most media ignored some of the slow down for more than a year. The end of 2006 was a difficult year for trucking. Some of us found it difficult to find a load in November and December of that year, regardless of what it paid. This past year, freight was available, but rates were down. There are two primary segments of the economy which affects trucking more than others: Automotive and building. Both of these segments are off. That means that trucking will be off. Rates are down in most areas of trucking. I am doing fairly well right now, but others are not. If I were in some regions of the U.S. I would not be doing as well. I have a number of friends in this industry. Most run their own authority. All of them, without exception have told me the same story about the rates. They do seem to be improving somewhat, but are still at a low level compared to the cost of doing business. If things were so rosy, then so many owner operators would not be losing their equipment. Others have parked their trucks until things improve.

Most politicians don't want to acknowledge a recession due to the political repercussions. Most trucking people have known we are in a recession for some time. High fuel costs have greatly contributed to the slowdown.

Having said all this, I am optimistic about the future. As harsh as it may sound, recessions are a way to weed out the weak. Our economy should be stronger once the slowdown turns around. It is merely a regular business cycle, like inflation. Some carriers are hanging on by the skin on their teeth. It isn't uncommon for a few owner operators or carriers to have difficulty, even in good times. We are seeing an unprecedented number of failures with more on the way. For some, this can be a time of great opportunity. If you have the cash, you could get a good buy in a truck or trailer. If you have high debt and are running for cheap rates, prepare for a very rough ride.

[terrylamar]

I can't figure out how anybody could say we are not in a recession. Just because every thing is going good for one person doesn't make it true for everyone. Personally I haven't seen a drop in miles yet (and hope I don't).

We are not in a recession because this economic slow down does not meet the legal definition of a recession. I didn't make up the definition, some econo-geek did. The hysteria caused by chicken littles is what is causing the slow down, it is a self fulfilling destiny. It is because you belive it is. The other part is these futures invetors, investing in our failure. In the military, when you are ambushed by a recession, you don't retreat or hide, you attack. Just spend your money and the threat of a recession will go away.

[ICS]

I can't figure out how anybody could say we are not in a recession. Just because every thing is going good for one person doesn't make it true for everyone. Personally I haven't seen a drop in miles yet (and hope I don't).

It is easy to figure out how somebody could say that we are not in a recession. Because we are not. I recession is a 6 month period with no growth. When we start having businesses going under and little products sold and the economy suffering to the point people can't afford NEEDS. That is a depression. The unemployment rate nationally as of March 2008 is 5.1% 2% is considered Full employment. So there is very little people looking for work right now. As far as the housing crash some of the blame has to be put on the home owner. The main reason for the bust was the people giving the loan made it for more than the person could pay back. The person not knowing the limits of their own economic well being made a bad decision to take such a loan. Now all these loans are not getting payed back and the loan companies are paying for it. I am sure they will learn from this and not give loans they know are hard to pay back. I am sure they learned that people can't manage money and will be less likely to give loans that will stretch people to their limits. Sure we are in a slow down right now. But once there is a slight turn around it will spring back. One reason being I believe will be once the housing market hits absolute bottom. A smart investor will buy land hold on to it for a few years and resell it for a killing. Well at least that is what I am planing to do. But why would you buy now when property prices are still decreasing. Wait until there is a slight up turn.

[Karnajj]

I can't figure out how anybody could say we are not in a recession. Just because every thing is going good for one person doesn't make it true for everyone. Personally I haven't seen a drop in miles yet (and hope I don't).

We are not in a recession because this economic slow down does not meet the legal definition of a recession. I didn't make up the definition, some econo-geek did. The hysteria caused by chicken littles is what is causing the slow down, it is a self fulfilling destiny. It is because you belive it is. The other part is these futures invetors, investing in our failure. In the military, when you are ambushed by a recession, you don't retreat or hide, you attack. Just spend your money and the threat of a recession will go away.

Legal?! Legal?! There is no legal definition of the word recession! Where the heck did you get that idea! Besides, who cares anything about definitions when your financial situation is in the toilet like it is for so many Americans! Dollar at an all time low, gold shooting thru the roof, housing market in a shambles etc etc etc. We are not going to be able to spend our way out of this one. Where are people going to get the money to spend? Consumer credit is almost completely unavailable anymore and wages sure as hell aren't going up. The tax rebate is a joke and will only make the situation worse in the long run by increasing govt debt.

I don't know if all of this is going to lead to a collapse of the economy, but I do know that I have little faith that things are going to get better any time soon.

[ohiomohawk]

As far as the housing crash some of the blame has to be put on the home owner. The main reason for the bust was the people giving the loan made it for more than the person could pay back. The person not knowing the limits of their own economic well being made a bad decision to take such a loan. Now all these loans are not getting payed back and the loan companies are paying for it.

Ohio lost 250,000 manufacturing jobs between 2000-2005. Some of the housing crash has to do with people taking out a loan that they could not pay back but alot of the crash resulted from people taking out loans in the 1990's(when they had the money to pay back the loan) and losing thier jobs in 2000-2005. I was in maunufacturing and was laid off and even though I did not loose my home many people I worked with lost thiers.

The ripple effect of sending manufacturing jobs other countries is evident by more Americans loosing thier homes.

[terrylamar]

I can't figure out how anybody could say we are not in a recession. Just because every thing is going good for one person doesn't make it true for everyone. Personally I haven't seen a drop in miles yet (and hope I don't).

We are not in a recession because this economic slow down does not meet the legal definition of a recession. I didn't make up the definition, some econo-geek did. The hysteria caused by chicken littles is what is causing the slow down, it is a self fulfilling destiny. It is because you belive it is. The other part is these futures invetors, investing in our failure. In the military, when you are ambushed by a recession, you don't retreat or hide, you attack. Just spend your money and the threat of a recession will go away.

Legal?! Legal?! There is no legal definition of the word recession! Where the heck did you get that idea! Besides, who cares anything about definitions when your financial situation is in the toilet like it is for so many Americans! Dollar at an all time low, gold shooting thru the roof, housing market in a shambles etc etc etc. We are not going to be able to spend our way out of this one. Where are people going to get the money to spend? Consumer credit is almost completely unavailable anymore and wages sure as hell aren't going up. The tax rebate is a joke and will only make the situation worse in the long run by increasing govt debt.

I don't know if all of this is going to lead to a collapse of the economy, but I do know that I have little faith that things are going to get better any time soon.

Well good, if we don't have to use proper definitions of things I will say the economy is humming along nicely. I will make more money this year than last. One neighbor will also, another was unemployed and now had a job. I own some gold, I am not complaining about a greater value. This has to be the greatest economy ever!

[Karnajj]

That is a pretty simplistic response. In other words, the hell with everyone else as long as I'm doing well. I'll be interested to see if you will still be willing to say that this year will be your best ever come summertime.