OOIDA petitions Elaine Chao/Jim Mullen.

I wouldn't have moved the thing for $800 ####### dollars in the first place, when there's nobody else dictating the deal. That example that I gave that sparked this topic was a one-and-done deal that I used to my advantage for my own reasons, not to make a living off of load boards then complain about the brokers. There would have been a much more reasonable price for the guy paying the bill, he'd have saved some money, I'd have been content and I wouldn't have to explain how or why. There probably would have been another $500.00 in his pocket at the end of the day, had we known each other the day before this all took place, because that's what I would have figured it on based on the job.

When I quote a price to do ANYTHING normal (and I call anything I do that comes in directly to me via phone, email or texts, "NORMAL", it's usually a fair deal for both the individual inquiring, and for my own welfare.

That's the difference between my business model and most of yours, is I run a transport business, not being enslaved to these kinds of situations. People call, we haul. Much like a towing company...so in that case I charge the rates that I determine based on the job. I.E; distance, time, hours to load/off-load, labor on site, etc. Try getting what you deserve for all that from a broker. Good luck on that.

A good example is a rail car I moved last fall. It was a 300 mile one way journey, the invoice was for $15,400.00. That would probably blow most people's minds, but there was a lot of preparation, pre-planning, and a specialty trailer rental involved with about a month's worth of advanced prep work. I was the one that did ALL the prep and legwork, so I charge for the hours for administration/office work, plus the physical labor on site, crane rentals, etc. If that was a brokered load, they (#1 wouldn't be able to handle it without a complete mess,) would have chopped that one down to nothing. Let's be honest.

Those jobs aren't usually performed with a broker involved anyway, they're too complex. I just used that as an example to show that they're not needed in a LOT of cases, if you have a little savvy.

 

Not always true. We get calls every day to do things from normal every day trucking, to unique oversized and labor-intensive projects. When the middle man doesn't exist, the price in most instances can be much more fair than having more fingers in the pie and I certainly prefer it that way. Numerous satisfied customers leaving us good reviews confirms that.

That's why having a good marketing strategy going on, and exposure is important. We're definitely trying to compare apples and oranges here anyway; the stuff I'm talking about has nothing to do with a dry van or a reefer, and in most cases not even a flat. So there might be some misunderstanding going on here.

 

Occasionally I run across this kind of situation, and when the numbers are sensible...then everybody is happy and that's the definition of a GOOD DEAL. There are still a FEW good quality brokers hiding out there in the weeds that deal fairly, but the ones that do also don't need to post crumbs on the internet either, as they have a good network of carriers to deal with already. They have a solid customer base on their end, and they deal with integrity. I think that's a pretty nice way to do business, and I commend it. If only that was the norm...

 

Hey, whatever mows yer lawn hoss. If it's not an issue then pay what you want. Some circumstances allow for that, but the majority I think it's safe to say...always consider the costs. Most wealthy people I know didn't get that way by squandering their money.

 

THANK YOU Dino...for being observant and not so opinionated. ALL I am trying to do is point out, based on my lifetime in this and making PLENTY of mistakes along the way is, there is a right and a wrong. I can tell right off the bat the ones that are constantly challenging my views that they aren't really on top of the game yet. I get that, it took me many years to get to the point where I would decide to "buck the system", and do things MY way. I got away from the mentality of leasing to companies and being dictated to about how much money I can earn, or how hard I can work to make it. That's not to imply that leasing on is a bad thing in all cases; complete independence from the system takes some whiskers and time to develop a sense for the industry as whole, and figure out what your limits and capabilities are. I'm fortunate that I have a lot of different skills to apply to my particular sector of the industry, including depth in a mechanical background.

For many, leasing to a big outfit is the only means to enter this joke of a business. I call it a joke because I watched it go from a pretty decent way to earn a living in the 80's and 90's, to the current climate and it's a shame what it's turned into. It's a saturation problem mostly. But rather than get into the reason why it's so messed up nowadays, I'd rather just keep on track. If people would stand up for themselves as a group, there would be change. These protests that are going on in DC with a bunch of Volvos bobtailing around the White House is a joke, in reality.

As can be seen in this forum as clearly as out in the field, there can be 4 truck drivers sitting next to each other, and none of them can agree on what the other's are implying. That's always been that way, and it'll always be. Something to do with human nature, independent spirits, and ignorance all rolled up into one sometimes.

 

Well, then I suggest you stick to what you're doing then. It works for you. Me, I plug along in my own way disregarding the standard operating procedures that a lot of folks get caught up in. That works for me.

 

I guess I don't follow your line of thinkun...and I'm really kinda done trying to anyway. . Call the brokers, they're willing to help you any way they can.

 

In this particular case that involved ME, no...I wasn't happy with the rate the broker was offering in the first place, NO. I tried, and tried and tried to humorously shame him into making it make more sense to do the job, but kept getting the "that's all I got in it" runaround. This is the very point of the first post I made that kept escalating into this debate about carrier vs. brokers' perspectives. I just happened to want to use this particular job to benefit me to absorb some of the cost to deadhead twice as much as it was loaded miles because of the slackness in the area. I tried to hold out for more, and in many many cases I just hang up and deadhead, and make it up on the next one. This one, I just took because it was in my back yard and basically a day trip.

So it turns out in the end that the broker (like most,) was lying to my face and I just don't like to be BS'd...that's all I said in the beginning. It isn't just an assumption, the guy that was paying the bill (which now calls me directly and became buddies through this,) was more ticked off than I was, because I am familiar with the BS and he wasn't until then. So everybody's one-sided perspective about a trucker being mad at a broker because he found out he got less than he deserved in the end, is a misconception.

I've been around a long time. I have pretty thick skin from all the nonsense. I get a chuckle from most of the kindergarten-style nonsense. I just like to state facts and point out the faults, hoping that "maybe" someone would benefit from my story. If anyone wants the keep splitting hairs and arguing about how wrong I was in this scenario, I don't wanna keep going honestly. I just stated some facts and take it as you may.

Hopefully this story will be used by the more savvy owners that are free thinkers, and can benefit from real time situations such as this, that's all. If you think I'm gonna go on the internet and squawk about rates, and cry about getting hosed, that's ain't the case...I won't live long enough to go down the list of problems related to this business. It's all in what YOU make of it though.