what do you guys think about calling local companies and

It can and dose work work. The worst they can say is **** no. Remember you have to sell them your service and "do you need reefer service" might not be the best. If you talk to the wrong person they will not know what "reefer service" is.


Some places don't like dealing with companies unless they can handle a decent % of there loads.


There are a lot of post on this, but very few will come out and say much.

 

When I was a reefer driver, the company I drove for preferred getting loads from C.H. Robinson

I wasn't an 0/0 so didn't deal with this broker personally, but the company used them as a first choice.

 

In the fire season its a very good deal. they pay up to 1500.00 a day per unit in the USFS and the driver if you rent the truck makes 50% of that hauling heavy equipment or water.

 

Indeed. Good advice to do some research before you call. First, find out the name and contact information of the decision maker for the company shipping contracts. Usually a polite, and direct conversation with the receptionist can net you this data.

- Do your homework on the company and determine their basic transportation needs
- Identify how you can service those needs, and possibly provide special service they're not getting now.
- Learn the "lingo". You'll want to use the terms they know; such as "Temperature controlled commodities", "Cold chain management", etc.
- Know the shipping protocols for the types of commodities they ship. If it's fresh food like apples, onions, potatoes, berries, etc. you can consult the USDA Perishable Shipping manual.
- Who do they use now for carriers? Figure out how you can get a grasp on the current rate they're paying other carriers. That way you can formulate a competitive bid without under / over pricing yourself. Sometimes you can mystery shop the competition to get a feel for what their rates are. On occasion, I've simply come out and asked the shipper what rates they're getting from carrier xyz. If it's a profitable rate, you have an easy job to draw up contract proposals.

So basically, do your homework before you approach them with a formal offer. They're busy too, and probably don't have time to instruct you with what they require in terms of a solicitation from a carrier. Many carriers hire sales reps with experience to find shippers, formulate the rates, write the proposals, secure the account and do contract maintenance. If you don't hire the sales folks, then YOU need to do it all, with equal proficiency. If you don't, as your competition, I will. Unless you have an inside connection, guess who will probably get the account?

You can do it. Just study up and understand that it may take several attempts to land an account. Perhaps call your local Small Business Development Center (usually state sponsored, probably a branch of the community college in your area) and see if they can help you get started. Also, OOIDA may be able to help out a bit. They published a webinar video last year (2012) called "Making your business plan work for you". In the video, it explains a lot about how to research shippers in your lanes, and how to gather the necessary information for developing a strategy to solicit them. I think the video is still available in their archives to OOIDA members, for a fee.

EDIT: I should also add that most shippers want rate commitments locked in for bi-annual, or annual terms. Some are quarterly, as well as seasonal, too. This means you need to devise a rate at which you can provide them services for the duration of the contract. If it's annual, that means you're going to be contractually bound & obligated to provide them services for a year at that rate, regardless of your operating cost fluctuations. Sometimes to be competitive, carriers will underprice themselves either accidentally, or intentionally (to land a new account, called a loss leader). In such case, you will want to aim for a short term contract where you can re-negotiate the rate sooner than later.

 

Buddy,

Check out this thread on the subject from a few months ago:

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...perator/204228-new-customers.html#post3097692

Vision - that was a great post!