"but that's all I have in this one!"

Y'all have it wrong I paid cash for my truck and trailer years ago I drive a 02 chevy truck that I also paid cash for wifes car paid for don't have any loans exept my house note and it's only $920 a month and it's never been late so you can put that idea out the window with me that's not the case

I try not to haul anything for under $2/mi and I mean anything but you know what it happens all the time I live by Houston,tx and flatbed rates out are $1.40-$1.65/mi so to head out you have to haul cheap or you'll just sit for weeks like I've done before you can't make brokers pay more than people are moving stuff for I have one of the cleanest CSA record you can have with over 14 inspections never even a log book warning, my vehicle maintenance#is the highest at 21% so I also sale my self on that and most don't really care

I have a TWIC card, ramps,levelers,4-6-8-10ft drops, 14-4x4s,v-boards,even have 40ft straps so the only thing I can't do is haul over 46,000lbs and I move a lot of over size stuff so what's the problem? Don't say it's phone skills because I can sale you anything yes lots of brokers call me but I'm never in the right place at the right time last time I was in chicago I pulled out of there for $2.08 /mi

 

Then hotshot why do you go through brokers. The next time you are empty in a city get out a phone book and start calling shippers and haul them at their rates. Don't just do it once do it every time that your empty. Just cut out the middle man. Your profits will go up. But I gaurantee you will haul a heck of a lot less loads. For all the time and paper work that you have to do. Would it be finaincally rewarding? Might get a extra .50 cents a mile. Or a broker can do everything for you and take a profit. And like you we are not going to do it for free either. I know you feel like you deserve all of it! But unless you are calling a shipper direct you need a broker and unfortunately we have to make a profit also. Instead of taking your frustration out on a broker take it out on your fellow drivers. They are the reason rates are so low

 

A shipper that you just called at the truck stop is not going to say "ya we have a load come get it" you really don't get it do you it takes time to build a relationship with a shipper it's not done by one dry call it takes time also a shipper wants someone they can call and always be there for them that's the reason I started my broker side and work with a lot of local guys I'm friends with if I can't cover it that way than I broker it

 

I do get it. I am a broker. You don't get it. You need us and you just admitted it. It takes time to get to know the shipper they won't just tell you to come get it. That is where we come in. And if your a broker then why are you upset about low rates. You know what profit margin you have to make. Are you brokering loads or free

 

The truth is I've even lost money on a few loads just to get them covered, what I'm saying is brokers are just to greedy and cut throat if your passing it to drivers cheap it's because YOU under bid the job just a few weeks ago a shipper called me with 20 loads going 200 miles Crain matts easy strap and go told me I could have all of them I priced it at $750 a load the phone hit the desk he said what? A broker had already told him $350 a load I would never even post a load with my name on it that cheap

I have lost lots of customers over the last two years because of stupid drivers I blew off one a few weeks ago after sitting in a pipe yard for 10 hours than told they wouldn't load a stepdeck I sent them a bill for $600 they called and said what's this I said truck orderd not used and wait time they told me "they didn't owe me anything" it shouldn't matter if I was the one doing that load are not if it was one of my drivers they would expect to get paid so if they don't pay I'll never do one for them again!!

 

I have lost a lot of money before too. A good broker knows the rate and should quote the customer a rate that could satisfiy the truck and leave a profit for he broker. Maybe I just operate different than other brokers but I hardley ever give a truck a rate I want them to tell me what they need to move the load. And yes I know how much the customer is going to pay. By doing this I don't have to lowball a truck and if they are in the price range and I can make a profit the deal is done. Unless its a load going to Cali then I do make good money off of it but the truck goes to Cali cheap because they know they will get 8 a mile coming out. I don't mess with cheap freight where there is cheap freight a lot of times you get cheap trucks. The customers I ship from are good paying and I in return try to share that with my carriers. Not all brokers are greedy. Just most of then

 

I'm not saying I'm not guilty of taking more than what's given to me but I have never seen or called on a legal load that went over 500 miles and paid $4/mi so why would I pass that on but even with that said that load will pay $.50 or more a mile than any load on the board!!

 

So if You had a load that went from Baton Rouge la to Houston tx and a truck called and would do it for 1000 and You had 1500 in it. You would gladly tell them no let's do it for 1250? I live off of commission I have to take the cheapest truck I would be dumb to not to try and make as much as I could off of it. That is what my job is. May not be far all the time but if I put emotion I front of it. I would loose money. If a load is paying 4 a mile for over 500 miles that would be a good paying customer for one, but if a truck wants all 4.00 wouldn't they just be as greedy as the broker. I could pay that truck 3 a mile and they still would make good money on the load. We both win

 

I don't ask what they can do it for I tell them what I'm willing to pay most my loads I even post a price and 90% of the time it's big trucking out fits that look at the loads

Also when one of them call I low ball them just because they do it to us all the time