Stepping Out With My Own Numbers

Booked my first load with CONVOY today. I’ve been wanting to try them out. Booked a short run from PA to Queens paying very well. Everything is done inside the app and if you scan everything in via the app, you’re paid in one business day. There are no fees for the standard quick pay as long as you use the app. As far as ease of service goes I’d say they’re as good as Coyote. I like the way Coyote does things when it comes to the big guys.

 

Went smooth except for getting in and out of there. I picked up an air freight load out of JFK and had to huff it up here to upstate NY. It was four large metal containers of NASCAR tires. Had to be kept between 59-77 degrees. Must be some high tech tires to need temp servic

 

Close, it’s a place just outside Buffalo.

 

My driver is getting ready to hit the road again. After all the issues with the KW I bought I got him ASAP to do some other things. I had an emissions service done, air leak fixed, clutch adjusted, wheel seal fixed, oil changed, Espar heater needed soot cleaned out, and the trailer I bought needed some welding done. Utility covered the repair on the trailer. It had been repaired previously but wasn’t done well and the Scuff liner completely separated from the floor, about 30 feet worth, it was pretty bad. He’ll load out in the morning and hopefully I won’t have any issues out of it for awhile. I spent 8 months worth of maintenance cost in the first month of owning this thing. If you’re thinking about buying a used CFI truck, don’t do it, they don’t keep up their maintenance.

 

That’s my aim with this. When I was a dispatcher I felt the biggest reason turnover was so high and so many guys are PO’d all the time was due to companies not managing expectations. I’m trying to show what it’s really like. When it comes to numbers and what I’m making it sounds great and easy but I don’t talk about all the little things that go into it. There are days that I am on the phone the majority of the day trying to find a load that works. Or, I’m sending emails for several hours to different people resolving issues with my ELD, tax stuff, invoices that haven’t been paid, etc. Most of what I post is just a summary.
I’m glad the driver is rolling again; he’s sick of sitting around with the truck. I’ve made things right a little, I paid him 500.00 for his time in Indianapolis waiting on the truck and I’ve paid him 300.00 to sit at the house until the truck and trailer were ready.
Both Summit Truck Group And Utility have done right in getting these issues resolved. I didn’t go in, guns blazing, like I felt doing but approached it from an angle of, this a pretty raw deal for me and I just bought the thing so, it’s pretty obvious it didn’t happen in my possession.
As mad as you may be about something, think, how would the owner or CEO of Maverick, JB Hunt, or Knight handle this? Those guys are in that position and run profitable companies for a reason, despite what you think about them. How you present yourself to brokers, salesmen, and service people greatly affects the outcome of your situation.

 

My salesman invited me to an event on the 6th in Arkansas regarding the new A26 motor. It’s a half day event as part of their national tour to educate and promote the A26. I told him I would try to be there. Only half a day I could load myself through there to attend and then get going again. There is going to be some engineers from Navistar there who I could give some real world feedback too. I’ve been very impressed with it.

 

I just scored another interesting load from MN to OK. It’s a load of aircraft parts that has to be run at -10. Must be some pretty high tech stuff.