Posting For Good and Bad Brokers

New to this site. My bad. Sorry.

 

My only point I'm trying to make is that if the drivers, (us), would work together then we can control freight rates out here. The problem is you can't get drivers to agree on anything. We are our own worst enemy. If we would, all of us, agree on a number per mile and not pull for anything less, say 2.25 a mile for example, then we are working smarter not harder and we can control the industry. Not the brokers.

 

Markets markets markets! I can get 4-5 per mile with my reefer but go the other way? Doesn't come close to that. Lucky for 2-2.50. It's all about supply and demand. If we all stood together and said we aren't hauling from the middle of South Dakota to California for less than 2.25 then the few loads there are would move for 2.25 and when we got to the destination the guy who got 2.25 says he will take the load that was once 4-5 into a dead zone he will do it for 3.50. It's a never ending battle, you'll never get truck drivers to agree on anything. Don't even get me started on the guys who think they will make money by hauling for less because they think they can eek out a profit from improved fuel mileage.

 

I'm new to this whole negotiation thing dealing with brokers.

EDIT: Dealing with Sunteck Transport out of Florida

So I think i was shafted by accepting a load last week. Took a load for 7k lbs from Tampa to Charlotte, NC... 1 pick, 1 drop. No touch to driver. 2 days in transit (red flag)

Driver arrives at the receiver/consignee and was asked to drop trailer. Funny because broker made no mention of dropping trailer, just No touch to driver. Oh well we dropped it, and sat around and broker calls. I tell him we're early but the manager agrees to unload early, broker says but he's not gonna get unloaded for another 20 hours.....WHAT?!?! what going on? I just dropped the trailer, their warehouse worker hook OUR trailer and back it in, What do you mean their not unloading him? "he's gonna have to sit around you know what i mean?"

At this point I know i messed up somewhere either by not asking the right questions or letting the broker and his agent walk all over me. Keep in mind I'm really new to the trucking business and been only doing this for about 4 months. I have read roughly 70% of the thread and i thank all the contributors for telling their story. But is this a new kind of low that the broker and his agent were planning? or did i get taken advantage of?

 

You covered some contract carrier's drop and hook load. Not a big deal it happens all the time. But normally it's not some dirt bag broker forgetting to mention this small detail. Was it a Home Depot load from a Landstar agency? There is one LS agency notorious for this dirty trick. Got me and several of our guys a few years ago.

I remember we got corporate involved and the agency ended up paying an extra $500. Which sucked cause my trailer was in Alabama over a weekend but I was able to bobtail home. They would sucker people in with a $3+ a mile rate which was above normal.

I have done these where the broker was upfront and booked them at really high rate that covers the lost day. And I have passed up on a bunch of them. Most times they only want to pay somewhat above average and for you to pretend the lost day doesn't matter.

So you got burned. Now you can argue about detention with them and have fun with that. Remember who this broker is scratch them off your list of people you can work with. Remember the customer. If anyone has freight going to that customer always ask if it is a drop/destination load or live unload in the future. In our case Mr Landstar broker was taking advantage of outside carriers so he could rake more off the rate with loads that should never have been brokered out in the first place.

Greed and unethical practices know no bounds. This is why on any drop/destination load I always make sure to stick to anyone. And I don't get them often. But who needs the horse #### of one anyways, right?

 

rollin thanks for the input, greatly appreciated! My driver was just emptied and now on his way back home after a long weekend....poor dude. It was a FTL of empty soda and beer cans to some independent beverage company in NC.

Just curious if TTR would consider detention if we arrived earlier than what was on the load con.? I know we get "fined" for being late on some loads, but the contract that i signed never mentioned "rewards" for early delivery.

Just trying to squeeze the piggy dry, that's all.

 

Sunteck isn't exactly known for grand rates, but I wouldn't put them in the dirtbag category. We've hauled a few of theirs that were unremarkable.

You need to set expectations in writing, on the rate confirmation. Unless otherwise agreed to, the only thing they owe you provided you are unloaded within 2-3 hours of your appointed delivery time is an "attaboy." It's something worth asking about in advance, since there are a few places that will fine you for an early delivery just like a late one.

You should file this thing in the "better not assume anything" file and remember it next time you consider a schedule like this.

To add to what @rollin coal mentions, anytime you're offered a better than average rate, there are nearly always strings attached. Don't be surprised. Extra drops. Driver assist. Product is something real nasty. The likelihood of something being weird about a load goes up proportionally to how high above market average your rate is.

 

OMG I have a LOT of reading to do! 77 pages! My first 2 loads as owner op were for specialized LLC and then TMC.....I pray they pay!

 

Would you mind naming a few of those " real brokers"?
I know most of them are a total rip off. they take over 50% of each load you book. Which mean for every load they book in one day they make nearly the same amount (for each one) you take a few days to do.... so wrong...
Car movers for example... my sister in law finally got one broker to get her car on a truck to MO.
she was asked to pay $1800...(previous quotes were lower, $1200 but they never came to pick up the car, waited over 1 week) come to find out from the driver: his company gets paid $895 for that specific car.
Their take 50% per car.
I will asked her for the name of the broker and post it here when I have a chance.

 

How big is your load. How much of the deck space will it take?
GA is it for Georgia Atlanta to somewhere in Colorado?
that is 1700 miles. no one should move this distance for less than $3400 depending on picking up other loads along the way.
Say 2 more small load can be picked up divide the 3 loads that's: $1,133 each
$700 is pretty cheap.

You are likely the furthest away from drop.
you need a small truck maybe a private person with a medium trailer or the back of a pick up truck, not a commercial freight semi truck business.
Large truck incur much bigger expenses, that it be an O/O or a company.