Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/42794
roadside attractions Truck trade cycles increase Nearly half of owner-operators own a truck that is at least nine years old, according to research. Trade cycles have lengthened in recent years due to the recession and the introduction of new emissions technology, which drives up prices for new trucks. Age of trucks held by owner-operators 48 % 9 years or older 6-8 years 3-5 years 2 years or newer 8% Rates fall again Dry van and flatbed rates each dropped 6 cents from July to August, while reefer rates decreased 5 cents during the same period, after dropping as well from June to July. DRY VAN FLATBED REEFER $2.50 $2.25 $2.00 $1.75 $1.50 $1.25 Aug. 2009 Aug 2010 Aug. 2011 19 % 25 % How to get – and keep – the contract Success hauling with your own authority often requires negotiating contracts directly with shippers and keeping those contracts when competitors come prowling. The father-son operation of John and Erick Engbarth learned this by experience. Erick makes regular hauls from North Carolina to California loaded with plastics and usually carrying motorcycles back. When Engbarth "We understand that customers come first," says Erick Enbarth, who drives a 2009 Kenworth W900 and dry van. Sept. 6, 2011 diesel price averages $3.89 Atlanta-Buffalo Chicago-Dallas Dallas-Jacksonville Houston-Mobile Los Angeles-Denver Memphis-Cleveland Philadelphia–Indianapolis St. Louis–Boston Seattle-Phoenix $3.84 $3.84 $3.78 $3.94 $3.85 $3.92 $3.94 $3.95 FUEL SURCHARGE INDEX (www.Fuel- SurchargeIndex. org) prices are col- lected daily from more than 5,500 truck stops and averaged along specific routes. Trucking first bid on a key contract with an N.C. manufacturer, the rate didn't exactly seal the deal, but the prospect of regular, dependable service did. With the promise of a truck every Friday, each of the Engbarths has loaded on alternating weeks virtually every week since 2003, with plenty of home time for both men. Though competition has tried to "under cut the rate," says Erick, their service has kept them in freight. Features such as "not being late, taking care of the product, operating nice equipment, having a one-on-one conversation with them, just being able to talk to them about what they need and help them understand the trucking aspect of it" pay off. After loading on July 29, for instance, the shipper noted at the last moment that a part at the front of Erick's van needed delivery sooner than his scheduled drops would allow. "They decided to air-freight the piece," says Erick, which meant the entire trailer had to be unloaded, then reloaded. "It put me a little bit behind," he says, "but to keep hauling this stuff, which pays good, you don't want to cry about it." When he was 5 weeks old, Erick Engbarth got his first experience in the cab of a big truck with his father, John, an inde- pendent owner-operator for more than 40 years. "God's got a purpose for us out here on the road," Erick says. He had no problems making his delivery on time. — Todd Dills 10 OVERDRIVE OCTOBER 2011 G A UGE S Internet Truckstop Source: 2010 Overdrive Circulation Data Report, 46,386 respondents James Jaillet James Jaillet Ov er driv e