This post is intended to be a companion/comparison piece to Moot's Panther Pals thread so as not to hijack the comments there.
Our carrier's run offer messages over the Qualcomm are generally considered contractual in nature. There are no disclaimers included within the offer because it includes firm compensation for specified services. There are rare exceptions, however, but these are indicated in a separate message that accompanies the run offer. We are afforded the opportunity to review the exception before accepting or refusing the run offer.
On occasion, our carrier gives a customer a quote for services and, if the customer is a contract player or a frequent, good customer, they may make a dispatch offer in anticipation of firming the deal. After the offer is accepted we may find that the load delivers in the morning rather than straight through, or vice versa. The load may weigh more or less than thought, contain more pieces than thought, or require special action like inside delivery or hazmat handling. These situations are covered in our lease agreement and we accept the fact that this is the nature of expediting. Emergency shipments often require creative dispatching!
In our 18+ years with FedEx Custom Critical, we have had run services and pay adjustments, but we have never been shortchanged with pay on a run agreement.
Included within our lease agreement is run limitations for solo drivers and team drivers in cargo vans. As a solo van operator, I know that any "straight through" run offer that exceeds 750 miles of deadhead and loaded miles will require a transfer. I may accept a run that is offered at 1000 miles for $1200 but I know that it will have to be tranferred, even if I don't get an accompanying message of notification. I would take that run after anticipating the city in which I think we would transfer that load to another truck or I'd call and get an assurance that I'd get at least a fair portion of the run miles. When we communicate, we are rarely dissapointed.
HOS regulations limit solo straight truck drivers, but since HOS don't apply to cargo vans under 10,001 GVWR, many carriers don't limit their drivers' hours or miles. Some carriers, it seems, use subjective criteria on an ad hoic basis to determine how much a driver may drive.
Our carrier's run offer messages over the Qualcomm are generally considered contractual in nature. There are no disclaimers included within the offer because it includes firm compensation for specified services. There are rare exceptions, however, but these are indicated in a separate message that accompanies the run offer. We are afforded the opportunity to review the exception before accepting or refusing the run offer.
On occasion, our carrier gives a customer a quote for services and, if the customer is a contract player or a frequent, good customer, they may make a dispatch offer in anticipation of firming the deal. After the offer is accepted we may find that the load delivers in the morning rather than straight through, or vice versa. The load may weigh more or less than thought, contain more pieces than thought, or require special action like inside delivery or hazmat handling. These situations are covered in our lease agreement and we accept the fact that this is the nature of expediting. Emergency shipments often require creative dispatching!
In our 18+ years with FedEx Custom Critical, we have had run services and pay adjustments, but we have never been shortchanged with pay on a run agreement.
Included within our lease agreement is run limitations for solo drivers and team drivers in cargo vans. As a solo van operator, I know that any "straight through" run offer that exceeds 750 miles of deadhead and loaded miles will require a transfer. I may accept a run that is offered at 1000 miles for $1200 but I know that it will have to be tranferred, even if I don't get an accompanying message of notification. I would take that run after anticipating the city in which I think we would transfer that load to another truck or I'd call and get an assurance that I'd get at least a fair portion of the run miles. When we communicate, we are rarely dissapointed.
HOS regulations limit solo straight truck drivers, but since HOS don't apply to cargo vans under 10,001 GVWR, many carriers don't limit their drivers' hours or miles. Some carriers, it seems, use subjective criteria on an ad hoic basis to determine how much a driver may drive.
