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I_drive_flatbed · Joined: 18 Aug 2006 Posts: 4 Location: PA

My wife and I have enjoyed reading these boards for a few years now, never had the time or anything noteworthy to post, but situation has reached critical!

I am hoping some veteran flatbedders can offer some advice.

I have 4 yrs OTR flatbed experience and work for a company in the rust belt that hauls only steel. Is it me or are rates way down and freight is drying up?

The 'bad' weeks are eclipsing the 'good' weeks! After doing some math yesterday, my YTD gross weekly average is now down to $667. A few weeks ago, when freight was non-existant, my gross was $100. My gross for five loads this week will be around $550 - $575.

I have complained to managment, their response was to throw me a proverbially bone, a few good $1200 weeks then back to nothing again. Yesterday, safety told me there were 9 more drivers in line ahead of me to quit and to hang in there it will get better. This has been going on since late June/early July. There is no layover, detention, breakdown, or tarp pay and paid by percent.

This is a smallish (100) truck company that runs the regular haunts around PA, NY, NC,VA,IL, IN etc. I have begged for weekend loads, but they dont run weekends so that wont boost my income.

So my question is, where has all the freight gone? Is there greener grass somewhere else?

I hate to change jobs, I like who I work with but I have to pay the bills and situation is reaching critical. Tough if out or start looking?

I dont want to apply to TMC or Maverick. Roehl said they wouldnt take me because of my one (and only) fender bender last spring.

I would like to find a company that hauls more than just steel, dont want to do van. I dont have to be home weekend. Every 10 +/- days would be ideal.

How about Arrow, Boyd or Lonestar? Or stick it out where I am and learn to like Mac & Cheese :roll:

ps. sorry this is so long, but I wanted to give all the facts upfront

toner · Joined: 31 Mar 2006 Posts: 83 Location: tulsa, ok

i'm not sure but i have heard rumblings that freight industrywide is slowing down some, but i'm sure if that's true some regions/areas are hit harder than others.

as far as jobs go, it doesn't hurt anything to start looking. make some calls to companies that tickle your fancy and see what sounds good/bad/ugly to you. i work @ arrow (not a recruiter or a driver just a regular desk jockey), and we do haul more than just steel.

RostyC · Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2006 1:20 pm Post subject:

Wouldn't happen to be L&H would it?

Kintama · Joined: 12 Mar 2006 Posts: 273

Freight is slowing way down, it has been pretty slim the past few months. Some places are doing year end right now, some are doing plant maint., and some are doing well to keep their local steady guys happy. Rates have crashed also from what I've seen, but things will pick up again after the new year.

I_drive_flatbed · Joined: 18 Aug 2006 Posts: 4 Location: PA

No, I dont work for L&H

You sure are right Kintama about rates down. Seems everything lately is crap.

I have 3 kids at home and getting discouraged, whats next? Deciding who gets diapers and who gets mac & cheese? We are lucky to live in an affordable area and compared to most have next to nothing for bills but even living frugally, this sucks. Normally I wouldnt panic as riding the highs and lows are a given in this business but somethings gotta give.

My average gross have been declining weekly since the end of June. The way things have been going I will gross around 35k this year. Somewhere there has to be a company paying more. At this point there probably newbies fresh out of school making more than that.

A few more weeks of taking home $22, well you can imagine the rest.

Anybody know about Strimbu over in OH?

dollarshort · Joined: 16 Feb 2006 Posts: 528 Location: South Central PA

First of all L & H doesn't pull flatbeds. Only a few for a dedicated pallet company. Other than that they don't even bother with flatbed freight. They are strictly dry van. And they don't pay crap either.
As far as flatbed freight is concerned. My feeling is that whenever the building trades slow down so will flatbed freight. Mainly because most of your freight has one thing or another to do with construction, whether its materials or some other aspect. Then at the same time you have companies like TMC going out and undercutting everyone else's rates to get their foot in the door.

RostyC · Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 5:38 am Post subject:

dollarshort........ ok I misunderstood their website when I looked at it a while back. I drove for them about six maybe seven years ago and their were no flats then, I recently looked at their website and it seemed like they started a flatbed division, guess not. At that time the pay wasn't to bad for a new guy starting out, it was other issues that caused me to leave.

