CH Robinson good or bad

I wouldn't go into FL for under $2.00 per mile anyway. Freightquote can pound sand for all I care. Whenever I call them, they are so low that it's an insult. For instance, a run posted today from Jasper, GA - Butte, MT. dropping in a dead zone where you're lucky to see $1/mi out hauling bulk wood chips (a real mess in the reefer). This run normally commands $2.50/mi. easily, and is listed in DAT as above $2/mi. I came in at $2.25 with my quote to Freightquote. The kid on the phone told me that it pays $2900 ($1.40). Period. He said he'd log my offer of $5190. HAHAHAHA RIGHT.

Same for CHR today. Most of the agents with freight out of NC/SC/GA are low balling, blood sucking parasites. Now, normally, I'd be polite and not sling mud, but these folks make a point of insulting and being quite arrogant on their replies to my courteous, reasonable quotes / bids. Saying things like "You must be high", and "Surely that's a typo, are you wearing your glasses?". That kind of response to reasonable bids based on lane averages?? ... so yeah, those folks are indeed blood sucking, lyme disease infested deer-ticks of the spot market.

I've never had an acceptable quote from Freightquote. But I have had some good loads from CHR. You know that when the CHR agent asks for your T number before countering the bid, that he's going to slam the big one to ya, so grab your ankles. My last CHR bid today was responded with "I'll run that by my customer rep, and in the meantime, send me your T number". I replied: " Send me your rate offer, and I'll send you my T number". Never heard back from him.

Hang in there. I know this sitting around sucks, but don't make the wound worse for your future by taking their cheap freight. They really do pay creedence to the method of never giving cheap carriers more money. They know if they set that precedent, that everyone will want more. So they'd rather have the load sit on the dock instead of paying the historically cheap carriers more money (most times, not always). All you can do is wait for their moments of desperation, and when the time comes, unzip and take them for all you can, instead of being reasonable. Meanwhile, keep working on developing your contacts that are going to load you with freight not destined for the load boards. That's where you'll find consistently higher rates.

 

you know i did that about three times tried to negociate with the produce broker EVERY time the rate from the brokers was better than the produce company offered me and one of the three produce companys i talked to was owned by my cousin!!!!!!

 

When I had my authority, I rarely used CHR. They are bottom feeding the bottom feeders. They never would negotiate with me, tried and tried. Last straw was trying to come out of Dallas and they quoted .76cpm for 46,000lbs of steel plates. Going to Delta,Oh. That was the last time I ever bothered to call on one of they're loads. I wound up deadheading to Beaumont Port for military equip. At 2.40$. To Fort Mccoy,Wi.

 

Well, I know the feeling, hand. I've got a truck sitting in South Carolina and got nothing but lowball trash all day. But for me at least, after a few days of wading through the garbage, I usually come up with a decent load. If the cycle repeats, I adapt and change my lanes. If that fails, I adapt by changing my service offerings- trying to read the market to determine what is paying well and in demand the most. Sometimes it's short runs, or expedited, or taking those fun multi-stop loads that have you getting lost in downtown Atlanta (my last trip was exactly that). I try to find the stuff most carriers hate to do, and see if the risk/return ratio is good enough to tap into.

A few years ago here in the forum, someone recommended GENPRO. I've never done business with them yet, but intend to join as a carrier tomorrow. If I have luck with them, I'll let you know so maybe you can too.

As for the "hidden gangs" that you talk so much about... I'll just say this: I've seen a lot of stuff in my adult life that totally defies the indoctrination / programming we all have been subjected to as citizens here (and elsewhere). So I won't even hint at not believing you. The truth is, many secret organizations do indeed exist, and that sometimes gangstalking is authentic. Is it happening to you? I have no idea, and don't care to know, to be honest. However, I'd like to suggest that you do your best to deal with it privately, and out of the public eye. Doing otherwise will only serve to damage your image / reputation. Start talking to brokers and shippers about it, and you might as well park the truck and apply at HP again, because your industry colleagues will not have favorable reactions whatsoever to it, regardless if true or not. With that said, I sincerely wish you luck, and hope you find happiness / prosperity.

 

In a nutshell, don't let others dictate to you how much you haul for, cause if you do you'll be hauling for peanuts every time..... a lot of this game is timing, and today is Monday, the worst day of the week to book a load.... and don't let any of these brokers bs you, the going rate from OH into New England is around $4 a mile.... Don't let them pull that Jedi mind stuff on you, stand your ground and be patient.... learn how to work the clock.... you'll be surprised how that $2 a mile turns into $4 a mile as the day wears on.....

 

CH would love to have you haul 50 loads for them at below your cost, and that agent you were speaking with is an unethical scumbag... Don't let brokers get you involved in personal conversations, they're not your friends.... politely explain to them that you are engaging them in a business call when they try to direct the conversation to a personal level, and stay professional.... remember, your job is to make yourself money, focus on that and work the phones.... call lots of brokers, and don't get impatient if things are slow or you can't leverage a rate up, the better rates come late in the day... learn to listen carefully to voices, learn to recognize weakness, trust me, they're studying you as you talk to them.... don't show weakness or uncertainty.... and remember, your real lever in these talks is the fact that you don't have to haul anything unless you want to.... they need to get you to want to haul the load, which means they will have to pony up some money or you will be moving on to the next posted load and making another call.....

 

I've always though one of your (atrucker) biggest handicaps was your unwillingness to see that 500+ mile dry van loads are mostly the pits. Doesn't matter what the real market is or should be on them,nor the fact that there may be 10 loads to 5 trucks. I have never called asking about a non-expedited (true expedited freight) 500+ miles load where they offered more than $1.50... ..very rare anyone has ever called and offered one pick one drop on those kind of miles either,in fact it has never happened in 21 months. Done a lot of expedited with big miles that paid fantastic rates but not in about 10 months - most expedite is down this year - so time to adapt. Have you ever tried the 1-400 miles general freight? If you give it a shot for a couple of quarters, at least, you might be amazed. Especially if you focus on smaller areas of a few states as opposed to trying to learn markets in 48 states. There is no money in long haul solo dry van, never will be. There is and always will be a market for short haul as long as you have, guessing here, 3/4's or more of truckers paid per mile set pay. Go where the money is and don't fret if something dries up. It sucks for me that expedite is down cause that's the freight I like best but I dink it out with short haul general freight and still do ok. Even dabble in nursery/plant loads - now those are some tall miles for a van with excellent rates... but you will work, and get ready to be picky and frustrated with those too when you see how many of them go for $2.25-$2.50 which is pathetic for the labor.. ..but they are easier to name higher rates on than regular freight even so. Point being here, if something ain't working you need to change..