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The day of the union is done. Only substandard workers need a union in this day and age. That is why govt unions are the only ones expanding (substandard workers) while unions in the private sector are declining in numbers. Good workers don't need to pay union dues.

Our local Farmer’s Coop is always looking for seasonal drivers. They somehow found out I was retired and had a CDL, and have called me a couple of times.

A local ready-mix company as well as a local guy who has some dump trucks also both told me I had a job anytime I wanted one. I’ve no idea how the long haul tractor trailer businesses operate, but most have a phone number on their trailers to call for a job.

I have a friend in his early 60's, a retired Marine officer who lives south of Washington DC. He drives a lowboy rig for a construction company, transporting bulldozers, excavators, and other heavy equipment to and from their jobsites. They keep him VERY busy, and he's home every night, sleeping in his own bed. That beats driving long haul, waiting for truck stop shower rooms, and a cramped sleeper cab for weeks at a time!

Thanks.
Nice to see the regional differences.

Here remains NH until both the wife and I retire. After that, I doubt there will be enough left to keep us around.

"Trucking", as in Over The Road long haul, is in an extended cyclical low. Volume is still good, but the Covidiocy induced high of the cycle caused as much as 30% capacity being added -- way too much. That capacity is now being squeezed out.

Drivers with good records are still doing ok, but if you have a marginal record, OTR jobs are difficult to impossible to find, and yes, trucks are sitting more and rates are doo-doo for the most part.

Dutch,

I worked for a farm family off and on from 13, to my early twenties.
Was out of work later, and Billy called me about running a dump truck he had bought.
He was a commercial jet pilot and running the farm, hired me to run the truck and teach him how. Teaching a 50 year old commercial pilot to run a pre-Super 13🤣🤣🤣🤣 Stories!


When I was offered my current factory job, he tried to talk me out of it.
"That's different work than you are used to. Farmers and truck drivers are independent, not used to being caged up, or watched over."


"Yeah, I know. I also know how farmers and truck drivers are similar.
They are the most important cogs in society. Yet in ours, others tell them
what they are worth. As their worth decreases, they work harder to get by,
while earning less. All the time, those who use their services get richer off
their work."


Trucking is exactly like farming.
Let something start making a good dollar, and everyone will jump in immediately.
As that drives down pricing, truckers work harder, farmers buy more cows or plant more acres. Killing themselves while being the driver of lower prices.

Dillon, you ain't wrong......

Still, a trucker can specialize, as can a farmer, and that poses a high enough barrier to entry to keep the riff-raff out....

"he's home every night, sleeping in his own bed. That beats driving long haul, waiting for truck stop shower rooms, and a cramped sleeper cab for weeks at a time!"

I did that for 8 years, 14 days on the road and two days off. It got old.

There are about 3.7 million jobs that require a CDL of some sort to do.

Currently there are approximately 10 million people in the US with a CDL.

I'll let you determine if that's a situation where you're likely to make excellent money. Supply and demand side.

Transportation is currently struggling bad. First time in 6 months, the number of trucking jobs declined MoM.

JB Hunt - one of THE best run companies out there (intermodal rates with BNSF help them so much) - brokerage unit reported a $17.5 million operating loss as loads declined 22% y/y, with revenue per load down just 5%. The unit lost $15 million in the fourth quarter (Christmas Freight last year) Intermodal revenue fell 9% year over year (y/y) as revenue per load was off by a same amount (down 5% from the fourth quarter). Total loads were flat y/y but 9% lower than in the fourth quarter. Truckload barely made money.

Knight-Swift - cut earnings expectations by 58% for H1 2024. 58%!!!!

PAM Transportation - operating loss 2nd quarter in a row. Truckload segment fell 19% y/y as loaded miles dropped 14% and revenue per loaded mile was off 5%. The company operated 7% fewer tractors in the quarter, with revenue per truck per week declining 9%. Truckload is at a 104.2% operating ratio.

Marten - OTR is showing 1/2 a percent profit margin right now. Truckload revenue at Marten was $111.6 million, down 7.5% from the year-ago period.

Heartland Express - another company that used to be run VERY well. Operating ratio is now 105.6% and $15.1 million net loss in the 2024 first quarter. Revenue fell 18% y/y to $270 million but was down just 2% from the fourth quarter.

Schneider National - cut their full-year earnings outlook by nearly 25%.

Arnold Transportation out of Texas. Been in business 92 years - survived depressions, deregulation - bankrupt last week. They had 341 truck drivers and 402 power units.
Raven out of Florida, founded in 86. Bankrupt last week. They did dedicated and OTR work. Had 340 power units and 352 drivers.


Intermodal providers like Hub Group - hurting because capacity just isn't leaving the marketplace in Truckload. It should be but isn't.
LTL companies like Old Dominion, SAIA etc - didn't see normal March up-ticks. Volume and weights are off in LTL, even with Yellow closing. T-Force wants more density. ArcBest - Tonnage per day was down 17% while revenue per hundredweight, or yield, increased 16%. The tonnage decline was the combination of a 6% decline in daily shipments and an 11% decline in weight per shipment.

I only mention those because they're large companies, more likely to hire a guy with low recent experience. Self insured so they get to be gate keeper compared to smaller mom/pop places whose insurance dictates the rules more.

A local trash company is advertising for CDL drivers, 90K to start! Not bad at all!

I just replaced my main driver with a guy that came from JB Hunt. Said he was sitting more than driving. $800 a week pay on average due to no freight to be had, and he was on a dedicated Costco lane. Can't keep a family fed on that.

Yep and drivers forget, Hunt can likely price that freight better than the mom/pop carrier can.

Are there guys making money right now? Yep. Hazmat Tanker guys, OD/OS guys, some reefer guys but they're making money because they've got their hands around overhead. I know of one small fleet owner - 10000% focused on MPGs - has guys getting 10mpg with Mack Anthems. That's money in the pocket which allows for rates that win with low volumes.

For small town areas, check the local co-op power.

Not every cdl driver is a lineman.

"JB Hunt - one of THE best run companies out there (intermodal rates with BNSF help them so much)"

I got a call from a JB Hunt recruiter, she told me that all JB Hunt drivers stayed out on the road for 24 days, at least. I was already tired of staying out 14 days, I told her "no thanks."