Can you work for more than one company?
- Thread starter hunter44a
- Start date
ebsprintin
Veteran Expediter
Sitting at home for a week? Try sitting in Laredo for a week in the summer. If you live in Laredo, please don't take this the wrong way.
As for having a zero week, that is why a $2000 week really isn't a $2000 week. It's all a matter of how things average out, and how you manage your expenditures while everything is averaging out.
The week I had only one dry run was a negative week, because like you've pointed out, money is still being spent. Try adding a monster truck payment to the equation, and you'll see why many people advocate operating without debt, and with big cash reserves.
eb
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chefdennis
Veteran Expediter
The Mid size and Large companies usually have in their lease agreements (contracts) what is known as a "exclusive use" clause. That means that as long as you and your truck are leased to them, they have exclusive use of your truck and you...
As for them taking misc deductions, that is usually for the "lease" of the qual com system..and no matter if you are running or not, you still have the unit in your truck...if you lease an apartment, you don't get to deduct a weeks worth of rent when you go on vacation...same thing here...no runs, or a week off, you still have to pay for the lease of the QC...
The great thing about being in busines for yourself, and that is exactly what you are when you get into ths business, is that you don't have to lease to any carrier that you don't like the terms of their contract....it really is that simple...you get to choose who you lease to as an O/O....or who you drive for as a driver....
This isn't just driving a truck and delivering freight...it is a business and most times "your" own business...know how set it up to run it from the start and you will save yourself alot of headaches down the road.....
As for them taking misc deductions, that is usually for the "lease" of the qual com system..and no matter if you are running or not, you still have the unit in your truck...if you lease an apartment, you don't get to deduct a weeks worth of rent when you go on vacation...same thing here...no runs, or a week off, you still have to pay for the lease of the QC...
The great thing about being in busines for yourself, and that is exactly what you are when you get into ths business, is that you don't have to lease to any carrier that you don't like the terms of their contract....it really is that simple...you get to choose who you lease to as an O/O....or who you drive for as a driver....
This isn't just driving a truck and delivering freight...it is a business and most times "your" own business...know how set it up to run it from the start and you will save yourself alot of headaches down the road.....
If you go to the top of the opening page, look for "Magazine" then Business Planning there is a TON of information there.
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Working for one company is a very practical way to operate if you are "the golden boy" and they are running your wheels off. I have been getting a pretty good taste of having my wheels ran off for the past 6 weeks and it is great.
But for those who are in a slump; or for those who have tried multiple carriers only to be jerked around and dispatched around, more unconventional approaches to this business must be explored.
There are real benefits to working for more than one carrier; and there are numerous small to mid-sized carriers out there who actually encourage you to work for more than one company at the same time. Every company has different contracts/customers as well as different access to different load boards. Being leased on with three carriers at the same time can mean the difference between a thousand mile week and a three thousand mile week.
Like I said; right now i'm pretty impressed with what Bolt has done for me. They are quickly on the way to becoming one of the best companies that i've ever contracted with. I have had a lot of bad experiences with the larger carriers in the past, but this time around I think i've found a perfect fit.
Any how, if you want to work for more than one company at the same time and you need a list of companies who will allow you to do this; please call Commercial Insurance Solutions out of Akron, Ohio and that man will explain how this is done and he will give you a list of small to mid sized carriers to call. Don't let the nay sayers prevent you from finding your own path in this business. Sometimes you have to go to extremes to make what you think is a good living out here. Good luck.
But for those who are in a slump; or for those who have tried multiple carriers only to be jerked around and dispatched around, more unconventional approaches to this business must be explored.
There are real benefits to working for more than one carrier; and there are numerous small to mid-sized carriers out there who actually encourage you to work for more than one company at the same time. Every company has different contracts/customers as well as different access to different load boards. Being leased on with three carriers at the same time can mean the difference between a thousand mile week and a three thousand mile week.
Like I said; right now i'm pretty impressed with what Bolt has done for me. They are quickly on the way to becoming one of the best companies that i've ever contracted with. I have had a lot of bad experiences with the larger carriers in the past, but this time around I think i've found a perfect fit.
Any how, if you want to work for more than one company at the same time and you need a list of companies who will allow you to do this; please call Commercial Insurance Solutions out of Akron, Ohio and that man will explain how this is done and he will give you a list of small to mid sized carriers to call. Don't let the nay sayers prevent you from finding your own path in this business. Sometimes you have to go to extremes to make what you think is a good living out here. Good luck.
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Blizzard. Great info bro!
bryanvolsfan
Seasoned Expediter
Hunter44a
I contract with 1 large carrier and 2 very small family owned companies and I also have a company in town that I do some work for. When I signed on I told the recruiter that I also contracted with 2 other carriers and he said that it was fine. Make sure you READ THE CONTRACT before you sign anything.
I was afraid of the same thing, sitting at home or on the road for a week with no load, so I decided that working for multiple carriers was the best business decision I could make, and it has paid off, I almost always have a load for someone. I would say the very large companies have "exclusive rights use" in their contracts.
