You really need to feel sorry for those people at the big carriers who feel so impotent that they cannot afford to compete with the small carriers without paying a couple of politicians to legislate for them to accomplish what they cannot do through competition.

 

Not true, 70% were union drivers, and the talk THEN was when the union goes there will only be a few ultra large carriers, (monopolies).........HMMM, seems about right doesn't it.

Independents were never in the majority,the unions saw to that, still aren't, never will be, deregulation brought the independents numbers up then, although there are more independents NOW than ever before, and the large companies are NOT liking this.

The large companies and this socialist goon in the white house are against competition,and small buisness, just that simple.

When the independents are gone, the rates will skyrocket, only none of the drivers will ever see a penny of that, the big companies will keep it all for them selves.

Look at how manufacturing has out sourced everything to off shore, they make it cheaper but it still costs the same here.......follow me?

They can't really out source trucking, other than get the driver to work cheaper.........and they will, although it will be a lot harder to attract ANYONE into trucking.

In the "old" days OTR shipments were relayed across the country,by a number of different drivers all by the same company, companies had terminals in every state(the big ones did anyway) this will come back because of the EOBRS, the number of trucks on the road will need to double, maybe triple, accident numbers will go sky high NOT decline.

Yeah, it will sure get interesting..........in 5 years you won't recognize trucking......maybe even before that.

 

I mostly pull vans, but my wife is an operations manager/ dispatcher with an outfit that has steps, flats, moving vans and open tops. I sometimes pull their loads when they are swamped and also I have access to their equipment to use for myself if need be, but I try to stay with the 53' van because it's easy. When I pull a step or open top it's usually because it's to good to turn down.

 

ahh Russian

 

I hear ya freebrd. I don't have the talent others have to get high dollar frieght. I do o.k. leased. I stay at home a lot too. run local the last couple years. rates around me are approx $2.50 a mile long haul. 500 miles. one way. then you have to take out fuel. I hear all the time from drivers near me, how they are going to so & so 200 miles for $5.00 a mile. no verification, just bragging, I wonder??? after seeing some of their equip, it looks like they don't make enough to buy a decent set of tires. though I am sure there are a lot who do good. I am just not one of them & not intelligent enough to figure out how to get the golden loads. I leave it to my dispatchers & take what I like or refuse it.

 

I am a shipper and a carrier and right now I pay great rates as the shipper. Kansas to Coloroado (400 mile run) I am paying $45/ton on crushed car bodies. Thats $2.58 (23 ton)- $2.70 (24 ton) per mile. I think that is pretty good rate. Thinking of going up $5/ton also. I know other loads are crap right now. Called on load yesterday from TX to KS (323 miles) and was $500, $1.548/mile sucks when cost me $0.80/mile in fuel!

 

Well, it's not that simple. There is nothing in Colorado(unless something changed in a last 10-15 years). TX is a ****y freight area too....

 

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