From a broker- tracking your truck?

100% correct. When a broker asks for the drivers cell number I give them mine. "I don't give out drivers cell numbers. If you have a question, you call me. I don't want my drivers talking on the phone."

 

I've been running for the same shipper for years, if I call, they assume somethings wrong, if I don't call, no one worries.

 

From my perspective I don't want the constant calls. If you gave me the load I expect to be trusted with it. As far as what brokers can do to make our lives easier how about cracking these shippers and receivers who suck up all my driving time by waiting. Charge more for freight to places that make drivers wait constantly. Charge shippers for not following shipping instructions to receivers. The driving end of the spectrum doesn't seem to be the problem moving freight it's always the shipper/receiver thinking it's ok to hold us hostage. Finally as a broker be HONEST if you lie to me don't expect me to be honest and friendly

 

The way I see it is I'm a service provider. If a customer is requesting this it's not a big deal and I don't have a problem giving them tracking or updates they request. We've built a stellar reputation for service over the years. Ask anyone who has worked with us even if just a menial one off load. And what is crazy is how little effort it really takes to stand apart. Something like this that most veteran drivers complain about is just ordinary routine service that anyone in a service industry should be doing as second nature. The big companies know that yet fail in many other ways. Small operators ought to embrace it and capitalize. Makes me look good when so many don't.

 

That's right, this business is all about providing high quality customer service. Those who don't understand that will disappear when the market gets short. tracking of loads is common practice, my phone rings a lot with load offers. How about you?

 

Not these days. Freight is largely dead. But for the ones who do call we are not just a stab in the dark they hope and pray things will get done. I did a load yesterday for XPO that required tracking. They were the third or fourth call of all day. The previous ones were no good at all, just another dead Friday. Have done a lot of time critical loads for XPO over the years. Many required tracking. They know exactly who we are and that we take care of business. If they see 10 trucks posted around their time critical load who do you think they call? Someone who is a known quantity or take a chance on an unknown carrier with prevailing attitudes such as posted here? They paid me $400 more than they wanted to and that in a market saturated with an excess of available trucks. I didn't give it a second thought to allow tracking I was glad to get the load and even better - it was my rate.

 

Rc you nailed it. The reason guys like you do good is because you realize this is a service industry.

 

That's it. It's not about you, you, you and nobody cares what you want or think. It's a service and if you can't cater to the needs you ought not be #####ing about rates because you're just another truck. A commodity.

 

This isn't about 1 driver 1 truck it's about an industry and the only way it gets better for ALL drivers is to stand up for ourselves as a group as 1. I'm mean if you like being treated like you are by shippers and receivers holding you up all day long keeping you from making more money by getting more loads then enjoy that. I run myself like a business my time is worth it and I treat it as such and I doesn't stop me from running freight like an animal. My goal everyday is to make as much money as I can everyday and whoever for whatever reason holds me up from that I feel needs fixing and we as a group should work together to fix it. They say by 2018 the us will be 35000 A drivers short in the us. Ask yourself would you rather have more experienced guys taking these loads or another 35k drivers from cdl mills throwing people out there?

 

Group my ###. I'm a capitalist. A business owner. I would LOVE to see a national strike. But for one reason and one reason only. Cause I can jack my rates sky high. If YOU get treated like crap by shippers or receivers, then learn to run your business like a business and not like a hobby.