Amazon from Chester VA to Balt. MD

How do these mega companies make all that money, and show record profit's quarter after quarter?
They screw everyone who comes in contact with them.

 

####.... @miss elvee ...Great input.

To the OP,....

Ask yourself why "Amazon delivery" crapped out?

Amazon tried to emulate Uber, and hired a bunch'a drivers to deliver packages to residential using an smartphone app.

Problem is: driver has to keep a 2-4hr window at the facilities and hope there will be enough packages to deliver.

If there is not, they don't get paid for that idle time. They are paid on "per package delivered"

 

We lost so much time in line at the gate dealing with miscommunication between Amazon the company and Amazon Transportation, it could take 40 minutes or more just to get in the gate. Of course, we'd get a call - where's your guy? Despite my drivers being required to check in on a mandatory mobile app they required all drivers to have.

I asked them why we are required to have the app if they aren't using it - they said it didn't synch properly, so no one in the office used it. They just called us for an Omnitracs location. Every stop. Every truck.

How in the bloody &^#%$%$#& is that my problem?

 

Click on the link in post #5 of this thread. In that link go to post #2 and download the contract. In the last pages of the contract it has the rates they pay for any move from one Amazon DC to another.

They pay $107 for one move that goes 54 miles. There are some in there where they pay $600 to go 425 miles. Actually there are a LOT like that, every one of them in fact, some are even worse. Want $3 a mile? They have those going 30 miles. RIC2 and RIC3 are Chester, VA locations with BWI1 and BWI2 the Baltimore, MD dc's. Don't see those rated in there.

This is a glaring example of the brokers with these loads paying far better than direct. I know that's not always the case but it is with amazon. Hub group brokers a lot of Amazon loads. The rates look OK but the headaches of dealing with Amazon they are just not worth the trouble.

Good luck getting any of it consistently from Hub group. They cattle call those loads out and are only interested in covering them as quickly as possible. They don't care who you are or that you live near any of it.

 

And you will have settlement issues, with them going into the payment system and lowering the rate on pay AFTER you already hauled it. You have to print the rates you agree to and fight for them. No kidding. To the point that we were fighting for 1k or so a week in rate robbery. We got it. But we shouldn't have to fight for an agreed upon rate.

 

I pickup Amazon loads all the time from their Fulfillment Centers and I don't really see too many O/O's pulling Prime trailers. I've been meaning to try to talk to one of the O/O's out of curiosity to see how they were doing, but Amazon has a strict policy where once you pickup your load, they want you out in 10 minutes. But that's ONLY if it's ready, because usually it's a LOOOONG wait time, especially for outside carriers. And they use cell blockers as well, so you can't use your phone for the internet while you're waiting, and no pictures are allowed to be taken on the property.

USPS, UPS, and Fed Ex have their own dedicated docks, so usually we're in and out, but I always sympathized for all those outside carriers that had to wait hours for their loads. I'll have to try to talk to one of the O/O's if I ever get a chance.

 

I have an O/O friend...way back in Aug/Sep she had told me it was a 5-truck requirement....has Amazon changed down to 3?

I know she aint pulling for them after she tried to combine the "fleet" with another O/O....prolly something to do with the rates I suspect

 

So how you supposed to "communicate" with their app, if you cant use your smartphone while on their property

 

That's weird because around here all you ever see pulling Prime trailers are o/o type trucks. And I know of guys who have pulled their Prime trailers booking from brokers before. Usually when i do a power only move for them it's on some lease trailer but i have also hooked to some mega carrier vans at Amazon.

Never had an issue with my cell phone signal at any of the ones I have been to. Never had to wait on picking anything up but on live delivery is another story.... could be quick or could take hours upon hours, that's why I quit doing any live loads for them on my trailer. Drop and hook power only or nothing. That and they destroyed a logistic post inside a buddy's trailer and refused to pay for their screwup.

They will order too many trucks as a matter of routine then you will be cancelled when you get to the guardshack. I had it happen so many times in Chattanooga that I implimented a policy of $500 TONU for cancellation on any load I booked out of there. Most brokers would not do it. CHR agreed to it grudgingly once but they never had to pay it. At others the TONU was anywhere from $150 to $250 depending on what the broker felt like if it was an oversight on my part booking it. Lots of cancellations. That's why I consider them a waste of time. The money can be good but only during holiday season.

 

Few weeks ago I booked a load from NC to Amazon in TN, it paid $1500 on 350 miles. OK, awesome. After sitting for an hour waiting for a dock, I knew that there is no way the delivery can be made on time.
I explained the situation to broker and asked for $75 per hour detention with no cap, broker said "no way" and the trip was cancelled.
Reading Rollin Coal comments I am glad I listened to my guts and did not do it. Since it was couple of weeks before Christmas, I probably could have been sitting there for couple of days, due to my missed appointment