LOW FREIGHT---IS THIS TRUE?
Topic 25679 | Page 2
I know that there is a low load-to-truck ratio right now for dry van....too many trucks. Freight is still up but there are too many trucks on the road after the boom last year....
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.
I hear drivers at Prime complaining about freight, yet I never see that problem. I have been really chasing my 70 for weeks and wound up in the terminal for a reset. My clock murdering FM was sure to get me a load to the Chicago area from sprimo then off to Florida.
I'm always loaded over the holidays and most weekends by my FM. Freight may be slow at a company or industry, but not necessarily for everyone.
Be the best you can be. build a relationship with dispatch. it takes time and effort. It may not guarantee loads in a downturn, but it can certainly help.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Fm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.
Freight may be slow at a company or industry, but not necessarily for everyone.
This is the key thing to understand, especially at a major carrier that has tons and tons of freight. Right now nationwide the freight is slow overall. However, within a major carrier you'll find a huge variance in the amount of freight available in different regions of the country or for different drivers.
A company is going to keep their team trucks and best drivers rolling all the time if at all possible. However, that isn't always possible even for the best drivers. There will be ups and downs at times. It's never anything to worry much about. If you hit a slow patch you should take advantage of it. Get some extra rest or go have some fun. Before long things will pick up for you again and you'll be wishing you had more time to sleep or head off on adventures.
FYI - There was a barge wreck in the Houston ship channel 2 weeks ago. One sank and the other leaked fuel all out in the bay. I counted more than 20 cargo ships and tankers anchored out near Galveston stuck waiting for them to clean it up and allow them to enter port.
That kind of thing definitely doesn't help as those loads are now backed up and delayed too.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Just what Houston needed after those tank farm fires.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
I've been so busy, I needed some time off. Really run down. I've been burning up my 70 and running off recap hours, but I got stuck in Florida last week with no freight for a day. I'm staying home till next Friday and getting blood work done on Tuesday. Hopefully I'm just tired and old, not coming down with something.
Florida can be a tough spot to get out of. I got stuck down there a couple of years ago with 900 miles in five days. I have not been back there to the Sunshine State since.
Rob, maybe you have Furniture Disease. That's when your chest falls into your drawers.
Schneider never routed me to Florida. Southern Georgia was the closest I got.
Florida can be a tough spot to get out of. I got stuck down there a couple of years ago with 900 miles in five days. I have not been back there to the Sunshine State since.
Which is why companies don't hire S of I-4 (and usually I-10). Not enough freight to get drivers home (and I speak of Prime, Swift, etc.).
There's not a whole lot coming out of SoFla, and what is, the rates SUCK because shippers know everyone just wants to GTFO of here. Most O/O's I know, will only take a load down this way, if the rate is good enough to DH up past Orlando, and back into the lanes.
Rick
Shipper:
The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.
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Last paragraph sort of says it all!
“While the call is pretty negative from a rate perspective, it’s pretty positive from a profitability perspective,” Denoyer said. “Even the margin and rate pressure we are forecasting, the next couple of years are going to be some of the best in history in terms of carrier profitability.”