Conspiracy theorys, where do you stand?

[Westwind]

More freight is also being moved by rail, taking business from the trucking industry.

I would have thought internet retail would have increased the demand for trucking, but I don't have my finger on the pulse of the trucking industry. It could be that Amazon uses their own vertically integrated long-haul trucks and third-party air freight. Would be interesting to get some insight into their logistics.

I don’t know a lot about how Amazon works overall but their trailers (or more likely a fleet of trailers they lease) are all over on the interstates. They are usually pulled by owner operators with marginal equipment, all drop and hook set ups. It’s the lowest rung of the trucking business. Guys that buy a used truck, don’t own a trailer and just pull Amazon trailers. Drive across the country, drop a trailer, maybe go too a nearby yard, pick up the next one and go back. These guys are usually slowly going out of business.

Trucking is a tough way to make a living. What sucks about it is it shouldn’t be, and customers don’t really benefit from the low rates drivers are being paid. We are still paying more but brokers who add nearly no value are sucking the money off before it gets to the people doing the work. Also companies like Super Ego who are actually in Serbia taking all the money off the top and preying on drivers trying to make a living. All that money leaves our economy too.

Like oI said in a prior post, one truck should feed one family. A guy who has good connections or is talented at finding loads can do pretty good IF the industry wasn’t so screwed up. This should be a job that folks who like the lifestyle or don’t have a ton of opportunities can make a living. It would be good for everyone to fix this mess. It’s weird to me that deregulation under Reagan was where all this started. I’m generally a believer in free markets and less regs but it seems like it went sideways with this industry.

 

[Telemark]

I don’t know a lot about how Amazon works overall but their trailers (or more likely a fleet of trailers they lease) are all over on the interstates. They are usually pulled by owner operators with marginal equipment, all drop and hook set ups. It’s the lowest rung of the trucking business. Guys that buy a used truck, don’t own a trailer and just pull Amazon trailers. Drive across the country, drop a trailer, maybe go too a nearby yard, pick up the next one and go back. These guys are usually slowly going out of business.

Trucking is a tough way to make a living. What sucks about it is it shouldn’t be, and customers don’t really benefit from the low rates drivers are being paid. We are still paying more but brokers who add nearly no value are sucking the money off before it gets to the people doing the work. Also companies like Super Ego who are actually in Serbia taking all the money off the top and preying on drivers trying to make a living. All that money leaves our economy too.

Weird. I would thinknthe union would step in, or Amazon would make an app like Uber for truck drivers.

 

[Westwind]

Amazon would make an app like Uber for truck drivers.

Interesting idea! Any way to cut the brokers out I’m in favor of.

The foreign born drivers are still a problem though. An Indian driver told me once that his fellow Punjabs were the problem, he said they don’t know the language good enough to know what bad rates they are agreeing to lol