Where's the freight?
 

I know this is the 'slow' time of the year for freight, but generally speaking, where are the good areas to be in for freight this time of year? Someone told me the east coast has almost nothing to offer. In general, is there a 'good' section of the country to be in, and 'bad'?

i dont think theres abundant freight anywhere,the economy really is terrible, every day u read bout a company laying off thousands, and look in the help wanted section and theres 2 driving jobs, in one of chicagos top papers, and 1 is some scam owner op. job and 1 is like driving around seniors in a van

In general, freight tends to be more abundant and has higher rates in the middle of the country. If you stay east of I-35, west of I-95, South of I-80 and north of I-10 you should be able to find better rates and more freight. The last couple of months seem to contradict that statement. I don't see much difference anywhere we go lately. Brokers and shippers are pushing rates as low as possible. The real problem now is what it has always been and that is the carriers and owner operators who haul these cheap loads. The only reason we have cheap rates is because people haul them.

How do you know the ad was put in by a "scam owner operator?" Just because an owner operator wants to put a driver in a truck doesn't necessarily mean that he is a scammer. And driving seniors is an honest job that older citizens really appreciate. There is nothing wrong with honest work.

I drive for a carrier who absolutely HATES to have us sit. I couldn't tell you how many loads I've taken lately that pay absolute CRAP. I'm paid percentage, so I know what rates they're getting. As an example, I picked up a load on Wednesday in Newark, NJ going to Wytheville, VA. The load paid a grand total of $500. That's for a 525 mile run, with 120 deadhead miles. As a company driver, I have to take the load. If I refuse it, I have to find a new job because that's an immediate reason for them to terminate our employment. But, at this rate, I don't think I can take much more of it financially. In fact, the only real thing keeping me here right now is our schedule (home every weekend). It's definitely not for the benefits or great equipment.

We have a drivers meeting tomorrow - it should be a fun one. I haven't talked to many of our drivers lately who are a bit happy any more. When a company driver with 20+ years at the same place is frustrated as hell and ready to go to a "coolie" carrier, you know it's bad. Same goes for a lot of our o/o's - they're looking to either sell out completely or switch carriers.

Ooooooooo - the boss just called and asked if I wanted to do local work tomorrow for 12hrs - at $7.50/hour. Ya, right.

Plenty of freight if you are involved in niche hauling.... My trucks are booked until 12/23, then we shut down until the first week of Jan. Then back to work...................

:lol2::lol2::lol2: I would have told him I'd have to pass up such a generous offer for my new gig as a Walmart greeter that pays better. :eek2:

Oddly enough...freight has moved west....thats where i am now

East coast was dead...took 2.5 days to get out of there

i've noticed that with swift, i tend to see back-to-back pre-plans and what not whenever i am around i-35 or east of it, also west of i-81. here on the west, which is where i am now, loads tend to be few and far between. usually having my ass go on up to boring utah, back down to fontana, and back to utah. sometimes i'm lucky with a deadhead trip to sparks where i have a friend that has the awesome ability of hooking me up with loads wherever the hell i wanna go...if they've got them going that direction. :)