Brokers need to be taught a lesson

Here is how I handle it, if it doesn't pay as much as I need, I don't haul it, I stay courteous and professional, often times will leave my number and say I can not haul it for that, if you can't get it moved at that rate call me back and maybe we can work something out at a rate I can live with.

For me it has meant sometimes loading the next day, but it has also meant getting an extra 12-1500.00 on a load.

The broker needs freight moved, and since they can't move it themselves, they need we the truckers, with out us they go broke, at the same time spitting in their face doesn't win you any points, being a professional and getting paid does.

I mean really guys how hard is it to say "I can not haul that for that amount of money"?

 

Sounds like late night K.R. useless radio info. This theory leads to a drop in all rates. If you are willing to roll for cost or less than, they know you will do it elsewhere. Congratulations!

 

The problem being is your time is worth something too, When you spend an extra couple of days playing around with that 1.20 a mile load, how long before you are losing money because it is keeping you from a better paying load?

I've deadhead from Miami to Atlanta several times, never regretted it once because out of Miami I was looking at 1.20 a mile, out of Atlanta usually 2.20 a mile+

Sure it sounds good to say you covered the fuel, but think about it this way, if your truck gets 5.35 loaded, and 10.5 empty, your fuel cost bouncing out is half what it would be loaded.

Say you bounce 500 miles, at 3.80 a gallon that is 47.62 gallons, which would cost 180.97, means if you empty early in the day you can be there the next day to pick up that 2.00 a mile load. Lets say that 2.00 a mile load is on 1200 miles. so it will gross 2400.00.

Just for giggles I will say your 1.20 a mile load coming out is going 800 miles. paying a total of 960.00, the fuel cost on that 800 miles is going to run 150 gallons of diesel at a cost of 570.00.

Now you have to look at the time aspect, say you are empty at 11:00 am with 10 hours of driving available. On the bounce you will expend 8.62 hours if you are running an average of 58 mph. throw in a 30 min break and a couple of other stops, lets call it 10 hours later before you get to your destination so you will be there at 9pm.

If the shipper opens at 8am, lets say they can load you in 2 hours, you are road ready on the good load by 10am, full 11 hour driving day available.

Now before we figure that metric out, lets look at the cheap load.

You leave the place you unloaded at 10:00 am, you then head to the shipper, lets say it takes you an hour to get there, 2 to load, then you are on the road. Assuming your day started at 7am you will turn into a pumpkin on your 14 hour at 9pm, so you leave the shipper at 1:00 pm, you now have 8 hours to drive, it is going to take you 13.8 hours to drive the 800 miles to your delivery, so after your first 7.5 (because of your 30 min break) you will still have 6.3 hours to drive to unload.

So after 10 hours off duty you are then again back to 7am. This means while you could have been loading that 2.20 a mile load, you are still 6.3 hours from final on the cheap one, and by the time you make it to your delivery it will be a minimum of 1:30 in the afternoon. Then say 2 hours to get unloaded, then an hour to make it to your 2.00 a mile load, and our 30 min break is going to come up in there too, you can't be there to get loaded until 5pm, if the shipper doesn't load after 5 you are SOL, if they do, then lets say 2 hours to get loaded, by the time you are out the gate it will be 7pm leaving you with 2 hours to drive.

Now for the good paying load. 1200 miles will take about 20 hours and 45 minutes to move if you average 58mph.

On the bounce you were ready to roll at 10 am, if you use 10.5 of your 11 driving hours, that puts you stopping for the night at 9:00 pm (including 30 min break) and you will be able to roll again at 6:45 am, then you can drive another 10:15 with a 30 in the middle, that puts you to your destination at 17:00, if they are open you can unload, if not next am. I am going to assume they are open, so you spend 2 hours unloading, use your remaining 45 to get to a truck stop.

This means empty and ready for your next load at 6am on day 4.

Now, on the cheap load we were at the end of day 2 getting loaded and finishing out the day 2 hours into the good load at 9pm.

