Ok, I've read a lot on this board and already know that we have made some mistakes, but I have a few other questions, that I need answered.

Hubbie hauls cattle for a broker using the brokers trailer. Broker pays for trailer repairs and wash outs.

I think that the cattle industry is a little different than some of the other discussed loads here, so I want to throw this out there to see if anyone has had any experience in this arena.

Broker says he gets 18 percent of the load. There is never a set rate for the load, sometimes by the mile, some times by the hundred weight, depending on distance, and the load. So honestly we never know what each load is going to pay.

So we have around 6 loads that the broker has not paid on, some from the beginning of June. Broker says he can't find the paper work that we are referring to for these loads. WT HECK??? BIL were mailed on Monday of the next week for those loads along with the load sheets with mileage for each load.

We have learned that the broker has fronted other drivers up to $15,000 for fuel and expenses. And the broker is paying us only enough to keep us running each week, fuel and maintenance on the truck, with little to spare. We think that the broker is getting paid for the slaughter house loads almost immediately, and keeping us in arrears on those loads for around 4-6 weeks.

We are completely new to hauling cattle and just wondering if any other drivers out there have hauled cattle and what the average turn around time is for load pay on those loads.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Welcome and good luck, if memory serves me - there where a few on here who have done this before, try and do a search, (cattle hauling,live stock,that kind of thing). You'll get answers too, just be patient and look around too. Best of luck.............................lori

Thanks Lori. This is all so new to me, and I handle our end, paperwork wise, so its left to me to get the answers. I'll try searching as you suggested.

I hauled cattle for years and never waited on my money. I handed them the paperwork and they handed me the check. There are some brokers out there that handle cattle, never fooled with them because I had my own ranches and feed lots to haul for. On the kill loads I was paid the same day so it's a sure bet that your broker is too.

As for the rate not being set, that's a crock of bull, ALL the rates are set before one hoof goes on a trailer period. You think these cattle people are gonna say load em and go without knowing what they are paying? I say your broker is ripping you off period.

BHW if your husband gets into western NE, eastern WY, and northern CO let me know. I can hook you up direct with a friend of mine.
In the past I've hauled for him and his contacts. 3 weeks from date of haul was about the longest I had to wait. And the money was always good. My friend has a lot of stuff he arranges and also a lot of stuff that goes direct to the guy paying. Fall run will be starting soon.

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I didn't mean the rates weren't set before the load is picked up, just that each place pays differently, either by the hundred or by the mile. The bad thing is its very hard to keep track of which load pays which way.

But you did answer my question about the pay from the slaughter houses. And your right on the money with what we have been hearing. Ok, so I guess we need to document everything, weather its a load of fats going in, or calves going to a ranch, that way we know which loads could be in arrears. I don't know how often the ranchers pay for calves, but we have heard that its on the 1st and the 15th.

Did you just have a network of ranches that you hauled for? How well did you do without having a broker? Just wondering, there are load boards that are strictly livestock, but not sure that we could find haul backs to keep the deadhead miles low.

He's been hauling that direction for sure. He does a lot of Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Oklahoma, and Colorado so far. We have only been at this about 7 weeks. Very cool about your friend. We are rethinking this whole broker thing, here, because something just doesn't seem right, KWIM?

I did fine without the brokers. I had a network of ranches and lots that I hauled for. With some we were under contract and paid both ways some we hauled the kill cows for. I moved a LOT of breeding bulls, especially after the sales at my ranches.The trucks stayed booked weeks ahead and I can't complain about the money. Decent drivers were a big headache sometimes.