Fighting cheap freight

Why not get a rate out, as close to a round trip as possible or just not book the load if they won't pay... If they do you have the option to deadhead almost all the way back or out in another direction to get a better paying load instead of the lazy easy way of whatever buck a mile is within 50 miles. A 200+ mile deadhead might pull that better load down to a buck forty but you're not supposed to be thinking load to load. You ought to have hauled many $3+ a mile loads in the course of a months time that you've already bought and paid for some big deadhead from time to time. If you keep close track of your loaded and deadhead on every load You can see the trends. I had no trouble deadheading23% last year and pulling $2.19 to the truck. I had weeks and a month or two where deadhead was 35%. Don't be scared to ask for money and don't ever tell yourself you need any given load.

 

I'm looking just south of Detroit today. Rates are coming in around $2.70 but I'm holding out for $3. Few loads where the broker and I have been $200 apart and they won't budge. I still see those loads sitting on the board.

Willing to d/h to Columbus or Cleveland, and I'm in no hurry to book anything. I got a little better than $2 / mile on the trip out here.

 

@ sjmay, isn't this kind of like getting your soup with a fly in it. But you shouldn't complain because the steak "might" be good ? Or the food "might" be better next time ?

 

You're wrong sir. We treat people with respect and as such move nearly 4,000 loads a year. Must be doing something right to be that successful as a....dun dun dun... BROKER!

You're blaming the wrong person for the most part. Shippers are the ones who think you work for free. Quote RFP's and then you'd know. You have the mega carriers to thank because they're the ones willing to haul heavy crap for $1.25/mile just to keep their trucks moving. Now that's not all brokers. There are the scum of the earth out there trying to make a quick buck and rip people off, but to insinuate we're all like that is shortsighted and is the same as saying all priests are child molesters because you read in the news about one bad apple.

You know better and are more intelligent than this. I've read enough of your other posts to know this. Please stop trolling.

I agree to a point Danny. But professionalism goes a long way in this business. You catch more flies with honey than you do vinegar.

 

If I was making money from eating steak instead of soup, absolutely.

Was a $1 per mile a #### rate, ABSOLUTELY. Does the OP know for a fact that this was the broker or the customer, no, he doesn't. Does he know if this was a new broker with one client and it was a #### client, no, he doesn't. Does he know if this broker had other clients that paid better, no, he doesn't.

So what does he do, piss off the guy to make himself feel good...congrats, you feel good, he's pissed off, and you burned a bridge, not smart business.

 

precisely. It's not good business sense.

 

Okay, fair enough. But riddle me this Mr. LSA, (and yes I'm poking you a bit here, but in a good natured way I hope) It seems to me that you are very quick to criticize O/O's for being unprofessional and not "business minded". However, you also claim that shippers need brokers like yourself BECAUSE of your higher professionalism and keen business savvy. Isn't that a little self-defeatist ?

I mean, I like to get cantankerous and have fun on this forum, but trust me, I can convince someone I'm wearing a tie and wing tip shoes on the phone if I have too. But if every truck driver was able to conduct themselves and knew the art of the 'sell' like you do I don't think that would bode particularly well for you. It seems to me you would be overjoyed to find truckers who can't put a sentence together or sound like they're wearing sweat pants and sucking down a big gulp like you say. So long as they can do the trucking well, wouldn't that be a marriage made in heaven ? Mr. LSA and about 10 great drivers who really lack the etiquette to make deals ?

So basically, I'm saying it's these people that are your bread and butter. If shippers could expect the same level of professionalism from truckers they get from you, why would they need you anyway ? It sort of takes a lot of gall to make your living off of their work and then come on here and trash them because they are weak in certain areas where you excel, don't you think ?

 

With all due respect, LSA Sir, I know many companies who haul 4000 loads a year and no one considers them "successful" they merely "survive" with the insane VARIABLE overhead that you brokers prove know nothing about!!!!

 

I'm not saying anything negative towards the trucking industry at all Danny. My dad started out as a driver before starting our company. He's done every job there is to do in a trucking company and found being his own boss is far better than having some mouth breather with a college degree and no common sense have you in his office every week because he only understand numbers and not people. I'm not criticizing all O/O's. In fact, if you'll look around I promote them. You guys are my bread and butter... without you, I'd be sunk. All 8,500 of the guys leased to Landstar are O/O's, not company drivers. They are non-forced dispatch. It takes a level of customer service and professionalism with the O/O to get freight moved. Do you think if we treated people like some of these backwoods idiots who are nothing more than an MC number and a cell phone that we'd be as successful as we are? No, we wouldn't. It's no different on the drivers side.

As far as your second comment, I'll tell you this much. I've got customers who don't want to deal with drivers. They don't want to have to track trucks, trains, and planes and make sure loads are delivered. They don't want to screw with getting directions, shipping/recieving appointments, etc. That's what they pay me for. It's not just to find a truck. It's full service. They deal with customs and clearance and they contract me to deal with the rest. And no, I don't what "Bubba Jay" showing up on my customers docks. I prefer guys who show up in jeans and a clean shirt and shoes/work boots. You're an extension of me. You reflect my image to someone who may never see me in person. They judge me based off of how you portray yourself. So it behooves me to treat people right, build relationships and do the job the way its supposed to be done. The 'sell' is only the first step. It only gets me so far. I can sell all day long, but if I can't provide the service, the sales are worthless.

I have plenty of overhead. You simply assume I sit in a robe and work from a cell phone... You know what happens when you assume. I made an honest $40k last year doing this job 6-days a week after all of our expenses and employees were paid. It takes a lot of doing in this business and blessings from God to be as successful as we are in this business. Hard work, elbow grease and dedication to the mission.

Sure I would. If I didn't, then I wouldn't be able to do what I do. You should just block him instead of making yourself looking bad by dropping down to his level of mediocrity. Rise above it and excel.