Posting For Good and Bad Brokers

Your right, I do pull a van. I've considered asking the company to invest in a reefer for that run but I know it's not gonna fly so why bother? As for the rates you are getting out of there I am inclined to think you may be operating under your own authority?
Without having my own, I get it from both ends. The broker and the company want theirs first.

 

Those rates that I quoted are rates paid by the broker to the carrier, after the broker took their cut.

I am a small fleet owner leased to a small carrier. I don't technically have my own authority, but I may as well have because I book all of the loads for my own trucks through brokers and a few select direct shipper contacts that I have made over the years.

 

I've got 2 for the list.

Mark with Panama Banana Chicago IL.
Ok he isn't a broker, he is an agent for the shipper (Panama Banana) but he still did us wrong. We booked a load from Fl to their produce market in Chicago on the grounds we would be paid COD by the owner (yes I had this in writing). We loaded oranges. They pulped 80-85*. I notified Mark via email (I love email because I always have communications in a printable form) that the oranges were hot. He said he wanted us to run the reefer at 50* that night and then drop it to 40* the next day. So we did what he wanted... I mean hey, they are their oranges. Needless to say delivering at Panama Banana they were unhappy with the oranges... go figure. Also the owner wasn't there but the manager Jonathan isn't paying up. They NEVER pay COD. Of course Mark isn't answering his phone or returning my calls. I show Jonathan my contract with Mark saying we would be paid COD and the emails on his temperature preferences. No dice. We waited until the next day to talk to the owner Zeke. He was a very nice man who was very upset with Mark, for a several reasons as you can tell. Zeke realized the oranges weren't our fault we just did what Mark wanted and he did cut us a check for the full rate. I, however will never deal with Mark again.

Then we have Greg Merlo with KLLM. Greg is based out of an office in Southern CA. We booked a load from Ananheim to Grandview WA. The agreement was he would pay 50% on pick up and 50% on delivery via comcheck at no charge. We loaded Tues afternoon and as promised he called and gave me comcheck for 50%. We delivered 10pm Wed night in Grandview. I'm a courteous person. I didn't want to haggle him at home in the middle of the night for payment so I waited til the next day. I faxed him POD and he said he'd get right back to me..... nothing. Thurs I call him again. "Oh yea" he says, I'll get right back to you......... nothing. Friday I call him again. "Oh yea" he says, I'll get right back to you....... nothing. Then of course it's the weekend and they aren't open. Monday I call him. "oh yea"... you get the picture, and again...... nothing. Tuesday the same routine. Now I'm beyond peed off. I call KLLM's main office in GA. I explain my situation and they are shocked. "Greg? really? he's such a good guy" blah blah blah... I want my money. I held up my end of the agreement now you hold up yours. 5 minutes after I get off the phone with a higher up in GA, Greg calls and wouldn't you know it, he's got a comcheck for the money.

Now I know these cases aren't as bad as others because we did get paid... But I don't like being lied to or having to haggle for my money. They didn't need to hound me to pick up and deliver on time I shouldn't have to hound them to hold up their end of the deal.

 

I also cannot PM can you contact me at megayields@gmail.com

Thank you,

John

 

I don’t get it, why is it that independent look for brokers? Why don't they just hook up with dispatching companies? Have the drivers of today not yet learned that to be successful in this industry you must learn how to be your own broker. Here’s the point and this is from my experience. I am a broker for a large trucking company; I started out being a dispatcher. As a broker I get offered say $1000 for a load going say 500 miles from one of my shipper clients. As a dispatcher I found that same type load same weight distance etc. being offered at a flat rate of $1280 by another brokerage firm. My driver wants $2 PMR and won’t take anything less. I have that with my shipper but the other broker is paying more. So guess who I book with...oh dear a brokered load. Who cares the driver gets more money and I get 10% off the top. Why would I want to give a driver a load for the
$2 PMR instead of the higher $2.30? The difference between a broker and a dispatching company.
1. Brokers are subject to their shipper prices and have no other resources to go to, most are also so worried about losing their client they won’t argue the rate (that’s their bad). As a dispatcher we get to fight for better rates and can go anywhere to find them even to other brokers and how sweet it is when I can get that broker to look in his pants and find some balls to get more money from that shipper. Decision time; call your shipper tell him his loads going to sit another day or get more money honey…no brainer if you ask me.

2. Brokers keep what they can get away with. Most often more than they should. If the driver needs or wants $2 PMR then that’s what he will get. Why ask or require full disclosure if you are already getting what you asked for. A dispatching company takes a percentage it never changes and full disclosure is imminent.

Like I said why a broker why not a few good dispatching companies under your belt? Why not both…learn to be your own company and your own broker. There is power in knowledge.

 

Some dispatch services charges a monthly flat fee

 

For anyone looking to haul a load for UTi, be careful....we recently hauled a load for them from Springfield, CO - Phoenix, AZ. The pay wasn't the greatest but the load was getting my husband home for the weekend, and he hadn't been home for like 3 wks. The confirmation had no p/u address nor city/state, or no delivery address or city/state. The notes said to call the shipper for that info, driver to call and no conference calls (the shipper was Pioneer Sand). Shipper gave us an add in Phx, and now is wanting to charge us $150 stating that we delivered to the wrong address...says the load was suppose to go to Apache Junction. According to them, we picked up at the same time as a driver going to Phx and just followed them to Phx. I said that's absurd, since we live in northern AZ and the only reason we took the load was to get home...sure as hell aren't gonna have some strange driver come home and chill in our home with our 2 teenage daughters! The shipper is sticking to his lies and is insisting on deducting $150 from our pay. I'm really frustrated, I mean its $150 bucks but the principle of the matter is these people, both Pioneer Sand and Uti are not only trying to pull a fast 1 but also in essence saying we do shotty work.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

 

What was the delivery address on the BOL? If the shipper wrote the wrong address it is their problem. It would an easy win in small claims court.

 

Yes it was, but since it was a hand written bol the shipper is saying we didn't write in the correct address. Thing is where do they think we got that address from in the first place?

 

Shipper is responsible for delivery address. If they withhold the funds tell them it is under protest and you will file in small claims court.