Optimism is on the horizon; some trucking industry leaders believe 2010 will be a year of long overdue recovery. In fact, Kevin Knight, Chief Executive of Knight Transportation Inc., described the freight market as “in the early stages of a turnaround,” reports Reuters. Can I get a “Woot!”?
But seriously, things are looking up. No doubt the trucking industry still faces challenges in twenty-ten. Even though Reuters said three of the biggest carriers in the U.S. ¾ J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc., Werner Enterprises, and Knight ¾ all posted lower profits for the final quarter of 2009, that can’t dampen the brighter outlook. To wit: the American Trucking Associations reports that tonnage levels increased the last two months of 2009, and is at its highest level since February 2008.
Our eyes will be peeled for the next ATA monthly truck tonnage report, but in the meantime, tell us what the sentiment is like out there on the road! How do you feel about the economy and the prospects of a turnaround?
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Yeah, I'll give you a woot!
Response to the comment about 2010 being a better year for the Trucking Industry,
Yeah, I'll give you a woot,actually I'll give you my truck if you want it. Well, not really because it's not paid for and the way it's going it probably never will be and I'll have to give it back to it's rightful owner.
I'm a one truck independent owner operator and strickly use brokers to obtain the loads I haul, mainly because I don't have the cash behind me to haul directly for the shipper to cover the operating expenses while I wait 30,60,or 90 days to get paid.
So,you say tonnage levels have increased ! Well maybe so,But,how about the revenue to haul that tonnage???
Every day I take a load the rate seems to drop more and more as the fuel cost continues to get higher and higher.
Actually,I think the Brokers are starting to hurt now because I noticed some of their credit ratings are starting to drop.Before long I expect more of them to quit giving advances and hold you up longer for your settlement on a load or charge you megabucks for these services or fold up and not pay you at all.
I realize you get your information from the Trucking Industry Leaders which haul the freight in volumes so maybe they get the better rates.
But, what about the small guy?
It's a fact that it's going to be the survival of the fittest and from what I see,a single truck owner operator has'nt got a chance in Hell if he wants to achieve more than a trailer park home and a case of Miller Lite in his life.
But,then again what happend to Arrow Trucking? Not the biggest Company but I don't think 1400 trucks is to shabby either.
Goe's to show that no one is immune.
Just takes the bigger outfits a little longer to take the dive.
To sum it up,
My opinion is that nothing has changed recently and it's not going to for quite some time if ever.
Therefore,
I believe your going to see a lot more of the big guys falling when their lifeline runs out.
So there's your woot,I would have gave you two woot's but I could'nt afford it.