Did freight pay better before deregulation?

your right

Thanks Jeff, I have been researching this for the past eight years. Trying to figure out what happened to this industry that used to be the Kings of the Road, as I remember as a kid I ran my numbers backward, forward, took the numbers that the old timers had given me. Readjusted those numbers to today's rates, found out that there was a grave difference between the two.

Went as far back as I could in history to validate and kept coming up empty. I only had a notebook of numbers given to me from interviews with old school drivers, my personal family experiences. Tax rolls that showed what firms made back then. But there was still no evidence provided me until Old Man the other night gave me what I needed for proof.

The way I have it figured and I have been stating this for a few years since I got my own authority is the shippers are the ones who pushed for deregulation. There were very few brokers back in the old days in comparison to today. As time progressed the shippers were patient, and convinced the growing broker population that they needed to get the trucks cheaper and cheaper because they could not afford the higher rates.

By my studies the big hammer stated to drop around 1998 and has continued to swing until recently. There is a battle going on between the Mega-Carriers and the shippers right now as to trying to get an increase in the rates. Too many years of sucking up to the shipper that has been lying to the carrier and broker, with the higher prices of fuel, trucks, and now labor the carrier community could no longer continue to absorb the losses for the shippers.

I have watched five friends go down this year, because they continued to run their hoppers cheaper and cheaper. Buying into the lie that this was all the loads paid. I kept asking them why are you paying to haul their freight for them. That is the ultimate in Tom Sawyering (thats what I call it). " Convincing others to do the work for you, and have them pay you to do the work for them, and they receive nothing in return (Tom Sawyering)". This is a term I came up with after I first read the book when I was five.

I have been guilty of Tom Sawyering as well in the past. I did not used to care about others but only myself, one day I looked around and saw a soldier begging on the street, it tore me up so bad that I took him in cleaned him up taught him how to be a carpenter for me. Helped him start his restaurant and have watched him succeed every since. The good feeling that came from that changed me forever, since that time I have been mentoring many towards the roads of success. I derive more pleasure from seeing their success than my own.

Trucking has been the hardest field for me to do this in, I have basically had to first overcome the stinkin thinkin that has abounded in trucking for the past 30+ years. I have had to overcome the truckers pride, and break them down to the basics and start all over with them. The two guys I started with from scratch were the only ones out of 21 driver to succeed. I believe this is why the Army likes to start with young minds that they can form to their beliefs. You know the old expression you can't teach an old dog new tricks, well there is a certain level of truth in that. My 17 year old weenie dog is pretty stubborn but he will learn a new trick if it means him getting some bacon for doing so.

Why are humans harder than my old dog?

My old dog knows that I only want the best for him, humans have been lied to and taken advantage of for so long that it is hard for them to believe that anybody really wants to help them.

I am trying to be very cautious about opening up Pandora's box and allowing chaos out. I have given many warnings to the shippers, truckers, and brokers alike that if we don't start working together willingly then we will work together by force. Once Pandora's box is opened there will be no way to close it back up.

Shippers will find that along with the Mega-Carriers the smaller carriers will no longer be willing to pay them to haul their freight.

Brokers will find that carriers will no longer trust them (we are already there on most counts) and will start cutting them even more. Brokers it is your job to sell trucks not freight (quit letting the shippers dictate to you what you are worth).

Carriers you will have to decide do you want to continue in the practice of Tom Sawyerism or do you want to stand up and find out what your are truly worth, quit being chewed up like meat in the meat grinder. Quit running around in the state of confusion that is currently going on. Take back control of what is rightfully yours. There is no need for us to be greedy, we just want what is due us.


Maybe the shippers want to go back to the private fleets. I believe not, they don't even know how to control their docworkers let alone a trucker.

Now is the time for we truckers to take back what is ours, we don't need to be a union we just need to be a unified front. Retaking back what is ours. Once we do this the rest of our nation will follow suit. Sometimes there is a greater calling and need to do what is right for all vs. what is right for one.


