mercer transportation

Subject change for u guys: Are most of Mercer loads "tarp" loads? It seems that most of the Mercer drivers i run across all hav tarped loads...

 

Last year id guess I tarped 1 in 4., and an educated guess would put 90 percent of those times I could of got a no tarp load. But chose the tarp load for any number of reasons. There are many guys that don't even carry tarps.

 

Well I can scale 51k if I do don't fill my tanks but it hasn't helped me out with rates yet.

 

I think this time of the year, 2/3rds loads are tarp loads but not any different than any other flatbed operation.

Alot of it is all the bad weather makes customers more app to want to pay the extra for tarps.

 

A whopping $100 extra

 

$100 extra? Nope , do the math. Most just take the tarp fee off the top and add it back in. IE:Load pays $1100. Load needs tarping so rate becomes $1000 plus $100 for tarp. If you make 75% of load the $1100 load becomes $825 and the tarp load pays you $850. thus you really only make $25 extra for tarping load. All Freight is this way,you really don't get anything 'extra' for tarping they just reduce the rate the amount of the tarping fee and add it back in like you're getting something. Shipper still pays the same for the load, tarped or not !!! They do the same thing for Fuel Surcharges..... Fuel surcharge goes up, rate (L/H) goes down. Thus Shipper is protected from fuel fluctuations.

 

That's why I just look at the total and don't worry about what this charge or that charge might be. If it all adds up to a number that I'm willing to pull that load for then I pull it. If it doesn't add up to what I feel is enough then I pass it by. Now understand that what I will accept changes from day to day and load by load. There is no magic number or scenario that makes it good or bad. Too many factors go into each load for me to put a number on it. That said there is a number I won't go below for any reason.

 

What is a tarp? Lol Smoke tarp is all I carry. If it needs tarped put it in a van or conestoga.

 

Not sure who your pulling for but here at Mercer that is not the case. I know of several cases where the shipper had 2 or more loads and payed different because of the tarping. Also Mercer does not take a cut in the tarp pay. So we do get 75-300 for tarping. Smoke tarp usually only pays 50$ but oversize tarp is 300+
But I think one should look at the overall pay and take into account the tarping and where it's going and the type of freight.

 

Mercer for over three years