Personal dispatch services

Discussion in 'Freight Broker Forum' started by Roadrunner26, Aug 25, 2010.

  1. BigJohn54

    BigJohn54 Gone, but NEVER forgotten

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    I am not comfortable with what you are saying. If it sounds too good to be true - RUN. A guaranteed rate unless he has lots of direct shippers is not that likely. If that is the case doesn't he need a broker's license? Finally he charges too much and a percentage too.

    I can see using a service like this if it were affordable like a couple of examples here. As long as you are willing to give up your money for the work saved, I guess it's worth it. Most of the numbers thrown out here figure out around 2% or .04 PM based on 2500 miles a week at 1.80 PM (my more realistic projection). What you are talking about figures out to 10% or .20 PM on 2500 miles a week at 2.00 PM (his guaranteed rate).

    I don't know what you're hauling for. What ever he can get you above his .20 PM would be extra. Example you are hauling for 1.65 PM and he gets you to 2.00 PM less his .20 PM, you have .15 PM additional revenue. I think it's too good to be true and will probably cause more pain than gain, but I'm skeptical.
     
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  3. Mr. PlumCrazy

    Mr. PlumCrazy Road Train Member

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    I like my dispatch service, ME I can sit at home take all the time I need to find a load to satisfy my needs (ie the money I want location delivery time weight ect.ect.ect) then between the time I go pick up said load I can start looking for a return load post my truck it the area go get loaded drive the 6 - 10 hours to get there pull out my laptop do a little more research get a nap get up put truck in dock laptop still set up by time I'm unloaded i usually will have a load and if not well like two week ago load paid $4.6875 a mile one way couldn't find a load that I liked so i took my empty trailer back home . This week I have only did one trip $5.0802 a mile Dead head back home. I don't always come back empty but I wont haul cheap freight or should I say freight cheap. Now someone gonna say well even if you would have booked a load only paying $1.50 a mile you could have made money well I left it for you keep up the good work.This is a business where time is money and if you take your time you will find the money. There good paying loads out there. Brokers are smarter than most give them credit for. They know there will be loads that they will loose a lot of money on and them are the ones I like but they also know there will be lots of drivers that they can make a lot of money off of to make up for it and I like them too. This is where a good dispatch service may be able to help you they have the time to look and wait on these loads. But me I prefer to run my own business that to have someone else running it for me then I only have my self to blame. No phone calls saying I got you a load but heck what if I don't want that load well I already booked for you you gotta hurry up and get down there you got 2 hours it 130 miles from you no tome to debate bye. No I am not saying a dispatch service is not good if you want to run 3K miles a week but me the most miles I have ran in a week since I been on my own is a little under 2K. I sit and take my time trying to find the higher paying loads where I can average around $2.50 a mile or better including deadhead this way less work and more profit (Learned this off a post someone posted on this board cant remember who or where) One load I booked once paying $2.08 a mile 40 miles deadhead to pick up and delivering a couple miles from my house jumped on it quick well I didnt bother to find out the pickup time before I booked it got unloaded at 9:30am went got me something to eat and trailer washed out went the 40 miles to pick up got there around noon and was told your appointment is at 10pm WHAT but if we can get to you earlier we'll get you loaded well I sat and sat then another driver came in and told me they usually don't start loading trucks til midnight I went inside and asked how much longer oh we should have you ready in a couple hours I told them nope I'll call the broker and tell them they is gonna have to find someone else to haul it I'm gone before I got back to my truck the yard jokey came and told me to put it in door 1 and he went and got a trailer and put it in door 2 and that's where my freight was. I am not in this business to get rich I play the lottery weekly for that odds are better and anyone that think they can will most likely die trying. What it all boils down to is if you quit trying to kill yourself running 3 and 4k miles a week on the penny freight and spent that time with you family waiting and looking for the dollar freight you'll make just as much in the long run and be Healthy Wealthy and Wise. Good things come to those who wait
     
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  4. MeatHead

    MeatHead Medium Load Member

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    Well, I guess this thread turned into "Why I consider myself the God of trucking, please allow me to pat myself on the back"
     
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  5. BigJohn54

    BigJohn54 Gone, but NEVER forgotten

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    And I guess some on here probably haul freight cheap, like $1.50 a mile. We all have a choice. We can be part of the problem or part of the solution. Why are we hauling freight for 1.5 times what it was about 20 years ago when fuel and other costs have tripled. I think in a free market system the answer is because we will.
     
  6. RedForeman

    RedForeman Momentum Conservationist

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    PlumCrazy if you weren't taking all those naps you could make a killing LOL

    :biggrin_2559:
     
  7. Mr. PlumCrazy

    Mr. PlumCrazy Road Train Member

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    Dont tell everybody
     
  8. dave26027

    dave26027 Road Train Member

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    Be cautious in case he's running his own trucks on YOUR authority. Remember what a dirty business we're in, and go make money!
     
  9. Eskimo6804

    Eskimo6804 Heavy Load Member

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    I think 10% is extremely high for a dispatcher. I dispatch one truck, that is a single truck carrier that is a friend of a friend, in addition to the eight trucks in the fleet that I run. I charge him 3% of the gross.

    He is quite happy with that as he is doing .30-.40 per mile better than he was on his own, and it puts a little money in my pocket for my trouble. Truth be known, I have such a good relationship with the 6-8 brokers that I haul for and know who has what loads where, that in a week's time, I might spend an hour total to generate his $5-6k gross revenue.

    While I think dispatch services are a good idea for some, I would personally never use one. I am a control freak. I would never want to be one either. Because I am a control freak.:biggrin_25525:
     
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  10. heavyhaulerss

    heavyhaulerss Road Train Member

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    do you drive a truck or just dispatch?
     
  11. Eskimo6804

    Eskimo6804 Heavy Load Member

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    I still drive, but really would be considered a part time driver I suppose.
     
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