What tools do you use daily? Load Boards, rate tools, carrier vetting, tracking, etc.

I always email when picking up or delivering. "Oh the tracking isn't very accurate" then why the F do you use it then. The food service company I worked for could tell what street I was on within a few minutes.

 

Better than I could say it.

I've had it both ways. "You don't have to call, we already know where you are." Or, why haven't you called yet. Well I was getting around to it but you called me 1st

 

So did someone engaged in brokering respond to the OP ?

 

I don't think so. OP should probably know if he doesn't already that this is mostly a truckers forum. Most of the brokers here in the brokers section have disappeared or gotten really quiet since the rates took a dive. Can't blame them. They're probably still reading.

Most of the best advice IMO comes from the few here who are brokers and company owners are are/were drivers. You know who you are.

 

Just want to point out. most of us got quiet before the rates started to drop because of all of the abuse the "trucker" heap on us when we do respond. As far as this thread, if you don't know what you need to do your job, you aren't ready to do the job.

Edit to add: as @boredsocial and @PPDCT would say, get on with a broker and learn the business on their dime then open your own. This is the way.

 

WOW

 

If your tracking on macro and i still have to call you, its because your not updating the tracking correctly or i need to confirm what the reefer is set to because the temp tale my customer put in the load is pinging them out of range on the temps..... Do yo know how many times ive had a guy run his reefer on cycle? or because he wanted to sleep at night he turned it off for 6 hours? Driver do really, really, stupid things all of the time. 50% need to be babysat and have their hands held the whole trip. SO i find it hilarious you guys are complaining about having to use a dang app that tracks you.

 

WOW get some better drivers. Some guys are at it over 50 years. Or continue to babysit.

 

Much rather use the old timers. Problem is they are all retiring and the new crop has 2 weeks of trucker school training and cant even back up correctly. Keep in mind i run 125 loads a week. Are there 125 good drivers at my disposal each week? Unfortunately no, there arent.

 

Our brokerage uses all of these.

If you have to pick just one DAT is the most expensive but will get you access to the most capacity, and you will absolutely need rateview to help you with pricing out new lanes.

Safer isn't going to tell you that the the 1 inspection glendale carrier is actually a double brokering shyster, but carrier411 will let you know due to the 15 FGs against them for double brokering.

We use Macropoint, we've integrated with Fourkites on behalf of other customers but I don't really have any comparison points.

For the guy that said we are selling data and that's why we use the app, you have a bad read. Anyone in business with Macropoint has to share the data, but it's legally protected based on contract/NDA language, and is mandatory to do business with them. So there isn't any kickback or anything like that. The reason it's requested so often is because every load that has MP doesn't need to be manually tracked (or if it does it's to a much lesser extent) and many shippers now require it.

You can go full tinfoil hat mode and rant and rave how you don't want people tracking you, but my suspicion is that long term it will be harder and harder for carriers that don't accept MP or Fourkites to get paid the same (or even book their truck) until it eventually becomes a non-option.