This may be our last opportunity, the rules and regulations that are being put onto the table will force most of us out of the industry, or under the umbrella of the Mega-Carriers, Mega-Brokers as some form of Power Only agreement. If you think what I am saying is BS, just look around you and see what is at the truckstops that they are calling drivers. Look around you and see what they are calling supposed owner operators. Look around you at the supposed motor carriers that are already under some form of Power Only forced dispatch agreement. It don't look to far off does it?

Go ahead start ripping on me ladies and gentlemen. I am ready for it. I swore an oath to defend the Contitution from enemies foreign and domestic, I believe that enemy right now to be corporate greed.

Like the other guy said at this time I will keep it short. When I started in 76 I got $.09 per mile and I thought that was great. I had drove dump trucks around where I lived in Az. Went to Wis and got on with Skinner Transfer in Reedsburg Wis. Billy Skinner was tough, but very fair. He would and could chew your ass and you took it cause you most likely deserved it. If you didn't he was a big enough man to come back and admit it. None of this PC garbage. It was great and the best place ever to learn. Tri State out of Joplin Mo was always on the AM radio, they were advertising $.11 per mile hauling ammo and explosives, but I never got on cause I didn't have the experience. Then I went cow mobiling and on and on. The change is so different. We used to stop at truckstops and dinners and sit down and eat prepared food not Mickey D's and jack in the box. You took care of each other and if the older guys told you something it was yes sir and you "EARNED " respect. The old guys had no problem calling you out if you didn't play by their rules. Those guys sure didn't worry about anyones FEELINGS. I paid $.11 per gal for fuel. Cops and DOT hassled you if you were actually doing something wrong, not because they could. You made a profit. The trucks were so easy to work on compared to todays crap and so much more reliable. My first Truck...a 67 cabover Freightliner with a 250 cummins, a smoke turbo and a 13 spd. Man It was a big outfit. That truck had no more torque than a current Ram pickup truck, but we pulled a load. Then we got an IH with a 335 and a two stick 5 and 4. We made money. It was work to find your own load wild catin, we only had a party line phone at our house. Anyway this wasn't the thread. Hell yes we made a "DECENT" living instead of this crap. We got treated with respect. Most of all we had FUN. You were proud and enjoyed what you did.

Art Pfluger

Thanks, for sharing and confirming that even though you guys made less per mile back then that life was actually better. We all know that the comfort of the newer equipment is better, the ease of traveling without the bingo days are better, communications are better, and there are a lot of other things that are better today as well. One would think that the truckers life should be better, but it is not.

Most are in debt and are just barely making ends meet. They are ground up into hamburger by a system that has continued to lie to them for the past 30 years. Shippers have lied to brokers, brokers have lied to truckers, drivers have lied to their companies. With all the deceipt it is no wonder that most in our industry lack any honor or respect for one another let alone themselves.

We can all get mad at brokers, but most of them did not exist in the era that is being discussed. They don't know better, they have just been trained by the dishonest system that they have grown up in.

We can all get mad at the new breed drivers, but like the brokers they have just been trained by the dishonest system that they have grown up in.

How do we stop this? I don't know if we can, it may already be to far damaged to the point of everybody's give a damn is busted.

I see soldiers returning home from combat to no jobs, I offer to help them but most want nothing to do with our industry, wonder why? They already are busted from all the supposed honor lies that were told to them (I know I was one of them). I see the workers at the shippers/receivers, yep their busted. I see the workers at the truckstops looking haggard, yep their busted. More and more is being thrusted upon those of us that actually do the work so we can support those that just want to sit and do nothing. It is by design, I wonder what would happen if all those that actually had self-respect decided to quit working and go sign up for a program or two, nobody would have anything to eat, their TV, smart phones, everything would cease to exist of function. The guys in this arena here along with our soldiers are some of the most valuable Americans that our country has. But we are treated like dirt, crap, meat to be ground up and recycled over and over again.

