WHY HAVE HOPPER RATES BEEN SO DISPROPORTIONATE COMPARED TO OTHER FREIGHT FOR WELL OVER A YEAR NOW

I really don't know and no one else seems to know either...Except its obvious that all grain haulers need to park the truck until rates come up at least a dollar!!!!! Most of this stuff on here is around $2.15 per mile... That don't work...

Supply and demand is exactly right. Before I parked my hopper, I was told by several people I hauled for there was no reason to raise rates until loads went uncovered. So, regretfully I parked the hopper and have been pulling a tank ever since. Running empty one way and making WAY more money than I was under the hopper.

Hopefully, others figure out the same thing and make a change for the better. In this enviornment, if you aren't making money with your truck, your decisions are the problem. Sorry if that pisses some of you off. Good luck to everyone and I hope you figure out how to get everything you want from your businesses.

Apparently money isn't the motivation.

I can handle $2.15 for all my miles driven but some of them will not pay that much for it. They only want to pay for one way not both ways.

Most of them are already rying to grab the load from a shipper that I am already directly signed on with to haul for.

flatbed is not really paying any better if its regular reaccuring loads like shingles, bagged cement, bricks, lumber, etc. Now special stuff like equipment, large pump stations, vehicles, some steel, and oversized loads are paying better than hopper.

And they act like you should be grateful when they say it's almost$2.50 a loaded mile!

$2.50 per loaded mile is $1.25 for all miles driven and that is if you live directly in the lane the load is hauled in. If you have out of bounds miles then that decreases it even more. If you are hauling loads back and forth diving empty to go get the loads and then loaded taking it to its destination and then repeating that multiple times per day then the shipper shoukld pay a rate that covers all miles driven. $2.50 per mile for all miles driven plus a FSC would be what you want to have at least.

I get these every day...

Marcus, Don't be decieved by (In debt out thier ass farmers)... We get maybe 1.50 a pound on the hoof whiale your steak cost $15.....And we pay that old trucking both ways! I am in family farmer and live in a 1979 crappy modular home, but hey its a roof....

Marcus dude you are way out of line sterotyping that farmers have 350k hose barns. I know one land trader in all of N. Missouri that might have 150,000 stable.. You are insulting the farmers on here and believe me half these guys on here are farmer/ranchers... And remember Farmers are the original truckers and many truckers bought a fram by trucking..So get your damn sh*t together...

I hate to say it but very little, if anything Marcus has posted on here has made sense to me. Regarding the last comment, all I can say is WOW, UNBELIEVABLE...

You will never build a customer base that will pay you a consistent, good rate, year round if you bounce around from wagon to wagon, chasing the high dollars. We have been doing the same things for over 10 years and we are doing just fine on with the rates we haul for year round! One thing I will say is that if you are relying on a load board to get your loads, you will NEVER make good money! You need a customer base and a base of brokers in the areas where your customer loads go to help with good paying loads to return with. Next, lets get away from calling any load a back haul! There is no such thing! Your truck needs to make a certain amount per mile for every mile that is put on the truck! If at the end of the week, you have hit that point and or exceeded that point, then be happy and keep working! Work that customer base and increase your service record!

By no means am I saying you should be happy with whatever you make and if you need to chase the high dollar freight in other sectors, that is fine, BUT don't come back to this sector and think you will get sympathy from the carriers who stick with it through thick and thin, good and bad, because we will still be working with our customers, providing excellent service and making our consistent living!

Thanks

Keith

ET Trucking INC.

You are correct Dale. Things change. If I were to write a book I would probably be in my 6th chapter. You have to decide how to adapt and have some diversity.

Marcus,

My husband and I farm and let me tell you we dont live in a mansion nor do we have any equipment 5 years old or newer. Our combine cost us about 100,000 and its now 12 years old and we dont plan to trade it anytime soon. I dont think you should be talking this way about farmers, if you have never walked in our shoes. Please remember when you sit down to eat with your family, make sure to thank us farmers because we provide the food for your family.

