Hopper, Dump O/O's & Drivers

ALL trades considered

 

Don't let Robles fool you, Kansas. The signs and the rumors are there - they're struggling. RC is not far behind. I know the rates they're hauling for, and they're not sustainable. I won't stoop to their level, but for some reason, Cargill gives me all the loads I want. I wonder if it has anything to do with SERVICE? There are a number of mills that we deliver to where the staff tell us how happy they are to see us instead of our competition. They tell us their drivers are rude, aggressive, and they are never on time. We even had a dog food plant, after getting acustomed to our service, tell the merchandiser they would buy their midds elsewhere unless they came on one of our trucks. I don't know if it's a cultural thing or what, but the latinos always seem to sacrifice good service in order to haul a larger, impossible volume of loads to make their low rates work, but the truth is that there are still shippers and receivers out there that put a value on good service. Granted, it's not easy sometimes to provide that good service. Sometimes it's #### difficult. But that's what it takes to compete in todays environment.

With that said, there's a bit of hope on the horizon for those of us who strive to provide good service to our customers while doing it safely and legally. After playing around on this website: http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/safestat/safestatmain.asp I find that some of my fiercest competition (lowest rates) has some of the worst safety ratings. I wonder if there's a connection??? With CSA 2010 coming in just a few months, I'm hoping (cautiously) that their way of operating will finally be put to task. It's been a long time coming if you ask me.

A litle bit on safety I heard yesterday...A week or two ago there was an accident on the Kansas tunpike at MP 1. 4 people were killed when a hopper truck hit them when they tried to excecute an illegal U Turn. His gross weight, on the interstate, was 88,000 pounds. I won't name any names, but if anybody wants to know, the USDOT # of the carrier is 1430410. I wonder if his logs were as legal as his weight?

 

I could not agree more, and I am looking in my own backyard first. 90% of the reason I am doing the new tires and directly after is brakes, is I want to be up to speed come July when CSA 2010 comes on line. Some of the OTR drivers I have talked to said the DOT is already doubling up on the barn inspections. Their getting ready, and I want to do the same.

Yup, them Robles, and at least one other I cant think of the name right now. Those guys are gonna get hard with the CSA thing, and rightly so!

 

As far as the wreck involving the U Turn on the Interstate. To me that should equal mandatory jail time for the driver. Thats one thing a fellow driver can do to get me to grab my cell phone and call 911.

I guess there was an accident in OK on I-35 Thursday. Some where around MM 235 south bound side truck had rolled over and was blocking the highway. Never did hear what happened.

 

I'm just going to sit back and watch the hilarity ensue! I hope they hold their feet to the fire!

 

The information recieved from our dispatchers has always been a sore spot on my "bumper".

Currrently we recieve a company name, city/st, unconfirmed load number, unconfirmed phone number.
Period!
Most of the time the phone number is wrong, half the time the load number is wrong. On one occasion I called for load information. I was told it was a good Load# and that they would be loading on saturdays aswell from 7am-9pm. When I arrived handed the guy my papers it was then that I found out the # was a good number for next saturday!!!!!!!
When I called my DM (not shy about calling anytime of day or night LOL) she had the nerve of getting an attitude with me saying this is something that I should have verified on friday!

There is absolutely no reason why we should not be given ALL information needed for the pick-up and delivery information. On the load sheet there should be
1-Company Name and verified working number.
2-Correct address
3-Operating hours for load and un-load
4-Verified Load Number
5-Verified product availability

Currrently we recieve a A company name, city/st, unconfirmed load number, unconfirmed phone number.


More and more I am recieving attitude from the DM not unlike the attitude of the previous DM. Basically forced dispatch grief when asking to go home. Greif when there is a truck problem. Etc....... I left out on January 5 . On January 29 I had a load thru Jax, FL so I took a day off (SAT)and left back out Jan 31 to deliver on Monday. February 8 I needed to get to Lil Rock to sign on house. Sat in Montgomery AL on the 9th waiting for a load and on the 10th decided I had to leave to get the papers taken care of. All this time I was continuosly hounded about getting the papers faxed to me so that I din't have to goto the rock. I took the 11th off and left back out on the 12th. Beginning of this week I asked to go back to the Rock to help the wife move in and was told that I was just there and that she was NOT my travel agent!!!!! 3WEEKS! I asked to go back to lilrock 3WEEKS later and have been given grief. Finally she booked me a load that was going from MS to OK passing through Rock allowing me 1/2 a day before needing to leave to deliver Friday.

I have only this to say to those that haul for this company....LET THE BIG GUY KNOW what is going on. I honestly do not believe he has any idea what his DM's are doing or NOT doing and the situations they are putting us through while they are at home with thier families every night and day!

Sorry if I offended anyone with this but disclosure is a MUST because we have to look out for each other since NO-ONE else is going to.

 

5MTF - thanks for the post, and you're absolutely right - we need to take the time and figure out the disclosure issue, if we're going to stick around.

These guys will all be broken down on the shoulder while we go past to load and deliver ahead of them. I just hope they don't kill someone before that. And I agree, as reluctant as I am to say it - CSA 2010 is on it's way - mainly because of these bottom feeders and people who don't seem to know how a logbook and HOS works.

All we can do is keep doing what we're doing, spend time on the equipment, and keep things legal on our end! Best to all of you, and I hope it's a weekend wherever you are

 

Code of Federal Regulations Title 49 Part 376.12 paragraph (g): (g) Copies of freight bill or other form of freight documentation. When a lessor's revenue is based on a percentage of the gross revenue for a shipment, the lease must specify that the authorized carrier will give the lessor, before or at the time of settlement, a copy of the rated freight bill or a computer-generated document containing the same information, or, in the case of contract carriers, any other form of documentation actually used for a shipment containing the same information that would appear on a rated freight bill. When a computer-generated document is provided, the lease will permit lessor to view, during normal business hours, a copy of any actual document underlying the computer-generated document. Regardless of the method of compensation, the lease must permit lessor to examine copies of the carrier's tariff or, in the case of contract carriers, other documents from which rates and charges are computed, provided that where rates and charges are computed from a contract of a contract carrier, only those portions of the contract containing the same information that would appear on a rated freight bill need be disclosed. The authorized carrier may delete the names of shippers and consignees shown on the freight bill or other form of documentation.

In other words...
YOU ARE ENTITLED TO SEE THE RATE BEING CHARGED BY THE CARRIER. DEMAND IT!!!