I've reached rock bottom... (long)

rollin, I think it has been explained on here before. but one has to understand how mercer system works. all the loads are offered to guys leased on first, if they all pass , the loads then go to broker board. but I do know from personal experience it doesn't work that way at all carriers, in fact , the one I was leased to before , I had several of the agents finally tell me( after I bugged them with many phone calls) to not count on a load til 11am at best as they were trying to broker it first as they made more money brokering to outside carrier.

as many of us have said here many times, what ya see on the mercer broker has basically been passed over by trucks in that area, we do like everyone else , we cull out the cheap ones. mercer main difference is the agents loads all go thru Louisville,ky you don't necessarily deal with individual agents for the load.

frankly, being a lease op here, seeing the cheaper loads on the broker board is a good thing, means we are not getting screwed like I was at company named after a line along the Maryland Pennsylvania border and part of a larger universal trucking company.

 

Mercer, LS & Bennett have some horrible rates right now. I hope and wonder if its because of the slow season or they actually move some of that stuff at those rates. Also wonder if the guy leased on to them move them for those rates or they just hoping outside carriers bite?

 

Thanks for the explanation. You kind of confirmed what I was assuming.

 

That's exactly what I was talking about and it's why Mercer is really no good for an outside carrier. Of course if there's one thing I've learned it's crazy to paint with a broad brush cause I'm sure there are times when Mercer does have to pay good rates to outside carriers but really the way they have their own guys picking over stuff, freight would have to be booming with tight capacity everywhere for that to happen. Not everyone does it that way.

 

Its sad so many greedy company owners in the world today.

 

Has ALWAYS been greedy owners since the days of FREIGHT WAGONS in the OLD WEST , not something that just popped up today.

 

I don't have a problem getting good freight but I don't look at brokers to get good paying freight from. When brokers call me I give them my price 80% don't like it but I stand my ground infact I'm going up on my local runs I'm at $400 now if they don't like it find someone else there's lots of guys that will show up late or won't have everything they need even if they show up at all one thing is when I say I'll be there I'm always there!!!

I was at a crawfish boil last year for a big rental company in town I was introducing my self to a few guys, already had about five I hauled for there talking already" one guy said ya I've called you before but your higher than anyone else! The guy from knife river steeped up and told them a story about me hauling a backhoe for him. It was winter and cold out I had to have the thing on the job site at 3am I stopped off at the truck stop got a fresh cup of coffee when I unloaded that backhoe I had that cup with me some reason I left it inside there was really an accident but I did put heater on inside the cab.
But he said how many trucking company's are going to move you at 3am leave a machine running with the heater on a a fresh cup of coffee waiting on them.......but I do!!!
That guy told them you get what you pay for, that when I do stuff for them I'm always there on time and If they needed something I'd stop and get it.

 

It is now secret that Rollin and I spend a lot of time getting to really understand how companies work. Several times in my thousands of posts you will see me recommending Mercer to drivers because of the fact that they give their drivers priority.

 

That is a great post! Go above and beyond for that one customer and then his word of mouth to others he knows in his line of work gets you more business! Yeah you cost more but like you said, you get what you pay for!

 

I wish some of y'all could follow me around for a few days! I had a customer today call me and say that I do not charge them enough money that I should charge more, at first I thought it was a joke but no there not joking so that 65 mile run that takes three hours instead of the $450 I've been charging now is $550 sounds good to me!!!