| It pains and saddens me to think about the state of | | | | you own a truck, trucking company and or pay the |
| trucking and our economy. With almost every phone | | | | bills to run a truck, consider some facts: |
| call I make or receive at work I hear about how | | | | · Today, diesel still runs an average $2.31 per |
| almost every driver is looking for work, trying to | | | | mile |
| keep their truck, or wondering how they're going to | | | | · Tires cost are double from just a few |
| pay their bills. | | | | years ago |
| I had the very unfortunate conversation, again, this | | | | · Insurance rates are up 140% |
| morning with one of my shippers. 'Fuel is going down,' | | | | · Cost of living has increased significantly |
| he says, and 'since you are still attaching a fuel | | | | since the 70's. |
| surcharge, maybe that's why your rates are higher'. | | | | If a driver ran strictly at $1.98 per mile, kept his |
| But our rates aren't higher than other trucking | | | | deadhead (empty miles) down to less than 8% and |
| companies; our rates are higher than companies that | | | | was loaded all the time, he may still only make about |
| are low-balling freight rates. | | | | $25,000 a year. Does that sound like a lot to be out |
| Companies that don't even own trucks and offering | | | | there 24/7? My facts come with 32 years of |
| freight have no idea what it costs to run a truck, nor | | | | experience, over 1700 owner operators and I have |
| do they seem to care. They still make their | | | | owned and operated multiple trucks. |
| commission and pay their bills, so why not continue | | | | Where do the brokers come up with their rates? I've |
| to keep going the way they are. In the process, | | | | heard them offering freight out at less than a dollar |
| however, it keeps an industry repressed-- unable to | | | | per mile, less than the truck even makes. I used to |
| grow and unable to help a failing economy. | | | | say that drivers are good at what they do, but not |
| Trucking is probably one of the worst industries I | | | | always good accountants. Some of them are actually |
| know of where rates have stayed the same through | | | | running for less than they're making. They could stay |
| the years. In 1976 I hauled steel for about $1.35 to | | | | in business if they stayed on the road, sent money |
| $1.50 per mile. In 1988 I was offered and ran for | | | | home to their wives and basically lived in their trucks. |
| about $1.50 per mile. In 2003 I dispatched trucks for | | | | Now there is no money to send home and more |
| about $1.50 per mile-- just to stay competitive. | | | | drivers than ever are losing their trucks. |
| Everything in our lives has increased in value with the | | | | Drivers cannot take freight for less than the truck |
| exception of freight rates. Thankfully, around that | | | | makes or we must put a law into effect that |
| time rates started increasing due to the difficulty in | | | | restricts people from offering freight out for less |
| finding trucks. Cost of fuel and insurance had | | | | than minimum wage. We must either start regulating |
| increased about 140% and finally drivers were | | | | freight again, stop brokers and people from quoting |
| realizing they were running for less than they were | | | | and offering out cheap freight--or we will have to sit |
| making and refused to take cheap freight. | | | | idly by and watch as some drivers take freight to |
| I watched as rates went up about 35% and then | | | | keep moving, only to put the money back in their |
| carriers started adding fuel surcharges. There was | | | | truck, not into the economy, and then have no boost |
| hope for trucking and our economy. Fast-forward | | | | to our economy and no one left to move freight. |
| five years. Now with fuel going back down and | | | | Even carriers that should know better (since they |
| people spending less, trucking becomes one of the | | | | own trucks) are brokering freight out. People that |
| most vulnerable industries. Today with a failing | | | | find freight on the Internet should, at the very least, |
| economy, shippers and manufacturers are doing | | | | offer loads that would pay minimum wage to the |
| anything they can to keep costs down and stay in | | | | driver. Again, right now these loads are being offered |
| business. | | | | for less than the truck makes. |
| Enter the brokers. Argue this if you will, but unless | | | | |