MY EXPERIENCE AS A Mercer FLATBED DRIVER

"If you book a load for 40k and you load and it's only 20k, do you give the money back?"

I heard that exact statement 2 years ago from a Coordinator (not my normal one).. Picked up a 20,000 lb load ended up being 45000. Called and was told that. Make a long story short ended up with an over weight ticket when the shipper actually put 49000 on me. Mercer paid the ticket, agent ended up paying me more for the extra # and because I had turn around and get the extra taken off and said Coordinator was real lucky he did not answer the phone when I called sitting at the weigh station with the ticket in my hand..

 

Sounds like a good reason for weight guages for truck and trailer. I've got them on my truck and I see the weight differences more than you'd think.
Weight guage actually saved my butt once. Went to pickup a $3 mile run (wide load) was supposed to be 22,000 lbs. Got there and the shipper insisted on loadind 2 on which bills showed 44K. I can only scale 42K. Though I coud've gave the load back, It was 3 dollars a mile behind 760 miles. My guages showed it was just barely legal and weighed 42K.

 

Flightline, you use the type of scale with gauges inline with air suspension? what brand?

 

Not sure the brand I have on my trailer. I got it from truck show last year. On my truck is load air guage bought at Iowa 80.com digital guage.

 

We have load gauges on all of our trailers and trucks...just a simple inline gauge..

My tractor can usually do 70-72 psi on my drivers and the trailers run a little higher around 80psi if I remember correctly...

Our heaviest loads we haul are only about 42k so I hardly ever use my gauges...

 

I suggest getting Right Weigh gauges. They are calibrated in pounds, not PSI. No need to try and convert PSI into pounds. Cheap, easy and effective. Also easy to calibrate.

 

http://rwls.com/

+1 for Right Weigh. With a spread you really need to see the weight in pounds not psi. The kit for a trailer, with the plastic box is about $150. I think I paid about $100 for my in-dash guage for the tractor. I got mine at Fleet Pride, I've seen them at several truck dealers.

 

Your coordinator should be on your side. Even if there is nothing they can do but agree with your position and move it up the chain.

I got rid of my first coordinator within my first 3 months here at Mercer. I won't tolerate my coordinator arguing against me, constantly calling and trying to sell me cheap freight, or talking over me like I'm their inferior.

 

I wanna interject on one issue that is a constant thorn in my side with many other owner operators. The issue of how to account for equipment cost in arriving at operating cost per mile.

All my equipment is paid for from day one, wouldn't want it any other way; but, I still acount for it's cost so that one day I can replace that equipment with cash. Too many come fairly close to accounting and saving for maintenance (the owners with crap tires and fenders flapping in the breeze; not even that) but totally ignore replacement cost. I figure $20000/year and 80000 miles running per year, to be safe, no matter whether you have a loan or not.

When owners accept rates which ignore that, they are about .20 -.30 cpm too low. They are essentially slowly giving their truck, trailer, APU away to the brokers for free! Then the equipment must be replaced and they get loans to pay for it, and with interest on top of it all. Next thing you know they are broke, down and out. Furthermore, they are hurting the rates for the rest of us whom don't want to give our equipment away for free!

This is probably the biggest error owner/ops make.

 

great post !!!