"Load Cancelled" game...

The receiver window was probably a typo. You’d be surprised how common it is for there to be typos or misinformation in the rate con. I call them back to get a new rate con whenever I find a significant typo on it. Sometimes they notice it first and resend a new rate con.

 

This is one of the reasons why I try not to book loads days in advance because there’s a greater chance that the load will be “cancelled” and likely for a cheaper rate. Now, if you agreed on their posted rate, then you might be in a less likely position of the load getting cancelled. Personally I like booking the same day so they have little time to double think the rate.

 

That's why I doubled the "fair" rate quote and he just happened to get an email from the shipper "cancelling" the load seconds after that

 

Oh, don't get me wrong. I think they just found a cheaper carrier and went with it. But it's not outside the realm of possibility they fixed the delivery time and reposted...
I know, I know. If that happened you have some oceanfront property in Arizona to sell...

 

Is there anything you can do to protect yourself from a cancellation? Can you negotiate a cancellation fee? I have heard TONU, but not exactly sure when it applies.

I know that some of these cancellations can cost valuable time, or even money in fuel spent deadheading there only to have it yanked.

 

I worked for a company that had contract rates in place with Miller/Coors. They would send us over anywhere from 50 to 100 tender offers a week, to which we'd (in the office) had to determine how many we should accept or reject based on capacity. Believe me, it's like hitting a moving target sometimes.

If we rejected too many, the owner would get a call from one of the suits at Miller/Coors threatening to cancel his contract.

However, it was not uncommon for them to send us same day tender cancellations due to "production" issues.

Following morning, a new ratecon shows up going to the same exact place with a new tender order number or pick up or delivery time.

"Sorry, no TONU or other compensation for you!" Even if you already committed a truck to that load. "Spend the night in the parking lot and hopefully we can get you something in the morning."

The way the contracts are spelled out are ALWAYS in the shippers or brokers favor. Just go back and reread your original Carrier Packet Contract from the Broker sometime.

No offense, sir, it's just business

 

If the broker said the load got “cancelled,” there is nothing that can be done. Now if the broker called saying that the shipper or delivery date and time got changed or an extra stop has been added, then there you can negotiate a new rate.

TONU can vary from broker to broker. TQL, a large brokerage company, will not count TONU unless you’ve been dispatched, which usually won’t happen until it’s the day to pick up the load. With other brokers, you need to ask them about their TONU policy when negotiating the load rate.

On a second thought, the broker/carrier agreement should have the broker’s TONU policy. I must admit I rarely read it! Hahaha.

 

Sometimes I deadhead some miles to a pick up. Their standard TONU being $150 is not what I even consider as a conciliation fee.
To be fair, I did happen to cancel very few the same day loads due to unforeseen circumstances not having to do with my ill will but rather unexpected and longer than usual detentions at preceding receivers or disagreements with shipper practices and I was not demanded any fall out fees, which I would not consider as justified anyways and would not most likely have paid them.

On one occasion Coyote had a clause in their rate confirmation stating that in case my trailer would be rejected at the shipper's sole discretion, I'd be liable for providing the replacement to cover that load. Whatever that meant, it was unacceptable for me and I refused that load after reading the rate con, maybe 30 minutes after I received it since I was busy eating my dinner at the time when it was finely emailed to me and I don't like to read my emails while I eat.

The broker employee himself was unaware of that clause and tried to convince me that they had never had problems at the shipper. I remained unconvinced.

 

I was wondering that too, if the truck was ever penalized for cancellation because of breakdown or held up at previous shipper or whatnot.

I’ve heard people warn of stacking too tight a schedule for the week, and was wondering how you are affected if you have to cancel a string of pickups because of unforeseen events. Like, is there a rating system on you that gets marked up? Is it different for a Landstar O/O then someone with their own numbers?

 

For what its worth ive seen various rate cons that say if u cancel on the day of the load then it is a 150 dollar fee or whatever amount the broker sets . Ive had loads cancel on me after i already deadheaded to the shipper. And got tonu each time. But that was when the shipper cancelled or somebody had already picked up the load.