Residential building right now on the east coast is very slow sales are down. I have a contract w/one of the major builders in the US and they have laid off 50 people in the Baltimore division over the last 2 or 3 months. Alot of the other builders are doing the same thing. (I'm in construction now) However, commercial work is plentiful right now in the MD, VA area anyway.

I drive flatbed..... if you have any construction skills you could look into a commercial construction outfit for some work to tide you over maybe. At 22 dollars a week my loyalty would run out real quick.

Good luck to you 8)

Pappa Jake · Joined: 08 Sep 2006 Posts: 22 Location: NJ - Shore Area

Folk, I'm a newb going to a flatbed company in 2 weeks. I know home building is down, but what about commercial construction? Has the bottom fall out so fast or has this been slow. Need some advise!

hard2explain18 · Joined: 24 Aug 2005 Posts: 47

If you're in Western Pennsylvania look into LJ Kennedy working out of Aliquippa. I've been there a year now and really enjoy it. We pull out of US Gypsum and our loads are pre-loaded/strapped and tarped. We come back empty most of the time but its not a problem because we are paid mileage. Right now its .43 per mile and it goes up to .44 next May. If we have to reload, we get paid to load and tarp and detention pay if applicable. We have slowed down a little but my weekly gross pay has only dropped from around $1200 down to $1050. I live near the turnpike so I'm home just about everyday but they pay you to layover if you are out. Our contract is under the Teamsters so if you don't like union work, this might not be for you.

www.kennedytrucking.com

I_drive_flatbed · Joined: 18 Aug 2006 Posts: 4 Location: PA

thanks to everyone who responded, the advice is appreciated

I am going to investigate every option, bulk tanker, ltl, van you name it.

marcel27208 · Joined: 19 Aug 2006 Posts: 793

grayson mitchell????? out of emporia,VA

GoldiesPlating · Joined: 23 Feb 2006 Posts: 1173 Location: New York City USA

Pappa Jake wrote: Folk, I'm a newb going to a flatbed company in 2 weeks. I know home building is down, but what about commercial construction? Has the bottom fall out so fast or has this been slow. Need some advise!

I haven't noticed a slow down at all. I still have a full schedule every week and generally, more miles and/or loads than I want to run. Besides construction supplies, I've hauled rock salt, black iron pipe, steel for tanks, farm equipment, telecommunications wire, electrical wire for power companies, precast concrete for sewers and drains and more. As far as construction slowing down, not here in NYC. There are 8 new 2 family homes going up within blocks of my house and lots more city-wide. In almost 6 months, I've never been laid over over-night for lack of freight and still, my average reload assignment takes well under an hour.

marcel27208 · Joined: 19 Aug 2006 Posts: 793

Slowdown? tell my dispatcher that...i get home everyday and drive 400-500 miles..freight is on the rise

GMAN · Joined: 13 Feb 2005 Posts: 9882 Location: Tennessee

Freight has been down since around July 4th for most sectors of the trucking business. Much of flat bed freight is dependent on the construction and steel industry. Even if you don't haul for those industries, you will likely be affected due to over capacity and them moving into other sectors to keep the wheels rolling. Some of the major auto manufacturers are laying off due to a general slow down in the economy. Construction may be good in a few areas of the country, but there is a general slow down nationally. Interest rates are up somewhat, fuel is up, and we are in an economic slow down. Things will get better, but that is the reality of the present situation. Rates have been down because some brokers and shippers are taking advantage of the over capacity in the market. Pennsylvania is one of the states that have been hit harder because of the slow down in the steel industry. There is still freight being moved, we are just in an economic correction. It should improve somewhat in the next couple of weeks, but I don't see a dramatic change until after the first of the year. This has been an unusual year for flat bed freight. I have seen an improvement in rates the last couple of days. We always have a slow down during an election year. It does seem to have slowed a little sooner than normal this year. Business runs in cycles. All business. Hang in there. It can be good, if you are just entering this business, because you may not feel so pressured as you might when business is doing really well.

Ian Williams · Joined: 22 Aug 2005 Posts: 705 Location: Northern NV

Good observation GMAN. Now that I think about it I've seen flats with a lot of Van freight around Northern CA and NV for the last few weeks.

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