When will lumber prices normalize?

[Husky Man]

$18/hr is more than many drivers make.
You'd need to be in the .70+ cpm area to be over that

Maybe driving in the woods, you would be driving that slow. At 70/CPM 30 MPH is $21/hour. In my area, the local Estes LTL yard is advertising linehaul at 65/CPM with drivers annual average being $95-120K

I have read about the cost of living being much higher in Alaska, I can’t imagine any decent Class “A” driver working for $18/hr there.

Doug

 

[Lee192233]

Maybe driving in the woods, you would be driving that slow. At 70/CPM 30 MPH is $21/hour. In my area, the local Estes LTL yard is advertising linehaul at 65/CPM with drivers annual average being $95-120K

I have read about the cost of living being much higher in Alaska, I can’t imagine any decent Class “A” driver working for $18/hr there.

Doug

You guys get paid better than in WI.

 

[northmanlogging]

You guys get paid better than in WI.
View attachment 904800

Sure those aren't starting wages, with training included? All the big outfits Swift, Matsons, BrownLine pay crap for the first 6 months to upwards of 2 years, since they are taking a huge hit to their insurance hiring inexperienced drivers, annnd offering on the road training. So it makes a great deal of sense to not pay top dollar for an absolute newb.

However once you have been with one of these companies long enough to get off probation, the rates do go up.

 

[Husky Man]

You guys get paid better than in WI.
View attachment 904800

The I-5 corridor between Salem,OR through Portland,OR/Vancouver,WA and up past the Seattle,WA areas seems to command higher wages than many areas, some with higher costs of living indexes.

A week ago, I met a Stockton,CA pool driver for a trailer trade, and I was surprised at what our company pays it’s drivers there, he was $6/hr less than our Portland and Seattle based pool drivers. In CA.,they do get double time after 10 hours on duty per day. Their time and a half after 8/hrs a day, works out the same as our time and a half after 40 hrs for the week. The only time that really matters is a short week like Thanksgiving, the old company that owned the foam plant paid us on the CA, rules and if I worked 3/12 hour days, I made 6 hours OT, without going over 40 for the week.

Doug

 

[Lee192233]

Sure those aren't starting wages, with training included? All the big outfits Swift, Matsons, BrownLine pay crap for the first 6 months to upwards of 2 years, since they are taking a huge hit to their insurance hiring inexperienced drivers, annnd offering on the road training. So it makes a great deal of sense to not pay top dollar for an absolute newb.

However once you have been with one of these companies long enough to get off probation, the rates do go up.

I see. That may be the case. I admit I didn't fully research it. Around here people consider it rude to talk about salaries so I've never asked my truck driver friends what they make.

 

[Husky Man]

I see. That may be the case. I admit I didn't fully research it. Around here people consider it rude to talk about salaries so I've never asked my truck driver friends what they make.

It just depends on who you are talking to, and how well you know them. There are people that I won’t bring the subject up with, and others that will broach the subject with me. Within the same company, it isn’t as awkward, with most other drivers, but a few that won’t discuss it. It does come up a bit more, if a driver is considering transferring to another location.

That, and well there really isn’t too much that drivers won’t talk and/or ****** (Female Dog) about. Don’t get us started on Politics, most of us could SOLVE this Country’s Problems in a week, if we were President (BIG GRIN)

Doug

 

[Lee192233]

Wisconsin nice is a thing. We're too nice for our own good sometimes. We don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. We wouldn't want to hurt our boss's feelings by asking for a raise. It's probably more the rural/small town population that is that way. Can't speak for the big city people.

 

[softdown]

....and lumber prices turned into an OTR trucker pay tutorial. Interesting nonetheless.

I was pretty impressed when one trucker said he delivered to Arctic Circle though. Sounded like real adventure.

 

[Lee192233]

....and lumber prices turned into an OTR trucker pay tutorial. Interesting nonetheless.

I was pretty impressed when one trucker said he delivered to Arctic Circle though. Sounded like real adventure.

Sorry for clogging up your thread with off topic posts. I really hope we can get back to more "normal" costs for building materials soon.

 

[softdown]

Sorry for clogging up your thread with off topic posts. I really hope we can get back to more "normal" costs for building materials soon.

I don't mind at all. Biden #@#^! by the way.