It amazes me that there are only four or five of us here that seem to care. The same group of guys respond back to my postings. I have the same results in other forums as well. If the results are correct, that would mean that less than 1% of truckers truly care about what has happened, what is happening, and what is going to happen.

Pretty sad don't you think?

Sorry about the double post

Watch out Alfred you're stuttering today.
Don't worry about that. I wish our profession hadn't turned into a cookie cutter environment like it has. It's not just the drivers. Like we've said beforebthe whole industry has been taken over by unknowing, inexperienced personnel from top to bottom.

Most folks in brokerage or truck management have any idea what it takes to do the job.

I look at the new generation drivers sometimes and all I can do is shake my head in bewilderment. These poor souls will never know how much enjoyment there was once upon a time in trucking.

I had a broker call me this week looking for a truck. The load he offered is out of our regular customers so even tho I knew we didn't want his load I dickered with him on it several phone calls and emails.

We get $2350 for this particular load but the broker

The-the-the ones that work with me know. I teach them, I figure if the others out there won't pay attention, at leastwise those that are running with me will learn. It is awful hard for a guy that is used to getting 70% - 85% of $3 + per mile freight to go back and work for .35 per mile, or .92 per mile + FSC.

It has taken me years to get our rates where they should be. I for one am tired of the desperate truckers and brokers trying to slam them back into the 90's or 80's. If they could have their way the shippers/brokers would like for all of us to pull loads for the rates that the guys were pulling in the 70's but do it today. The guys that were pulling in the 70's and 80's clear up to 1998 were making more money (profit) then the guys are today.

Profit done properly does not equal greed. Profit done the way it is currently is nothing but greed. I enjoy wealth but don not enjoy being referred to as being rich. There is a total different mindset between the two.

Wealthy enjoy helping and mentoring others while still making profit off all that they do.

Rich only enjoy profiteering off of others and don't give a damn about anybody but themselves.

We have went from being the wealthiest nation on earth to the richest nation on earth.

This should make us honorable Americans puke.

Thanks Duane, I don't expect truckers to eloquent, I expect them to be those guys that I watched growing up. Loud, fun, bad ass guys, that were honorable and would take the shirt off of their back to help one another. Now that the Mega corporations have brainwashed most of the people into believing that they have to do what they say. They have bought and paid for our government to write laws to confuse us and lead us to believe that we have to do those things. We are so indebted that we can no longer do anything but continue to grind and grind until one day we wake up and find our life is gone.

I saw this happen to my dad, he got chewed up for 30 years on the road, missed time with his family. Came down to the end of his life, got off the truck and my mom decided to get a divorce. He now has to drive for me on a part time basis just to cover an additional $300 month, because the bankers, government spent the money that he had lightly invested. Those crooks took an old mans money and many a hard working mans money, spent it foolishly, lost it and then told the old man and working man that he needed to try harder. Sound familer to anybody out there?

I for one am tired of being told what I am or am not worth. I am not ashamed to say that I was born poor, had to work for all that I have, and have fought for my freedom all the way, to include fighting for all of yours as well (10 years US Army). I will be damned if the irresponsible greedy corporations and government is going to take it from me. They will have to put a bullet in my head first, and guess what I will truly be free then.

There have already been calls to me threatening me. Those that have threatened me found out real fast that I can make their life more misserable then they ever thought about making mine. I have a certain level of skills that make me a very dangerous man to those that want to threaten me or my family. You see I don't need their money, I don't need their approval, I don't need their freight. They need my trucks!!!

If you guys want to start having fun again, then start relizing they toys that you love to play with are worth way more to them then they are to you. Take back what is rightfully yours, don't be greedy, but stand firm. Most brokers don't own trucks, most shippers don't own trucks. You that own trucks have the power you just need to realize it.

