When Broker's laugh at your rates.........

I field calls all day long from rude brokers. Mumblers, fast talkers, sketchy bottom feeders with bad credit get attitudes when you ask for their MC. Had several hang up on me today alone simply because I wouldn't do an intrastate move for them. It's shocking how many aren't aware their bond doesn't cover it for those moves. Or maybe they do and they're looking to burn an ignorant Carrier?

 

It’s just business. Really... don’t worry about it. If you never have these things happen to you then you run too cheap. People get frustrated on the other end of the phone just the same as when rates are crap and you will likely do the same one day. Heck, truckers drive to Washington DC and demand all kinds of government intervention and ##### ##### #####. You don’t think a broker gets upset after hearing the same crap trying to cover their too low prices load that their sales guy has? At least they aren’t in DC complaining. lol.

Don’t get emotional about it, just move on. Better yet get knowledgeable where you can tell them what’s up vs the other way around. Knowledge is power, power is leverage, leverage is higher rates.

 

Deadhead
Fuel
Truck/trailer (old iron constantly being fixed or financed brand new equipment every 3-4 years)
Insurance
The 8 million little regulatory expenses
Tires
Oil chgs
Pm misc (lights, brakes, etc)
Driver

Its really easy to ballpark 2.50-3.00/ listed miles before you actually make any profit. And thats before you take industry specific stuff into account.

If you find 1.50 loaded miles to be a good breakeven, you need to pay your driver slave wages, get 9 mpg and NEVER break down/blow a tire.

When blair says thats with equipment paid off, what should they do if and eventually when a frame rail needs replaced to the tune of 15-30k? Is that "alimony payment" that shouldnt be included in price of operation? Is a paid off 20 year old trucks full electrical system gut and replace tonthe tune of 30k in parts and labor a "gambling addiction"?

With all due respect, youre a broker or company driver with no idea what it takes to run a reliable trucking service.

And thats for COMPETENT drivers running the vehicle. Lord knows a bad driver will cost more because they dont care about fuel cost, or how theyre trashing a transmission, or even backing over some guys hood at a truck stop.

 

Spot on! What's "absurd" is some pencil pushing office dweller dictating a motor carrier's cost of operation or a port roach bottom feeder and his duct taped equipment and covered plates to beat the tolls expecting others to run in the same fashion. It's NOT a level playing field out here and it never wil be.

 

At a buck fifty a mile, they will always be the low bidder..

 

This thread is like a Neiman-Marcus store manager getting upset when a K-mart shopper sees his price tags, then laughs in his face and leaves the store.

 

The receiver is not laughing , when the low bidder doesn't show up with the load

 

You must be a low bidder.

 

Must be a real fancy APU, or a very short Loan Term...