Stop calling it a back haul

Bayou, u think they will be calling u by the end of month?

 

And at which point you will have new customers and the old ones will want you to haul for them when it hits the fan, but now you have new loyalty. Some of them just don't know what they have til they loose it.

 

My usual "backhaul" sort of fell through this time where I'm at. But I think I found a couple 4x4 Toyotas on craigslist I can part and scrap for some good $$$ so that's gonna be my backhaul tomorrow. More than one way to skin a crow (-;

 

Some shippers are always looking out to save a buck but I find that most always come back for the service. The brokers don't usually save them as much as people think, even TQL. They might have wanted you to do it for $1100 but were most lightly charging $18-1900, maybe even $2000.
Iv been in the suituation where a shipper would say "such & such will do it for $5000 (on a $7k load). I simply tell them, I bet they probably would if they had a truck in the area and ready to load!
But being as your on the phone with me and already know my rate which you've been happy with up to now, I'm guessing they don't have a truck ready for you when you need it?

I try not to assist in the bidding war, my price is my price, cutting it will only keep the shipper happy for a while till the next broker comes along. Our service is excellent, personalized and detail orientated, it's what sets us apart from the megas and brokers, if a shipper chooses a mega or broker over us because of price then they clearly didn't need our level of service. It's better to let them go and replace them with a customer that wants that high level of personal service that brokers and megas can't offer, rather than compete with brokers and megas in their arena. My best customers get to be my best customers simply by asking for a truck, not a price!
They are the ones that know a broker or mega can not service them in a way that we can and are happy that we don't rip them off, but they also understand we are here to make a profit so we may keep servicing their profitable business.

 

A local load for $270? Ridiculous, we charged $450. Sounds like a small company trying to get their foot in the door. Find out who they are, check them out to make sure they have insurance, check their CSA. They'll screw up and you'll get them back, or your customers customer will deny them entry for not having enough insurance or for being in alert status on too many basics.

 

$400 for a one off local? That's too cheap! $270 and that is crazy pricing.
I have a local customer that I have bent over backwards for over the last couple years. They spend 6 months to a year building their complex oversize multimillion dollar equipment, and have now started shipping with the lowest bidder( typically a broker) Oh well, good luck with that. If 10% lower freight rates are going to keep you from calling the driver that you know by name and lives down the street from hauling your 2 million dollar high tech 12 wide load, you get what you pay for. I used to bring back their dunnage on my top deck for free when they asked from 400 miles away.