Picking my own freight baby! My journey to & of being on Schneider choice, the Adventure & Numbers!

It's definitely shark infested waters, but lots of o/o's are sharks too. I know of many that get empty in the morning and just wait for a desperate broker to call then they try to gouge for 3 or 4 times what the lane is currently paying. I can't do business that way. I usually book the say before, or the next morning, but I'm always right around market value for that particular lane. Unless the load to truck ratio is like 9-1 or something, then I might add a couple hundred bucks, but some of these guys trying to run for 6 bucks a mile when it pays 3 or 4 are crazy. I'm more about developing long term relationships vs trying to grab a big score and never seeing that broker again, and because of that my email is constantly blown up with loads from brokers I've worked with previously.

 

You get it ... and when rates turn, those brokers will work with you.

Nobody is going to do you any favors later, if you never did any for them.

 

Exactly right.

 

In fact, brokers will avoid using you when they look and see how you ripped them in the past. And most of the time, its not the brokers calling.

 

I wouldn't say it's favors. I still run for the lane value, but I'm just not into shoving a broker against the wall and stealing his wallet. If i'm fair and the relationship builds value, then it's a win/win imo..

 

His point is when freight slows down and it will, you may burn bridges instead of building them.

You will need loads in the future and brokers keep records of who's good, bad, cheap, expensive, willing to be fair and those who stick it to them.

Nothing wrong with getting your value but gouging them will eventually cost you.

 

No matter how fair you are today, when demand drops they are only going to be willing to pay the absolute minimum they can get away with.

@freightwipper, continue to squeeze every penny out of them you can today cause no matter what these other guys are saying they won't have any loyalty towards you even if you didn't go for high rates.