A friend of mine in the shipping business has comments on a trucking article he sent. Let’s tune in…
Truck Rates Abysmal, But Some lanes Active
Produce News reports Truck Rates Abysmal, But Some lanes Active
Two transportation brokers report that truck rates are extremely low without a lot of hope of overall improvement on the horizon. On the other hand, a San Joaquin Valley grape shipper said his rates have been climbing as he recently secured a load to Texas that was about 15 percent higher in mid-August than it was earlier in the month.
“Trucking is not a way to get rich right now,” said Mark Durfee, general manager of Giltner Logistics, based in Twin Falls, ID. “There are no earth-shattering rates out there. Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Utah are soft. The Southeast is soft. The Midwest is soft. You tell your California grape shipper to give me a call. I’ll find him a truck.”
Durfee added that “Southern California and Arizona are just wastelands right now if you are on the spot market. The rates are horrible.”
Yet Jared Lane, CEO of Grapeco Farms, based in Delano, CA, insists his rates have been climbing and as California grape shipments are expected to continue to increase for at least another month. He said truckers have the upper hand. “The rates are not as high as they were a couple of years ago, but they are increasing. The rate (to his Texas buyer) was $4,600 last week and this week it was $5,200,” he said on Aug. 16.
“Both statements can be true,” said John Stenderup, vice president of sales and marketing for Vektor Logistics, based in Monterey, CA. “This market is so incredibly depressed right now. We’re getting winter rates in the middle of summer, but there are still some lanes that can demand a higher rate.”
“The temperature-controlled space, which includes produce haulers, only represents about 15 percent of the overall (transportation) market,” Stenderup said. “Produce haulers have always been pretty resilient. There is a lot of seasonality in the produce space with truckers having to go in and out of the market as their normal traffic pattern.”
Consequently, he said these independent owner-operators tend to keep a watchful eye on their own costs and don’t get overextended. He expects they will be there when the market goes up.
“It’s not a matter of if, but when,” Stenderup said. “There will be an upcycle. “Right now, truckers are taking rates 15 to 25 percent below their costs. That can’t last forever. Rates will climb again and be in the $3 to $4 per mile range.”