Rally along Houston freeway

I know I won't live long enough to see the miracle happen, where truckers will not use any brokers for a month or so, and will only deal directly with shippers, or manufacturers; but, I can dream anyway. The government is all to willing to regulate the trucking industry with mandates, like the E.L.D. and terrible H.O.S. restrictions; however, doing something to regulate the huge amount of brokers that sprang up over the past several years, is beyond them.

If you can communicate with brokers, you can talk to shippers. All it takes is patience and a bit of a back bone. Establishing yourself with a shipper takes a little time; but, well worth it in the long run. Back bone because you have to stand up for yourself and your business. No one wants to shut down for a couple of weeks before something is done to help the situation. But, things are getting to the point where we may not have a choice, industry wide. Can't afford to do this? Then you are a prime example of why something needs to change.

Several of us involved with these forums have tried to give helpful information to newer folks to the industry. Or established ones that may need a little help with their business. Arguments don't do any good. The ideas of establishing base rates no one would go below is a good idea; however, getting everyone on the same page is next to impossible, which is a shame. But, we don't have an organization that would be representative for us to engage in any programs that may help. And, as I said in a previous post, even if your rig is paid off and you may opperate at a lower cost, so what? This should have no baring on what the rate should be. All it means is your profit margin will be a bit bigger.