Carriers' mentality on late deliveries

I have a question and am looking for your feedback. I have a carrier that booked a trailer with me that was due to deliver by today, 7/23. When we booked this last week, I went over with them a few times that the trailer must be delivered by the 23rd, not the 24th as they kept thinking. It's a 7 day load out but this customer counts the pickup date as day 1 so in reality it's a 6 day load out by most people's thinking.

They attempted to deliver the trailer this past Saturday, which is outside business hours. Their release email stated the trailer could only be delivered during business hours because we (us and them) couldn't be paid without a signed BOL. I told them to please deliver it on Monday the 22nd.

Yesterday they told me they would deliver "maybe on Thursday". The driver decided to get a load back out of Laredo (delivery location). When I asked why they didn't deliver it on the 22nd, which is where we left off on Saturday, they said they needed to make more money. The problem is, the customer is strict about their late fees and the carrier is aware of this deduction. They don't seem to care.

I feel like ethics go out the window when it comes to money. This is not something my husband would do when he was an owner/op because he made a promise to a broker/customer. Reputation should be more important than straining your relationships to make more money, should it not?

 

They're based out of IL, which is where the trailer picked up

 

You can email me directly if you like. kim@freight-tec.com. I'd appreciate all feedback

 

I wouldn't say it means nothing to me. I care about my relationships. The reason they are running late is not acceptable and my customer has to wait longer for her trailer. It would be a different story if there was a legit breakdown or something else preventing the driver from delivering on time. Everyone should care about their work performance - that's how you build a good reputation for yourself and gain recognition and trust with your shippers/receivers/brokers. Whether or not it is that way doesn't make it any less true.