The story of inflation & cost to do business continues to get bleaker for our carrier friends out there. With most freight I see on the board barely being above this $2.27 operating cost estimate is the damage more then people are aware of to the carriers? https://www.ccjdigital.com/economic-trends/freight-demand/article/15678318/permile-cost-of-trucking-hit-record-high-in-2023?utm_medium=email&utm_content=06-26-2024&utm_campaign=CM_NL_CCJ+Daily&utm_source=CM_NL_CCJ+Daily&ust_id=3c8edb5b1c3638e951e9bedb13d445f98bb2419a&oly_enc_id=9629J8650390I5N

By now y'all know how ANTI-EV I AM but I am also a huge proponent of a viable & sustainable option to diesel trucks. One of these options I'd like to see to continue to evolve & hopefully take the forefront are the CNG/LNG engines. Unfortunately our Govt. isn't throwing billions of tax incentives & touting it like they do the alternatives so it's mainly up to the private sector. Yes we face some of the same issues like lack of fueling stations & the costs of these tractors are a little high, however the push for CNG is nothing new & there are already many refueling stations already built with more planned. Now the cost being a 1/3-1/2 of what an EV does mean a savings. Not to mention that current diesel engines can be retrofitted for CNG further cutting your costs VS buying new. https://www.ccjdigital.com/alternative-power/natural-gas/article/15671115/cummins-x15n-raises-the-profile-of-natural-gas

A post in here about drivers being late triggered this thought & inquiry to you drivers out there. HOW DO YOU TRIP PLAN? I'll begin.... 1) I looked at my HOS to make sure they would align with the PU & DO times and that I had enough to do the load period without a repower or reset. 2) I'd look up the route in my Atlas to include my DH & wrote down the route in a notebook I kept on my dash. (Yes ATLAS, I never used a GPS to guide me) 3) I knew I could drive 650mi a day no problem so I divided the total miles by that to give me a timeline of how long it would take to do the load. This is my "rough draft timeline". 4) Then I checked every road I wasn't familiar with for low clearances, no truck routes, weight limits, tolls, etc. Also if the route took me on US highways or on back roads I'd add a little time for that too. 5) Check weather conditions along the route to see if anything may hinder my schedule. 5) I then call the shipper to get directions & make sure the info I was given was correct for the appt times, weights, destination, etc. 6) Arrive at shipper to load 7) Redo my "rough draft timeline after I'm loaded to make sure I'm still on schedule or need to make adjustments. I would redo this any time I stopped for more than 30mins to keep a constant updated ETA for myself. 8) Call the receiver to get final mile directions

Starting a project in the beginning of June. Looking for 2 drivers 4 reefer trailers. Drop reefers to be loaded in Calumet City IL on 6/15 Drivers to pick up loaded trailers Monday 6/17 @ 0600 and work a 10hr shift shuttling product from Calumet City IL to Hammond IN. This project will last 1 week for sure with the possibility of another week, just depends on how much product is in the IL warehouse. Reach out to me here or @ Melissa@stsfreight.com

ATTN: We are currently looking for a dedicated carrier to handle 58 loads per month, with pickups in Grand Forks, ND, and deliveries to Pelham, AL. The product is frozen, so reefers are required. We would need 2-3 trucks per day, 6 days a week. If this opportunity aligns with your capabilities, please let me know, and we can discuss further details. Best regards, Melissa Melissa@stsfreight.com