Comments on: Trucking Company Failures Highest in 5 Years

By: wt balmer

wt balmer — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:42:17 +0000

I have had my trucking company for 28 years atarting with one truck. This is worst i have ever seen it. I see brokers fighting over the loads. Looking for that one sucker to haul his load. Shipping managers are enjoying the feast of down and out trucking companies clinging for just one more day. The frieght shortage is very minor to the fact trucking companies cant say the word no to cheap frieght. I always thought it would change, but its not, so basically its the dummies taking cheap frieght draging everone down with them. LEARN THE WORD NO to cheap friehgt. IF you dont then get the hell out of the way of trucking owners that know the word no. Dont drag us down with your stupity, wt.balmer

By: TruckingPlanet.com

TruckingPlanet.com — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:53:36 +0000

You sure hit the nail on the head. Blanketing one answer for so many different individual situations is not fair. Many good people have been hurt by the situation. There is an advantage to not having 50 pieces of iron sitting in the yard with payments though. One account, that pays good, pays fast and is flexible with fuel costs can change everything for an independent. Relying on load boards is like buying a lawn mower, then asking other mowers for work, instead of knocking on a few doors yourself. DIRECT relationships with your OWN accounts is the key to higher margins, more consistent work and faster pay. I just wish everybody didn’t do what was easiest. Load boards offer instant gratification, but put you in the same situation every morning. Wouldn’t it be nice to sit up in bed, and say “This week, I’ve got 5 loads from this guy, 3 loads from that guy, and all I have to do is fill in a few blanks”. A long term business plan to get your own accounts doesn’t always yield immediate results. In the beginning, it’s hard, costly and brings little, but isn’t that the way everything works in business? Load Boards take away the hard, but leave you totally vulnerable to whatever crumbs somebody else wants to throw you.

By: Doug

Doug — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:18:00 +0000

The problem is that smaller trucking firms may not be able to “hang in there”. Larger companies with deep pockets are much more resistant to lean times. Saying “everyone is dealing with the same problem” oversimplifies the issue.

By: TruckingPlanet.com

TruckingPlanet.com — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:03:40 +0000

The fuel problem is universal, everybody is dealing with the same problem. Everybody is passing on the cost to shippers, so, if a carrier can hang in there, and make their presence known, they stand to pick up a ton of new customers. I would consider this a time of opportunity, not a time of crisis if you stay in the right frame of mind.