Truck Load Rates Halt 8 Week Slide 2.0

Good now

 

Bought my townhouse (zip 60073) in 2005 for 155k $....sold 2017 for 130k $...today average sell still below that 05' price...

 

Does anyone know if the emergency exemption is still in place or not?

Did it expire 9-1?

 

It’s extended thru November.

 

When I arrived to pick up a water load, at midnight, I was informed over the gate speaker that the product is delayed and I need to leave the facility and wait for them to call me. There was no indication of how long the delay would be for. Their delays are no less than 3-5 hours, if not cancelled at all.
Instead of finding a spot at a nearby truck stop and duly wait, irritated by the situation, I went straight back home. They called me 45 minutes later with a door...30 minutes after the appointment. I told them that I have strict appointment policies and we can reschedule the pick up to my another available slot, which is next Saturday or else they need to find another truck. Hmm...this may not be a good business thinking with negative consequences such as:

1. The broker might not remember it well.
2. Shipper might not remember it well.
3. Loss of fuel and revenue for that load, that if executed as planned could have earned $750 of profit over 7 hours of nightly engagement.

On the other hand...

Not arriving at Costco on time, could mean rescheduling...and that on a load that pays $900/80 miles and is supposed be delivered 5 hours after the pick up (1 hour deadhead to the shipper and 30 minutes deadhead home) changed the diametric of profitability. I have a load lined up on Monday morning and that one I don't want to bounce off. Considering the fact that the broker was Uber Freight (I don't blame them for this event, it is only shipper's fault), with their long response times, the trailer might have not been empty until Tuesday.

This is sometimes a chess game...I decided to sacrifice a knight for a pawn, knowing that this way I won't lose my queen one move later.

P.S.
RATES ARE STILL GOOD AS OF: 9/12/2021

 

You did the right thing Joe, but I may have a solution for you if you choose to haul for them in the future.

I haul a lot of beer from Anheuser-Busch, not because of any great love for them, but because the bottling plant is 30 miles from my house, because I can grab last minute loads in my lane for exceptionally high rates, and because I know the people there and get treated well. They are notorious for last minute cancellations and delays and I see and hear a lot of pissed off drivers storming out of the security office. So in order to avoid this problem, I asked for the phone number for the guard desk, and around an hour or two before I'm scheduled to be there I call them and ask if the load will be ready on time. It works like a charm and I don't waste precious time sitting around.

So Joe, I would suggest getting a number for that place and calling ahead. If they're paying good, no reason not to keep going there if there is a way that works for you.

 

That's a good tip...The strange thing about that water plant is that all the directing is done from California...some say that it is Madrid, Spain...but I received a call from California to let me know that the door was ready. There isn't any person at the gate, not even at the check out any more, you do it yourself...you enter your credentials on the touch screen with the seal# and the printer there, prints your BOL. The only guy I could talk to was the yard jockey...
Many of those loads are shipped overnight, and they are scheduled in such a way that if there is more than 2-3 hours of delay, you'll be arriving late.

 

I think that the appointment strictness should be reciprocal.
It is my prerogative to decide how to treat late appointments, the same way how the shippers treat me when I arrive late or early.
Of course, this is much different when you arrive loaded, no matter what, it is in your best interests to get unloaded asap, so you are on the receiver's mercy and acting like a tough guy will do you nothing good.

 

Here's an example...except the broker is Convoy:




Notice the delivery appointments and the distances...it is only feasible if everything clicks like in Rolex. It would tempting to bid $2500 and take the risk to be rescheduled for Tuesday delivery but not for me. One screwed up night is bad enough...Tonight I'll sleep like a rock.

 

Niagara?

I don’t blame you though and admire your stance in this. Especially if an automated shipper is going to work with an automated broker.