YRCW! Ever since Yellow took control of the reins it has been ALL downhill.

I don't know who will go out first, but I know with the economy like it is, if diesel goes back up over $4 this summer, a LOT of companies (big and small) will close the doors. Last year most made it through due to fuel surcharge and freight rates being higher than now, but they won't survive another spike like that.

I work for Heartland and we had driver appreciation this week at the Columbus terminal. While there the owner was walking around talking to drivers (his son handles most of the day-to-day I guess). Anyway, he told the group I was in that he had letters on his desk from 150 different trucking companies wanting to sell him their business just for their debt. He won't buy because he can't get rid of their equipment (and he's pretty tight and a shrewd businessman). I don't know, Heartland isn't a perfect company and I've had good and bad weeks and I have my complaints, but I think they will be around a goo while. They bought 2000 new trucks this year with cash and are still debt free. By the end of December all drivers will be in a new International ProStar. Like I said, I have my problems with them, but I think as far as being around, they will be because they are debt free and have a lot of money stashed away for hard economic times like these.

I have heard of several big companies being hit real hard (like close to closing hard). Some are so over extended on credit as it is, if something happens to make this thing worse (diesel prices, etc) they won't be able to get any $ and will have to close. I heard USF Holland is in a big bind right now. Also Yellow (which I think owns Holland-might be wrong maybe someone can correct me). Swift has been bleeding for years, and this whole mess they are in now is not helping. I could name company after company I've heard, but you can hear anything in a truck stop or on the CB. One I've heard a lot and read a little about is Covenant.

I don't know. Like I said, if diesel gets over $4 a gallon during this down turn, a lot of drivers are going to be looking for jobs. Thats mostly why I stay and put up with Heartland's problems. For all their problems, they seem like a pretty financially stable company. Also, if other big ones go out, the few that are debt free are going to be able to take a bigger piece of the pie as far as freight.

Just my opinion on the subject. Hope I didn't make anyone mad or anything.

I was at heartland. I made it about 2 weeks with them. the company seemed good. at first I like the company. I was doing florida local. I was given a load for sam's club. and then i was given another load after that. that was being watched by the owner. sam's was suppost to be a drop and hook. well I get there. and the recieveing office didn't open till 9 pm. I had too log all time waiting for them on duty.. and the next load I had to have repowered. due to the fact i was out of time... I communicated this with disbatch. I never got a response. well I get back to jacksonville on friday morning. my idiot of a distbatcher hung me out to dry. on the first week. when i got back to the terminal. I was brought into the little room in the disbatch office. and was treated like dog crap and blamed for the load. it was at that time he told me the load was being watched by the owner... well I was there for one week and managed to get put on an extra 6 month probation by i believe my disbatcher.. he made me feel like I should be lucky i helped me save my job. I went home over the weekend. thought about everything. and how i was treated from the first week. and decided that if i was going to keep getting treated like that by the disbatcher. then I didn't need the job that bad... so sunday when i called in i told the weekend disbatcher that I wouldn't be reporting for work at heartland any more.. turned the keys in and the paper work and all the books. and everysince then. when i see the ads for heartland express. I think about the bit about drivers get the respect they deserve. and laugh about it....

nope! no 1099! I made sure they took taxes out! I have the w-2's all the pay stubs. and they were done by a payroll company. plus i have a copy of the permits and origional lease agreement. and all the log sheets. plus all the paper work from the loads.. I played it very smart. I new the chances of getting a good refernce out of them. are slim to none.. so I back my paper work up.

any one who reads this. I strongly recomend if you work for an owner oporater who leases to another owner oporater. keep full and complete copies of all the paper work. when it comes to blows. and they suddenly don't want to give you a good reference. or say you never worked for them. you will have proof...

first of all learn how to pronounce and spell dispatch. second of all learn how to play with your log book. if you can't fix your logs, you're PROBABLY not gonna make much money driving a truck

no comment needed. this driver told us he lies on his log book. oh, I write the posts in simple english. using big words will make it hard to understand for everyone...

there is no B in dispatcher, i don't need to use a log book. i make more money running local and being home with my family and friends every nite, weekend and holiday than i did O.T.R..........

maybe you should try symbolizing the letter B in dis-B-atcher. when a dispatcher treats you like crap. or leaves you setting, along with a number of other things they are known to do to drivers. relate the word to a phrase commonly used in the american language.. and the thread was setup. So people could give opinions on which trucking company they thought were going to go under next.. "Not a place" to bag on the "OP" which is what it has turned into.

I worked for Heartless for 6 months way back because they pumped themselves up to be the best company out there and found out that they were probably the worst one out there. My dealings with them were similar, they would dispatch me on stuff that couldn't be done, I had dispatchers tell me "Make it work."

It is hard to say which ones will go out of business, or which ones will survive, or which ones will go into bankruptcy protection, or which ones will go into the government financial programs being set up by our current government. If I had bad feelings toward a company that did me wrong I could say, "I hope so-and-so goes out of business..." but what good does that do? This economy is sinking faster than the Hindenburg and with as much catastrophic promise. I say, we all turn our hearts, minds and spirits to the Lord Jesus Christ and get ready to go, cuz... it's over!

Mactron33, I'm sorry for all the bad stuff that has happened to you. I hope you find what God is trying to bring out in your life to make you a better, stronger person, by having all these unfair things happen to you. I went through many, many experiences that I couldn't begin to tell in 50 blog posts and I want to put it all behind me, forgive them, not be bitter, venomous, or a chronic complainer about it, which I have been in the past until God helped me. I pity all the people who have done wrong against not just me but against others because of where they will have to spend eternity unless they ask forgiveness from God. If I have something in my heart against them then I will miss it myself! All of this life boils down to forgiving others of their mistakes against me. See what kind of lemonade the Lord will help you make out of this, eh? Thanks for listening guy, and good luck in your future in trucking. Something will work out. It always does. God bless you.