The dog days of summer: AUGUST!

OntarioVanMan · Aug 23, 2014

KickStarter6 said:
Well here's to hoping they all start having bad days for the foreseeable future lolView attachment 9691

Pre 04 and then 08 we were mostly shortage parts for automakers....when the economy busted and high interest rates, lots of companies got caught with huge inventories and expensive spare parts...that is when a good % of our work swung over to inventory control...and auto part suppliers were forced to have a certain amount of widgets in advance to maintain production....when they drop below that number, contract fines could be expected...that is why it seems at times they don't really need the parts we bring immediately....when auto suppliers and inventory clerks are doing their jobs...in a perfect world other the proto type parts and major mess ups, ..the need for us is minimal...
There should be NO expectation of a load. We are not owed a load..

KickStarter6 · Aug 23, 2014

OntarioVanMan said:
Pre 04 and then 08 we were mostly shortage parts for automakers....when the economy busted and high interest rates, lots of companies got caught with huge inventories and expensive spare parts...that is when a good % of our work swung over to inventory control...and auto part suppliers were forced to have a certain amount of widgets in advance to maintain production....when they drop below that number, contract fines could be expected...that is why it seems at times they don't really need the parts we bring immediately....when auto suppliers and inventory clerks are doing their jobs...in a perfect world other the proto type parts and major mess ups, ..the need for us is minimal...
There should be NO expectation of a load. We are not owed a load..

That doesn't mean I know wish we could all get more tho

OntarioVanMan · Aug 23, 2014

KickStarter6 said:
That doesn't mean I know wish we could all get more tho

I wish about 5,000 vans would go belly up.....then we might be making money...

KickStarter6 · Aug 23, 2014

OntarioVanMan said:
I wish about 5,000 vans would go belly up.....then we might be making money...

The cruel but true truth of being a vanner. With the raise of insurance rates, fuel and everything else in life when combined with low rates it's certainly a possibility. For me personally I'd like to run enough to gross about $1,500 a week every week

OntarioVanMan · Aug 23, 2014

KickStarter6 said:
The cruel but true truth of being a vanner. With the raise of insurance rates, fuel and everything else in life when combined with low rates it's certainly a possibility. For me personally I'd like to run enough to gross about $1,500 a week every week

The old supply and demand rule kicks in.......I wish you luck.....the strong will survive....

KickStarter6 · Aug 23, 2014

OntarioVanMan said:
The old supply and demand rule kicks in.......I wish you luck.....the strong will survive....

Oh I'll survive one way or another

drifter · Aug 23, 2014

Avg of 1534.00 a week since april...that's with 3 weeks off...April 24th as the Allman Brothers would say that's when I went down to the crossroads

KickStarter6 · Aug 23, 2014

Empty near Chicago no load offers today which blows cause I'm bored

DollarSign · Aug 23, 2014

KickStarter6 said:
Empty near Chicago no load offers today which blows cause I'm bored

Good luck. I was in South Beloit for four days and one offer

KickStarter6 · Aug 24, 2014

DollarSign said:
Good luck. I was in South Beloit for four days and one offer

Lol please my want to head home doesn't need any encouragement. I'm just hoping for a good one on minday

OntarioVanMan · Aug 24, 2014

drifter said:
Avg of 1534.00 a week since april...that's with 3 weeks off...April 24th as the Allman Brothers would say that's when I went down to the crossroads

that is an average I could live with....1300 to 1700 is my target.....been real tough to make them numbers....average income for this unit must be keeping the overall fleet average down.....LOL

Moot · Aug 24, 2014

OntarioVanMan said:
I wish about 5,000 vans would go belly up.....then we might be making money...

Approximately 5,000 expedite vans do go belly up each year. Unfortunately those 5,000 vans are placed by 6,000 newbies in vans every year.

OntarioVanMan · Aug 24, 2014

Moot said:
Approximately 5,000 expedite vans do go belly up each year. Unfortunately those 5,000 vans are placed by 6,000 newbies in vans every year.

Newbees are like poison ivy the more ya scratch them.... the more there is of them.....

