me versus CHR - and the winner is........ (me!)

Another member asked me about an email exchange I had with a CHR agent trying to book a load. This is how you do it with the big boys. Aside from posting the truck and taking calls email fishing for rates is one of my favorite methods scoring a great paying load. When you call inquiring, the psychology of it is, everything is in their favor and they know it.... ...of course when they are desperate your obvious dis-interest upon inquiring might get them to tip their hand, sometimes.... But that's an aggravating game to play and can take a couple of dozen phone calls. Making lots of calls gets old. Email is fast and simple much cleaner and easier. I can send out a half dozen or more emails in the time of making one call. The big boys CHR & TQL usually respond to emails fairly quickly. But sometimes they don't respond at all. They're either out of the office, slammed with calls and too busy (not good for you) in which case forget that particular load - you want them coming to you.

Now this actual load was posted to pickup the day before Thanksgiving. It's almost too easy to get a rate like that before a holiday and really nothing all that special. But don't think for a minute you can't do this at other times of the year when there is no holiday in sight - when capacity is tight. I have lots of emails like this throughout the year. I book loads like this a lot.

Details on the load. I knew what the freight was where it was picking. Was pretty sure I did anyways, I never did ask the team details about that. My assumption was it came from a location shipping out metal bins filled with cast iron auto parts for production. I had hauled similar loads out of there before heavy loads, this one was 45K, so that was my assumption. Never asked the agent any details on that either, really wasn't concerned to much over those details. So The email started at 2pm and we had the load booked after several exchanges back and forth over the course of 15 minutes. This was Tuesday and the load picked up the next day Wednesday morning at 7am. Then went 342 miles down the road offloaded and reloaded at the same place and right back another 342 miles to the original shipper/start point.

So 685 total miles on the round trip (they had it posted at 625 miles as I recall). A solo could have run the load, I am positive I could have, but they wanted a team and I didn't need the load anyways. Customer was concerned about a solo bumping their 14 before finishing it. One last thing, I say this is a simple easy way to grab loads but don't think for a second it will happen asap. I may send a couple dozen or more emails before getting anything remotely decent. And I also look for very specific things in loads that post, when they are posted, load details things I see as clues in my favor - but sometimes when I think that the offered rate tells me "thing again brother" lol...

I saw this particular load while I was emptying out and about to head home. I saw it was "team only" and thought about someone who might be available. Called the office and asked if they'd be interested in the load if I could get big bucks on it, gave a few details pick deliv times and the estimated weight of 45K is that ok? They checked with the drivers and then called me back and said go for it get big money on it.. and then I went to work.. The email exchange booking this load as follows:




(1) T#xxxxxxx

city/state-city/state-city/state

Where are you at on the rate?

Thanks, Chris




(2) Do you have a team? Paul


(3) Yes, we do. Chris


(4) Can you load right at 7am tomorrow? gimme a price please…


(5) We have a team truck in xxxxxx,xx empty/available - yes, they can pick @ 7am tomorrow. $2,850.00


(6) That is a ton of money…what is the best you can do? Can you do $2000 and I can send it…that’s over $3/mile


(7)Price is firm


(8) I have to take this…I have no other option…load is coming over. Are you one of the drivers?


(9)Thanks. Yes I am a driver but no I am not hauling the load. We have a team truck in xxxxxx,xx who is looking to get moving and I did them a favor. You can call our office to confirm the truck is definitely a team truck. Lauren Hood can verify that. The load is going to husband/wife team they will take care of your load. Our office number xxx-xxx-xxxx


I then forwarded the exchange to Lauren in the office letting her know we got it:


(10) We got the load for $2,850 he should send it over soon. If they go home after they finish the load it should be about $2.67 (at xx% of gross rate) a mile to their truck on 885 miles all in.

(11)You are amazing! thanks!

 

lol Bill that wasn't too cheap for me I would have been glad to haul it at that rate. I did beat myself up for not asking $3,000 but a rate is a rate and that's darn good for 53' dry van. I had in my mind that they wouldn't like it but they would pay $2,850 and so for as little haggling as possible that's what I asked for. The main thing was the drivers were very pleased with the rate.

 

One key point about this load - I knew it wouldn't be a "turkey" (get delayed big time and held up at some point) and should go relatively smooth as it had to final out around midnight before Thanksgiving day. They were waiting on the truck to get there and finish it out. Now sometimes if you're not up against a holiday things might go wrong there but really you want to ask lots more questions in detail on the load (than I did this one) if you think that might be a possibility and then charge accordingly. That way, since you've charged accordingly, any possible delay/screwup then your detention pay will just be like extra bonus money because the rate was already solid on it's own.

 

There's no doubt in my mind he had to take my price, and yeah because of the holiday. Always a mad scramble to cover dry van loads that time of year most everywhere. If a person is not pushing for rates like that or more in the last 10 or so weeks of the year's end they are leaving big bucks on the table.

He did tell me he can normally move it for no more than $1,200 if not in a crunch. I can't believe anyone would haul it for so cheap but then again I do believe him. Could that load go for a rate like that in the spring? You better believe it could but more often than not it will go for $1,200. Don't be the sucker doing it for $1,200. Price it with a nice profit and if you get it fine, if not then the competition can have fun going broke.

One of the key things that had this agent really backed in a corner was the shipper requirement "team truck only" very few team trucks are interested (foolishly so IMO) in a run less than 700 miles. They want 1,000 on the low end in miles. To them that is a solo load. He likely could have covered it at $2,000 if not for that requirement. In short I knew I had him based off that one thing, and the time constraint, it was a no brainer.