I don't care if you right a long post like some of us do. I am sorry that I am very vocal and believe that getting this ideal is important. I am sure that Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Ben Franklin and those guys were a little longwinded too. It takes all of us together to make a team. Each and every one of those guys were wealthy and did not need to get involved in starting a revolution but they did. We don't need guns for this revolution, we need trucks.

Just let me and the others know you support us. All you have to do is spread the word, have your freinds get onto this post and say.

Hell Yeah!
Balls to the Walls!!!!
Kick some Ass!!!
Regulators mount UP!!!!

A managed slow down will get the point across, a strike will not. We lack in leadership because we independents are independent by nature, but I am willing to for us to appoint a KING CRAP to represent all of us as one, while we the little King Butts still call the shots in our kingdoms.

Been trucking over 50 years and since day one it was always better last year. I seriously do not know where you all get the time to complain and tell each other how smart you are I sure do not get time to read them.,all. Sorry.

Give re proof where it is due.

How about the guy that was cutting down his own DAD on this forum.. you all just run out of things to complain about and no telling who is next.

Good thing JESUS loves us anyway.

Please could we have some people on this forum that have ligament questions and a positive outlook .

Thanks

Jim Dana

Trucking is GREAT YAHOO

I thought we were talking about truckers but since you bring brokers up I would only say *Buyer Beware* your mileage may vary.

Nancy, I am going to try and not be rude to you here. My commentary was a call out to all of us independents truckers and brokers alike. I have stated my experience and have not been at this even as long as you, so you would be my senior in the industry. I have many broker customers as well as shipper customers, I am not in the business of running off good customers. I have stated this many times throughout the forums. I am not a one day billionaire you can look at my CSA and see that I am a small trucking company in Missouri. I get phone calls and emails each and every day from all over requsting our services so if I am not doing my job correctly I would assume that the calls would discontinue.

I do not have to chase customers down because I have what they need, my equipment, my operators that understand their needs. Maybe you are right I don't understand customer service, I beg to differ with you, it is because of my company's reputation for doing exactly what we say we will do that gives me the confidence to state the truth about our industries problems. I have never called everyone else a crook, but if the shoe fits wear it.

I have cousins that live up in Saskatchewan used to go up and help on their 10,000 acre farm in the summer when I was a kid, my dad and I used to run to Alberta, BC, Saskatchewan, Ontario quite a bit. So we have worked in your country, have you worked in mine?

I don't remember ever striking out at your country like you have mine, you see I live here and it is my right to state the crap that is going on here. It kinda offends me that the rest of the world hates the country of mine but loves to take our money to defend their shores. I have been spit on by others while I was there to supposedly defend them from being oppressed. That would include some of your countrymen from over in Quebec. If you hate our country so bad then stop doing business with us, we don't need you, we don't need your grain, we don't need your oil, we don't need your trucks. Is this sounding familiar?

You are the one who could not make up her mind a while back as to whether you should "so what are you saying, if the customer says he wants a load to move for 120/ton and you find a truck for 90/ton you lower your rate after the customer has already told you what to move it for and agreed on it" This let the rest of know not to do business with you.

DID you forget about that comment that you made, I can show you others as well, these are comments that you made about not giving the truck what it was due.

I do not have a problem with you making a profit, but are you guilty of usery?

How would your fellow countrymen that you claimed to be helping out up there feel about this?

I am pretty sure they would be just a pissed off as us Nasty Old Americans, I sent my cousin Joe who is in charge of the farm up there links to your statements, right now they are pretty fuming up there about you and your firm.

