mercer transportation

Look outside of your blue bubble and you'll see companies that do just that. Hauling freight that is specialized or requires a higher skillset, sometimes just a little bit higher level of service. And when they get undercut they wait it out, cause it's not long before a cut rate carrier will screw up, and that customer comes back.

Just because other carriers are undercutting each other doesn't mean we have to. Sell a higher level of service, with drivers that are more than competent, and deal with shippers that are willing to pay for it.

Participating in the race to the bottom is not the soulution.

 

"We're not talking about a business relationship between a shipper/broker and an independent o/o. We're all leased onto Mercer, and therefore should all have the same opportunity to pull any Mercer load."



Can I assume you have never been in a position to dispatch drivers? You don't see things from the other side it is pretty obvious. What you want does not match the reality of the business.

 

Than educate me. Oh, let me guess, it's really complicated and the rest of us are just too stupid to understand. Man that blue koolaid must be some good stuff.

 

What blue bubble, the reality of trucking? We do not do specialized so that is not applicable to the discussion.

Our agents are not participating in the race to the bottom, but yet people here think that by not going after every bit of available freight the agents are lazy. Why should they chase cheap freight? You can't have it both ways, they know their local markets far better than any of the drivers do. There are few shippers that have "a higher level of service" as their priority, they want it delivered on time and at the lowest rate possible. Only a few are concerned with "service" or the quality of drivers that show up. What is your experience calling on customers and trying to get freight at a good rate, or to increase the current rate and get guaranteed detention and accessorial pay in the contract? Some of us have been there, it's not easy at all, in fact most of the time near impossible.

Criticism is easy, I have yet to see but a few people that can offer workable answers to any of the problems posted. And to be clear this issues are not unique to Mercer, all companies face the same difficulties. Unfortunately a few big carriers have contributed greatly to the cause of many of these issues.

In my area right now good old JB has gotten their flatbed division up and running and have undercut rates immensely, all company drivers no o/o. They are continuing there pattern of going in and taking over the transportation offices of major shippers, they provide the trucks and drivers (and authority) and relieve the shipper of the headaches of their people haviing to deal with 100 different companies, much like outsourcing to a 3PL. We have lost several customers, or had our freight volume reduced at them, by just this one company. There are a few others that are causing problems that I know of. All of them have one thing in common, they increase their volume of freight and cut the rates to where no one here would want to haul. So tell me, how does a company (not just Mercer) get that freight back and increase the rates by a dollar or more a mile, which is what these other companies have reduced it by? Give me your sales pitch to sell me on what value it is to me to pay that much more to have you haul my freight. I look forward to hearing it.

 

So far I hear nothing of value here. You say just get higher paying freight as if it is just there for the asking. Yes, it is more complicated than that and I asked if you have ever been in a position to do that job. I have, and I know others here that have also. I never said, suggested, or implied anyone was stupid, those are you words and yours alone. What is this hangup with the blue koolaid, is that the answer to everything? I am talking about the industry as a whole, not just what happens at one company. I have seen and dealt with these problems just about everywhere. While there a plenty of carriers that are all too willing to reduce rates to get freight, do you not think that if companies were able to get more money for a load they would do that most willingly? Again, your solutions are superficial and not as easiliy obtained as just wishing they were so, or going in and just telling the customer they have to pay more. All too frequently carriers get told by a shipper "if you want to keep hauling our freight you have to reduce your rate by xx cents per mile".

 

Thank you. Now everything in this post we are in agreement on.

I don't want agents chasing cheap freight. But we may be better served if some were offered. Just because an agent thinks none of us will haul it, doesn't mean we won't.

I'm not one of these guys that thinks every load is going to pay $4 /mi, no such thing as a back haul, etc... But say there's regular loads paying $3 /mi to a certain area, and return loads paying $1.25 /mi. Why not offer the "cheap" return freight, so trucks can be positioned to get back? We're not all the same. Not everyone wants to sit for days waiting on a high dollar load in a slow market. I can live with a $2+ /mi average a lot better than the truck sitting not making any revenue.

You're absolutely correct with what JB is doing, and other 3PLs. I don't have an answer for it, doubtful that anyone does. Only thing I can think of, is maybe contract an agent to set up shop at the shipper, similar to what JB does, and offer dedicated accounts.

That's why specialized freight, imo is relevant. Haul freight that the shipper is not going to just let anyone come in and haul. Yes it would take some initial investment, but I honestly believe it would be worth it to go after.

 

Drivers are the only ones who care about the quality of drivers. If shippers cared there would be no mega carriers.

 

You do have equal opportunity to run all the freight but you're not going to get the agents best prized freight unless they know they can trust you. At one time the agents didn't have to worry about this cause Mercer had better hiring standards. Haul the agents freight and build a relationship with them and then things change. I know what Mercer says in orientation but it doesn't work that way. Look at the forklift loads, they run a lot of them but yet they are never on the board.

I didn't have a problem with it and I was on both sides of it. Everyone can still make a good living there though. This is not the reason drivers don't make money at Mercer.

 

Ok so in the few months you were leased on here you climbed the ladder that quick to an elite door slammer and get rewarded with the agents best prized freight...

Sniff, sniff, sniff... BS...

Theres how many drivers at Mercer that do just as good of a job as you who have been here a lot longer than you but you get the prized loads... Ya, ok.

I think some of the relationship building is in some people's heads... I can see from someone who has been leased here for several years yes but a few months or a year or so, no...

 

Then they should get their own authority. Doesn't Mercer say first empty first right of refusal? That freight should be offered to everybody. imho