Cargo Vans Who Run For More Than One Carrier: An Editorial

[blizzard2014]

Like I said before, all the carriers that would be agreeable to this sort of arrangement are for the most part looking at the same freight. How does having more than one company looking at the same loads increase your chances of getting one of those loads? They're just bidding against one another for your services anyway. If anything, the load is probably going cheaper because the companies bidding on it think there's more competition in that area than there really is.

They are not bidding on the same loads all of the time. Some carriers have their own customers who call them with direct loads. So, if you are with one carrier that has some regular customers, i'm pretty sure the other carriers you work with will not be bidding on the same load. Also, sometimes one carrier might be busy loading up a bigger truck, or just not at the dispatch desk when a load pops up. One carrier might have a more favorable reputation with NLM, or various other partner carriers...Just like you have preference with a few of the carriers that you work with.

It's a dog eat dog world out there and you have to bend the system to make a decent profit. I also know some carriers that do not use NLM and some that do. So, if you are working for one carrier that uses NLM and a few that don't, there is never going to be an issue of crossbidding going on. Also, I work with one company that does a lot of automotive freight on NLM, but never calls me with higher paying alliance loads. But, my primary carrier always fetches me up loads from Fedex, Tristate, or some members of the alliance that we have preference with.

You're not always competing against one another, you are just putting more fishing lines out there in the water. It is also prudent for smaller mom and pop companies to allow their drivers to lease on with multiple carriers in order to ensure their drivers do not get upset when things slow down. I know an older fellow who works for T&K Nationwide and Whirlwind Express and between the two companies he averages around 6000 paid miles a month. His paid miles are never lower than 80 cents per mile with an average of about 85 cents per mile. In his case, both companies are fine with him getting loads one from the other, and he has both companies listed on his insurance. This makes it legal for him to do this.

 

[RLENT]

Yea that's all true but a few states like mine consider a commercial vehicle any vehicle used for purposes of a commercial nature

Absolutely true - many other states do indeed (mine included) .... and in fact so do the Feds (they consider it a commercial vehicle - but not a commercial motor vehicle)

It's just that there is a difference in the regulations which pertain to a Commercial Vehicle (which a cargo van certainly would be, if it were used for commercial purposes) and Commercial Motor Vehicle (which a cargo van often is not)

In fact, this differentiation (between a CV and CMV) in terms of various regulations, occurs, at least to some extent, in Michigan, and other states, as well as on the Federal level.

Which means that as a commercial vehicle and over 5500 GVW, you have to have signs when engaged in commerce. There is no distinction if it is interstate or intrastate work being done here and I haven't seen a change of this yet which I welcome.

You mean this - MVC 257.723:

"All commercial vehicles registered in Michigan with a single or combination gross weight rating or total gross weight of more than 5,000 lbs., and all towing or platform bed wreckers, must have the name, city and state or registered logo or emblem of the registered owner of the vehicle, and lessee of the vehicle if it is being operated under lease, painted or permanently attached on each side of the vehicle, with letters not less than three inches in height and not lower than the bottom edge of the door."

While there may be no distinction between interstate or intrastate work, there is definitely a distinction in terms of where the vehicle is registered as highlighted above - it only applies if the vehicle is registered in Michigan - not another state.

The Federal DOT regulations are not the only one's being used, the states have their own requirements and agree to use the federal regulations - they are not mandated.

Again, absolutely correct.

You can ask the Feds directly how it all works, they will explain the agreement process and all of that to you.

One certainly could, if one didn't understand it

Just because it is under 10k doesn't mean that all the regulations on any level are not to be followed.

Sort of an unwieldy statement there - a more concise and more accurate statement would be to say:

It is appropriate to follow all regulations, whether they be state or Federal, if they apply to one's own particular circumstances.

If this was the case, insurance companies would not require van drivers to have a CDL or some sort of professional license.

My insurance company does not require a CDL or any sort of a professional license. It isn't legally required for the type of vehicle that I drive, or for the cargo I carry.

The feds would not require van drivers to apply for work like a truck driver, still a 10 year history, still a medical card

One should not equate a regulation for one particular thing as being the same as a different regulation for another different thing (employment as a driver vs. operating a vehicle) and draw broad inferences.

Regulations tend to be written in fairly precise legal language because they are meant to mean something very specific. It is important to be able to understand what that is exactly - and not add to or subtract from what is said or meant.

and still a DOT # needs to be there for interstate work, right?

As fastrod points out vehicles 10K and under are not required to have a DOT number.

 

[fastrod]

You mean this - MVC 257.723:

"All commercial vehicles registered in Michigan with a single or combination gross weight rating or total gross weight of more than 5,000 lbs., and all towing or platform bed wreckers, must have the name, city and state or registered logo or emblem of the registered owner of the vehicle, and lessee of the vehicle if it is being operated under lease, painted or permanently attached on each side of the vehicle, with letters not less than three inches in height and not lower than the bottom edge of the door."

While there may be no distinction between interstate or intrastate work, there is definitely a distinction in terms of where the vehicle is registered as highlighted above - it only applies if the vehicle is registered in Michigan - not another state.

Thanks for posting that. I thought it was vehicles registered in Michigan but was not sure till I read this.