You buried yourself on other post by saying that you were in it for yourself end not the trucker and you were in it to help the shipper now you come on here and try to defend Canadian truckers are you crazy I still hate Canadian truckers because back in the day as they say you a××holes were very rude you took the most cheap freight money could buy you act like we owe you something f*** Canadian truckers to this day. Stay up in ur own country. You remind me of a Toronto reject, they always complain if u hung them with a new rope. When deregulation was occurring you cheap Canadians we're part of the reason why cheap freight initially entered the marketplace you guys seem to forget that you're the one that helped screw it all up in the beginning because you f****** can't make enough money in your own f****** country, so you entered our market place like a bunch of Mexicans

My dad said it the best quote :
you cannot fix stupid but you can breed it
My dad was never given credit for breaking skulls and legs of the new trucking company in town called overnight they used to fight them down on Hall Street in St Louis to keep them out of the terminals it worked for several years but he never got any credit for that it is a shame

Back in high school the Nerd, Geiks, and littler guys paid me to beat the crap out of the bigger bully's. Did that make me a mobster?
Or did that make me an entrepreneur that believed in protecting those that could not protect themselves?

In the Army I was paid to go to other countries and kill others that said they needed our help. Did that make me a murderer?

In construction I found that I was being strong armed by real estate brokers and choose to no use their services. Did that make me a whiner?

In trucking I have chosen to work with honorable individuals that agree to pay what I am worth. Does that make me a whiner?

Am I supposed to just turn a blind eye, to all the others that are being taken advantage of by others?

If you fall into the thief, lier, crook, usery catagory, then that is the pair of shoes that you choose to wear. I guess your greedy a** can sleep very well at night on that pile of illgotten money that you have received.

If you fall into the honorable, truth telling, sharing catagory, then you never have any problems sleeping at night. I will keep stating there is nothing wrong with profit as long as it don't turn into greed.

My dad and I were talking about this same issue last night until about 01:00 this morning. He believes that the lies have gone on for so long that it is almost impossible to reveal the truth. I showed him the post that I had posted a few weeks back, and he agreed with all that I said. He told me that he is very proud of me for always being willing to stand up for those that did not have the ability nor knowledge how to stand up for themselves. He said he wished he had been more like me, I told him that is ok, God created each and everyone of us for a distinct purpose. Maybe this is mine, opening eyes with the truth as to the way they are being taken advantage of.

I still don't see a need for CVSA. Its just another west coast wet dream that spread.

That's no joke. Besides the tax dollars we spend on CVSA there's no telling how much money the states take in off trucks for BS fines. I watched the truck get inspection in front of me at Devine, Texas.

The driver flipped his headlights from dim to bright for the inspector then switched his lights back to dim and a bulb shot.

The cop had just seen it was working and blew out but he gave the driver a monetary citation anyway.

I think I would have just told the driver to get a bulb at the truckstop and let him go.

I hate to admit this but the CSA program has actually made me a better carrier. I may not agree with everything they are doing, I think their saftey percentages are a little out of whack.

After some of my guys racked up quite a few points, I realized that we were running a little roughshod, so I brought the horses back to the corral and had them reshod. Bought some new wagons, got some new cowboys to ride the horses, got our points cleaned up, and have not had any problems since.

So I guess in summary, while I did not and still do not necessarily like the CSA program, I guess I can't deny the truth that it actually works.

I was told by my friend that is a DOT officer, that they find more wrong on the Mega-Carriers new equipment then they do on our older stuff. I was telling him that I was thinking about buying some newer tractors. He asked me why would I do that? He said there was nothing wrong with the older equipment as long as it was kept up.

They know that most of us independents keep on top of our equipment because we don't have tons of money to spend while out on the road for extra service costs.

As far as the hoops, I hate those as well, especially the ones that have very little to do with safety at all. The ones that have to do with the overall saftey of our industry I fully support. There are to many moving parts on these machines for even the best of us to catch everything. I am like Jeff, I would rather them put one of my trucks out of service, then it end up in an accident with an innocent person. I believe that is supposed to be the purpose of those programs, and when done right they actually work. When done wrong well we all know that side of things as well.

I think that this is an area that is actually better then it was before deregulation, but then again I only have second hand knowledge of that.

Not that we purposely drive into the scale houses, try and stay away from them as much as possible, but when I am pulled in, after the inspection, I hang around a little while BS with the officer, drink some free coffee, and watch all the BS that the other drivers try and tell them. It is actually quite hilarious to see some of the excuses that people come up with. I have learned a lot on what not to do, and what they are looking for in their inspections. Makes it easier to keep your equipment in order when you know what they are looking for.

