Truck Load Rates Halt 8 Week Slide 2.0

I got a good chuckle out of that. I actually enjoy when people try to throw some different angles into the negotiation. When you're doing 4-10 a day, they get monotonous. It all really depends on the person, and the feel you get for them. My usual response to the the 'wife and kids' line, is something along the lines of, 'Yeah, I know that feeling, and daycare is expensive. I'd love to help you out, but I gotta make a little myself.' All true in and of itself. Odds are pretty good we're going to eventually wind up agreeing on something acceptable to both of us, in the middle, unless I've missed my bid mark.

The ones that get me are the guys who tell me that they 'need' something outrageously different for the lane they're on. If you're asking for 4000 when I typically move the load for 2000, you and I are probably not going to come to an agreement.

 

Perhaps this haggling process becomes less trivial when you go into more specialized stuff. There is simply more things to discuss and consider. Dry van is just unsophisticated and therefore very fit for those Uber/Convoy like apps. I don't know...maybe there is more of a hustling than haggling here. So, when a guy calls you in the afternoon, then you need to be a greedy monster, which is also a "skill" in itself. LOL

 

Here is how I do it. I always try to start my clock later than 10am. Morning starts with market conditions, checking the amount of loads vs the amount of trucks posted. When you run regional, you already have an idea on the loads vs trucks ratio, which will allow you to make some good money
If the ratio is bad and loads are getting booked as soon as they get posted, you better get calling and book something decent. However, if the market is alright, like at least 2 loads to 1 one truck, then you get a chance at scoring above average pay day.

95% of the brokers don't even bother negotiating between 8-10am, then the number starts dropping, by noon they become open minded and at 2-3pm they start to get anxious.
Around noon you post your truck and start answering calls. When brokers call you instead of you calling them, then you can turn that $850 lane into $1400-1500 one.

Since you started your clock later than everyone else (because majority of truckers are solar powered), you have a better chance getting paid more for your time. Remember, majority of trucks on the spot market, are getting booked by dispatchers each loading 10-15 trucks. They try to have their trucks all booked by noon, so they can start looking for tomorrow. That means in the afternoon you have much less competition.

Part 2 is coming later lol
Gotta start driving now

 

I don't do enough dry van to really have a lot of insight into what that looks like. When I had more van freight, it was almost always fairly urgent freight. I bid with that in mind, and told my customer that it might depend. He was always okay with that. Open deck, I'd estimate that there's haggle on about 75% of the loads I do.

And this is exactly why I'm willing to negotiate on all loads I have, especially time critical moves. I'd rather give a carrier another hundred or two versus lose five on a load. Having something secured is worth so much more than that extra hundred as a possibility. Birds in hand, as it were.

 

I’ll end the call with something like “if you don’t get it covered you have my number “ and if they do call back you normally have a bit more leverage.

 

Absolutely. I use a variation on that, from my end, from time to time as well. "Well, if you don't find anything else, and I still have it, give me a shout."

 

“call me back if you don’t cover it, ill charge more later”

or this old chestnut:

“Well $4000 is a lot of money, and I know it’s double what you normally pay, but $4500 really isn’t that much to pay for peace of mind, I mean think about what you get for $5000, You know very well that losing this customer for poor service is going to cost you way more than $5500 and that $6000 is a perfectly fair price to settle on.”


Or “ if you think that’s expensive, you should see what the cheap will cost you“

 

Note to self: don't haggle with Ruthless. If, in the odd chance that he and I work together, try and get him his number.

 

I mean, I'd give you at least $100 for that line.