Please Explain This To Me

dude ! it's not your car. It's a $100,000 rig with $7000/year insurance or more rolling on $10,000 worth of tires, our oil changes cost $350. 0-60 in gheeze 5-10 minutes, blind spots, restricted routes, keeping a log of hours of service, etc... you can just get driving your car out of your head.

Besides which, he didn't get paid the $75 just to pick up the pallet, you still have to deliver it right ? and there is no way in heck the 8 miles was exactly on his route towards the reciever, I'm not buying that for one second. Would you like to share the addresses and prove me wrong ?

I'll tell you what, let's make a deal. you find me a load I can haul with your car and I'll go 8 miles for the $50, how's that ?

 

Danny, the answer is quite simple, really..... This 24 year old who has zero idea of what it means to own a business, let alone run one, thinks that O/O's who call CH looking to do business should consider themselves to be CH employees.....

CH will always call you when you are on one of their loads, before you're empty, and will attempt to book another load with you....they want your truck to be their truck, and you their employee....

CH Robinson's recorded message, that you will be subjected to while you wait for the next available representative, illustrates this clearly....it is nothing more than them directing you to control costs, instructing you to check the air pressure in your tires, for example.....they treat you like an employee of CH Robinson....

I wonder if CH's shippers hear similar messages, instructions on how to lower their, the shippers, operating costs...hmmm?

As for adding an additional pallet and expecting this to be no problem, and figuring that the carrier will do this for just a little additional money.... laughable.... you change the terms of the contract, the rate agreement, you void it. If carriers would respond to this broker tactic appropriately the practice would stop.

This is for all TTR readers, and is directed at no one in particular. If a broker calls you AFTER the rate agreement has been signed and accepted, and desires to change it's terms, YOU are in the strong position in terms of negotiating the new rate, and that's exactly what you are doing at this point, negotiating a new rate agreement. I'd start my negotiation on that next pick up at $150 firm for the additional stop.....That additional stop of 8 miles could realistically add 5 hours to the day... by the time you get the information, contact the shipper, drive to the shipper, check in, wait, back in, load, and get on to the next point of contact you will have spent an easy 2 hours of your time.....and that's if it goes as quickly and smoothly as possible.... little hangups, product not ready, incorrect pick up number, wrong directions, wrong pick up address, traffic, etc.. and the 2 hours turns into 3, 4, or maybe 5 hours....

Danny's absolutely right, we're operating equipment with significant costs, and you don't get this service for nothing, anymore than GE Capital financed me for next to nothing...

 

Save your breath. No comprehension of risk vs. reward, return on capital investment, etc. But that being said I wasn't much different when I was that age. About all I cared about was how good my truck ran and that no one else's was cleaner. Miles and years have a way of resetting your priorities once you realize that the only winner in these cases is the shipper. They for the most part have flourished in bad and good times while we argue whether it is too much to charge them $100 for an extra stop. I sure picked a funny business.

 

Ok then, riddle me this. A shipper calls you with a load and you agree on a rate where you can get a truck and still make $125, (presumably for your company). Now the shipper calls back, "Hey I got 5 more loads, you should be able to do all these for $110 less. You're right there, you don't even have to go 8 miles, your stuffs already paid for so it's just an extra $15/pop easy money". Sounds pretty good, eh ?

 

lol, no I really can't. sorry. I like you BookingYou19. And I'm very glad I'm doing less brokered loads these days, very, very glad.