mercer transportation

its is first unload , first reload still in some sort of fashion. but you get lined up on a list. here is how it was explained to me.

say you pick up a load in atlanta going to houston for monday delivery, when you get matched to a load that meets the parameters you have setup you will see a number on it, lets say its 24. thats means of the drivers already unloaded in houston and the ones on the way (sorted by expected delivery time ) you are roughly 24th in line.

while on the way when loads come up ,that you are matched to or commit yourself to, they "run" the board, then starting at one each driver will be called ( you either answer the phone or have 8 minutes to call back) until a driver accepts the load.

its not as impossible as it sounds, plenty of drivers wont commit to a load 3 or 4 days out i think because they are worried something better will come up. or the load has to be tarped, or it has multiple stops, or its hazmat or requires twic (going to a port).

right now i have loads booked all the way to next friday , i had all of them booked by thursday evening , the cheapest of the 4 loads is 2.45 a mile and the least revenue load is 745 dollars on 220 miles with zero deadhead in fact the longest deadhead will be 5 miles in charlotte.

i was no higher than # 29 on any of these loads when i got them. so for a $1400 load, a 1027 load , a 745 load and a 826 load , i got 3998 revenue lined up on 1225 miles including deadhead , wont leave ga or sc. and none of em tarp just go to go in port 3 times on them.

but i have to load an unload 4 loads next week,

i think maybe sometimes guys will see a matched load and thing they wont ever get it if they number in the 20's

one other monkey wrench is all the CBD loads , CBD means call before dispatch, those are that are sent out on a "cattle call" basis to many trucking companies, the first co. that books the load gets it and thus the agent gets commission, if those loads set around vvery long some other outfit can get them so the agent wants someone on it,

i get quite a few of those also just because i go ahead and commit to it .

its all part of learning the system, and learning how to work in the parameters of the system.

you have to study the traffic lanes and be able to give a yes or no answer when called about one, and example if i get a call about a load in chicago or within 100 miles , i immediately say yes as you can load well out of that area, as you can others. in fact i have never sat in houston over a day, i usually have one booked before i deliver and it at most will pick up next day. i am not picky , if it hits 1.75 i am on it usually end up in oh ,pa or nj out of there.

 

it is but it can be figured out. one thing you must learn also is the word NO, if ya know its a bad area, just say NO.

while i have a goal of at least 2.00 a mile i will take a 1.70 to get a over 2.00 a mile where i know i wont deadhead, then at the end of the two loads, i still got my 2.00 a mile average.

i think also are to rigid on a load by load basis, for example some will turn don 1.70 to 75 mile freight in houston, sit there for 3 days and then load out for 1.70 to 75 a mile. but again a 1.70 to nowhere does ya not good at all.

 

thanks did not know about the CBD loads it's all helpful info

 

and i have to say this, i dont think they do a good enough job explaining this at orientation either, they should have a day just for this.

most of guys that have been thru orientation know me from one standpoint, they were using one of my paysheets and load info in orientation.

i have ran into several that didnt have passwords for the load board, they were on the brokerboard and didnt know it

 

i agree the board has been hit & miss for me but getting the hang of it more info on here than in orientation

 

Getting your coordinator train to your preference can take awhile.
or is it the coodinators training us?

 

call the agents, it helps a bunch. this is somewhere i fall short because i tend to be rather antisocial and i hate talking to people on the phone. i got this hazmat to houston almost $2.50/mi. the agent does a lotbof these loads. the customer had this load be he didnt even.book it because he didnt think he would get it covered going to houston and beiny hazmat. i come along looking for a load home, gauranteed him i would take it if it got to me (it was during.lunch hour at mercer) so he went ahead and booked the load from the customer right away

 

just pound away at it and you will get it, you got to give it at least 3 months, by then your tag and such is paid for, many give up before this. its a takes a bit to make the decision on a load and where to go and not go, some arent used to that