Why are we putting up with these crazy load/unload times and rates?

That's what happens when you give your services away for free. Start charging them accordingly or deal with it.

 

We got clear out of the reefer business because of stuff like this thread. One of the last loads we hauled was frozen at sea fish to a grocery warehouse.. My driver overheard the receiver tell the forklift driver..."That load is going right back out split between three of our own trucks. Get him a door but don't unload him until the company trucks get here and you can go direct from his truck to ours". That would have been a great plan if their trucks weren't five hours apart and my driver sat for over 15 hours . Missed the back haul, the driver ran out of hours and had to lay over, the grocery warehouse denied everything, and I was stuck with another mess that I lost money on.
No more reefers. No more dry vans either.

 

I’m not complaining, the load still worked out well. I’d do it again. In fact, I probably will. This triangle totals $5560 on 2100 miles. $2.65 pm all miles in 5 days. Left Friday be home Wednesday. I may grab another to deliver Friday. and work the weekend again. Depending on how I feel on Wednesday, and what’s available, could easily be a $8000, or $9500. 3100-3500 mile Friday-Friday working a 7 day week. I’m not really interested in working that hard. I can’t remember the last time I bumped 70 hrs. Maybe I’ll go home for a few days, maybe a week, all depends on how I feel at any given time. My choice. Not complaining. I’m sure it’s about half the amount every other O/O on ttr is making these days. It’s always that way. Everyone makes more than I do. They also get better MPG’s, haul better freight, know how to negotiate better, have better equipment, It never changes. I don’t BS. The numbers aren’t great right now. But overall they’re about average. 1925 Loads averaging 800 miles in 18 yrs. delivered. I’ve seen a lot of Big Shots go under. Guess I’m just Lucky, or maybe they’re just full of BS, and really have no idea how much they’re really making, of how to survive lean times, Easy to be successful when it’s easy. Little bit harder when its not.

 

Man......you better learn to like the taste of bull ####. A trucker consumes a lot of it over the course of his/her career. You'll have to take the others' advice or figure out a way to minimze your bull #### consumption. It's any number of reasons for delays, and one could be that the shippers/receivers are short staffed.

 

Wait, are you a driver or an owner?

 

I sold my last chilly in 1986 over that very thing. Apparently things haven’t changed.

 

I doubt if they ever will change. The guy that bought our reefers also got the hauls that came with them. He's been screaming bloody murder for the last couple of years about not making any money. We told him when he started what the deal was. Good thing we got our purchase money up front because he's just about to go under.
He kept doing the same thing we did but he kept doing it over and over, expecting things to change for the better. The southbound loads of seafood were the money maker but you had to guarantee the trucks would be back up there to load when the boats hit the dock. We could never find reliable back hauls and if the grocery warehouses we were hauling the fish to held us up at all we couldn't make it back up north in time. A lot of times we'd just bounce back north empty. That was just barely profitable.
The new owner pays his drivers percentage and has trouble keeping help. And wonders why. Some of our retirees have been running a trip or two for him but they say he whines too much and they don't need to work anyway.

 

My chillys chased boats a lot. They had VHF’s in them for that very reason. Both up and down the BC coast and in the Maritimes. The traders and packers pre-planned things, but having direct comms with the boats could save them a few hours steaming sometimes if we could pick an alternate landing. They loved us.

 

That's first rate service. We never talked to the boats but the receivers always gave us as much notice as they could. We wanted to time it so the load went directly into the trailer...which didn't take long...and the driver would be underway as soon as possible. A lot of times we'd relay trailers and if your drivers are on the ball that's a good way to go.