no cheap freight

[riverrat2000]

I have been in the expedite business for 8 yrs. now and the revenue per mile is what it was when I started,expences have more than doubled, hours of service have made it harder to do this job,new and proposed rules have made it even harder,companys are nickel and dimeing the O/os to death, I am just curious OOIDA have ask us all to say NO to cheap freight how bad do you think it will have to get before people will really say NO and mean NO. I look foreward to the day when the industry gets together as one and say enough of cheap freight and the rate finally gets to where we can make the living we deserve. [of course hell is gonna freeze over too, lol]

 

[nightcreacher]

Dont know where you work,but my over all miles,thats loaded and empty,are more than my loaded miles were when I started.
Just my 2 pennies

 

[riverrat2000]

I wasn't talking about the miles but the price per mile

 

[cheri1122]

The question nobody's asking: are the carriers that are keeping the CPM and accessorial compensation at the same level applying the same "no increase" standards to other personnel as well, ie: dispatchers, office support, management?
If everyone else gets a cost of living increase, why don't the O/O & drivers?

 

[fastrod]

The other personal you refer to are employes, o/os are not. As a o/o you are free to approach your carrier and explain to them that you are going to increase your rate to offset your increased expenses. Think this will work, NOT AT ALL. There are a lot of people that are retired and do this for fun or just something to do. The carriers love these types because they do not complain that much about anything. There is nothing wrong with this and I believe that this industry will move more in this direction in the future. This is a cutthroat business and all the carriers need to stay competitive so I see this as a way to do this.

 

[nightcreacher]

wasnt talking miles but overall money made per mile

 

[cheri1122]

I am not free to approach my carrier with the suggested message, I signed a contract agreeing to terms of compensation. The question of why this compensation remains stagnant for so long goes to simple fairness, and business ethics. Have these principles been cast aside, in pursuit of the bottom line?

 

[joebob1_30132]

Shoot guys it is tough, im affraid the carriers, and shippers are looking for their out with cheaper labor.. ie mexican drivers. Feight hauling is a huge expense for manufactorers.. they will like water going around a rock will bypass paying higher fees anyway they can ...Trucking according to economist are considered unskilled labor and they believe these jobs can be filled by anyone. I dont agree

 

[fastrod]

You answered your own question, your rates are stagnent because you signed a contract agreeing to it. The carriers are in business to make money. If they can get you to haul there freight for the same rate year after year, that is what they will do. There seems to be no stortage of owner/operators so do not look for a rate increase. And this is good business ethics on the carriers behalf.

 

[nightcreacher]

expedite is here 'cause the cheap carriers cant deliver,now if the expedite companies go into a bidding war,we are all in trouble

 

[arkjarhead]

you would be surprised how many of those "cheap carriers" have expedite divisions. they may not run d-units and b-units or advertise that they want "expedite" drivers, but they have expedite.

ex. schnider,crst,covenant,j.b. hunt,swift, and c.f.i. just to name a few.

 

[terryandrene]

Ark:

Those and other truckload and LTL carriers have what they call Expedite Divisions, but they are hardly expediters in the purest sense. Warehoused freight, however quickly handled and turned around, is not expedite freight.

 

[arkjarhead]

you can tell yourself that but when they pick up that load as a team and run straight thru from east coast to west coast that's expedite. they just wait 2 or 3 days or longer between loads, and do it for cheaper. weather it's expedite in the "purest" form or not it gets there just as fast and cheaper.

 

[arkjarhead]

crst is nothing but an expedite company.

 

[nightcreacher]

>crst is nothing but an expedite company.

crst is cedar rapids steel transport,they are a freight company that happens to have a expedite division,and it cant compete with the best

 

[arkjarhead]

crst is cedar rapids steel transport . look at their trailer van expedite. malone is o/os pullin flatbeds. you know what's funny not to long ago crst was listed among the 5 star carriers on this site. and they are only a freight company? i guess eo didn't do their homework before they put them on that list. maybe thats why they aren't on it anymore.

 

[arkjarhead]

by the way nightcreacher who is the best? they sure do own alot of trucks for a company that can't compete.

 

[riverrat2000]

>expedite is here 'cause the cheap carriers cant deliver,now
>if the expedite companies go into a bidding war,we are all
>in trouble
well there has been a bidding war since 2000 now its happening online as far as the cheep companys not delivering, well expedite still gets it there ontime but now expedite is getting into the cheep rates, I started this thread with the hopes of a discussion into OOIDAS say no to cheap freight program, which is what the elite of trucking "expeditors" should come together and adhere too but after all these messages not one person said a thing about it. I am curious how many expeditors out here are OOIDA members anyhow.

 

[Pappy]

Back n the 1970's, I listened to drivers scream DE--REGULATION!---Well, they got it! At the time I was loading for a broker in Bordentown, NJ at exit 7 off the turnpike. He was located behind the old Sandman restaurant and motel. Anyone remember that place? The loads I hauled for him picked up in Heightstown NJ and delivered in Greenville,SC and paid $700.00. The week after de-regulation came along, I stopped by the brokers office. The office was full of O/O's looking for loads and to my amazement, the agent was taking bids on loads. I just sat and listened and watched the load I normally hauled for $700.00 go for $200.00 UNBELIEVEABLE BUT TRUE! The agent asked me why I did'nt bid on the load? I told him in no certain terms that the company who made the product had more money than I did and I was'nt hauling their stuff just to accomodate them. Guess thats how they were a million dollar corporation and I was an O/O. I also asked the person who took the load so cheap why he would do such a thing? His reply,"Well, It'll buy my fuel back to Atlanta". Well EXCUSE ME! I thought the idea was to make money---Not just buy fuel! It's my opinion that there will always be a handful of STARVING TO DEATH O/O's out there that think they gotta' haul something cheap to get from one point to another.
Now---getting everyone to stick together and leave cheap freight sitting on shippers docks---Well thats another thing!

Pappy

37 year been there done that vet!

 

[terryandrene]

Pappy summed it up well. One driver's cheap freight is another driver's tank of fuel. It's no different in expedite; since we're generally all owner operators, we each have our own idea of cheap, not so cheap, pretty good and great. It would be difficult to get a concensus within any one carrier's O/O's, let alone a group of EO members.