Economy forces local truckers off the road

Culberson Motor Lines Owners Ron and Sandy Tillotson thought they were in it for the long haul. But June 30 was the last day of business for the truck company that Sandy Tillotson’s father started 45 years ago.

While some blamed rising fuel prices, the Tillotsons said insurance and equipment costs have also gone up, but shipping rates have not.

Trucking companies make bids on loads that need to be hauled. Bigger trucking companies have been offering lower bids that Culberson could not match.

When the lowest bidder wins, the rate is set for the load to be hauled. When fuels prices go up, however, the rate doesn’t change. The extra money usually ends of coming out of the trucker’s profits, truck driver Douglas Smoak said.

“It used to be you could make a good living in it, but not anymore,” Smoak said.

Sandy Tillotson said the auction was painful for her. She and her husband have applied for jobs at several local companies.