Personal dispatch services

There are too many services out there that charge way less than 10%. I think 5% is the going rate and there are no $2.00 per mile on all loads. I have been in this field for over 10 years and have actually ran a dispatching service for over 5 years. Here are the secrets and they are pretty obvious... 1) Negotiations are huge. Every load is worth negotiating; 2) If it pays good going in, coming out is not so good. 3) Never put yourself in a bad spot on a Friday unless the rate going in is so good that you can go out for $1.00 - $1.20 per mile and still average close to $2.00 on both loads. 4) If you have a load and it cancels for any reason, you shouldn't have to pay for the canceled load and your dispatcher should be working to get you recovered. If that means working Saturday, then they work Saturday. 5) You shouldn't have to pay their percentage on TONU, any detention or extra pay to you. However, they should be the ones negotiating all of that for you. If you hire a dispatching service all you should have to do is drive. If your dispatcher is doing their job, you should have some idle time. When they call you, it should be when they think they have found the very best load of the day and not until then. I am not saying for them to take all day but they should call and call on loads until they secure the best rate available in the lane you are traveling. My final thought... I would never hire a dispatching service that didn't start out as an owner operator who understands completely all the expenses involved in running a truck. I think that is probably one of the most important things. That and experience dealing with brokers and negotiating rates. Sorry about the long reply but I have a lot to say about dispatching

 

Not always. Just because you landed $3 a mile to a certain point does not mean that there will be no $2+ loads coming out from around that delivery point. And it does not mean you have to take $1 a mile outbound loads from nearby either, to equal a $2+ average on a round.

 

You are correct but way more often than not, if you get$3.00 in, you will for sure not get $2.00 out. The broker isn't going topay $3.00 per mile to go to IL, however, in IL you should get at least $2.00 orbetter out if you are doing your job. However, if you are in IL going tothe east cost you should get close to $3.00 but not more than a $1.20- $1.50 in most cases coming out of the east coast. You willget and you should get $3.00 into FL right now but I canguarantee there won't be a $2.00 load coming out. Why you ask... becausethe shipper and receiver don't have to pay the rates to move theirproduct. Too many drivers are taking it for $1.20. to get outof FL and many other bad locations. Sometimes less. So youtake the rate they offer or you deadhead. That is why you do yourhomework and know your lanes finding your loads. Max out your rate whenyou are going into a not so good spot. If you do decent coming out, youare really the winner but even if you don't do so well, you can averageout and still be looking good.

 

Says who? I can get $3 a mile to IL at times. When you automatically tell yourself "no-one is going to pay $x.xx rate to x" then you just made any prospective customer's day, they didn't even have to haggle with you, you already sold yourself short.

 

No I don't sell myself short. But I know the lanes. I have been doing this for many years and I have access to the same loads you do. I hang up the phones on a lot of brokers before sealing the deal but show me a load you pulled out of FL right now for over a $1.20 on the loaded miles. Not a load that stayed in FL, one you pulled out. On at least 400 or more miles. Show me your $3.00 loads out of Chicago. I would love to see where they are going and what you got coming out. If you can show me $3 out of Chicago on long miles going to a good spot where you then got $2.00 per mile, you are the best of the best out there.

 

I don't go to Florida with a van but if I did you can rest assured somebody paid big bucks. I wouldn't waste time reloading out of FL I have no contacts there. Rate down there would pay all the way back to ATL. I'm pretty good at what I do. I have a reputation as a "vulture" among some brokers but hey that's the game. They'll still load it up when no-one else can be found. Don't make a lot of friends that way but you do make good money.

 

well put plumcrazy, this is exactly how I do my loads (smarter not harder)I average about 2.47 per all miles and run about 1700 miles a week. my revenue may be less than a lot of o/ops but bottom line is greater because I didn't spend it at the pumps or service the truck every three to four weeks instead about 8 to 10 weeks based on every 12000 mile service. tires brakes ect. replaced half as much than most. if more would hold out for better rate maybe it would turn some of these cheap rate areas around

 

I run Intrastate Florida, the place I haul for has loads outbound to the South East every day of the week at more than 1.88 cents a mile. All loads are over 400 mile runs, so who is hauling the cheap freight out?

I am not talking broker loads but direct freight, keeps the desk fly's hands out of your wallet.

 

You are right, a lot of new O/O pay 8 - 10 % for dispatcher/brokers with or without authority.

 

can you point in a direction where to find good dispatching service plz...