Does anyone negotiate any more

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by indspirit, Jan 27, 2015.

  1. indspirit

    indspirit Light Load Member

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    I don't mind if you highjack the thread all the responses help me too. But you may get better responses with a new title in the o/o forum. I drove reefer for years did all my negotiating while sitting at the docks until I hadshippers and 5 brokers where I could move constantly. I understand your question because I get it alot from skateboard loads I try to move. They want to be in out and on the road.

    I have 3 friends from my trucking days that drive skateboard that I help find loads for. They are teaching me a lot and I hope to move more loads for skateboards soon. The main thing I have found is reefer and van carriers schedule one to two days a head of time. Because of load unload times you may be there 1 hr or 5. When I was driving I had regular loads set up. But when I got detained my calls were made to my next appointment. Made more that way then asking for detention pay that will never cover your expenses.

    From what I get so far is 2hr for a skateboard is a long load. I have several that have called me to book a load and want to know if I back haul to a certain area.
     
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  3. rollin coal

    rollin coal Road Train Member

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    You need a smartphone and set up email alerts. Chrome homepage is ITS on mine. Internet Explorer homepage is to check my settlements. You stop that truck to grab a quick lunch or some fuel you look at alerts.

    You stop to take a whizz you check alerts. You keep that truck posted and accept incoming calls while driving. Not that difficult to hammer out an agreement with someone pretty quick. It helps if you have a good memory for maps and cities but there is always GPS on the dashboard to doublecheck.

    If feeling overly distracted I will tell them i'M busy and to please call back in about 5 minutes. Punch things in on my GPS to be sure, quick math in my head, then wait for them to call back. It's not that difficult to self dispatch a truck.

    You have a headset and a brain use them. Just because your driving doesn't mean you can't think about stuff and make deals. I think it's a cop out guys that claim it's not possible. Now if you had the responsibility to dispatch 3 or 5 trucks at a time, while driving your own, that can get overwhelming, even 2 would be a handful.

    When you stop for your break at night or you have a couple of hours to.kill getting loaded you are looking at loads, clicking on them to fish for calls, running numbers, etc, etc.

    I will send a dozen or more emails every night to CHR agents on.loads that interest me. Know what they will likely pay, know what I need, and in the morning see which appear promising. My signature in my email has my phone number and many times they will call me from that and we work something out or not. The Trick Is To Make THEM Call you, That's what YOU Always want.

    You want to make good money you find ways to make them call you or go fishing for it. You want to look at a loadboard for an hour in the morning and again at night you're never going to do so great. Not wanting to make calls or accept them same thing. Depend on someone else to handle the most important and easiest impact on your bottom line, news flash, they don't care as much as you and not going to try as hard no.matter how well meaning they are. Just how it is. No-one will do it better than numero uno or try harder.

    How bad do you want this? Then you figure out ways to do it....
     
    Last edited: Jan 29, 2015
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  4. brsims

    brsims Road Train Member

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    Backhaul is a bad word. I will not deal with anyone who pushes a "backhaul" rate. It does not cost my O/O's less to drive back from an area, and I'm not going to cheapen my reputation with those drivers by offering them a cheaper rate just because it's a "backhaul". You want my trucks? You WILL pay a fair rate for the lane. If not, I'll find another load for my guys. Simple as that.

    Remember, your O/Os are ypur bread and butter, not the loads. A solid group of O/O's with proven reliability will earn you (as the broker) a steady, long term income. Treat them right, and it will pay you back in spades.
     
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  5. rollin coal

    rollin coal Road Train Member

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    Backhaul is a harmless word. Backhauls are only cheap if you're in a bad reload market or don't have any negotiating wits about you in a good reload area. The rate before a backhaul is your moneymaker. If your backhaul is as good as the head haul or better then that's just a bonus. Don't let these brokers have such power over you that you let a word bother you. Who has the truck? If they need it they'll tell you.
     
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  6. SheepDog

    SheepDog Road Train Member

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    If you tell a broker your looking for a "backhaul" than your telling them you want to go back to a certain area,,,they know you want to go to that area more than any other area so, they start out cheap, knowing you will take a cheap rate,,,,that is why "backhaul" is a dirty word...lol When they ask me; "where you looking to go?" I tell them; "anywhere that pays good".. They start phishing for where I want to go, I don't tell them,and they ask about going home. I say would love to go home but not for free....
     
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  7. brsims

    brsims Road Train Member

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    All true. But I still stand behind my post. Especially the second part. If more brokers thought like me, it would be way easier and more profitable on both sides ( broker and O/O)
     
  8. SheepDog

    SheepDog Road Train Member

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    I will look into posting my truck more... I have posted it before on GetLoaded but never on DAT
     
  9. Ruthless

    Ruthless Road Train Member

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    Broker or customer can call it a backhaul. I get paid to go no matter where I take a load. If it's cheap I don't take it. I go home anyway so idgaf if it "gets me home" I'm already going there. Know what a lane should pay, know what you can do it for, and if they have cheap freight then talk to someone else. Too many brokers and direct customers to waste time on cheap ones.
     
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  10. SheepDog

    SheepDog Road Train Member

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    How the heck do you know what a certain lane pays, normally? I mean, I know those that have been doing this for a while know, and I will too eventually but, the lane rates on GetLoaded, I don't think are accurate. Dat has a "best state" tab and it is as of last weak... I am still learning..
     
  11. indspirit

    indspirit Light Load Member

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    I kind of understand your point but back hauls are necessary in some areas. For example I drove for years produce from ca to boston market. Getting out of boston market was a pain and I would h ave to deadhead up to 200-300 miles to get a load. Then I found a fish company 20 miles away from Boston Market rates were cheaper but on a round trip they averaged out to make me more money than dead heading.

    When I started brokering my first call was to the fish company. He knew me and said if you can make it work I will send you my loads. Next call was to Midwest meat companies and got lanes from them. Then called my old produce companies in ca. Now I call my carriers and say this is what I got CA to Boston pays this, Boston to Iowa pays this, Iowa back to Ca pays this. I get more of my loads covered than the ones going fro CA t o boston.

    Carriers live on the road to support a family they want to spend time with. Think more like a carrier than a broker. Cheap freight will always exist how you use determines how much money you will make. I'm not a math major but I bet I have made more money off the cheap boston fish company then the big produce guys in CA.
     
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