It's a balancing act sometimes but it can be done, I do it everyday. When I get a load from one, I call the other 2 and tell them where I am headed and when I'll be empty. Whoever calls first, gets my van. Feel free to PM me if I can help you with anything else.
I contract with 1 large carrier and 2 very small family owned companies and I also have a company in town that I do some work for. When I signed on I told the recruiter that I also contracted with 2 other carriers and he said that it was fine. Make sure you READ THE CONTRACT before you sign anything.
I was afraid of the same thing, sitting at home or on the road for a week with no load, so I decided that working for multiple carriers was the best business decision I could make, and it has paid off, I almost always have a load for someone. I would say the very large companies have "exclusive rights use" in their contracts.
It's a balancing act sometimes but it can be done, I do it everyday. When I get a load from one, I call the other 2 and tell them where I am headed and when I'll be empty. Whoever calls first, gets my van. Feel free to PM me if I can help you with anything else.
some of my friends work as agents for a couple of companys
plus they have their own customers to
ceva has what they call agents when they don't have any trucks they call one of there agents to cover the load
you have to meet some required as so much ins and couple of other things to
plus they have their own customers to
ceva has what they call agents when they don't have any trucks they call one of there agents to cover the load
you have to meet some required as so much ins and couple of other things to
What if your leased to three different co's. Co. one calls we have a load for $.85 you say ok. All three Co's have bid on same load. Co #2 bids $.65. Co #1 calls and say's we lost it. Co #2 say's yes or no? Co #3 bids $.55 and bumps #2 out. Where do you stand then?.
CharlesD
Expert Expediter
Which is likely to happen with the companies that will allow this sort of arrangement. Other than customer accounts, most companies are getting their freight from the same sources. Most of the time I don't think the truck has a better chance of getting loaded in those situations, just a better chance of the load paying less than it should because of false competition.
I have worked for two companies at the same time before ane neither one would call me for loads that were being posted in my area. So, maybe if I had been leased on with a third carrier, the third carrier might have called me on one of those loads. You can't always trust one carrrier to bid on loads for you and look out for your best interests.
And say you took it (now at $0.55, unlikely, but just pretend for a moment), and you now need to tell Co#1 and Co#2 where you're headed, or call them when you're empty and tell them where you are... and depending on the situation, it won't always be difficult for them to know what you did, and they might ask how much you got for the load.. it just creates bad karma all around. (Oh, you mean it was YOU that undercut YOURSELF and bumped us out of the picture?)
Most carriers are hooked up with a certain load board.. which offer all different packages to carriers, depending on which services they subscribe to.. and it costs money for these carriers to post an available truck... if you are really 'not' available (to them at least), they're going to think twice about putting out the money to post 'your' truck. The carriers also have their own reputation amongst the other carriers to think about, (and it doesn't help reputation when one posts a truck as available in a certain area, and the truck declines), which is more important to them than whether you stay loaded and happy.
This is just a stinky business, I'm sorry, but it is. So you're hooked up with however many carriers that will take you, but it still doesn't guarantee that you're going to be the one getting that load that comes up just where you happen to be located.. the carriers are going to go with the OOs they can count on first.. and even if you're equal status with someone else, there's always that pesky 'FIFO'/sharing-the-wealth thing to consider.
And say you have a pallet on your truck for one carrier, and a second carrier has a rush on a single pallet which you determine you can also run along the way.. but you know that the first carrier would terminate your contract if you were to put another piece of freight on with the freight they've promised their customer will be exclusive in your truck. Money talks, so you decide that carrier#1 doesn't need to know.. but wouldn't you know it, you get held up at the consignee for the load which carrier#1 doesn't know about, and now you're going to be late with the carrier#1's delivery.. or say you hit a deer with both skids on the truck (which carrier#1 still doesn't know about skid#2) and it spins you into another vehicle causing personal injury... whose insurance is going to cover you when the battle gets ugly...
IMHO it's best to find a carrier you can trust to treat you as fairly as possible (it's never possible to treat you (you, as in the reader, and meaning nobody in particular) totally fairly, considering they have the same obligation to numerous others) and commit to them, or get your own authority, or go with a carrier who mostly deals with their own customers rather than other carriers and brokers, or go with a carrier who will only charge you a small amount to use their authority to broker some of your own freight when you need to.
nightcreacher
Veteran Expediter
Someone needs to explain how you can run more than 1 dot number at a time on your vehicle,or who's liability insurance pays for the accident that might happen when you least expect it
AMonger
Veteran Expediter
I'm guessing they're talking about CVs, so not DOT# involved.
AMonger
Veteran Expediter
Being signed on to only one company (soon to change), I don't have knowledge of how other companies operate. I know some have sliding rates, but don't the smaller companies sign on a van for .xx and that's the rate? That's how it is for my company. I've only hauled one load at anything less than my normal rate. So if your rate is .xx and that's all it is, there wouldn't be any undercutting going on.
transporter
Expert Expediter
nightcreature only one companies freight in your truck at a time.
you eather cover up or remove all dot numbers except for the one you are hauling freight for at the time
you eather cover up or remove all dot numbers except for the one you are hauling freight for at the time
why?...........