How Is The Freight??

Hey guys, I've been hearing that refrigerated freight is slow. Not sure if this is true. Just trying to get a feel on it and if it is slow when it may pick up. Heard from several Prime drivers that they have been waiting a while for loads, and the ones out there aren't paying that great

I think if you prove yourself as a hard worker youll stay plenty busy

Sounds like lease drivers. The ones that aren't doing well are possibly having a bad history or something (load refusals etc).

Americans haven't slowed in the eating category, I can assure you of that...

Hey guys, I've been hearing that refrigerated freight is slow. Not sure if this is true. Just trying to get a feel on it and if it is slow when it may pick up. Heard from several Prime drivers that they have been waiting a while for loads, and the ones out there aren't paying that great

Spaceman is right. That is "lease talk". they always say that, while company drivers are raking in the money.

Donna has been solo 5 months at Prime and is doing great. She has been getting preplans. I am always pre planned. Diver Driver is usually preplanned.

During the summer the fleet managers take vacations and others cover them. this causes some "issues". we hate change and hate playing with others, so when a FM goes away, things get delayed. But i can honestly say, i cannot remember the last time i wasnt preplanned by the time i got to a receiver.

I'm company only solo for a bout a month and getting pre plans in flatbed out of Colorado even. This is my first 3000 plus week and my straps still feel sticky in the winch cause they're still so new. It's all there, you'll be fine.

Hello "Newtothis"

One of the worst things you can do is listen to truck drivers talk - I mean, I am a truck driver, and I don't even listen to my peers. Whenever I see this phrase that you used in newbie's post...

I've been hearing

I know we are about to get some misinformation.

There's no shortage of freight. A lot of the drivers that are saying such things are new lease drivers who didn't even realize they had fallen into a whirlwind of activity last year. Freight was moving like crazy, and therefore paying great rates. Freight is still really good, but it's not overwhelming like last year. This is a cyclical business, I was constantly trying to remind people last year that we were in unusual circumstances, and sure enough the cycle has passed. If you are a lease operator who is trying to hold out for a really nice paying load, you might be forcing yourself into a slow mode, but that's trucking. We make our choices and we are forced to live with them.

There's no shortage. I've run over 3,000 miles each week the past four weeks. The best thing you can do as a truck driver is close your ears and focus on your job. I was securing a load this week while two other drivers in my fleet were standing around complaining about their lack of miles. Both of them had a loaded trailer sitting there waiting on them to get to work! I was in and out. I finished my load and got back on the road while they were still complaining to each other. Guess who is going to be ready for the next load quicker? Guess who will be pre-planned for their next load, simply because the planners know which of us three will be ready?

Yes, freight might be slow for the under achievers. Just be an over achiever and everything will be fine. Do your job and keep your word. That is the magic formula for success at trucking. Even when freight does get slow there is still plenty of work to do for the folks who are reliable, dependable, in your face getting it done movers and shakers.

Hey guys, I've been hearing that refrigerated freight is slow. Not sure if this is true. Just trying to get a feel on it and if it is slow when it may pick up. Heard from several Prime drivers that they have been waiting a while for loads, and the ones out there aren't paying that great

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-now-reefer-stays-hot-and-rail-is-not

Hey guys, I've been hearing that refrigerated freight is slow. Not sure if this is true. Just trying to get a feel on it and if it is slow when it may pick up. Heard from several Prime drivers that they have been waiting a while for loads, and the ones out there aren't paying that great

Try this:

Industry reports a slowdown in "durable goods". People don't stop eating, so food - and obviously reefer is going to stay fairly consistent.

Also - it's not that things are "slow" per se' - it's just that freight/rates were SO GOOD LAST YEAR, that them being "average now" in comparison to previous years, makes things look worse than they actually are.

In times like these - "good performers" are going to be rewarded for their consistency, and problem children are going to sit.

Rick