Dino's day of Adventure - want to be an owner operator?

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by Dino soar, Oct 18, 2020.

  1. Dino soar

    Dino soar Road Train Member

    4,589
    21,825
    Dec 8, 2017
    0
    *** Long Post

    So the day starts out for me like any other day. Calling Brokers of course. Call after call after call after call.

    Sorry I just booked the load. Got it covered. Got it covered. Got it covered. That load only pays $400. That load only pays $150. Yes someone actually said that to me.

    Sorry load is gone. Just booked it. Just booked it. Just booked it. Just booked it.

    Then I see a load that I did the day before. Nice people to deal with, Easy in and out, good pay.

    I see this as I refresh my screen... 0 minutes... I get on the phone instantly! I am the first person to call on this load, I literally saw it the second it was posted.

    Please hold. So I'm on hold for maybe half a minute or so, and I get disconnected.

    I call back. Please hold. I'm on hold for maybe half a minute or so and I get disconnected.

    I call back. Please hold. I'm on hold maybe half a minute or so I get disconnected again.

    Call back again. Please hold. The broker comes on the phone and says I'm so sorry I saw that you called I know you called here a few times but my headphones are crackling up today. He apologizes for that.

    I say well you actually hung up on me three times, but here's the load I'm interested in. Sorry just booked it.

    So now I'm like WTF? Time is passing. Hours are passing. It is looking like I'm not going to get any load for the day.
    That's not acceptable. I have a family obligation next week and I need to work today.

    So I take a deep breath and relax. Be like water. Calm. Still.

    So I refresh my phone and I see a load that picks up nearby. I call. By the way this is Friday, maybe 11:30 or so.

    He tells me that the load picks up today at 2:45 but does not deliver until Sunday evening. I negotiated a rate I was happy with, but I would have liked to have gotten more because it had to sit on the truck over the weekend, but okay I'll take it.

    Then I find a short load that I can pick up right after that load it takes me right back to my house. A little less than I would like, but the times were perfect and it takes me right back to home

    Life is good again. Now all I can see are rainbows and farts that smell like roses.

    Dino is back!

    So after I relax in my truck for a few hours I head over to the pickup. It is literally about three minutes away from where I was sitting.

    Hi I'm here to pick up such and such load. Well this is odd mr. Dino, I don't see your load number in our system. Go hang outside for a few minutes and I'm going to look further into this.

    About 10 minutes later he comes out to me and says Mr Dino I apologize to you. We have made a clerical error and your load was never scheduled. It will have to be rescheduled.

    So now I'm like WTF? I spent the last couple of hours in my truck dreaming about rainbows and farts that smell like roses and I could have been finding an actual load. The day is gone now... it's after 3 in the afternoon!

    To the Broker's credit he instantaneously issued me a TONU. Okay, I only drove 3 minutes down the road so that helps...

    So here I am again with no load.

    Once again I take a breath and relax. Be like water. Calm. Still.

    I refresh my phone and I see not one load but two loads that are excellent loads and I would be happy doing either one of them.

    One of them you respond by email one of them I have to call.

    After this crazy day I instantly call the first one, and as soon as the phone rings I email the second one. I give them my rate, I tell them I am one hour away, and I'm already set up in their system.

    Meanwhile the other broker put me on hold. I checked the email. Incorrect address not deliverable, which is odd because I've done other loads for them and that address is in my email...

    Okay I manually type it in. Come on man! I know I'm the first person to respond to this!

    Now the broker I called gets on the phone. What is your MC number? I'm sorry mr. Dino you are not in our system.

    Yes, I am in your system. I did the packet some time ago because I knew at some point I would do a load for you. Well mr. Dino you are not in our system.

    Here's a phone number that you can call and they will take care of this and I will make sure that I expedite it on my end since you already filled out the paperwork.

    What about the load?
    Nothing I can do about that please just call the number and we'll go from there.

    So I check my email. Again address undeliverable. So I hand-write every single solitary letter by hand on my notepad and copy that into the email as I am calling the second number. Hit send.

    I call the second number.
    Get the typical menu that I have to navigate through. I finally get to the person I need.

    Well the problem mr. Dino is that you are not in our system. But I filled out all the paperwork. Yes I see that so let me clarify. You are in our system but no one can see you in our system.

    Something happened on our end when you set up your information that it wasn't completely and totally processed. It is not your fault it is our error.

    I know you filled out your information so I will expedite it, just call your insurance agent and have them send over Insurance to us.

    Great! I'm sure that load will still be there by the time it gets done...

    I check my email. Mr. Dino your rate was 1350 we have a carrier that says he will do it for 1200. If you beat that you can have the load.

    I have done many loads for this brokerage. They either accept your offer, they counter-offer or just don't answer. I have never had them actively try to get me to drop my price against another carrier.

    They actually told me if I beat his price before he filled out the packet they would give me the load.

    That is something I am completely against.

    It puzzles me that they tell me they have an offer and I can't understand why they didn't just give it to him.

    Well mister ABC brokerage, the best thing I can tell you is I will do it for 1,200 send me a rate con I'm already in your system I'm 1 hour away that's the best I can do. And the 1200 really was the lowest I was willing to go.

    In the meantime I call the insurance company. Please send the Certificate of Insurance to XYZ company.
    Mr. Dino I don't understand this but the email is hanging in my outbox. This never happens so please bear with me. Finally it goes..

    I check my email. We need you to lower the price to give you the load. I'm battling my coworker as we speak for the load.

    So I say give me 1199 for the load and send me a rate con now!

