US Xpress Logistics - anyone hauled for their brokerage?

Would be more shocking for a large carrier to not have a brokerage. Probably good, bad, and ugly loads like anyone else you just have to ask questions. I doubt huge companies cherry pick freight. They cover what they can themselves and broker out extras. The only question is are you the desperate one or is it them? It's only a matter of rate then.

 

I've done a few loads with them (Xpress Networks). Mostly LTL, always scheduled super tight with no lag time, not so great rates, nickel and dime you to death on fees. I would recommend you steer clear of them. Too much trouble and dishonest, in my opinion. That's in addition to their rates barely being worth considering. There's too many better brokers out there to do business with.

Last year they were my first broker to earn a place on my "Never Load Again" list. It was a situation where a tight schedule became impossible due to shipper detention. I bent over backward to get it done, which required a +50 mile reroute due to rescheduling stops out of order (best way to do it incidentally). They did not pay for the reroute mileage, nothing for the extra half-day on my truck, and nothing on the detention that caused it in the first place. In my book that's called theft of service.

 

You know what I tell someone with LTL on a tight schedule? You're booking a full truck load then. Never really get anywhere on those lol. LTL is supposed to have flexible times.

 

On reefer loads going to grocery warehouses they have appointments, whether it's a whole truck or just one skid. A lot of the food wholesalers and small grocery chains are usually quick and more flexible, not usually a big deal. Either they just get it done when you get there, or sometimes I'll lump my own load to speed things up. Then there's Walmart and the big grocery chains where you just have to allow a 3 hour window.

On this example it was 3 stops. Walmart was the final. I took stop one in late (detained 9 hours at shipper, resulting in a conflict with stops 2 and 3 due to HOS. So I ran it, and made stop 1 late for a no hassle work-in (smaller place), then made the WM appointment (which was originally stop 3, now 2). Stop 2 was pushed to the next day to follow WM since their delivery hours were over by the time WM was done.

The solution to the problem (reschedule) was done in the best possible way. I had no problem with that. Trucking happens sometimes.

What burned me was zero compensation for a 1/2 day delay and out of route miles caused by the shipper. In fact the fourth time I called to ask about it over two full business days, I was served with a nasty attitude. Like I was being a pest. That was the moment that I invoiced the last load I will ever haul for them.

It wasn't like they didn't know it, or just forgot. This guy used to call me every week, sometimes twice a week. That, plus 2-3 emails a week with load offers. After this load they suddenly didn't call or email for a couple months, and I really wasn't nasty on the last call even when the broker got stupid. I did get a call a few months later from one of his dispatcher types looking for trucks. I told him I don't load for thieves and hung up on him.

 

Call it whatever you want. Three orders loaded on the truck at once and delivered to three different consignees. The only thing I didn't do was put it together myself and bill them separately. Xpress paid for the whole truck.

To clarify:

1. The reschedule was a random problem to solve that is not exclusive to Xpress Networks. The method the delivery appointment times were resolved was as good as anyone else could have done. No complaints with that.

2. My problem was twofold. One: there was no compensation for the additional miles and time on the truck. Two: The broker not only blew me off, but went on to act like I was out of line for even asking for it.

You asked for my experience with them. This was the "bad day" that ended the relationship. I did not have any attitude with them at all until the last call. And that time it wasn't me being nasty. More me being amazed the guy would speak to me like I was the dog poop on his shoe after I got the job done despite his shipper's delay and his poor planning. This one was the last of 12 loads ever. The other 11 went ok for the most part. Rates were nothing to write home about. They deduct a fee for everything. They schedule stops very tight.

If you're bound and determined to load them, do so with great caution and expect to be screwed on anything less than a perfect delivery run. You'll do fine in that case. The one good thing is that they do pay promptly, of course less any fee deductions they decide to charge to the load.

If you think that's me hijacking a thread, then go load them and make your own history.

 

If anyone is guilty of jacking the thread it would be me LoL. I have to wonder about these grocery whse and their ways though. I understand what you are saying about the appointment times. But you have been there and seen the Roadways, FedEx freights, etc just come in back to a dock, offload and be on their way in 20 minutes like it's nothing. Now the jack ### broker when things went a little sideways is a whole nother matter. I had the same sort of situation with JB Hunt on a certain account of theirs and I swore them off because of it for a long time. I still will not touch that particular account but have since done a few other things with them here and there.

 

The deal with the freighthaulers, the fedexes, roadways, etc.. is that if you don't put them in door pronto they leave, and they simply say it like this, "refused delivery"...lol... cause they've only got one or two pieces, and they have something like 26 stops to do in a day....

Red should have been paid extra, I know it, you know it, the guy down the street knows it.....

I wouldn't be surprised to find out the accessorial was paid and the broker kept it.

It happens a lot.

Red handled it correctly. When they call him again, and they will, they'll find out that truckers have long memories also.

Personally, I'd have to say that, that was one dumass broker.