Celadon Hanging in

Not to mention that you have to make your cut. Being in our office for several months last year, I can't count how many times I heard our ops manager say something like this: "You want me to haul it for WHAT? You DO know I have to pay a driver, fuel, etc.?" The smaller carriers (like us with our 30 trucks) have trouble competing with the big boys who can haul for .85 per mile because they pay drivers pitifully, etc. NO MORE CHEAP FREIGHT... but brokers will ALWAYS find someone to take the non-paying loads.

 

# Kingsson:

I hear some shippers and brokers claim that a poorly paying load would be an excellent back-haul for a carrier stuck in a certain area, which sometimes is a realistic option, but some people use it as a cut-and-paste excuse to gain the upper-hand in a heated exchange over rates.

I recently heard this claim as justification for a 45,000lb load of bagged lime from an isolated mine in rural Ontario to central South Carolina for $0.83cpm, which sent the owner of the trucking company laughing into hysterics because the broker clearly didn't have a clue where this mine was located, much less realize the likelihood of a carrier having idle equipment anywhere near the area ...or even be able to break-even dead-heading 120 miles into nowhere, sitting for over five hours to load, and then running at a loss.

 

They are a great company for any brokerage, which means that their sales staff probably isn't worth two dead flys.

 

They were using all the big brokers long before freight became scarce, believe me.
In fact they use broker freight to maintain their back and head haul so they can effectively bid and service their larger customers.
All and I do mean all the large carriers go to brokers to maintain back and head hauls. And some of the brokerages they are using are part of their competitors. Where's the sales staff? LOL
Big Bad Broker is probably smiling and shaking his head while he's reading this and wondering who I am.

 

You know, a lot of good points are being made in this thread and we are getting a lot of the typical replies. I picked this user name for a reason, because, everyone looks at the broker as the bad guy.

I'll put it this way, I run big guys all the way down to owner ops. I would much rather give my owner ops some gravy lanes in hard-to-get-out-of locations before I offer them up to the big dogs any day. I try to hook them up whenever possible but the biggest misconception with it all is that the broker is driving down the prices. We are simply following the market. The market goes down, scarcity of freight goes up, fuel goes down, our customers demand us to drive our prices down and the amount we pay out is directly affected as well. It's simple supply/demand with a couple variables like fuel/season/thrown into the mix. I'm not grabbing anybodies arm when I offer freight, it's a simple yes or no, want it or not question. Is some of our stuff cheap? yes. is some of it heavy as hell, 45500? yes. but we also have good paying freight and lighter stuff too.

I enjoy talking to my owner ops, small guys typically more than the big dogs anyway.

Just like anything, there is going to be a guy that gives your trade/position a bad name. I'm just doing my job trying to keep you guys happy and moving.

Give me a break. We neeeed each other! Help me help you!

 

Well big bad the real problem most drivers have with brokers stems from the "real bad guys" out there. You know the ones who shave off the surcharge and won't deal fairly. As in anything there are "honest" people and there are "crooks". It seems to most drivers that the crooks are brokers or the big companies who are willing to drag "ultra cheap" freight.
From the post you made and I quoted, it seems that you are one of the more "honest" ones. GOOD FOR YOU!!!!!!!

 

Thank you! I mean, it's not my goal in life to put you guys out of business and drive your trucks into the ground with heavy ####!

I'm not a greedy dirtbag. I'm a normal guy that enjoys taking my girlfriend to dinner once a month and wrenching on my car!

 

Wow!!! you can afford a car, business must be good...

Are you in Naperville?

 

Now that's a nice town. I hauled concrete there for four years and change.

 

its a pretty neat town, lots of good places to eat and shop. i did business with a brokerage in naperville, thats why i wondered.