The next am you can drive again at 7:15am on day 3 and you will still have 18.75 remaining. Drive again for 10.5 same as you did on day 2 on the bounce trip, this will shut you down for the day at 6:15pm.

Day 4 you will have 8.25 left to drive, putting you to your destination at 1:15 pm. Then 2 hours to get unloaded, you are now at 2:15 pm, then figure the same 45 minutes to drive to the next pickup, you can be in there at 3:00 pm, 2 hours load time, you will have 2 hours left of your 11 to drive.

Now to even it up, both loads empty on day 4, but both at different times, lets assume that the load you pick up on day 4 is another 2.00 a mile load.

We will figure it out by saying on day 4 if you used your full 11 driving hours on the bounce trip, you would have brought in $1,276.00 in that shift figured at 58 mph average.

On the cheap freight trip you get 2 hours on the next good load. That is $232.00

Now for totals.

Bounce trip: 0.00 + 2,400.00 + 1,276.00 = $3,676.00

Cheap trip: 960.00 + 2,400.00 + 232.00 = $3,592.00

Now figure fuel cost

Bounce trip: 500 mi empty @ 10.5mpg = 48.00 Gallons + 1838 mi loaded @ 5.35 = 344 Gallons = 392 Gallons @ $1,489.60

Cheap trip: 2116 loaded @ 5.35 mpg = 396 Gallons @ $1,504.80

Sum it all up.

Bounce trip: $3,676.00 - $1,489.60 = $2,186.40

Cheap trip: $3,592.00 - $1,504.80 = $2,087.20

In other words it cost you $99.20 to move that cheap load!!! And how much harder did you have to work to do it? And this was just in a week say you do this once a week for 50 weeks a year, that is 4,960.00 you are losing every year to move that cheap load. That is almost 5 grand, I don't know about you, but I could do a lot with 5 grand.

These numbers would get even worse when you start considering your costs for tires, mantanence, insurance ect.

This is also assuming everything goes perfectly with the cheap load, what happens if they don't unload after 5? you lose another day, if they have issues geting you loaded and you sit for 6-8 hours on that cheap load, whats your time worth?

I don't know about you, but I don't sit for free. On that cheap load though they will expect you to.

 

I don't have to worry about that anymore.Had my own truck and trailer(Paid for) my own authority and 100% on time for 1 1/2 years.Thought I had made a few good contacts with descent brokers and saw I was just spinning my wheels. Too me,the risk wasn't worth the reward.
Back in a company truck.

 

I'm not trying to be a pain I think everyone needs to make money. But there is a difference between being a broker, a trucker ,or a predator!

 

I counter the question by asking one myself, "Do you have any money in the load, tell me what kind of rate you're floating here...."

I counter a politely asked rude question with a politely asked rude question of my own....

 

And I've always got my eye on the clock, what time of day is it? That will have a lot to do with how much time I spend spinning my wheels on a call....

I can size a broker up very quickly, and I won't waste my time with a clown.

 

How is it a real English proficiency exam is not given? I run into drivers everyday that just smile and nod in response. CDL holders must be proficient in English, by law. These guys act like they just floated across the rio!

 

Never tell them where you need to be for personal reasons like time off. This is a weakness they probe for, so then they know you will take their "backhaul" rate. Does the broker tell you when he has to have that load moved? No. He hides his cards, we should too and eliminate these overlapping "backhauls", where everything becomes cheap "backhaul".

I don't need "help" or require a "favor" to get home. I can get within 400 miles and rent a car, or get a load near a major airline hub and fly home. This is better than deadheading most times. My truck stays where the money stays, and it sits a little more often, but the net profit is the same or better.

 

FL has great rates going in?!! Please tell me who lol.
the quotes I've been given are downright ridiculous. Just had a CHR rep tell me he sold loads from Atlanta to Miami for $1400 but would give me $1500. It was off the board as soon as I declined his offer.
Almost every broker in the last 3 weeks has been quoting those dumb rates but people are snapping them up so I don't expect it to get better.
my truck is not an elephant. It takes more than peanuts to make her run.