 

[Husky Man]

....and lumber prices turned into an OTR trucker pay tutorial. Interesting nonetheless.

I was pretty impressed when one trucker said he delivered to Arctic Circle though. Sounded like real adventure.

Hard to feel nuances on line, if you’re not familiar with them, Arctic Circle is a Restaurant Chain, that is based in Utah.

There used to be more, but we still have 2 in Oregon and 1 in Washington State left

I apologize for the Thread Drift.

Yep, delivering to THE Arctic Circle, would be an Adventure, with any Luck, I could also get a delivery to the North Pole, and hand deliver my Christmas List in Person!!!

Doug

 

[northmanlogging]

I see. That may be the case. I admit I didn't fully research it. Around here people consider it rude to talk about salaries so I've never asked my truck driver friends what they make.

See I think its foolish to not discuss wages, its grounds for getting fired in machine shops around here... (note: I've been fired from as many or more then I quit from... cause I tend to mouth off if you haven't noticed lol)

The bosses don't want anyone comparing notes, so its frowned on, and the ass kissers go along with it, thinking they are getting paid more then everyone else...

Wages are a great big con job anyway, start your own show and keep all (well most) of the money you earn for the company.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Maybe driving in the woods, you would be driving that slow. At 70/CPM 30 MPH is $21/hour. In my area, the local Estes LTL yard is advertising linehaul at 65/CPM with drivers annual average being $95-120K

I have read about the cost of living being much higher in Alaska, I can’t imagine any decent Class “A” driver working for $18/hr there.

Doug

You aren't factoring in wait times at shippers, receivers, scales, fuel, traffic, weather, etc, etc.

Average 2500 miles a week, at 65 cpm that's "in theory" around 75k. But you'd be working at least 14hr days, 7 days a week, so 5100 hrs. Or about $15/hr.
Here you can be on duty 20hrs a day, drive for 15.
L48 is 11hrs driving, 14hrs on duty.

Many outfits pay in the 45 cpm area too.

Many truckers make near minimum wage if the hours spent working are factored.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Sure those aren't starting wages, with training included? All the big outfits Swift, Matsons, BrownLine pay crap for the first 6 months to upwards of 2 years, since they are taking a huge hit to their insurance hiring inexperienced drivers, annnd offering on the road training. So it makes a great deal of sense to not pay top dollar for an absolute newb.

However once you have been with one of these companies long enough to get off probation, the rates do go up.

After 1 year Schneider is at around .50cpm. I actually recently hired on with them but they pulled the job out of under me.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Hard to feel nuances on line, if you’re not familiar with them, Arctic Circle is a Restaurant Chain, that is based in Utah.

There used to be more, but we still have 2 in Oregon and 1 in Washington State left

I apologize for the Thread Drift.

Yep, delivering to THE Arctic Circle, would be an Adventure, with any Luck, I could also get a delivery to the North Pole, and hand deliver my Christmas List in Person!!!

Doug

Been to both places. Not in a truck though.

 

[2412]

You all seem to think that the home improvement retailers are incapable of increasing their margins.

 

[northmanlogging]

You all seem to think that the home improvement retailers are incapable of increasing their margins.

Lumber is a commodity, its value is directly linked to economy, and supply and demand.

In other words, lumber prices fluctuate daily, same as gold and silver. Prices I get from the mills generally change fist of the month, but they can change at anytime, and for any reason. Lately they have been going up as supply is starting to flat line.

 

[Blue Oaks]

Home prices are going up, up, up in most parts of the country it seems. At some point the home builders will see profits in building more homes- which will drive up lumber prices.

 

[slowp]

Also, since some of the logs come from snowy elevations, unless the logger wants to plow snow and work in snow, those units don't get logged until the snow melts. Mills like to go in panic mode in the fall and deck enough logs up to see them through the winter. Those mills may be running low now.

Some areas have load weight restrictions that go in effect in the early spring. Sometimes, the power in charge might allow hauling to occur at night, when it is much colder and therefore the road hardened up, but that is rare. The haul is shut down until the thaw is over.

 

[Huskybill]

On the news the prices on new houses is up 30% because of the price increase on lumber. I say make it while you can. The cost of housing is up here anyway. The values are going up. I’m seeing prices climbing $40/$60k increase. Things look like there booming again. Until it crashes or another wave of covid.