Each inspector has their own little pet peeve area that they look for, but most are looking at the brakes, tires, air systems, lights, steering and suspension systems. Looks like those are pretty important things to me, that all of us should be checking over before we head out on the road anyways.

While I have ran into my share of Ahole inspectors, most are just individuals doing their job and a lot of them are old school truckers or their dads were, that are working for the state. Those guys are my favorite, the guys over in Kansas by and large are super nice to deal with.

go back and read my post, it was phrased as a question about the rate to the other person mentioned (not you of course), if a carrier gave me a QUOTE that was well below the intended rate set by the shipper/customer,
i already stated i would pass the savings along to the customer, why on earth would i inflate a rare unecessarily??? thats what getting carrier rates is all about, actually finding the right trucks in the right lanes, asking them to quote and then move the loads with fair pricing to everyone,
if the rate was more than the shipper/customer thought it would be, same process applies......
you are making a lot of negative comments about the industry in general, maybe it was YOUR end comment about the back stabbing, rate cutting bastards, which i guess in this case would reference other carriers not brokers as that is what i was speaking of......
and yet again your posts are full of insults ,,,,the fact that you think you have to threaten people to make a point is just about the most unprofessional response i have ever seen on here. tell joe i said hi and to give me a call.

Scott I have been doing some investigating loads from where your new friend is down to the States I found several loads from $1.62 to $1.85 per mile flatbed loads all wood some are staves so I don't know where your new friend is getting off at $1 per mile cheap freight out of the state of Washington is a $1.30 per mile if you're dumb enough to haul it I don't know why someone would book it at $1 per mile that is very insulting to everyone your friend needs to go out of business she doesn't need 10 soldiers as she says she would be fired immediately if she even offered me a dollar per mile freight that is crap your new friend needs to go out of this industry with a quickness she is good for no one. By the way that is shipper direct these men need to realize that their authority gives them the right to call the shipper and bypass everyone in the line except for them and the shipper they once theyrealize the power that you have to have an authority. They also need to know what the submission of the tariff means. By the way I would be more than happy to give you the information on how to get these loads that I spent about 3 hours finding myself on the phone in my truck driving down the road it's amazing how easy it is but I cannot give you this information because that is known as double brokering if I were to book it shipper direct myself. This is one of our biggest problems that we have in this industry right now not enough knowledge on our side and the soldiers are losing it sucks. Scott I suspect that your new friend is either a thief a dumb business person or actually stupid enough to book loads this cheap.
These are my personal thoughts and opinions I am responsible for my thoughts and actions tough s**t

Thanks for the info Dave. I knew formed somewhere around that.

The main thing I have against them is the bad report card a carrier gets when a driver screws up.
I've seen bad drivers who really make the good drivers at the same company sufferby shippers looking over the score and decide that carrier is unsafe.

Great information . Scott even better news for us.

Deregulation, I wasn't around back then it was so good when we switch.
I'v been in the trucking bussiness 7 years, run smart, pick ur loads, we here to make a living support our Familys
We run old trucks, we stay on top not over spend save for an emergencies, take weeks off if we have too, maybe thats whats is wrong to much
debit, u have to run for pennys, it is no ones fault but our own.....
Did I become rich no, am I making a living yes, do I enjoy what I am doing,.. yes.

So if I understand you correctly, you are willing to just make a living and continue to leave money on the table that is rightfully yours. Why would you haul freight for $1 - $2 per mile if the customer would have to spend $3 per mile to do it themselves? It does not matter if you run older trucks or not, we have older trucks, new trailers, keep our debt down. Do not run for penny's, and it is not the fault of those that have been downtrodden and lied to by an industry that continues to tell them that all they have in the load is $1 - $2 per mile when they very well know that it would cost them $3 per mile to run the truck themselves. Remember these are Dry Van rates that I am quoting. The point of this post was so that all of us would be able to determine what rates we should actually be worth, not just a perceived value because you run older equipment or not. The shipper rate per mile to run their own equipment is really the only rate that we must beat, not each others. That is a ridiculous way to run a business, bid yourself cheap to get all the work. If you keep running a business like that, it is true that you may just make a living, but when those old trucks die you will no longer be able to make that living any longer.

