Please help

Your 9 am short haul tomorrow likely isn't going to happen. Should inform that customer of your current situation rather than let it unfold tomorrow morning. They can be pissed off now, or they can be livid with you tomorrow. Take your pick.

Do you have the problematic load signed refused - no appointment. ? That will make all the difference. I would be seeking a warehouse and informing broker of the product that is where it is going and this is now costing you more money than it ever was worth, also, he will be paying for re-delivery and whatever associated warehouse costs. Having it signed as refused without appointment also means your insurance company will look at it and see you held up your end of the bargain, went there as per original confirmation, and was refused and with no effort on the load broker's part to actually get the load delivered you should not be unable to earn money from them tying you up with this problematic load and therefore your insurance company will tell anyone who wishes to file a claim to go and pound sand. You should be calling your agent and telling them of the situation unfolding at the moment. It will be golden information should it come to the point they will try to stick you with a claim. You should be looking for a warehouse NOW and taking it there and depositing it as soon as possible.

I think it is safe to say this is not a customer you will be looking to haul for again. If that is not the case and this really is a one off "crap happens" from one of your go-to customers .... they should still be able to firm up an appointment for you. If that is the case, they would ratchet way down the list of people to haul for. They can call you from this point forth; never be the one to initiate a conversation again.

Time to play hardball.

 

The question is still how much do you work with this customer and do you care if this is the last contact you ever have with them.

I would accept no less than ~$400 from someone who I want to still work with and if I don't want to work with them again I would demand ~$700.

 

Well ... the hard reality is just because you drove 120 miles home and another 120 back to deliver it doesn't amount to a hill of beans. If you lived 2000 miles away you would have waited close by. It's just a nightmare situation, they happen. At least you know who not to pull for again.