    Now I call the broker back. She says yes okay now we got it. I see you in the system. We're ready to go. Great! How about the load? Sorry mr. Dino the load is gone.

    Okay, I quickly take a breath let's check the email.

    Sorry mr. Dino, the other carrier dropped his price to $1,100. The load is gone.
    Again tired, bewildered, and frustrated, I think WTF?

    A long time ago I worked for a guy that used to tell me some days you get the bear some days the Bear gets you. I guess today the bear got me. I have literally been at this for well over 8 hours now...

    Guess I better head home and forget this day ever happened. So many things have happened out of the ordinary on this day I guess I better just pack it in and say f it.

    So I take a deep breath and sit. Be like water. Calm. Still.

    I refresh my phone and I see 0 minutes... from the same brokerage I just got off the phone with. Another load that I would be happy to do.

    Now after everything that happened, I wasn't angry or pissed off or anything, just more beat up over the whole day.

    So the broker answers the phone and I say, look nothing personal but I'm really having a rough day. In order for me to do this load I have to get $1,500, that's it.

    However that worked out, he just had a very calm straightforward type of demeanor.

    He said I'm sorry but I can't give you 1500. I really can only give you 1400 that is the absolute maximum that I can do on this load. Considering that the load was listed for $1,100, I said hang on a minute let me add this up again. The numbers were great.

    So I took the load for $1,400. I made hundreds of dollars more than any of the loads I called on, including the crazy one that I emailed back and forth. And it took me more than an entire workday to get that load.

    So what is the lesson in all of this?

    First of all if you want to be an owner operator, it's not all rainbows and farts that smell like roses. There's a lot of mental fortitude that you need and decisions that have to be made.

    Second, sometimes crap happens. You've got to roll with it the best you can, be determined and disciplined. Sometimes it will work out sometimes it won't. I was fortunate that my determination won in the end.

    Lastly, don't be like that moron carrier that dropped his price. He should have told them that they agreed to give him the load at that price and that's the price they're going to give it to him for. Whoever that was, he is an effing idiot.

    That's the kind of cheap butt plug carrier that causes this industry problems because he won't stand his ground, always happy to say it's okay I'll do it for Less I'll do it for less, just give me the load. AFTER THEY ALREADY AGREED ON THE RATE.

    That moron has no idea what he's doing or the way things work.

    I have had something like that happen before and I stuck to my guns and they gave me the load at the correct price.

    That idiot did the load and made $100 less and I got a load that I made several hundred more.

    What a day.

    And as the rates go down, there probably will be more days like this.

    Well hopefully not quite like this but you get the idea.
     
    Last edited: Oct 18, 2020
  2. Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.

  3. AModelCat

    AModelCat Road Train Member

    27,627
    144,550
    Jul 7, 2015
    Canuckistan
    0
    And folks think you can just buy a truck and hire a driver......
     
  4. 062

    062 Road Train Member

    5,839
    31,552
    Oct 20, 2013
    0
  5. Judge

    Judge Road Train Member

    11,024
    70,574
    Mar 19, 2014
    Newport, Ar
    0

    .....

    I quit reading after I dropped the rate to 1200.
    I tell them I’ll do it for what was posted, if you try to drop the rate from day $1300 to $1200.


    My rate change goes to $1400, for wasting my time, the one thing in life you can never get back is time.
    If you keep on, the next jump goes to $500.

    “So Judge, how do you make any money?!” You ask.
    “The Judge does just fine, from my time with LS and their agents, that WILL try all the time to drop the rate, guess whose pocket that money goes in?
    The rate didn’t drop, broker just taking a bigger cut.”

    I’ve Deadheaded from Memphis, Tn to Sioux City IA before 730 miles to an agent I dealt with a ton.
    Got a good rate, and even made it worthwhile to DH.

    I’d not deal with that same broker...
    Regardless, I’m not a panhandler begging for your freight.
     
  6. Dino soar

    Dino soar Road Train Member

    4,589
    21,825
    Dec 8, 2017
    0
    Well this place they want you to give them an offer. There is no amount listed.

    I always give them a high offer I know they're not going to accept. Or if they really have to move the freight they might get close or even just give it to me at that price.

    I gave them a price of 1350 knowing 1200 is what I would do it for but no less.

    But I completely get your point.
     
  7. blairandgretchen

    blairandgretchen Road Train Member

    12,001
    60,365
    Dec 9, 2011
    South west Missouri
    0
    Learn this one -

    “Hi - I’m 30 miles away and you’ve got yourself a truck for $1500”

    If they say, “Can your driver do it for $1300?”

    “”No sir, $1500 and you’ve got a truck on it now - and you’re speaking with the driver - call me if I can help”

    Thank them, and goodbye.
     
  8. Ridgeline

    Ridgeline Road Train Member

    20,660
    100,392
    Dec 18, 2011
    Michigan
    0
    Wait ... ?!?

    you mean I can’t make a million dollars just buying a truck and hiring a driver?
     
  9. Wasted Thyme

    Wasted Thyme Road Train Member

    7,729
    38,291
    Jan 27, 2020
    GOAT watching
    0
    Of course you can. Haven't you seen the millionaire club yet?
     
    Lumper Humper, PPDCT, Vampire and 2 others Thank this.
  10. Rideandrepair

    Rideandrepair Road Train Member

    16,472
    53,813
    Aug 8, 2015
    0
    Always a roller coaster ride. Usually works out better. Not always, but usually. You never know. Hardest part is not getting too stressed out. Just not worth it. There’s always another Load. Till then, relax. take a break, or head home.
     
  • Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.