Murraycroexp · Aug 24, 2014

OntarioVanMan said:
that is an average I could live with....1300 to 1700 is my target.....been real tough to make them numbers....average income for this unit must be keeping the overall fleet average down.....LOL

I'll be the first to admit that it's been tough. The go-to cities and regions have just not been as "go-to" as they used to be. Rates are in the crapper, sometimes. We lose a lot of bids. But at least we're losing them because we're not the cheapest bids out there. Oh, we're competitive. But we're not the cheapest. There apparently are a lot of vans and Sprinters running way cheap out there. And I don't mean cheap by 2012-2013 standards. I mean CHEAP.
Coming out of Laredo cheap is one thing. But moves between MI, TN, IL, WI, MO, KS & OH shouldn't be as cheap as the bids we lose to.
This market is ever-changing, that's for sure.
Every day is another battle. But worth the fight still, IMHO.
Chin up, all!!

OntarioVanMan · Aug 24, 2014

Murraycroexp said:
I'll be the first to admit that it's been tough. The go-to cities and regions have just not been as "go-to" as they used to be. Rates are in the crapper, sometimes. We lose a lot of bids. But at least we're losing them because we're not the cheapest bids out there. Oh, we're competitive. But we're not the cheapest. There apparently are a lot of vans and Sprinters running way cheap out there. And I don't mean cheap by 2012-2013 standards. I mean CHEAP.
Coming out of Laredo cheap is one thing. But moves between MI, TN, IL, WI, MO, KS & OH shouldn't be as cheap as the bids we lose to.
This market is ever-changing, that's for sure.
Every day is another battle. But worth the fight still, IMHO.
Chin up, all!!

Expedite is really changing into a U-Ship type business....part-timers, travellers of the country, and 2nd -3rd income streams....

Moot · Aug 24, 2014

I thank we gots this hear intermanet thang ta blame for low rates. Shippers or their agents can find vehicles, get bids and book loads in minutes. No need for multiple phone calls to shop around for rates and vehicle availability.

This website also paints a rosy picture of expediting. I thank I'll gets me a used E-150 or one um dem Sprinter thangs and drive cross the country makin' bales of money. Mite even gets me a camper trailer to haul behind it.

xmudman · Aug 24, 2014

Visiting my brother, and watching the Belgian Grand Prix on a TV the size of a windshield. Might be business as usual for some of you, but for me this is lush living

drifter · Aug 24, 2014

Nothing that cold weather and snow storms won't fix

Murraycroexp · Aug 24, 2014

OntarioVanMan said:
Expedite is really changing into a U-Ship type business....part-timers, travellers of the country, and 2nd -3rd income streams....

Yes. The days of the "self proclaimed professional expedite driver" owning the industry are over. Good people coming from all walks of life doing a great job.
I blame American Axle.
Why? An keep in mind I have NO idea what the real answer is.
Wasn't it 2008 when they went on strike?
Didn't production lines shut down costing millions and millions of dollars in losses per day?
Didn't suppliers and auto manus go broke?
Didn't "cash for clunkers" happen?
Didn't taxpayers front-fund bailouts?
Didn't manus, assembly plants & suppliers close facilities putting hundreds of thousands of good people out of work?
And somewhere in the the economy tanked 2-3 times.
So MAYBE.
Fewer inventory turns "in stock", making more expedites, creating a brief demand-bump, driving recruiting efforts, raising "offered" pay, loading the "supply side" of the expedite market, overrunning the "demand side" of the expedite market.
Then, BAM!! Here we are.

So yes, Ken, I wholeheartedly agree with your "supply and demand" statements.

xiggi · Aug 24, 2014

All you have to do is keep your eyes open and you can see the major change affecting the van market and prices. In just the last two years the number of unmarked vans out here has grown like crazy. When I got to El Paso Friday there were 11 vans 2 with decals. There's a reason most but not all of them don't take advantage of extremely low cost advertising. Even with the ones sporting a company name I'm seeing more and more names I never heard of before.

I will say the number of yellow penskies has dropped off from its peak.