Mercer orientation

It actually picked up considerably mid January and even much more in February. I have the DAT statistics to prove it as well as the truck capacity, lanes, rates and broker postings. This is to include load to truck ratio by state.

I am not saying it is a cornucopia of flatbed freight.....I am saying there was more than enough out there for us to get.

Why Didn't we get our share......that's easy.
The reason was clearly pointed out to the brokers in Savahnna Georgia. Many of the Mercer brokers are complacent and lazy. They have already been warned by the owners.

 

Some of them are complacent. Many others are real go getters. I've learned to deal with the go getters. They got freight everywhere. I don't think you entirely understand how the protected markets work. An agent can get loads in another market. It's more like protected customers than protected markets.

Edit to add: and that info you got from dat is hogwash. It never accurately reflects the market. I'm not sure how they collect it, but in my experience its never accurate. Same with its and get loaded. In all the years i used those boards i never saw those ratios or lane rates to accurately reflect the true market.

 

I agree with you about DAT to some extent, but I look at other indicators as well.

Recently I spoke with a Mercer broker who was approached by a shipper in regards to moving some freight for them. Its actually one of our major customers.....but the broker in that area is very lazy and complacent.

I hope that Mercer puts a flame under the lazy brokers. If a broker refuses to be responsive or generate sales with shippers.....then let the other brokers have at it.

 

Who gives a crap what the broker or agent makes off of a load! All I look at is the money to the truck. If it's not good enough, just don't take it.
I can't figure out where owners get the idea that broker or agent is taking too much, but guarantee they will never say "this load pays too much, just keep the extra". If rates don't match what an owner needs here or anywhere else, then you have to find somewhere that does. If it was easy to get your own customers, everyone would be doing it, but it's hard work and a constant work load of customer service!

 

Fyi Our agents get 8% of the linehaul. And they split it with the other agency if it comes out of someone elses market.

 

Seems there are some who are confused over brokers and agents.

 

Im not a Mercer driver but as an independent I can tell you the DAT load boards and Internet Truckstop all have mulitple brokers posting the same loads over and over. It changes the loads to trucks ratio at times falsely making a bad area look easier to get out of (If you use the ratios as an indicator to take a load to those areas). I know nothing about how Mercer boards are but thats how the load board ratios get skewed on the spot market.

 

Most of those are lumber loads that are posted by multiple brokers. There are lots of wholesale lumber, plywood buyers who buy and resale it without ever seeing or touching it. They email a list of loads to multiple brokers daily. The key is to find the wholesale buyers and cut the broker out, when I hauled lumber a number of years ago I had a list of wholesale buyers I hauled for. The same loads the brokers are posting. Google is your friend...

 

So why don't you go become a broker & fix the problem? You sure seem to find all the problems & know how to fix them. Are things perfect at Mercer, no. But it's not perfect anywhere. All companies in all industries have problems. We just have to find the company we want to have problems with.

 

It matters very much what the agent/broker gets, 8% is way too high. they only have to book 5 loads per day to make more money per day than the trucker. they don't have fuel, they don't have maintenance, they have very little overhead if you are to compare with a trucker, their expanses are minimal, yet they make more than most trucker.
If they were regulated and stop skimming so much off the top,. truckers everywhere would start to make money again instead of just existing.
If I decide to become a broker, I can do very well with 4% or less. I am really thinking about this just so truck drivers get their fair share. Trucker Report will be the first to know if I decide to broker loads.