Who IS Busy Right Now?

It seems to me that things are changing somewhat at my company. I’ve noticed that my appointment times for deliveries are more “generous”. I’m not sure what that means but maybe the loads are diminishing and the company is allowing more time so as to keep the drivers occupied. We have what is called an early delivery bonus of $100 if the driver arrives at the delivery location 24 hours early. Some call this layover pay. Lately, it’s been getting easier to get he early bonus. However, I’m not a big fan of this. If I can drive that day instead of sitting for $100, I can make more than 3 times more pay.

It’s too early to tell if this is a trend or just an anomaly, but it does have me thinking about the underlying conditions.

Also I have hauled some very light loads lately. The one I picked up today in Russellville, AR, is only 5707 pounds and it’s going almost 1200 miles to Pottsville, PA I almost needed a telescope to see the load way up on the front of the trailer.

Freight is slower right now than it would be for the typical mid Spring.

I think we can expect to see freight fluctuations outside the typical seasonal fluctuations over the next 2-3 years. Major disruptions to the supply chain take significant time to work themselves out.

I had a period of time between late last year and early this year where it seemed like most of my loads had too much time on them, but now I am getting loads with much tighter windows. When having loads with too much time, I would ask about being able to drop the load at a yard in order to get put on another load that keeps me running. This request has usually been granted, when practical.

I also went through a period of having quite a few really light loads. The last two months, all of my loads have been 30k lbs+.

Freight ebbs and flows. It can hit different companies at different times.

Definitely isn't me, today is the 2nd day in a row they didn't have anything for me.

Operations guy told me we are "dead".

Definitely isn't me, today is the 2nd day in a row they didn't have anything for me.

Operations guy told me we are "dead".

Which is crazy considering your location in the country and your seniority.

That's why I took the furlough. I know those checks will come in and I get a bonus when I go back. It's better than sitting by the phone not getting anything.

In the grocery business we've picked up since the weather started improving. Our latest bonus check was actually slightly higher than the same quarter last year so I'd assume we had a similar workload as last year. We have needed guys to volunteer to take the day off nearly every day though. Most of that is because we're far busier in the summer so we need more drivers for that time of the year in addition to everyone taking vacations in the summer. We're also still hiring a couple more drivers.

One upside in pulling reefer is most of what you haul is food products. When the economy tanks people still need to eat so you'll find your freight fluctuates less than other types.

Definitely isn't me, today is the 2nd day in a row they didn't have anything for me.

Operations guy told me we are "dead".

Any word if other terminals are in a similar boat? I've noticed far less LTL out on the road the past few weeks. Seen my first Estes yesterday in over a week, haven't seen much of Saia either.

It's weird because I keep getting notifications about LTL companies hiring, but everything I see says it's dead. I even get notifications for some of those companies offering training.

I see the food service companies still offering sign on bonuses. I thought about trying it and reached out, but their schedules don't allow me to have the availability I need for my family.

My son has taken up Muay Thai and fights at an amateur level. That's a lot of training sessions and events I have to get him to. FedEx made it easy for me to make a good living and be available for everything I needed to be available for. It's a frustrating position to be in.

Which is crazy considering your location in the country and your seniority.

It is. We are not even getting the usual relay freight from down south. One of our biggest terminals in Morristown TN, can't even come up with enough freight to send north so they just end up canceling a bunch of meets.

I've noticed far less LTL out on the road the past few weeks.

I'm not surprised, we have a bunch of trucks sitting now. When we were busy it wasn't unusual for there to be one or two in the lot when I came in. Now there are a bunch. Heck when I get back at 6 or 7 almost all the trucks are there, only a handful of P&D guys are still out.

Any word if other terminals are in a similar boat?

Yes, from what I hear we are actually better off than most other terminals.

It's weird because I keep getting notifications about LTL companies hiring

I've seen that as well, I guess they must have the ads on auto renew. All I hear is how slow every company is right now.

Fuel hauler here, we're very busy. In fact, my terminal has hired more new guys in the last five months than were hired in the previous five years.

I’ve been rolling right along.

When Pianoman started this thread, it raised my antenna. I was interested in observing if things are changing and what would those changes be.

My miles hauling refrigerated freight have not gone down, as I thought they might. During my last 8 days I racked up 4,010 miles. That’s the best 8 days I’ve ever had.

What I HAVE noticed enough times now to believe it’s a trend, is that I’m consistently hauling lighter loads, meaning less volume. Most of my loads now are less than 30,000 lbs, many are less than 20,000 lbs. I just delivered a load that originated in Elizabeth, NJ and went to Gaylord, MN that was 18,000 lbs. For my first year with my company, my loads were rarely less than 40,000 lbs. Now even our mainstay, meat loads, are lighter.

This tells me that probably customers are cutting back and ordering less stuff that needs to be transported. Consumers and businesses are probably tightening up their spending because of inflation and the looming recession, even though we are already in a recession, if not officially.

I’m thankful that my miles are staying consistent and the reduced weight in my trailer has done wonders for my fuel mileage. Too bad we don’t get a fuel bonus, but the company benefits, at least.