From a broker- tracking your truck?

Yeah till a cdl mill driver puts your business in a ditch then it will become a issue for you. I personally have no problems with my business but there is nothing wrong shooting for better

 

I think the CDL mill driver being the cause of all angst out here is a tad overblown. I came from a CDL mill myself 15 years ago and the same sorts of things were said about "CDL mill" drivers back then. In my time out here I've seen plenty of experienced drivers who should know better do some pretty bone headed things. So what does this have to do with a customer tracking their freight I have to ask?

 

Back in your day there wasn't a 35k driver shortage rolling around in 3 years or an overall expected increase in all types of truck deliveries of 6% coming by 2017 on already jammed up interstate roadways. Companies are already gearing up and the numbers are going to be woefully small

 

Prevailing Attitude....perhaps, however the OP still didn't answer my question as to why they do not place the same number of phone calls to the shipper asking about loading, the receiver verifying all people in the loop have the same thing on all computer screens or print outs.

As for the CDL mill part of the equation most shippers for 95% of the freight out there want to know you have insurance, and if so they want to continue beat brokers / shippers into the ground on the rates and honestly just hope the freight makes it undamaged to the other end. 5% of the freight on the other hand brokers / shippers do care who gets it, and the details.

Jumping back to the prevailing attitude part of the equation, the best way to take this out of the equation is to find direct shippers out of your area and back to home base. It helps w/ Blood Pressure, Anxiety, and many other things. Its great to get a good rate, and not worry about phone calls and bs appt times and just fire off an email when your loaded and another when your unloaded or drop the trailer. Great customer service without 8 layers of BS.

 

Do you remember the great cassette shortage of 1991? No? Well there was supposedly a shortage of 350,000 drivers then:

"The future of the trucking industry is riding on drivers like Michael Stewart. Drawn to trucking by the freedom that it offers, the young ex-roofer shrugs off its inconveniences: public restrooms, roadside meals, endless boredom.

His family isn't so tolerant. Stewart, 28, gets home to Phoenix just twice a week, and his departures usually leave his 4-year-old son in tears. Last year, he missed his wife's birthday, his wedding anniversary and Christmas.

His wife, Teri, wants him to quit. "I'm tired of being mommy and daddy," she said. "I have to remind myself: This is what puts food on our table."

The Stewart family's dilemma isn't new to trucking, an industry that each year loses 30% of its drivers to occupations offering higher pay and stable hours. But the family's problem has taken on new importance because of a driver shortage that has idled trucks and threatens to disrupt freight shipments. The industry figures that it will need 450,000 new drivers this year, 100,000 more than were hired in 1989, according to David Reed, a Hudson Institute researcher who has studied the problem."
http://articles.latimes.com/1990-02-25/business/fi-2252_1_driver-shortage


Remember when the DVD shelves were bare in 2004? No? Well we were in the midst of a terrible driver shortage then too:


A severe shortage of drivers could hurt the U.S. economy, which relies heavily on trucking. Those in the industry say openings number in the thousands, if not tens of thousands.

The shortage is unlikely to end soon. The government estimates the number of truck drivers will rise 19% from 2002 to 2012, making driving one of the fastest-growing occupations during those 10 years.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/industries/2004-10-12-truckers_x.htm


You can find articles about this supposed driver shortage for as long as the ATA has been around lobbying for mega carrier interests.

 

They'll just fast track more immigrant/temporary foreign worker applications is all. Which will make the driver that can do the job with more. Same as it ever was.

 

I wasn't even thinking of the ACA screw that group I know what they do and who lines their pockets I got my numbers from a friend who does economic forcasts for a wall st financial firm. As far as early 90s is concerned I was still elementary school. So as someone who is looking toward the bulk of his career years I see things I want to see happen that will make me stay 30 years or more and I have had numerous problems of companies holding me 8-10 hrs causing me to lose another load or 2( I know there is worse out there) but we as drivers deserve better. I'm already tired of dirty truck stops do you not deserve a clean hot shower after a hard days work? I'm not trying to change the world I'm just saying we deserve better is all.

 

I can't blame brokers for wanting to track trucks and / or make frequent check calls. Many drivers just don't care whether they get the load delivered on time or not. It's even a problem at the company that I work for. They pay generous detention to company drivers ($15 just to bump the dock, and $16/hour after 30 minutes), but only IF the load arrives on time. About half can't seem to get the loads delivered on time despite losing the detention pay.

I would expect that the problem is even worse when brokers move freight cheaply on the spot market, using drivers that they don't have an established relationship with. I can't blame them for wanting to babysit a load that's being moved by a carrier or driver that doesn't have an established track record with them. But if they're using a carrier that has proven reliable in the past, they shouldn't be bothering the carrier or driver for updates on the status of the load.

 

That's your youth showing.

First there is no "we" as drivers. You stand on your own in this industry. You and the contacts you make are all you have.

Second, you don't deserve better. You don't deserve anything. You have what you make for yourself.

[QUOTE="rookiedoorbumper, post: 4810206, member: 169548" ..do you not deserve a clean hot shower after a hard days work?.[/QUOTE]
Sounds like you have a problem with your employers trip plan and routing. But then again this is the O/O forum.....

 

Sounds like you have a problem with your employers trip plan and routing. But then again this is the O/O forum.....[/QUOTE]