Tag: rates: Page 43

Obamacare case analysis: Stick with the wife’s insurance

Owner-operator Michael Wright, of Michigan, runs through health-insurance numbers as he contemplates potential moves in 2014 as the Affordable Care Act gets closer to implementation.

October 14, 2013

This image greets visitors to the HealthCare.gov central portal for applications for insurance purchased through the public exchanges mandated by the Affordable Care Act, or “Obamacare.” Best estimates of the cost of coverage for your particular situation, without going most of the way through the application process, can be found via the Kaiser Family Foundation’s costs/subsidy calculator, though only Silver-level plans are estimated there.

Is Obamacare impacting your 2014 insurance preps?

Owner-operators, are you seeing insurances rates on the new exchanges higher or lower than what you pay now for coverage, or are new requirements causing your current insurer to adjust rates? Weigh in via this poll.

October 3, 2013

Obamacare upside for independent contractor model?

Only if insurance rates get reasonable, as it were, on the long-term basis.

October 2, 2013

Download Transport Capital Partners’ most recent business expectations survey of large and small fleets by clicking here.

Hot Button: What would be the No. 1 effect of a wide owner-operator shutdown?

Opinion on the potential effects resulting from a wide shutdown has varied widely among Overdrive readers — from a solid negative for truckers’ public image to political leverage on regs.

September 27, 2013

Rate undercutting getting worse?

Independents are feeling the pinch in certain quarters — some contend rate undercutting by other carriers without the business sense to make a healthy profit are a sizable part of the problem.

September 26, 2013

Recognize this 1978 Mack R-767ST? It’s a replica owner-operator Robert Steele put together of the Rubber Duck 1978 RS700L used in Sam Peckinpah’s class “Convoy” film. The truck, powered by an old 500 Cummins, Steele says, shows but one difference from the 1978 RS700L used in the film — the top of the hood is not quite as tall. Steele had to modify the RS700L grille to fit the 767. Steele uses the rig only sparingly, but says it’d look great at the head of a convoy. Read his letter appealing for greater industry unity in our Voices section here.

Driver shortage: Countdown to a capacity crunch, and a boost in rates?

Is higher driver compensation just around the corner? This series — part 1 available here — looks at the tightening of the employment market for drivers, and the potential for a rate boost.

August 29, 2013

The American Trucking Associations, assuming a current shortage of more than 20,000 truck drivers compared to available jobs, projects the gap to grow annually over the next 10 years.

DAT launches RateView

DAT’s new RateView revamp of the Truckload Rate Index with several new features can be helpful for owner-operator load, lane and price analysis for profitable load planning.

August 13, 2013

DAT RateView also provides 13-month rate histories, information critical to seasonal trend analysis and for quick and easy RFP response. The simple-to-use lane bulk-download feature can reduce the time necessary to respond to RFPs from hours to minutes.

July load volumes exceed June for first time; Domestic intermodal on fire in Southeast

Reports from DAT’s Trendlines and the Intermodal Association of North America’s quarterly trends report show volumes were strong through June and July.

August 8, 2013

Find more detail from the IANA quarterly reports via this link.

Demand rising for spot market flat freight

Rates reversed a downward trend in late July due primraily to growing volume in flatbed freight, DAT reported.

July 31, 2013

DAT-rates July 31 2013 spot segments

POLL: Why do carriers have difficulty finding new drivers?

Carriers are again talking “driver shortage” in a big way — what do you think? Why do so many seem to have so much difficulty recruiting new drivers?

July 29, 2013

Carriers who pursue volume-only goal in competition are dampening good rate environment

To many carriers “seem to want to compete this way. And who gets hurt? Drivers, small businesses, people all throughout the industry.”

July 26, 2013

POLL: Freight rates: up or down since the end of June?

With seasonal and regulatory changes (hours of service) in play, this poll interrogates rate conditions for owner-operators around the nation.

July 23, 2013

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