Rates are low so sometimes you just have to tell the agent NO

If I could find brokers like you who are willing to build business relationships, I have no doubt that would be true. Unfortunately I haven't found any of your caliber yet that work with reefers in my lanes. Maybe some day.

 

This is too hard. I'm going to JBHUNT.

 

I couldn't agree more. I'm one truck running spot with just a few regulars and I'm starting to stay within certain lanes, mostly to get good runs from those few regulars.

Of course this is going to sound like I'm bragging but I give exceptional service. I don't commit to what I can't do. I get all info up front (and regret it when I don't) and I communicate more than most. I have no problem with tracking. I am polite on the phone. I take care of problems quickly and have probably only cancelled a load twice out of the few hundred I've run for truck problems. Neither of those were even day of.

Still.....I have been trying and trying to get some brokers with good loads/customers to keep me on their lists and work with me regularly and they just won't call. I know that some of them know I'll expect a little more compensation for better service and they just don't seem to be interested. It blows my mind that they will take their chances on Fly by Night trucking instead of going with someone trustworthy who has come through for them several times.

 

It's the driver sitting for free. Not the company raking in the detention.

Thats why I despise sitting.

One time FFE left me and wife to babysit Americold in Salinas CA for about 84 hours straight. Burned just about all of our fuel precooling at frozen and running tractor for three days and nights waiting. It's a good thing Americold finally told us to dock because we were fixing to call a local fuel dealer to come fill us up with 430 gallons of fuel at market rate against our credit card.

You can bet your bibby FFE got their detention. We did not get a #### thing. And a team to boot.

Never again. That was the last time anyone says emergency go to such a such... This was late spring of 2001. A total botch. Even today I am still chiseling a little temper on that one.

I swear if there is ever a next time a dispatcher or better yet Ops Manager saying there is a immediate emergency to cover a load that isnt ready in one hour, we will simply walk away from it, they can call us at the hotel when it's #### well ready. Not a minute before.

 

Yep, that's exactly what I'm finding. Doing an excellent job doesn't carry much weight with most brokers. I've hauled over 80 loads with Convoy alone this year without a single fall off or late arrival/delivery. My trailer is always clean, I dress professionally and keep my rig clean inside and out. But if I book a load through a broker and they ask how much I need, I'll give them a straight answer. If Ali-Babba trucking will haul it for less than me even after I've signed a ratecon, they always get the load through a broker. Using Convoy or Uber, I just have to refresh the screen and it's first come, first serve. No competition to speak of and no cancelled loads because I was undercut by another carrier. I prefer doing business that way.

Speaking of Convoy, if anybody is looking for a reefer load from the PNW to the south, there is a load on there right now from Prosser WA to Robert LA at $5,400 or $2.30 a mile for a pickup on Monday the 11th. That's a good rate out of the PNW. It's a bit far for me and getting a back haul from LA to CA would be nearly impossible. Besides I'm already booked for the next week.

 

Bet you won't.

 

See, the biggest issue for me having more "regulars" is lane consistency. The nature of my customers' work doesn't see a lot of lane consistency. In the areas where I'm able to have consistent go-to guys, it's mostly local work, or in one case, it's a run that pops up a few times a month on lane(s) that I know my go-to company in that area likes to run. I was able to make that happen twice this week for those guys. It's generally nice to be able to make a phone call, or fire up a text to my preferred guys and go, "Hey- I've got load X you've done for me before. You want it?" No quibbling, no haggling, and no worry on my end that it's not going to get done.

Most of my customers ship all over the place, and it's sporadic. Hard for folks to plan around or work in, unless they've got multiple trucks.

 

I noticed that we have some what I call "Insurance loads." Load will book out maybe week or 10 days in advance at a much better rate than what's surrounding it. Low and behold load cancels 2 to 4 days before it's scheduled.

It didn't cancel. It got farmed out at the going spot.

The shipper just wanted to make sure his load was covered.

That's not the agents fault. I've learned how to see those coming.

 

Yeah I get it. Loads aren't always consistent and low capacity for O/O's doesn't make it any easier. We do have a lot of year round consistent lanes here in the west, but getting your foot in the door with so much competition is very difficult.

No, in that case it's not the brokers fault. But especially with the very large brokerages I think it has more to do with them finding another carrier at a lower rate. As I mentioned before, I've hauled over 80 loads for Convoy this year and I've had just one cancel before I picked it up, compared to my last 3 attempted loads with TQL that all cancelled a couple hours before I was scheduled to pick them up. But that probably has more to do with Convoy penalizing shippers and carriers if they consistently pull stuff like that. As a carrier, if I fall off on more than 4 loads, they don't allow me to ship for them any longer. Pretty harsh, but it keeps people honest which I like as long as the same rules apply to shippers. Uber doesn't apply the same rules to shippers and carriers, and I find that it's more difficult to find decent paying loads on their app compared to Convoy, at least in my preferred lanes.

 

We have a small percentage of agents that will hold a shipper or customers feet to the fire. Very small.