Seeking Insights From Fellow Truckers

As a fellow trucking industry enthusiast and proud owner of a trucking company, I find myself constantly evaluating the most lucrative avenues within our ever-evolving market. Today, I reach out to you, the esteemed members of this forum, to gather your invaluable insights and opinions on a crucial matter: the profitability and viability of dry vans, reefers, and flatbed trailers.

In the dynamic landscape of trucking, making informed decisions regarding where to invest resources is paramount. Each type of trailer offers its unique advantages and challenges, but determining which holds the most promise in terms of profitability can be a daunting task. Hence, I turn to the collective wisdom of this community to gain diverse perspectives.

What are your experiences and observations regarding the profitability of dry vans, reefers, and flatbeds? From your vantage point, what factors contribute to their respective success in generating revenue? Are there specific industries or regions where one type of trailer tends to outperform the others?

Furthermore, I'm eager to hear your opinions on the current state of the trucking market and your predictions for 2024. How do you perceive the demand for transportation services evolving? Are there any emerging trends or technological advancements that you believe will significantly impact the industry's landscape in the coming years?

Your insights, anecdotes, and predictions are invaluable to me as I navigate the complexities of the trucking business. By leveraging the collective knowledge of this forum, I hope to make well-informed decisions that drive the continued success and growth of my company.

Thank you in advance for sharing your thoughts and expertise. Together, let's pave the way for a prosperous future in the trucking industry!

This site is to help beginners of all ages to get into the trucking world. Most all of the commentators here are company drivers.

However, we have one owner op that contributes to the forum pretty regularly. Hopefully PJ will see this and make a comment.

From what I took from your post is that you are a beginner in the trucking world. If you have been in it for a while you would already know the answers to your questions.

From my company driver perspective, if you are getting into Trucking ownership now, I would say that you are going to struggle in this down economy. Many companies, even reefers are struggling because people aren't buying as many things, including food...mainly just essentials.

Like the previous comment, we are mostly company drivers and aren’t in the loop of the business side of trucking. Personally, I don’t really have a clue about the profitability of the company I drive for. I do know they are 100% refrigerated and they never miss issuing me my paycheck on time. And they have nice equipment and facilities.

Totally agree. Meat plants are.closing. people are buying less.

I wouldnt buy a truck now.

Welcome Max,

Laura your very kind. Guess I’m the odd person out, lol… I wear it proudly.

Max your writing makes we wonder if your assembling your questions or if it is AI generated by the way the questions are framed.

I do flatbed these days. The advise I’m going to give cuts across all platforms. You have said nothing of your business model, so here are the initial basics.

Have customers of your own for outbound loads from your area. Make sure you have sufficient equipment to service those customers.

Use reputable brokers for backhauls to get your trucks back to reload for your customers. All lanes in the country are different. You will need to look where your loads are going, then research loads out back too you. Keep in mind that may take 1or 2 loads to accomplish.

You didn’t say how old your authority is. Most reputable brokers are requiring 12-18 months in business due to high theft.

In this market, if you have a customer with short hauls that pay well then you can come back to them empty and get another load. That may pay better than broker freight.

That is just a snapshot. This business is complex and many more questions than answers depending on what your doing.

Wish you well. If you have specific questions, ask. I’ll tell you what I think is best based on my experience.

This sounds AI generated

Pianoman makes a wild guess:

This sounds AI generated

I was thinking that, too. No real trucker would use such flowery language.

I was thinking that, too. No real trucker would use such flowery language.

Right? 😂

Hey congrats on your new gig btw!! Sorry I meant to reply to your thread and never got to it. I’ve heard lots of good things about custom critical

LOL, so I'm not the only 1 that thought this post was AI generated....It "sounded" a bit overly written, than most people would even talk "flowery" hahaha good fit too

Pretty soon we’ll have AI commenting on posts written by AI