Please help me! Screwed by contractor on first hot shot load

I was more thinking of some sort of contract stating the details of the deal with legitimate signatures. Could be this is how the person gets away with this more then one time.

 

He might just be broke and hiding. Once he gets paid, maybe he'll pay you type of deal. Hopefully??

Or it can be he's just away from his phone. Don't get all worked up yet.

 

You should have a rate confirmation from him. You should also have a contract with him prior to receiving the rate confirmation. I don't haul anything without first checking their credit references and authority. I won't take the chance. It is business. I am sorry that you are having problems getting your money. You may want to give a call to the shipper and consignee to see if you can get one of them to pay you. In fact, you could have a claim against one or both of them if you can't get in touch with the broker. If it were me, my first calls would be to the shipper and/or consignee. Let them know what is going on and see if they can pay you or help you get the money from the broker.

 

You have the signed bill of lading, right? Or at least you kept a copy? Logbook?

 

Maybe I'm just a nervous type, but I'd be worried that your part of a crime stealing the trailer. I obviously don't know exactly what you had to do to pick it up if it was just hook up to it and haul it or there was paperwork involved so you know you weren't used to steal it. To me it sounds suspicious hope I'm just being pessimistic and its not what really is the case if it is you could be in for real problems in the future.

 

FWIW, you are the independent contractor. The person you got the load from must have authority to haul loads.

You are missing many pieces of the puzzle. You should have had signs on your vehicle with the company name and authority on it. You should have a (BOL) bill of lading for any load. The BOL should be signed when the load is delivered.

The more we get into this, the more I fear there was never any intention to pay you. Call the insurance company listed on the papers and see if you can get any information on the comapny that gave you the load. Where did you find out about him?

 

I don't pick up a load until I have all my paperwork in hand and check them out. It doesn't matter how well a load pays, unless you receive your money it doesn't do you any good. Most brokers require that you send them a copy of a signed bill of lading before they will pay the carrier. Without some proof of delivery, they are not obligated to pay you. Without a signed bill of lading they have no way to know whether you delivered the load or perhaps are trying to con them. If you don't have something in writing you may not be able to collect your money. Having the ad won't do any good. Just because you have an ad that gives the rate and basic load information doesn't prove that you picked up and delivered the load. Only the signed bill of lading will prove that you delivered the load. The signed rate confirmation with your company name listed as the carrier and all the load information is your proof that you had a contract with the broker.

 

And that would be? I'm new here so I don't know what the site should give you but my guess is that the company is not legit.

 

File a lien against the camp building that you delivered. It should have a serial number. Surely you must have documentation of that.

By the way. Watford City is closer to 100 miles from the Canadian border.

 

His authority was reinstated on 7/12/11. He is a carrier, not a broker so there is no bond to file against. Did you lease to him or just take a load as a one time deal? Hopefully, he is just having some cash flow problems and he will pay you.