know when fold'em

ok let's get a few things straight.

A broker CAN NOT screw you unless you let him. I've never once had a broker force me to take a load. If you don't like the terms don't accept the load, PERIOD!

I would like to know how much money you think a broker is making off each load. Especially with the golf/Ferrari comment. Just to give you a little information this year I canceled my brokers license and cashed in my bond.......it wasn't because I was running out of places to stash the cash/cars. If you seriously think there's that much money in it, park the truck and get your own brokers license and DOT number and start forcing drivers to haul cheap freight.

 

hey man. i'm just saying from what i've heard from other o/o's

no need to get all pissy

 

I'm not pissy, just don't believe everything you hear. The broker only gets paid if he get's the load moved, offer it too cheap and he's not making a dime. If he makes a fortune it's because the guy who accepted the load hauled it cheap. How it always seems to happen is you'll haul a load for $800, another guy takes it for $500. The $500 guy is the one on the radio or internet forum saying the broker screwed him because the load didn't pay anything and he's going broke. If I get your $800 load for $1200 I'm not saying a word to anyone. It's only news when a plane crashes, you never hear about the thousands of flights that go perfect. Keep that in mind when you talk to drivers. If you feel the broker isn't being fair, hang up the phone even if that means driving home empty.

I hauled one load last week that paid me just over $800......the broker made $34.......that won't cover a golf game. I know this because they accidentally sent me a screen shot and it had their rate on it.

 

J, do you know what the broker makes off the loads that you Les and I have to use? I've heard it was 14%.

 

They have no set percentage. One lane for example "they" get paid $0.92 cwt, the max you can get from them is $.90 unless the load is marked "critical". I have a contract rate of $0.87 on that particular lane, I could go for the full $0.90 but it just lowers my chances of ever getting any of those loads. Now there are some guys hauling the same loads for just over $0.60 so while they're only making $0.05 cwt off me, they're making like $0.32 off them (these are the guys who think the broker is to blame). Each lane is different, some rates haven't been updated for 10+yrs others change weekly. Some lanes the mill makes more than anyone, they bill the customer like $2.50 cwt, the broker gets $1 and it's posted for $0.95. So the mfg is making money off the product and the shipping.

PM me a lane your wondering about and I'll see if I can find out what the "max" rate is or how much the broker is making.

 

im glad all i haul is machinery

 

I'm still trying to figure out how making the most money you can labels you as a "crook". Seems if you took the load for $800 knowing it was a $1400 load the problem is you. And if I could find more people to take cheap loads I wouldn't have given up the license.

Again if you honestly feel there's that much money in it why are you driving and not brokering loads?

 

I worked at a roofing mfg plant. Those same shingles sat outside after being made, for months.

 

You didn't say how far you hauled the load, but if $800 was too cheap, you shouldn't have hauled it. I've heard the same incredibly ridiculous excuse way too many times; "If I don't haul it someone else will".

Several years ago, I would deliver in Albuquerque every 2 or 3 weeks. Everyone was whining about the $.80/mile drywall going to the midwest, but they hauled it anyway. I would deadhead 425 miles to Acme TX and haul drywall to the same area for $1.30/mile. I made the same gross money, burned a lot less fuel in the process, and wasn't whining about getting cheated. I have deadheaded 500-1000 miles on several occasions because I would not haul cheap.

If all the wannabe O/Os would let the cheap freight sit, it wouldn't be cheap anymore.




Back on topic - The company I work for now has told all of the shippers where we load coils west of the Rockies that it is the drivers choice to tarp or not. I watch the weather forecast and radar on the internet in my truck for other drivers as well as myself to know if we can make it back without a tarp.