That is the kind of thinking that has cost your people their own country. You have allowed others to take what is rightfully yours. Where will you run to next, when this one is picked clean? The FASCISTS will always have their boot on your throat, if you let them! Why are you so willing to sell your children into a life of slavery? The idea of running a business for less money than a wallmart driver makes is absurd! If the only way you can earn a living is by robing peter to pay paul, then my friend you are not making a living! Wallmart Drivers don't have to drive worn out trucks to earn a paycheck, and niether should you!

Its ok to run older equipment well maintained Daniel, as long as you are billing for the new equipment prices. We should not be giving older equipment prices, our fuel mileage savings, our discounts, to the shipper/brokers. They could not run the trucks any cheaper themselves, because if the could they would. They do not have the experience of running the equipment that is why they want us to do it for them. The biggest problem in trucking today is the truckers themselves not knowing what they are truly worth. The purpose of this and other post is to let all know a baseline of what the trucker is worth.

By us establishing this baseline as a unified group of truckers, we can take back what is rightfully ours in the first place. We truckers should be setting the rates, not the shippers/brokers. We just have to beat what they could do it for themselves, so if they can't do it themselves for less than $3.00 per mile we should be running at around that rate as well. Remember that we offer them a layer of protection as well.

I forgot to mention the O/O has a 1989 Porn Star with 3406B/15 over. There's no telling how many miles are on it. No ECM to read and the odometer trips back to zero every million miles.

Been seeing a lot of that lately, Jeff. It is just a constant circle, that each group of new truckers run. Those of you that have seen this longer then me, know how it works. Market gets slow, desperate truckers run cheaper and cheape, when they are gone, market picks back up and the rest of us that know how to survive now thrive and stash the cash for the next round.

Kinda funny that each round that I survive that my rate goes up more and more each time the market picks back up. Seems to me that it would make more sense to all to establish a standardized rate system for all. I guess the shippers must win more than they lose, otherwise we would see that happen. The five or ten of us that are posting will be the same five or ten that will be posting for quite a while.

Just got back from Washington, D.C. it was a great trip, I learned a lot and am working on plugging that information into my database and can't wait to see the results from that. For those of us opposing electronic logs, let me tell you, this will only make the rates go up. Looked at a proposed law that will force the shippers to pay on the time the truck gets to the shipper or receiver, only 1 free hour involved. If that goes through then truckers will start being compensated for their time as well as miles.

Yeppers, that is what he is saying. If more had that attitude then rates would stay steady. I was explaining to my me the other day in our weekly meeting that when they pull freight that pays $1.00 - $1.50 per mile that they are actually paying the shipper to haul their freight. When I showed them how the numbers worked they quit whining about the 400 mile bounces that I was asking them to do.

One of my men still had a problem with bouncing 400 miles after I had got him $4 per mile going in, and he was going to get $3 per mile when he picked up the next load. I told him his options were:

Sit and wait on a $2+ mile load (that may be a long wait with a dry van in Western South Dakota)
or bounce the 400 miles to Omaha and pick up the next load.

Now this Operator has the ability to self-dispatch with me. He thought he knew more than me, and bounced 300 miles to Sioux Falls to PU a load going to Dallas at $1.15 per mile loaded. He got himself a big whopping $1175.00 for 1187 miles, for 10,000 lbs in the dry van. He thought he was going to put a little LTL together. This guys has 20 years experience, I only have 7 (not counting military, and farm time). Here are how it worked out for him.

