Should I take seasonal or year round freight in Florida?

Funny s#*t man

 

Good call MM. I went back and read the first post and it was so obvious. I can't believe I missed it. Duh.

Just in case he was looking for info as well as making his sales pitch, I'm going to share my thoughts. Back in the 80's I had a broker that I used exclusively for a year or more. It was because he took care of me and charged me a flat fee on freight he found for me. His loads were potatoes out of Idaho and that is where he made his money.

As cuthroat as this brokering thing has gotten I can't see surviving using one broker any more. I'd love to find a broker or dispatch service that would find me good paying loads consistently. They would win my loyalty in a heartbeat and they wouldn't have to be they highest paying loads. That said if they have cheap loads and build their business on cutting rates I would do my part to put them out of business.

Why would I haul for $1.80 a mile when I can get $2.20? Why would I haul for $1.50 under any conditions? Why would I go somewhere that rates are in the toilet? There's no part of the country I want to run that bad. If I lived in an area like Florida I would move to keep from hauling cheap freight.

I guess I'm just wasting my breath because obviously someone is hauling it. I'll go broke setting at the house or deadheading before I will go broke hauling cheap freight. When will shippers and brokers figure out that they can't buy consistent quality service for less than cost of operation and return on investment?

-end of rant-

 

First day back from a week off. Last week a took a couple of mornings and made the rounds of my contacts to drum up some more direct business. Now that I have a better relationship with these folks they are opening up to me about their problems. Number 1 with a bullet is brokers. One guy is on his third broker this year.
They all say they start out great then they start to see missed appointments, loads not getting covered till the afternoon or next day, equipment that is breaking down in the door, the list goes on and on.
While in the office I called on one of the loads that was posted on ITS to load THAT DAY. I was quoted $1.55/mile. Most broker would do took it to $1.63. And the broker was getting $2.25 plus fsc.
But the shippers feel like they do not have a choice.
Another was happy with Landstar agent and was contacted by another Landstar agent that under bid the original agent. He moved to the lower bid thinking same company better price. But now he has loads that are not getting covered and the old LS agent won't work with him.
So shippers feel our frustration. And some of it is self inflicted. Not sure that there is much of a solution but to keep up the good fight.

 

We have been dealing with the same stuff on the oversize side. Great rates till someone comes in and cuts the rate then the shipper finds out why the same is lower. They arent using escorts or buying permits when they need to, trucks just never show up when ordered or when a truck does show up it is because they brokered the load out.