Bypassing the Brokers

I am the shipper that started this thread and the best people I deal with are the 1 or 2 truck operations. Keep them coming.

 

Doesnt your insurance cover those kind of claims

 

Carrier assumes all risk all the time, including all the time and fuel wasted due to broker, shipper, consignee screw ups.

 

One more reason to be a broker

 

I couldn't do it. I have morals and that gets in the way. My first job was in sales but I only lasted 2 weeks. I quit because the stuff I was selling was overpriced and you'd be better off buying at the local hardware store. I'd make the pitch, close then let them off the hook. Getting the sale was fun though.

 

Yes and no. The receiver refuses the product for whatever reason, and the shipper says I was the reason for the refusal, so automatically puts a claim on "me" for the market value of the load. Yesterday price on a load of flowers 2 days from Valentines is pretty ridiculous. Now remember they are also being charged from their customer for their "loss of income" estipulated on most yearly contracts with the big guys.

So here I am with a truckload of flowers that I'm looking to dump somewhere at fifteen cents on a dollar. Now I have to go after the trucker / trucking company insurance, and they might or might not pay for it. Either way it will be dragged for months. They don't really care. Worse case scenario they can't load with me anymore, so they only have another bizillion people to load with. Me, I have to pay up and do it quickly, or the customer tells me "you are not going to be tendered another load until this matter is resolved".

So there you have it. Being a broker is exciting!!

 

Wrong. You can claim your load rate ($2000.00 or $3000.00) with your insurance on the same insurance claim. If they pay the claim you get paid. If they don't, you lose two or three grand. Instead, I lose the whole amount of the load. Now who loses more?

 

The carrier's insurer will be paying for the flowers. Maybe I'm not understanding what you're saying.....I doubt you are telling us that you are just going to let the shipper put a claim on you and you're not going after the carrier's cargo?

This is assuming it's the carrier's fault, which is what the broker will say.

If it's not the carrier's fault then maybe they won't pay. Nor should they.

 

What I'm saying is:

a) Insurance company might not pay for it. They will find any excuse not to pay, like "insurance companies do". I'm sure you are familiar with insurance procedures.
b) Even if they pay for it, it might drag over for many months. In the meantime, I have to fork that money upon request to my customer. Shoot, they just withold that money from what they owe me anyway!!
c) The percentage of insurance companies not paying is pretty high. The broker agent is the one losing the most.

I get tired of drivers saying "you're just a guy behind the desk and you know nothing about trucking" and they are 100% correct. I know squat about what to be a trucker is. I do know is pretty darn hard to do and I could not do it. Because I know this, I have a lot of respect for drivers in general. More so, I have owner operators that I manage and I know what it is from that end. I also know I've been told many times I am the best dispatcher they ever had, and I take pride in having people skills and I'm not afraid going and arguing with my superior over my driver's issues.

Now that being said it ticks me off when truckers think we live the "Miami Vice" life. Being a broker is not easy, I don't get "days off" either from the brokerage side nor the trucking side, like most drivers they don't get paid enough on their rate per mile I assure you I don't get paid enough on my rate by the hour given to the business. I miss my kid's school special events, and put too much weight on my wife to raise my family for me because I'm always working. I neglect my health because I eat poorly, always on the run and I'm too beat up tired as hell to exercize even if I happen to find the time to do it. I also saw when my boss had the unfortunate event of 3 claims within a month that cost him in excess of 150K and almost went belly up because of it.

 

Not sure how big you are but that seems like a bunch of claims to me