♫ School’s Back in Session ♫ – read in your best Alice Cooper voice. My kids went back to school this week so life is a different kind of crazy now. It reminds me a lot about this freight market we have been in for way too long now. Lots of action and never a dull moment but not much is actually getting done. Our mantra is to keep our head up and our nose down. If we do that then we know that the end result will be a good one.
Let’s talk about some of our struggles this year. Nothing has been consistent when it comes to freight or customers. Some of you have probably noticed this. Of course, there is lots for you guys and us to do every day, but the amount of work we are putting into every account is yielding less than ever. There have been numerous slowdowns at shippers in our local divisions and it is not just at one location. When one gets back on track it seems like a totally unrelated customer pulls back next. Even though we are contracted to do a certain amount, if it’s not there then we can’t move it. Luckily, Mark and Colt McLeod are firm believers in “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” philosophy. It has helped us weather these challenging times and will continue to propel us into the future.
Our dump division was poised to do a record amount of business this year with contracts signed and personnel in place. What do you think happened??? Several of those projects never came to fruition so we have struggled a little to keep everyone busy. Thank you for your patience and willingness to be flexible as we navigate these difficult times. Our hopes are still high that some of this business just comes a little later in the year than normal.
The road division has its share of hurdles also. Similar to some local customers, our road customers have been hit or miss also. Just because we are contracted to do a certain amount of work doesn’t mean we always get it. Again, if it’s not there, we can’t move it. We have invested in technology to help maximize our efficiencies with customer freight, but we also have a great team of operations staff with many years of experience. Hitting the broker boards is a necessity sometimes but thankfully we can usually find something for you. Thank you for always being helpful and patient.
We share this to help you understand our side of this business. We have a great fleet of drivers and want to make sure we remain a good place for you work and support your family. If you ever wonder why we ask you do things out of your ordinary job, its likely because we are just shuffling things around to make sure everyone stays busy during these tough times. Thank you for always “rolling” with it.
McLeod is in no way alone in these struggles. The entire industry was dropped on its head in 2020 and it’s still trying to regain its footing in a vastly different environment. Rates and volumes surged for a year and half after Covid but since 2022, rates and volumes are still below pre-pandemic levels. If you read any trucking headlines, you see businesses going under every week. McLeod is very diversified with our local, dump, and otr business but we also have a warehouse and are in the process of building another one. We are still a healthy company and will be around for a long time as long as we have good drivers like you to help. Thank you.