Ron Wold laughed when asked how life as an interstate truck driver is going these days. Then he pulled out his wallet, which had an empty compartment where money usually goes."That's how it's going," Wold said.Wold's reaction is similar to most -- but not everyone -- in the trucking and distribution industries these days. This is a season when stores are usually loading up on holiday-related consumer goods, but many in these sectors are accepting that the troubled economy means a weak season.Wold, 40, who lives in Spokane, Wash., was moving a load of empty soda bottles from Los Angeles to Phoenix and taking a break at the TravelCenters of America truck stop in Ontario, Calif.What is telling about the economy is Wold's schedule. He doesn't need to deliver the load for several days, meaning the bottling plant in Phoenix probably won't be able to refill and sell them as fast as it would like. And, since he is paid by the mile and not the hour, the slower delivery times cost him money."With the way fuel prices have come down, it's been a lot better for truckers," Wold said. "As a company driver, I've got plenty of work. But my best friend has been sitting in Jonesboro, Ark., for four days, trying to find a load."Employment in distribution and trucking has declined by about 1 percent in the last 12 months.Valerie Liese, president of Jack Jones Trucking in Chino, Calif., said the dramatic decline in the price of diesel fuel is good news for her industry.The bad news is, no one is shipping anything," Liese said. "Normally at this time of the year we're doing pretty good volume, but now it's down to a trickle."Hints of a weak fourth quarter were abundant as far back as summer. The American Trucking Associations in Arlington, Va., reported three straight months of declining tonnage, and the group's economist said the decline was consistent with a recession."I anticipate truck freight volumes to continue to fall before they improve," Bob Costello, economist for the group, said in a statement Oct. 27.Whether there is a slump often depends on the product. Eric Allison, general manager for Converse Inc.'s two distribution centers in Ontario, said the shoe company is doing well, probably because its line of shoes is cheaper than some of the popular sneaker brands on the market."We're coming in with a very strong quarter," Allison said.Phyllis Matthews, 24, of Minneapolis, who owns and operates a truck with her brother, said they move furniture for military families and have seen no drop-off."The military's relocating people all the time, so there's plenty of work," Matthews said.But Paul Lulgjuraj, who lives in Los Angeles and drives a moving van for New World Van Lines of Chicago, said that part of the trucking industry "is taking a real beating," because people are holding onto their current jobs when they can and are not relocating. Business for this time of the year is down about 50 percent, he said."Customers we do get are hitting us up for the biggest discounts ever, and they know they can get them," Lulgjuraj said. "Moving business always drops after September, but this is ridiculous."Reach Jack Katzanek at jkatzanek(at)PE.com. For more stories visit scrippsnews.com
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