From my well - placed trucker friends I can tell you that several flatbed trucking companies were in competition for the plywood veneer business across the Siskiyous. With the near - total collapse of the finished lumber business from Southern Oregon, these companies needed to find work for their drivers and trucks. However, with the recent decline in new housing starts and the construction industry in general, the plywood industry had also taken a hit. Meanwhile, while the U.S. Timber Industry is exporting whole logs to the Orient for processing, the company I drive for hauls containers of rough - cut lumber, imported from New Zealand, to a customer in the Seattle area !!! Go figure...