So I've seen those little hello old pensky trucks for some time now, I've become acquainted with level current and former drivers over the last year and I gotta ask has anyone had any information on these guys?
Is Ground Flight running a lot of yellow ex-Penske cubes now? I couldn't figure out your post and the connection between GF and yellow cubes. But I'm sitting here in Tulsa and, for the first time, see a yellow cube with doors lettered for Ground Flight. Two yellow cubes sitting next to each other, one lettered for GF, one not, but they seem to know each other and have been talking. Seem like typical everyday Americans. I realize that sounds like stereotyping maybe, or potentially racist. I say it only because most people jump to the conclusion that yellow cubes are all Russian. If I have a chance I'll get to know them thar Amerikans in this lot.
My experience in several different places with yellow cubes--as it pertains to expediting--is that they're now being driven by all sorts of people for all sorts of companies. A lot of Russians and eastern Europeans, yes, but also long-time Americans. And just like with any other type of vehicle in expediting, there are good and ethical drivers in yellow cubes and some that aren't so much. Most all I've met and interacted with have been honest straight-up people trying to make a living, some of whom have been driving for years.
Looks like the one here that's lettered has no sleeper, though many I've seen do have sleepers. Usually accessible from the cab and sealed off from the cargo area. Most are GM, have gas engines, and get around 10mpg.
Penske regularly purchases new vehicles and rotates out older stock from their leasing and rental fleets, and for at least the last year we've been seeing a lot of them enter the expedite market. Seems like a flood of them, because they're so noticeable. They're also highly favored by folks in the home building/renovation trades, and I've seen several in use for storage units.
They're entering the expediting market in droves because many of the '05 - '07 cubes, even with dual rears, are door-stickered under 10,000 GVW. In '08, its my understanding, the GVW went over 10,000 and we don't see many of those. So right now you can get an expertly maintained used cargo vehicle, within the age limit fora lot of places, and rated under 10,000, for as low as $7500, according to one driver I talked to. Who can blame someone for wanting to try one, even as ugly as most of the cubes are.
In my opinion, it's because they are big and yellow and have such visibly removed decal areas that they are SO noticeable and draw so much attention. If they were plain white boxes with white cabs, we wouldn't be talking about them as much, might not even wonder if they were expediting, no matter who was driving them or who they were leased to. It's also my opinion that as these age further and there are no used Penske's to replace them, the perceived problem will lessen.
If existing logistics companies and carriers are buying these, it has to make one wonder, though.
