Deregulation has done exactly what it was supposed to do. And they like it that way.

Same here. Three trucks have done 8 back hauls grossing $14,333 on 5447 miles in 2009. Would have been much worse but two of those loads were 14' wide.

Screw them.

Your observations are a reason cheap rates won't last and those who haul those loads cannot survive.

Things are really bad, I just spent 2.5 months out on the road and came home with nothing to show for it.
I made truck and trailer payments, oil changes and bought 4 new drive tires. That's awesome right?

I was mistaken,it was 36,000 lbs not 30k and that was the correct place for the decimal point I called on it and was told someone will take it to get home.Everything is a "backhaul" for someone

There is no such thing as a backhaul. I wish the word was never coined.:pissedoff:

The problem is not with the back haul. The problem is the rate that some are willing to move it for.

Actually, I'll say if there were more private carriers and less carriers for hire, rates would go up. Private carriers are less likely to waste their time on cheap back hauls. It's a rare load indeed that gets on my trailer for less than $2/mile....even in this market. Yeah, some of my "better" brokers abused my good nature for a load or two with the "I'll make it up to you" BS, but that dog doesn't hunt for long.

Actually backhauls originated with private fleets taking anything to pay their fuel to get back to the factory. Once a broker or shipper finds that they can get a load moved at a cheap rate there is no reason to get pay more. That is the current problem. In fact, that has always been the problem.

One of our delivery guys delivers in DFW twice a week. We used to pick up back hauls at Ventura Foods in Saginaw all the time. I bet it's been atleast a couple of years since we had any.

That statement says it all, about what the largest problem in the trucking industry is!

I can not for the life of me understand why any trucking company allows a customer to dictate the manner in which that trucking company does business. If a Shipper, Consignee or Broker wants to be in control of a separate entities business...they should buy that entity!!!

This BS of demanding lower rates on head-haul, because a truck will be picking up a load after getting empty, or the BS of the next load rate being halved, because the truck was not from that area, is just that! BS!!!