how are you flatbed owner ops doing?
#11
08-29-2009, 09:04 AM
Only thing i have to say is that i recently spoke with one guy from CRST Malone and the other one from Mercer, and they all told me the same thing.
They almost lost their trucks and one of them, CRST guy, his house because of the rates. Things that they have told me did send chills down my spine but what you gonna do......
#12
08-29-2009, 10:19 AM
One reason so many of these owner operators are in trouble is that they will take the first load offered whether it is profitable or not. All they seem to want to do is to keep moving. It is a vicious cycle. They take the cheap loads to keep moving so that they can pay the bills. They cannot pay the bills because they have been hauling the cheap freight. The problem comes in when the truck breaks. I have probably talked with 3 or 4 owner operators who have applied for a job with me recently. Every one of them had a big truck payment and only about a year left on the payments. They went bust by hauling the cheap freight. You just cannot haul freight at or below the cost of operating. There is no question that rates are as cheap as I have seen in some time. I don't see the need to haul freight for someone unless I can make some profit. I would rather sit a day or so or deadhead to someplace where I can get a decent paying load. Even if I make the same money with the deadhead I am not perpetuating the problem. If more people would deadhead out of these areas then rates would rise. It is difficult when you don't have the funds to deadhead out.
#13
08-29-2009, 11:13 AM
If more people would deadhead into good areas then the good areas would not be so good, wouldn't they?
#14
08-29-2009, 01:18 PM
Last three weeks have been terrible, this week is even worse. Way too much deadhead. Nice to see the stimulus is working.
 I really can't believe how bad it's gotten, I'm 39 so this is the worst economy I've seen in my lifetime. I remember the 80's crash but I wasn't old enough to have the responsibilities I have now, so it didn't seem as bad.  )So many people out of work. I'm in the reefer business so people still have to eat but I've been trying to work ourselves into the foodservice business and if people aren't working they aren't going out to eat. And these big carriers, they haul cheap all right. I get bid sheets and this stuff is something to look at. Here's a lane, from Lakeland, FL to Kirkwood, NY which is 1192 on the miles and they need you to be under $1484. That's a $1.24 to New York.
#15
08-29-2009, 01:35 PM
I'm a year younger, I never knew anything like this either. Real bad down here in Florida. I live in a townhouse and could go down the line of each unit and a lot of pain (except the people on the corner unit, she's a stripper and seems to be doing well. Nice expensive car and all
)So many people out of work. I'm in the reefer business so people still have to eat but I've been trying to work ourselves into the foodservice business and if people aren't working they aren't going out to eat. And these big carriers, they haul cheap all right. I get bid sheets and this stuff is something to look at. Here's a lane, from Lakeland, FL to Kirkwood, NY which is 1192 on the miles and they need you to be under $1484. That's a $1.24 to New York. I only hope that people lived within their means during the boom but then again, those who did not will bring us down with them as well. Thats what am scared of....
#16
08-30-2009, 12:00 AM
I'm a year younger, I never knew anything like this either. Real bad down here in Florida. I live in a townhouse and could go down the line of each unit and a lot of pain (except the people on the corner unit, she's a stripper and seems to be doing well. Nice expensive car and all
And these big carriers, they haul cheap all right. I get bid sheets and this stuff is something to look at. Here's a lane, from Lakeland, FL to Kirkwood, NY which is 1192 on the miles and they need you to be under $1484. That's a $1.24 to New York.
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