Who's Running Good Right Now?

[guest]

I just want to make sure that there is some freight moving somewhere. I am starting to notice that with every load I get, when I deliver I find there are already several trucks sitting in the city I am delivering to. I will ask dispatch about different cities and there seems to be several trucks sitting in every city. It's kind of creepy.

It reminds me of one of those Discovery channel shows about predators in the desert. Lots of hunters, not much prey.

How are vans running? I assume it's even worse for them right now.

I'm kind of surprised that more people aren't just going home for a while. If I weren't 1,000 miles from home, I would be heading there right now. Maybe a lot of people are home and there still isn't a lot of freight out there.

I'm starting to notice that the dimensions of my sleeper are about the same as a prison cell and instead of bars I have my Qualcomm.

I need some kind of Qualcomm charm or maybe some magic load dust to sprinkle on the display.

 

[RDC]

maybe if these companies wouldnt over-hire there would be more loads to go around. They keep hiring like theres no tomorrow . what do they care?. The more the merrier in their minds because they always have someone to pick up their loads.

 

[Tennesseahawk]

You hear alot about overhiring, especially during the slow months. From what I've seen though, the size of the fleets stay consistant whether it's feast or famine. You forget... companies lose trucks, so they have to put on new ones. All you're seeing are the numbers on the trucks going on. No one pays attention to how few of the older numbers there are left. Perfect example... My truck with Panther was 4952 when I signed on a year ago. You will see some 4800's to 4900's, but rarely anything older than that. But the majority out there now are higher. High turnaround, along with updating the fleet, can account for the truck #s going up.

 

[scootr68]

Typical slow period in Expedite as it is this time of year every year. That's why they say run hard during the busy months because the slow months will test your bank account.

 

[bryan]

HI
Warning a long and opinionated post ahead!!

This happens every year to the whole industry (so changing companies usually doesn't help) it may be this month or it might another.This is what puts alot of the newbees out of business.They get some good settlements and think cool I'm going to get these all the time.They spend money they don't really have because they don't realize you have to average out the whole 12 month period.

Don't get me wrong this is not a newbee only problem it gets alot of veterans too.A break down,an illness, or a problem that shuts you down during the busy period and leaves you struggling to catch up during the slow periods can spell trouble.

As for companies over hiring personaly I feel that yes they do.It's not so much the number of trucks they put on per year it's the amount of trucks they hire on when experience tells them there is a slow down comeing.They have had at least a couple of decades to figure this out and still they keep making the same mistakes.They put on a bunch of trucks when its slow, decreasing everyones chances of making it.In 6 months when it picks up, more than half the trucks they signed on are gone and so are some of the veterans.

Again they can't cover the customers freight,so they hire on more trucks but, by then it to late.I wonder if they realize that the company that figures this out first is going to lead the industry.Heck if one of them could figure it out I'd have 5 trucks signed on and would be able to keep drivers in them year round.Imagine happy drivers + happy o/o= healthy company. The way to keep drivers happy is to keep them in good equipment and making good money.The way to keep o/o happy is to help them keep drivers and a steady flow of money.

 

[hedgehog]

Another reason the companies hire more trucks, because it helps to lower the bargaining power of all of us drivers.

i.e. During the slower times, such as lately, the more likely drivers will accept a lower-paying load just to generate any type of income.

This hurts those of us that budget for these slow months.

It all goes back to what supplies the fuel for the marketplace.

"SUPPLY AND DEMAND"

Be safe !!

 

[mrgoodtude]

Hey Mike,
I understand your frustration as nothing peeves me more than to sit in the drivers seat looking back and forth at the qualcom and then the people aquarium waiting for the elusive beep. We are avgeraging approx 3k miles a week in a team D unit and while it is not enough to entice someone to do the same we can sustain. I hate having one run in the bucket (good) on Tues and having to wait till Thurs eve for another to round out the week. I have been curious for awhile now as to why we (maybe I have overlooked the posts) never seem to get much feedback whether positive or negative on Landstar expeditors? Are they that busy?
PS. I have enjoyed your previous posts.

 

[Broompilot]

The Posts keep comming up re: the pay of a load. I am so greatfull not to have to negioate every load that comes my way. My company has to eat some FSC from our biggest customer but we stay pretty busy even NOW. I have decided to take off this week but my other truck has 5 loads for the week and I do not know if he has load tonight (friday).

For those of you that every load has a different $ amount I am glad I do not share that with you. It is so much easier to keep my books, and cool with my company cause they pay the same for every mile I run.

Sure some of you might out make me for a months on end but at the end of the year I would be willing to bet I out earn 85% of the E/O fleet. Bragging? Maybee, fact for sure. Better satisfaction with my company vs different pay for every run YOU BET...... Keeps everyone honest, up front, AND HAPPY......

Keep bidding, I will just take the miles, after miles......

 

[bryan]

HI
Broompilot is there a chance that your company has figured out that by keeping their o/o fed with a steady diet of medium paying loads keeps their signs on the truck.I would surely give up makeing top dollar on certain runs and then sitting for the rest of the week for a steady diet of dependable loads.I think alot of us would.
I would think with all the new companies that have come into this industry in the last 10 years one of them would figure it out.Kudo's for finding a company that keeps you busy and happy.Maybe it will become contagious.