Thanks

Shhh... I wouldn't tell anyone.................................!

LOL makes no sense at all.

First you need to know that most of those trucking stories are just that. Trucking stories. This last year in the hopper bisiness has almost become a joke compared to just about any other freight out there when it comes to rates and getting jacked around. I learned this year that it isnt even that hard to stumble upon something such as a hobby to do and is a lot more fun that even pays better than pulling a hopper. Everything related to operating a truck has gone up considerably this year. Not just fuel like a lot of people think is the only thing to factor into any type of rate increase. With cost of things that have gone up year after year to operate and the little increase the drivers have got over the last 20 years does not make up for the increases of living on the road and operating a truck. For example, new equipment alone has doubled in price in the last 20 years and the equipment is less dependable and loses value much faster than the older equipment ever will. when you put the pen to paper trucking companys and drivers have been taking a little bit of a pay cut about every year for the the last 20 years for sure.

Sounds like ya need to buy a farm ot two and put the kids to work.........The whole world is one big hustle and always has been.... Except now its one big backwards mess..

Hey Farmers love trucks and diesel and all kinds of horse power... Our great-grand fathers were the original truckers.. But yes there are to many hoppers out there... In all honesty I sometimes feel as I am pulling the step deck for nothing and can't get ahead. Although I dont run it but couple days a week as (us Farmers) have crops to spray, hay to mow, sh*t to fix, kids to raise, animals to feed....

I never realized there was such discontent between farmers with trucks and trucking operations without farms...SAD

I don't know, in my area part of the problem on rates is in the winter and summer months shippers are able to get their product moved cheap because farmers jump in their truck once they have either harvested or planted and start moving aggregate or grain, the stuff I would use to get to my longer hauls. They're able to make the money on that because they don't have to pay IFTA, have commercial licensing(just run on the farm plates), no trucking insurance, just run it under the umbrella policy on the farm. They erase all the inputs that I mentioned and basically just have to cover fuel. I don't know how big of a part that pays but, I have to think it's something when they're happy moving it for 1.70 round trip.

85 cents per loaded mile!!!!! What???? Hell no!

dry van/reefer rates still at least double the the hopper rates and going strong. another list just randomly pulled from our board in order. It almost crazy not to incourage driver to go where you can make a living for the family. Your doing a disservice to them not to.

Chicago, IL

WED 8/18 02:00 CDT

North Charleroi, PA

THU 8/19 03:00 EDT

Reefer

53'

493 mi

$2,300

$4.67/mi

Normal, IL

WED 8/18 02:00-10:00 CDT

Valparaiso, IN

WED 8/18 02:00-18:00 CDT

Van

53'

151 mi

$704

$4.66/mi

Normal, IL

TUE 8/17 02:00-10:00 CDT

Valparaiso, IN

TUE 8/17 02:00-18:00 CDT

Van

53'

151 mi

$704

$4.66/mi

Beaver Dam, WI

WED 8/18 12:00 CDT

Greenwood, IN

THU 8/19 01:00 EDT

Reefer

53'

357 mi

$1,660

$4.65/mi

Aurora, IL

FRI 8/13 08:00 CDT

Decatur, IL

FRI 8/13 15:30 CDT

Van

53'

161 mi

$741

$4.60/mi

Minooka, IL

FRI 8/13 16:00 CDT

Perrysburg, OH

SAT 8/14 06:00 EDT

Van

53'

262 mi

$1,200

$4.58/mi

Denmark, WI

SAT 8/14 11:00 CDT

Pottsville, PA

MON 8/16 12:30 EDT

Reefer

53'

875 mi

$4,010

$4.58/mi

Pleasant Prairie, WI

TUE 8/17 19:30 CDT

Grand Rapids, MI

WED 8/18 08:00 EDT

Van

53'

244 mi

$1,115

$4.57/mi

Sheboygan Falls, WI

MON 8/16 10:00 CDT

Hartford City, IN

TUE 8/17 06:30 EDT

Van

53'

344 mi

$1,563

No. Every dog will have its day. But think of the potenial.