Capitalize on storm loads?

I would call the consignee and ask what they have in mind, and remember, if the storm does major damage to the consignee, you might be setting on a pretty good load with what you have.

 

The loads heading east from Chicago are paying crazy rates this weekend. Nobody wanted to go and the rates just kept going up and up. This morning I got 3 calls about loads going to NJ and Boston that usually pay $2.75 mile..... but were offered to me at $5 mile to have them there by Monday morning. I'm already loaded to WI so i couldn't do them, but did explain to the guys that the loads will probably make it into PA and be shut down since the ststes will close the roads to traffic if it hits as bad as they say it will.

 

additional "trip planning" for you to consider then into the future.

Weather forecast.

 

Any time I have a load on, I always make contact with the consignee myself, this has helped me so many times, especially when it comes to appointment times and special instuctions, and while I have them on the phone I ask for directions, and cross reference that with the map and lately google satelite. I would never take the brokers word for something like that, when a broker is dealing with several drivers, shippers and consignees, and the phones start ringing all at once like they always seem to do, it is easy to give the wrong information to the wrong person. Try and get yourself in the habit of calling the consignee on each load, and it will pay you dividends eventually. As a general rule the contact person that a broker uses will be different from the contact person that you will use when you call the consignee and ask for the receiving department to start your dialog.

 

Flashback....August 1992. Got a load of bottled water to deliver to a relief center set up at the Orange Bowl for the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew. Load paid $5.00 per mile from Ocala Fl to Miami. All tolls lifted on the Florida Turnpike and a police escort from the Pompano Beach service plaza to the Orange Bowl. Sounds good so far? Got to the Orange Bowl with about 20 other trucks bringing in all types of relief supplies. Arrived to see about 100 other trucks there with all sorts of supplies. 6 days later I was finally empty. Then I had to dead head out of South Florida to Atlanta to get a load. Moral of the story? I now pray for the people effected during these natural disasters in the hope they will make it through.