Our company has been shrinking steadily for the past 5 years, and the profit is finally going the way of the buffalo. I've been hanging on to complete a truck lease, but even that isn't going to work out.
The undercut pricing from large companies is too low for me to compete with. They are charging now what the rest of us were getting in the mid 90's, and are taking all the customers. Of course, a little loyalty to the local haulers, instead of jumping on a dollar a month savings would help. Yes, a dollar a month. Unfortunatley, we haven't been able to raise for years, and the big companies have, once they take the customer. Then people just stay with them, as they are still a little cheaper (a dollar a month). We are closing the gap, but there isn't time enough to get there before we go broke.
If I'm a stranger here for a while, please keep us in your prayers, as I see a pretty tough time ahead. We live in an area where jobs using my education and military experience are few and far between. That's why I went into business in the first place. I didn't know this would be the wrong one to go into.
It's been a long, hard nine years...going from 285 customers, to 2300 residential, and 120 commercail, back to 350 today. My body is suffering from the work, now that I do everything alone...and have for the last 4 years. From 850 to 350 in that time. That means 1400 stops /week down to about 650...all by myself, doing all the work. It's time to do something that leaves me able to play a little, too. Even my riding has dropped off dramatically this year for all the pain and suffering my body is in. I was riding about 600 miles per week a year ago. I haven't even ridden 200 miles in November...only 500 miles since september!
So..please pray a prayer for me and my family, that life can return to normal. Hard work is no problem, just need different work. Thanks, folks!
Mike 
). Hopefully you won't have to uproot the homestead to make a decent living......