$1.15 per mile gross
.92 per mile net
.10 per mile maint cost
.55 per mile fuel
.55 per mile equipment operating cost ( I will stop there, and not put in the rest of his cost)
-.28 per mile to run the load.

Thats right he paid .28 per mile to haul that load. If he keeps running like that he will be out of business in a few months. It amazes me that somebody with 20 years experience can not even figure out what he needs to make to keep his equipment running and pay himself a paycheck, plus have a little extra to set aside for rainy days.

Once I brought him into the office and showed him that he was actually in the hole for running the load, he was pissed off at me, the broker, and the shipper. He should have been pissed off at himself for not listening and pulling the correct load in the first place.

I am trying to get shorter in my information, sorry but I think this is very important for everybody to know.

My dad went into trucking in 1980 when the housing market started to collapse and when he started as a greenhorn he made: .11 cpm which is equal to .32 cpm today (looks pretty close to what the greenies make today). In 1982 after two years experience he was up to .17 cpm which is equal to .42 cpm today ( wow that really looks like what most company drivers are making after two years experience today.) Is that calculator still wrong?

So if the Mega-Carriers are paying these rates are we to believe that they are losing money doing so?

Why are Indpendents being asked to suck it up and loose money?

I made 3.00 per hr in 1985 at McDonalds which is equal to $7.01 per hr today, you mean to tell me that those working at McDonalds actually got better pay increases over the years then truckers. What is wrong with that picture?

Wow, I had forgotten about this post from a long time ago. I think I had a lot of bitterness going on then, but was still telling the truth regardless. I just read last night that Target is now making their minimum wage $10.00 per hour, the average truck driver here in the United States makes about $12.00 per hour. This just proves that we are indeed now considered not much better than a starter job. This used to be an honored profession, it has been beaten down to the point that the majority that are out on the road today reflect the wage that they are receiving.

This push for substandard wages and living is going on worldwide. I want any that are reading this to ask themselves these questions.

1. Is the price that we Independent Carriers are being offered cheaper? Hell, yeah it is!
2. Did you as a consumer see a cost savings at the shelf because of the cheaper freight prices?
3. Did you as a worker receive a pay increase with your companies freight savings?
4. Did your taxes decrease during this wonderful freight savings period?
5. Did you as the general public start noticing the types of drivers and trucks that were now rolling past you down the highway? Pretty scary right?
6. Do you the trucker/carrier feel discouraged and just want to throw in the towel and go to work for Target or sign up for welfare?

I myself just last week was wondering just what in the heck am I doing this for. I prayed should I be doing this? I asked God for the strength to carry on, and felt that as long as I have a breath to breathe that I will continue to fight for what is ours. Freedom with Integrity!!!

We the Independent Carriers along with the small business owners are being controlled and regulated to the point that in a few short years most of us will just be a franchise of the Mega's. They will pass all the cost to us, while we assume all the risk. Their goal is that we ride under their thumb. I realize that most of you will think I am a conspiracy whackadoodle but the truth is indeed the truth. You can choose to stick your head in the sand, or you can pull it out and decide that you are going to do something about it.

We have given us Independent Carriers an option to work together willingly or well you know the deal.....

For those Independent Carriers that believe in Freedom with Integrity come join us at the Independent Carrier Group. Support OOIDA even if you don't agree with all that they do. Instead of us making fun at those that are hurting or don't know take them under your wing and mentor them if they will receive such. I started with just myself and a few others, we are now starting to grow daily by a few at a time. The larger our group becomes we can work with other associations that have a common cause such as OOIDA to lobby on our behalf. We at the Independent Carrier Group only care about improving our industry with honor and integrity. We do not charge any money for our membership, it is basically a private clubhouse for Independent Carriers to mentor one another and support one another.

The shippers have their organizations.
The brokers have theirs.
Now we Independent Carriers have ours, you just have to decide if you want to be a part of it or not.

Good luck to all that are hurting, stick with it and hold true to the cause. Freedom with Integrity.