Looking For Advice Because Freight Is Slow

Hello everyone. I have a bit of a worry and need advice from fellow drivers I trust and this is the place I have been coming to for a few years now. So here we go. I am a hub driver get around 2500 miles a week and I'm home every night. Now here is my conundrum I believe we lost some of our loads from our biggest costumer and that effects my job directly. Over the last few weeks I have gotten days off due to lack of loads. Should I consider switching companies. Ruan offered me a hub/dedicated lane from Minneapolis to Fargo for there LKQ costumer same deal good miles/pay and be home every night which is important with my wife being in a high risk pregnancy or am I putting to much worry into my current company. I love my company from HR to the DMs it's a fantastic company that will make me leaving a hard choice. But in the end I have a family and bills to take care of. Any advice will be appreciated.

I would just switch lanes and roll on. Customers come and go with all companies. Sounds like you have a good thing and are happy with it. My guess is with them they are happy with you as well offerring you the other route.

What company are you with? Have you spoken to them about your concerns?

I currently drive for Westside Transport and yes me and my DM are very open with each other. He is the type of guy that if you go to him he will be as honest as he can be.

What company are you with? Have you spoken to them about your concerns?

Yes sorry I wasn't very clear my current company isn't Ruan. But yes I believe my current company is happy with me as well I'm #2 in my division for miles driven per month and even though I'm home everynight I'm still on OTR hours. As in if they need me to drive say overnight to get a hot load delivered I do it no questions asked. I'm not one of them drivers that says I need to roll or be home at a certain time. Heck I even kept my sleeper and turned down a day can in case they need me to stay out a night or two. I'm very dedicated to my job and they are to me but we are a smaller company and only have so many loads to go around.

I would just switch lanes and roll on. Customers come and go with all companies. Sounds like you have a good thing and are happy with it. My guess is with them they are happy with you as well offerring you the other route.

I guess I misread your original post. I was thinking it was your company offering you a different lane. Sorry. Customers will come and go usually around the first of the year it seems. Nothing says the customer at Ruan won’t go away either. I would have a serious discussion with my manager about the concerns and see what they can do. Another thing to consider is with your wife being pregnant your health insurance. Most companies don’t kick your health benifits in for 60 days or so. I don’t know your situation so I don’t know if that is a concern or not.

She is under her own insurance so no concern there. And I know contracts/costumers come and go but we (my company) just get out bid by these bigger carriers. It's hard to keep up in this industry being a smaller company.

I guess I misread your original post. I was thinking it was your company offering you a different lane. Sorry. Customers will come and go usually around the first of the year it seems. Nothing says the customer at Ruan won’t go away either. I would have a serious discussion with my manager about the concerns and see what they can do. Another thing to consider is with your wife being pregnant your health insurance. Most companies don’t kick your health benifits in for 60 days or so. I don’t know your situation so I don’t know if that is a concern or not.

I understand that for sure. It sounds like westside really does appreciate you so that is a very hard decision. I just went through something similiar when my company was bought out by a big corporation. My best advise is too really look at why you are there and compare that to starting over. You have an established relationship(s) at westside which you won’t have anywhere else. I moved around some during my first few years trying different things but each time I was starting from ground zero and had to prove myself all over again. If westside can keep you earning enough to make it I would stay the course with them. Nothing says if you go to Ruan that in a few months they won’t loose that contract and then where will you be?? Would Ruan work with you on a replacement route??? You never know. At westside you know already what they are willing to do.

I agree with PJ there are going to be hard times especially with local work, but it can happen OTR as well. Customers will come and go you just gotta roll with it.