 

[DannyD]

We are slow too. At least I am. I saw where Geo had 19 runs one day & my thoughts were "WOW!!" because I work for the same company & haven't even been close to that.

I'm in the process of trying to find a house down by our office/warehouse. The slow times had me 2nd guessing that decision for a bit. Financially, I was definately wondering if I'd done the right thing by buying a Sprinter & also having 2nd thoughts about buying a home down here.

Having said all that, I just got my check & it's a lil over $900. We're paid 2 weeks behind, so that was for the first week after New Years. The check for this weeks work will be in the 650 range after the deductions.

So all in all, if this is the slow time, I can't wait for the busy season. I'm still a lil hesitant when I have to work over a week to pay for a vehicle that's needed for my job. (van pmt/insurance is a lil over 1K). With my old company, one good day could pay all fixed vehicle expenses.

Between the 2 situations, one being working a week to pay for a vehicle but being home every nite & the other being one day to pay for a vehicle but sitting in various truck stops, I'll take my current situation. I think when things pick up I'm going to be loving life.

I love what I'm doing. I like being local. I mean I REALLY like being local. No more sitting around in a truckstop sleeping in my van. Being slow is financially worse here than any previous company because of higher fixed expenses. Mentally though, it's easier on me because I'm not out somewhere sittin somewhere going stir crazy.

Good luck to ya,
Danny

 

[tallcal101]

I'm finding that west of the Rockies is no place to be right now.Had 2 trucks take good paying loads to CA,only to be stuck in LA,moved to Reno,no freight then to Denver,no freight now on to the east.
My other 3 trucks had loads everyday as long as they stayed east of Denver.
I think one needs to be cautious for the next 6 weeks about taking loads to the west.I know I will be.
Just for all your information,one of my trucks took a load(reefer)from Kansas City to Alaska a few weeks agver 7000 miles.
Quite an adventure for the drivers.The Yukon was paticularly challanging.Anyone with any questions about taking loads this far,in the winter,let me know.If you take the ferry back to Seattle,it saves wear and tear on the truck.Fuel is about the same as taking the ferry.Temp drooped to 28 below at times.It's life or death at certain points if the truck breakls down.No clink or cell phone for a couple of days.

 

[davekc]

I agree on the west coast until the end of Febuary. Too many trucks and cheap return loads. AZ is as far as we will go until then. Return expedite loads don't come up consistently until you go back to ElPaso.



Davekc
owner
21 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[ATeam]

When we talk about how things are, would it not be better to talk about how things are for yourself at the moment?

The expediting industry is bigger than any one person's or even fleet owner's experience in it. Generalizing from one's own experience can be misleading because so much differs from truck to truck (reefer, lift gate, payload, unit-type, pallet jack equipped, etc), driver to driver (team or solo, good load stragegy or bad, lots of time off or little, etc.), and carrier to carrier (national reach or regional, mostly automotive freight or a variety, lots of premium freight or little, own sales force in the field or none, etc.)

Who's running good right now? Diane and I are! Where are we running? In the Rocky Mountains and west of them.

Runs:
1/23 - 1/24 Michigan to Alabama (loaded)
1/25 - 1-27 Alabama to California (loaded)
1/27 - 1/30 California to Idaho (loaded)
1/30 - 1/30 Idaho to Colorado (deadhead for next day's run)
1/31 - 1/31 Colorado to Utah (loaded)
2/1 - 2-1 (predispatch) Utah to Wyoming

We have a minimum $/mi number for all miles (deadhead + loaded) on any load that our carrier must meet before we move the truck. The number includes a profit for ourselves. One run was just shy of that number so our profit was slightly reduced (we do make exceptions). But all other runs have been well above our price to run. This time of year, running out west has worked great for us.

Is that an indication that things are great this time of year out west and that other expediters should go there? Of course not. And that's my point. Do not generalize from one person's experience, because if you point to one that's doing bad, you can probably find another that's doing good.

 

[davekc]

It should have been implied that my view was just from my own perspective. Tallcal post is from a fleet owner driving for your company with the same equipment. He can speak for himself but I would well imagine he is looking at several trucks verses one.
For me I look at general freight and expedite loads that are outbound and compare to the amount of trucks that are inbound or currently there. I look at all the freight, not just Fedex.


Davekc
owner
21 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[ATeam]

>It should have been implied that my view was just from my
>own perspective. Tallcal post is from a fleet owner driving
>for your company with the same equipment. He can speak for
>himself but I would well imagine he is looking at several
>trucks verses one.

You made my point. Even among equally-equipped trucks with the same carrier there are always some doing better than others. The same is true even within the same fleet owner's fleet. Just because a fleet owner has say 4 trucks doing great. It does not follow that if you become truck number 5 in that very same fleet, with the very same carrier, at the very same time, with the very same guidance from the fleet owner, you will do as well (or as poorly) as trucks 1-4. You may do better, the same, or worse; because so many other variables are also in play.

 

[davekc]

Very true...no one has the crystal ball. I look at the consistency from areas to generate the highest average of where potential runs may come. It has proven to be more reliable than banking on luck.
Just my personal way of how we operate.




Davekc
owner
21 years
PantherII
EO moderator