Dealing with brokers as a company driver

The biggest problem I have is my company has seemingly not caught on to their rate confirmation/dispatch sheet crap and we end up losing the load because TQL got someone to do it cheaper. Luckily I’m rarely on a load more than 24hrs so I can deal with incessant check calls.

On the topic of phones, I pretty much use my personal phone for all aspects of company matter. Contacting brokers, transfloing BOLs, log book (for now), etc. It would be nice if they’d contribute such as a monthly phone allowance or something but I’d still be on the same unlimited everything plan regardless of working here, so it’s not costing me anything different. My old company provided everyone with a company smartphone for all those things. Sure miss that job sometimes lol

 

I can't help but wonder why anyone needs 25 calls a day on a load? What can be so pressing that they need to find out if you passed 7 or 8 more mile markers yet. ???? Preparation H?????

 

These guys think that tracking = service level.

 

OJ's last run. He's on the 10, on the 5, on the 605....and he's....

 

Are you kidding me? (Which was a lot nicer than what I wanted to say) by the time he delivered that load these jerks had called him 25 times (1.5 days). He picked the phone up every single time because he's new and didn't want to do anything to jeopardize his job. They kept him up all night when he should've been sleeping then expected him to drive the second his 10 was done. That is disgraceful and you justifying it is even more so. There was nothing 'seriously wrong' he was parked waiting to get loaded on this cursed load. He told them over and over when he would start his day and even shared his Gps so they could track him. No more. Thank god his company said he did t have to give his phone number out anymore. From here on out, his dispatcher's number will be given and he won't have to deal with you evil little people.

Now I thoroughly understand why people think brokers are evil.

 

And as a new driver with 2 months of driving experience, he doesn't need to deal with some self serving broker that doesn't care if he puts a driver in jeopardy having to constantly deal with calls and texts just so he look good to the customer. Disgusting.

 

My previous company also set up a portal page that shows the entire fleet on a map and allows you to see real-time equipment locations by searching truck #, trailer # or PRO #. Extremely handy for those brokers that wanted constant updates, they could check our location every 30 seconds if they so desired lol

 

I have a feeling I know the broker, had a load of food product moved by one of my drivers last year, the broker called the poor guy every hour and I did my check in with him in between the fifth and sixth call, so I told him to forward his calls to me and I will take care of it, he started his 10 in two hours when I called him, in a matter of that 12 hours this broker called his number 11 times, leaving messages to call him asap for a status update. so I picked up I the call on th 12th time and ripped into the broker about his harassing the driver and not understanding that the load will be there on time without incident, I also said he will call him when the delivery was made and the pod is signed, because if he called the driver one more time (I used explicit language), I will tell the driver to take the entire load back to the shipper even if he is in the dock and tell the customer that you ordered it returned. Since that time, we have had 26 loads from that same broker and not one call for a status update. Actually today there is a load one of my drivers accrepted from this broker.

 

Whoa lady. I'm not trying to justify idiots being idiots. If I called you 19 times you never picked up. If I called you in the middle of the night it was ALL CAPS IMPORTANT... because I'm awake when I'd normally be sleeping over it.

Nobody is trying to justify more than 3-4 phone calls per day *tops* if the phone is getting answered. And those phone calls should be coming in at times that make sense like before the load is picked up to make sure the driver gets all the instructions we gave the dispatcher, before the truck has arrived to the pickup to get an eta because the customer is asking, a call to verify that the truck is at the delivery and hopefully empty... And like one call max on transit days to find out where the truck is and if everything is still fine.

Obviously if something is really wrong we're going to make as many calls as necessary. That's our job.

EDIT: Also it really does seem lost on you that we're the people paying for that load. That means we're the customer. We have a right to know what's going on with it in a reasonable way. No we shouldn't be using that right as an excuse to abuse the driver. But yes if you were supposed to be at the pickup at 2pm and it's now 3:30pm and I just heard from the customer that you aren't there I'm going to blow you up. Because if I don't get ahold of that driver and find out what is wrong before I find a replacement truck he's losing the entire load. It's just business.

 

This is the future. I literally cannot wait. I will not miss check calls at all.