Better late than never. I've hauled 'killcows' to FPL (Shapiro) in Augusta, GA off and on for 20 years. They always got them from as far away as TX, OK, KY on in closer, but last year they started buying Holsteins from somewhere up in Canada, sometimes I'd see as many as 8-10 Canadian loads come in while I was there. I heard there was someone up there buying feeder calves from an order buyer in KY & they'ed worked a deal out where they all liked it. We (southern US) weren't that impressed because they don't have but 2 chutes, so you have to race over there to get in line. You may show up & it be 3 or 4 in front of you, I have been there from 4am till 2pm, #20 when i got there. But canadian trucks go to the front of the line, always. Which I can understand, they been on a long ride & on top of that they were Holsteins. But it is still aggravating. You have to make sure everything is up or laying upright before you pull on their property. They have cameras on the parking area & if you're seen hot shotting an animal you will not be back on their property.
Rates vary to them more than anywhere, they have so many differant deals working. A truck going in there direct does ok, but they also work back haul rates thru the order buyers (you're coming anyway to load feeder calves, this will pay your fuel)
Feeder calves last week from Alabama to the panhandle, Kansas, Nebraska were ranging from 3.75 to 4.25 a mile to the truck, drivers usually average 25%, some of them are capping it with a base rate set @ 3.00 on account of the rates climbed with the fuel, some drivers were/are making out like bandits for awhile
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