mercer transportation

I completely agree with you here. I'm certainly not looking to haul cheap but in certain areas where Mercer seems to constantly have trucks sitting more needs to be done to get loads. Whether that means adding more agents to that state or area or simply replacing the agents that they currently have in that area with some fresh hungry agents.

Someone mentioned on here a couple days ago that "If the Agents went out and got more freight that was cheap you guys wouldn't haul it" That's BS.

If you take an area like CA where you've got 70 empty trucks laying around begging for ANY load coming back eastward you can guarantee just about ANY load offered heading in that direction will get moved by someone on that list of 70....

Look at an area like Oklahoma City. IMO that agent DOC is hands down the laziest agent they have here.

It's either AC units or Air Force Base loads for him and that's it... Can be 15 empty trucks in that area, he wont go looking for other loads, you'll be sitting or deadheading out... Neither one of those shippers are exclusive to Mercer and often times Mercer gets Underbid on those loads so why isn't he out getting more freight? Even if it isnt the best paying, if I could make some money on it to get me back to a better area I'd haul it as would lots of drivers.

Hell I was in OKC 2 weeks ago getting my truck repaired when I was ready to load ended up getting a load from a Ohio agent from a pipe yard in Edmond... DOC had nothing as usual... Why isn't he getting loads out of that pipe yard? That load of pipe paid better than any load I've gotten from DOC...

I could certainly see if Mercer was the exclusive carrier of AC units and Airforce loads in that area a reason for him to not get other freight to make sure he got those loads covered but that's not the case...

And I'm well aware OKC isn't the best freight area but they have loads., Mercer just has a lazy agent there.... My reason for going to that area is I like a mechanic down there and my APU gets worked on down there so that's my reason for going in the first place....

 

Not that it matters but I was there 14 months and yes I had agents that I worked with. Believe what you want, I don't really care. I'm sure there were/are drivers at Mercer that are better than me. All I know is how I was treated and my experience dealing with agents there.

I wouldn't say the agents are lazy just because they only have a few customers. Maybe they content with the business they have. Can't knock them for not wanting to grow their business if they are content with it.

 

But when the drivers here aren't allowed to go on secondary boards to get a load that sucks being in an area with an Agent who is content the couple customers they have...

Every driver here success is dependent on the loads the agents are getting... If you have several agents here that are content with 2 shippers but a constant list of drivers in that area sitting empty IMO that's ridiculous...

I'd be ok with that if I could go on DAT or another board and get a load out of that area but we all know that wont fly.

 

But you also have to consider that the cali agents have been conditioned to only look for certain loads because half the fleet automatically deadheads east if there isnt something on the board right away for them.

 

Considering a couple weeks ago the empty truck number is California was 80+ I'm not sure that's entirely true... That a lot of trucks...

 

Ya the number gets high sometimes. But ive heard ato say theres loads they could get if they could depend on the trucks taking them and not dh out. Those trucks also continue to show matched to the cali loads until they book something else or their coordinator changes preferences even if theyre in texas already. It also includes guys who are just running the western board and arent in the area but have their preferences set wide.

 

I agree with you completely. I was just playing devil's advocate. That's probably the only reason I wouldn't come back to Mercer. I know admiral merchants let's you pull from their agents or public boards and if you use the public boards you don't pay the agent%. Mercer should allow drivers to do the same instead of just protecting the agents.

 

I may be wrong so correct me if I am but from my understanding LK1,2,and 3 who are based in Louisville primarily go out and get loads off of boards to try and fill in areas where there isnt a ton of loads... I know they have some direct customers but I think most arent...

Maybe they need to hire a couple more people in the LK's to try and help some of these areas like OKC where Mercer has a Agent who is content with the couple customers he has but yet seem to always have drivers sitting with no loads.... Yes or No?

 

Lk1,2,3 don't grab loads off public boards. They are company employee agents working company accounts.

 

I can say from experience..ato is shady..I've singlehandely seen them pull bs...also shutting their phones off well before close of business. .no wonder no one wants to haul their loads...