Is it really all that bad?

[Hankypank]

Hankypank

We were warned that the 1st of the year is really slow. Well, it is now June and things are just a little better than they were in Jan and Feb.

I was feeling so desperate about this situation. I would call my recruiter and literally cry. Why are things so slow???

I would ask questions and nobody could give me a straight answer.
Yes things have been slow. But I have to say, since I have found this forum, I don't feel alone anymore. I have come to realize that it's not something that I am doing wrong, it's just the way things are going right now.

I enjoy reading about the good and the bad. Hopefully it will make us a little wiser.

Thanks for being here.

 

[dukesadog]

You can always go to China or India and expedite over there?, They have a pretty good deal going on for the factory workers.

Lets take Yale Locks for instance they have a huge factory outside of Bejing where they make parts for Locksets and doorknobs then they ship the parts back here for assembly. The workers live in spotless little apartments right inside the factory, wake up....get on the people mover to your work station, work your 21 hour shift and go home.

Pay day rolls around and you collect your 42.50... When I asked the Yale lock guy why the Doorknobs and Locksets were still 750.00 each
(500.00 when the whole factory was in the US) they replied...why its the shipping costs. The profit margin is probably 80% now.

Sooner or later there will be some giant earthquake or Godzilla will crush the city and things will return to normal for us.

Dukesadog

 

[Gary and Linda]

Hey people

I think that Drluvv and The Gibster have hit the nail on the head!!
I've been hauling freight (both OTR and Expediting) for MUCH longer than I want to admit, and I long ago accepted the fact that this is a "feast or famine" business. When the freight is there, HAUL IT!!!
Take your time off when you know it is slow. If it is busy, then roll. You don't have to go home every week, or every two weeks, or even every 3 weeks.

Now I know a lot of you have families at home and you want to see them, but wouldn't you rather put food on the table for them? Swing by and pick them up and take them with you for a weekend run.

I've survived in trucking for a long time. "Survived" probably is the wrong word--prospered is more accurate. When it is busy, I go. When it is not, I stay home.

I'm a lot like the Gibster--I work for a very small company. With us, unlike most of you lucky people, there's no such thing as refusing a load. When the boss books a load, he's given his word that it will be picked up, hauled, and delivered on time. If we refused to haul it, the company would lose its credibility, and we would lose a customer. He books it--and we haul it. It seems to work for everybody.

But, hey, this is just my experience and opinion.