Take a 34 on us.......:)

Wow. That would suck.

 

If my detention exceeds 8 hrs, we charge it as a layover, otherwise, depending on the customer it's $95 to $150 per hour detention, and I get 30%.,

 

100% agree. I call ahead once im loaded if i never been to the place before.. Naturally its because most of the deliveries are going to jobsites and u have to call to get directions...but even warehouses i do it as well.... does van and reefer guys not do that ?

 

No, because most of the time the answer is less than useless.

For example 2 weeks ago I had a "critical load" according to the shipper. I was going to be tight on hours to deliver and get to safe/legal parking. I called once loaded, gave them an eta of 1630 and was told "okay, back into dock 12 as soon as you get here". I got there, bumped the dock, and went to the office. Locked up tight. They went home at 1600.

Most of the time you can't even get someone on the phone. One of the customers I go to has a number listed on the BOL which matches the info you can get from google, but that number can get you directions into the place and that's it. When you get to the place there is a number listed on the door to call receiving that has a different zip code than the number on the BOL (west Chicago suburbs - cross the street to the south you are in a different city, go one block east and you're in City 2, go two blocks west and you're in City 3, go three blocks west and you're back in City 1).

My company REALLY doesn't like drivers calling into customers, mainly because of the volume of business we do with certain customers. If you are the the customer and you're getting 10 Company X loads delivered every day, M-F, and each driver calls asking the same question - a question you've explicitly answered to the carrier's CS department - how long are you going to keep doing business with that carrier?

 

That would seriously piss me off . If i cant even get somebody on the phone.... But then again i can see why u say its useless if u dont need directions to the place or whos unloading u....

Typical flatbed load is calling for directions , usually they will tell u where they want u exactly, and how to get into the jobsite, and who to talk to when u get there.

Very detailed instructions down to the t , most of the times... sometimes the directions consist of "meet me this place at this time and ill escort u to the jobsite" or u can be like some guys and show up unnanounced and complain when they wont load u or u dont know where to go and hold everybody else up in the process.... Think if i ever did van trailers id be the guy calling ahead just out of habit, and annoying the #### out of everyone.

 

Yet another reason my company is me. I cherry pick the freight, I call when/if I need or want to and have no problem bugging lots of people to make sure I'm taken care of. Does it always work? Of course not but I have a pretty good record of making it work. I've got nothing better to do sitting in my truck than call people. And, worst case, if we all did this it might let some warehouse folks know that WE TOO have lives and schedules, etc. Read that sentence again if you think that I'm looking for special treatment. I'm not. I have a schedule to keep just like the docks. If they say on the phone that it's going to be awhile I always say I'll be happy to help unload or unload. I am serious but I always get shut down on that one. Everyone is worrried more about lawsuits than getting a job done.

I just love it when brokers get ill about this. I tell them the exact same thing. If they choose to not work with me again then there was probably a reason they didn't want me to call and I don't want to go back anyway.

 

I always remember the Denver BMC Mail Facility, on the front counter was a phone and three typed letters:

Letter 1 IF YOU ANSWER THIS PHONE, YOU MUST BE ABLE TO SPEAK ENGLISH CLEARLY AND PROPERLY, AND BE ABLE TO READ THE BELOW MESSAGE, ANYONE WHO CALLS ON THIS PHONE WILL BE ASKING FOR DIRECTIONS TO THIS FACILITY

Letter 2: Directions from I-80 in Nebraska via I-76 and Directions from I-70 west bound from Limon (to account for trucks that might come up 287 from Texas)

Letter 3: Directions from I 70 EB from Grand Junction, Directions from I-25 NB or SB