 

[gsmacker]

So I might have a dumb question. If you run for two or more carriers and you have your own insurance and authority and all that taken care of, how does the quallcomm system get used?? Do all your carriers got access to send info via your quallcomm or just one carrier? Certainly you don't have more than one system in your van at once?
On another note it was mentioned as a con that if your sitting in location x and you work for carrier a,b,c and they all show a truck there for a possible load so they all start bidding that the lowest bid normally wins. And so by working for more than one carrier you will be kinda short changing yourself on the grounds of what the winning carrier offers you that load at. Well, isn't still up to you to decide if you can run that load at that price and have it be profitable? At the end of the day you gotta know your bottom line on the loads (how far,where to,drivin conditions, where you wanna go and fuel cost) yer takin.

 

[RLENT]

Thanks for posting that. I thought it was vehicles registered in Michigan but was not sure till I read this.

Glad to be of service

 

[Greg336]

I was with 2 companies at one time and will do it again. One thing that is a "must" is when one company gives you a load you must call the other company and let them know you have a load. By doing this your giving each company the respect they each deserve.

 

[BigCat]

This thread is over2.5 years old.


Jake

 

[mjmsprt40]

There's never an oak stake when you really need one.

OK, as long as I'm here: I was signed on with two carriers for about six months. It didn't work as well as one might have hoped, and actually, it's as well that events caused me to drop the second carrier. Turns out that outfit doesn't have DOT/MC authorities. Get pulled over carrying freight without proper authorities and you'll end up paying a lot more than you would have made.

I'm still with the first carrier I signed on with. He pays honest, I can always figure two weeks in advance what my pay is going to be and--- he has the proper authorities.

 

[del364]

Well Jeff when I was with Panther I asked a dispatcher why I didn't have a load? He said," What does it say on the side of your van?" I said, "Panther." He said, "Oh that's why you don't have a load." Not what I wanted to hear. When I went to work for multipule carriers they actively looked for frieght. Yes I was listed more than once on CV availbility sites and I understand how that might lower rates, but its the larger companies that drove me away by not carring if I had a load. If they want rates higher keep people happy with consistent frieght.

 

[21cExp]

Actually, in my experience that is not true, at least for CV's. The outfit I have added to my insurance now (read lease agreement to run for) told me, when I interviewed to "get on with as many carriers as you want to stay busy..."

Dealing with the guys in dispatch, however, and talking to a multitude of other drivers out here and online, I see I, personally, that I don't want to deal with a multi-carrier arrangement. Makes no sense to me, for many of the reasons mentioned in the original post here, and because of the add'l headache I see in trying to keep everyone updated as soon as you get a load from one of the others. I know of cases when a driver said yes to a load before it's bid, then waited half an hour and heard nothing so knew it was gone, so took a load from another carrier. Then the first one calls with a travel order for the original load, thinking he had a driver. Sooner or later a situation like that is bound to happen if doing the multi-carrier deal.

I also don't think it wise because you are often, in essence, bidding against yourself in some cases and giving a false impression of the number of available vehicles in an area.

If I'm in a spot closest to a potential load and am the only driver in the area that shows on the boards (happens a lot more than some drivers might think, if they just sit in popular truck stops a lot), and if Incommunicate well with my dispatch about everything, chances are I can negotiate a better rate than if it appears there are two or more (actually all me if I was multi-carrying) in the area.

As for doing the multi-carrier arrangement yourself, if that's what you want to do (I discourage it, personally) there's no big hoopla or permission deal one has to go through. You just sign on with another, being open and up front about who else you're running for. You also add the new carrier to your insurance, which adds, at least at CIS, only $5 or so.

Oh, oh I got this one. Most Carries want exclusive use.

note: Well duh, I'm replying to a multi-year old post. Someone re-activated it and I jumped. I'm not too bright sometimes. Still valid info, however.

 

[BigCat]

Well Jeff when I was with Panther I asked a dispatcher why I didn't have a load? He said," What does it say on the side of your van?" I said, "Panther." He said, "Oh that's why you don't have a load." Not what I wanted to hear. When I went to work for multipule carriers they actively looked for frieght. Yes I was listed more than once on CV availbility sites and I understand how that might lower rates, but its the larger companies that drove me away by not carring if I had a load. If they want rates higher keep people happy with consistent frieght.

So a panther dispatcher said you don't have a load because you are with panther? BS meter hits the top!

 

[davekc]

Well Jeff when I was with Panther I asked a dispatcher why I didn't have a load? He said," What does it say on the side of your van?" I said, "Panther." He said, "Oh that's why you don't have a load." Not what I wanted to hear. When I went to work for multipule carriers they actively looked for frieght. Yes I was listed more than once on CV availbility sites and I understand how that might lower rates, but its the larger companies that drove me away by not carring if I had a load. If they want rates higher keep people happy with consistent frieght.

And a Panther dispatcher would say that for what reason? Story sounds alittle suspect.

 

[Turtle]

A little? LOL
I wonder if that comment was just between him, the dispatcher, and the recorded conversation.

 

[BigCat]

I drove a truck with panther on the side and always had a load. Maybe this guy was like the many they get in orientation who can't handle it so they didn't give him loads.

 

[highway star]

When you need a good laugh, EO!!

 

[truk6264]

Well put! I have always done better when hauling for more than one outfit. Some loads you get the other carriers never even find out about. It's like a general contractor telling his plumbing contractor he can only work for him and no other jobs for other customers. If they get offended that's ridiculous if they can't keep you loaded and running by themselves.