Obviously your POV is one sided, incomplete and you (knowingly i'm sure) ignored some major changes in the RV hauling industry.
(just one example, your claim they lost costumer is a fabrication at best. do to the recession, RV manufacturer shopped for a price like never before, while increasing cargo insurance coverage to compensate for that - they simply crash more often )
i choose Horizon not for the price, (did not shopped around) but for the service they provided me the last time around. they provided top notch cargo insurance coverage, excellent service @ a good price. it took 42 hours from the time i 1st logged into their website till delivery. which in this case was worth way more then a few CPM.
BTW, since you insist :
Quality : mile driven : 45,000 : crashes : 22 ,
Carrier Overview
Horizon : mil. driven : 62,000 crashes : 13 ,
Carrier Overview
Horizon drive WAY more millage using way less power unit, which meant they simply keep their drivers more busy, and do WAY more 'drive away' service then 'tow away'.(& still crush less LOL)
Horizon is still my carrier of choice.
While I am happy that you are a satisfied customer with Horizon, and might carry a dedication towards them since you once "drove" for them, don't try to preach what is happening, or what has happened to the RV Transporting industry to someone that probably knows the industry in and out much much better than you believe you do.
Horizon Transport used to be the PREMIERE company RV Transporters in the industry wanted to drive for. When Melvin ran that company, he had the largest Manufacturer base in all of Indiana that he delivered for. His rates he paid his drivers were the best in the industry. He used to have a raffle every year where he "Gave Away" a fully loaded RV Transport Truck. (Usually a fully equipped Dodge Dually 4dr CTD with ALL necessary Hitches and Extra Fuel Tank-Tool Boxes-Etc) Drivers earned entry into that Raffle by number of "Safe" Miles they put in over certain periods of time. Melvin ran a Great company......Melvin APPRECIATED his drivers.....Melvin took care of his Manufacturers.
Horzions downfall started wayyyyy before the RV Sales went into the Dump back in late '07 - '08. Marion took over the company in late '05 when Melvins health started detoriating. The Manufacturers stayed on with Horizon out of respect to him. A lot of the Upper Managers at these Manufacturers they serviced had not liked Marion for years. Melvin passed away in Oct of '06. Within the first 3 months of 2007, 3 of their largest Customers switched over to either Quality or Indiana Transport. I recall the days in May-June-July of 2007 when that yard Horizon had over in Goshen, right around the corner from Quality, only had like 6 Trailers sitting in it with 20-30 Pick Ups sitting around fighting for those 6 trailers. While in the mean time.....Quality had 300 Trailers sitting in their yard with only like 80-100 Pick Ups (not under dispatch) outside the Gate lining up to get a load. In the mix of those 80-100 Pick Ups with Quality Markings on their trucks sitting outside Qualitys Main Office were also a couple of dozen pick ups with Horizons signs on 'em. The drivers didn't care....they were driving straight up to Qualitys front door with Horizon Signs all over their trucks looking for work.
Bet you didn't hear about the week 3 Dispatchers, 2 yard personnel, and 1 Lady in the office that all quit at the same time. Business got so slow that Marion cut their hours in half and they said "No Thanks". The other companies were busy as hell, so they went and sought work elsewhere. And this was BEFORE the Great Recession hit.
One morning sitting outside the Goshen Inn (That little Hotel next to Super 8) I got into a conversation with a Horizon Driver. Nice little retired guy. He got to asking me about rates at Quality. Due to the rise in Diesel Prices, I was up in the $1.25 - $1.35 range.(FSC Included) He was stunned to hear that. He had only delivered 3 trailers for Horizon so far, and all 3 went up into Canada. Horizon was only paying him .92 cents a mile. (FSC Included) Qualitys "Canadian" runs were averaging $1.40 a mile & Higher. He had also been sitting around in Goshen for 3 days waiting for a trailer to come up. Told me he was just going to go turn his stuff in and head home......I told 'em to go talk to Quality first...Don't know if he ever did.
Then of course the Crash of Late '07-'08 happened.........I too left the industry then. I have still kept in touch with a Lot of Drivers that "Tuffed" it out during the hard times ($5.00 a gallon diesel), or walked away from it permanently. We all still laugh at Horizon at times.........
Now...wanna see true "Stats"?
Look over these Stats:
Horizon:
SAFER Web - Company Snapshot HORIZON TRANSPORT INC TRANSPORT INC
Quality:
SAFER Web - Company Snapshot QUALITY DRIVE AWAY INC DRIVE AWAY INC
And I bet you also didn't know Quality Transport owns Baker Transport too, which is now called Foremost Transport.
Foremost:
SAFER Web - Company Snapshot FOREMOST TRANSPORT INC TRANSPORT INC
Compare overall "Mileage" with both, I mean all 3 companies. Horizon has been in Business 15 -20 years longer than Quality, Baker, and Foremost. But yet their overall "Mileage" records are running neck and neck. (Horizon is listing 62 million overall Miles - Quality and Foremost combined is hitting 62 Million also) Remember, Horizon has been in business almost twice as long as the Quality entities have. Then go look over their Safety Records......Compare # of Drivers on each list with comparison to their Safety %'s...........Quality has a FAR FAR better Safestat Record with FMSCA than Horizon does.
Like I said.....I'm glad you're satisfied with your experiences with and at Horizon......But like I said above.....I might know a little more about the RV Hauling Industry than you believed I might have.
It's forgiveable.....You're still OK in my book.
