How picky are vans?

[CharlesD]

Let me throw this out there to all you van drivers in light of the rates people have been seeing for van loads lately. Here's the scenario.

You're sitting in the Atlanta area. You get offered a load picking up about 15 minutes away from where you are sitting going to Orlando, 460 loaded miles, paying $500 all included. One skid at 900 lbs. Do you take it? Why or why not? If you're going to take that load, tell me why and if not tell me why. I'm your dispatcher and if you don't want it, then give me a reason why I shouldn't bother bidding on it.

Now the second scenario regarding that offer. I haven't bid on it yet and I call you with the load. Being the discriminating businessman that you are, you tell me that you will do it if it pays above a certain rate. I place a bid with that rate in mind, get the load, and call you back with the offer that meets the rate you said you would do it for and you then tell me that you don't want the load. Why would you make such a decision? What should my response be as the carrier?

The above scenario has happened and I have already made up my mind as to my response, but I'm curious what some of the people who drive vans and are leased on with other carriers think. What would you do as a driver with the above offer in light of the way freight has been lately?

 

[moose]

Charles ,
Im Not a CV , yet ...
as to the second scenario ,
this is a break of contract !
a verbal acceptance of a load at a rate , in this industry is a contract to Del. the load.
It gose to the bottom of the driver integrity.
the driver will have to come up with an outstending rezone to reject that load ,
or ,
The dispatcher need to terminate the contract , not do any more business with that driver , hold on to the escrow , and report it on the driver DAC .
This kind of drivers behavior affect us all.



Moose.

 

[chefdennis]

1st situation, I am taking it simply because i am making money over what is needed to move my van. And the next reason is i own a timeshare condo in lake buena visita and I could use a few days in a nice place with a hot tub, 50 TV and a really king size bed.

2nd situation, if I told you to bid it, i am taking it. I just told my carrier id take the load they had to bid on. Now they might r might not have another van in that same area and if they don't they can probably get a 'partener" carrier to take it, but they will pay out more. The van owner/driver just cost his carrier more in either situation.

What would I do as the carrier, 1st keep track of how often a owner/driver did this exact situation and after 3 , he's gone. You don't make a habit of dumping on the load planners and dispatch for no reason. Emergencies are one thing, but if it happened more then once, that doesn't work.

 

[fastman_1]

I would most Likely pass on the load, It's unlikely I would get a load out of the Sun don't shine on cargo vans state, and would have to deadhead back to where I started.

 

[Zoli]

Before I would say no but now I would say yes.I would deliver that load and I would come back empty the very next second in ATL.Now if you drive for TriState you must take it because if not ,they put you in refusal and on the end of the list and you loose another 2 days untill you get your next load offer...

 

[nightcreacher]

I would most Likely pass on the load, It's unlikely I would get a load out of the Sun don't shine on cargo vans state, and would have to deadhead back to where I started.

Round trip would cost you less than 100 bucks in that van,if you ended up back in Atlanta.And just think,you might even get a load from that freight unfriendly state of Florida

 

[bubblehead]

Not just Vans... Situation 1 I would take the load because I live in Florida. Situation 2 depends on the time line from negotiating the price to the call back. I had one friend that agreed on a load at 1.50 and 6 hrs later the carrier accepted. They told their carrier that they would not accept now (near mid-night). As a driver, give the offer a reasonable time limit or prepare to accept regardless. As a dispather, ask the driver for how long (if a time limit) would the driver be willing to wait for an answer. I as a driver would advise the dispather that the offer stands for the next 2 hrs. In most cases this is a resonable time. However, I am not firm on this pratice and many times I would accept much later.

 

[chefdennis]

Wait 460 miles loaded, $500 all in. Gas today, 900 lbs of freight, i can run that and run back to alt for less then the $100 Nightcreacher spoke of....but he is right, even at $150, both ways, i am takin it. $350 and a drop and turn around back...and people complain about not making any money.

As far as the 6 hour response, well with bolt , if you haven't heard back in 30 minutes max, the bid didn't workout....

 

[hondaking38]

yep i would take it....we dont get $1.00 a mile anymore..however after sitting in orlando for week, my driver headed to charlotte yesterday,,,florida is 90% of the time a one way trip.

 

[chefdennis]

When I researched this business, I pretty much figured out that Dh'ing was part of the deal on some loads, some more then others. so what the issue? If you are covering the cost of moving your van AND the DH out, AND still making money, why would you turn it down!?!?

 

[CharlesD]

I find one thing interesting and that's that a lot of people automatically assume a deadhead out of Florida, but lately I've been seeing freight out of there. Not much, but there are loads out of that area and because of the people who either refuse to go there or just drop and deadhead out, the competition isn't as much. Georgia has been a major problem lately for van loads because of the number of vans that are always sitting in that area. Sometimes you have an area that doesn't have as many loads but there aren't as many trucks there either, so your odds might still be good. Then again, I look at the LTL boards as well to try to cover costs for relocation and that is a big difference between how I operate and how a large carrier does things.

The second scenario did happen. I'm not going to name names, but I called the driver before bidding and mentioned where it was going and asked if he would do it if I could get it for a certain rate. He said he would do it for that rate and that if he didn't hear back from me he would assume I didn't get the load. I placed the bid and was awarded within a few minutes. It was less than 30 minutes later that I called the driver back with the offer and he decided he didn't want to go to Florida. Most of you know how bad that makes a carrier look when you have to go back and back out of a load like that.

But with the way rates are right now on van loads, I would think over $1 a mile would be darn good, no matter where it's going.

 

[chefdennis]

Call me anytime charlie, I'll work it out with Bolt!!

 

[Jefferson3000]

All you guys that think you have the freight lanes figured out these days need to just keep on deadheading out of Florida when you come. It just means more freight is going to local carriers like myself and less to the big national expedite carriers.

Charles, I agree he is in breach of contract, even if that isn't specifically stated in your contract with him. Is it ok to mention that fact that you had offered this same CV about 6 loads in the last two weeks out of a very competitive city like ATL and he always had an excuse for not taking it? Every time you are bidding a load for him, you are taking away your time from finding loads for your own truck, as well as your other leasees, who want to work. Either let him go now, or let him know that if it happens again, there won't be anoter time.

 

[whitewolf]

I'm not picky but with TriState I won't take that load 1st reason is I have to deadhead to many miles maybe in PA or IL to get another load the next week or to get back home (Detroit) and sit there another week to get loaded.

 

[Jefferson3000]

yep i would take it....we dont get $1.00 a mile anymore..however after sitting in orlando for week, my driver headed to charlotte yesterday,,,florida is 90% of the time a one way trip.

I can see that, but ATL is just as bad these days because all of the FL deadheaders go there. I would have probably taken the load, and deadheaded up I-95 instead. I would've gotten me out of ATL for sure.

 

[cheri1122]

Have to agree that a driver who accepts a load offer, then refuses same load (within reasonable timeframe) without an airtight good reason is a driver who simply doesn't wanna, and needs a 'reality check'.
My last load to Fla delivered near Orlando, and after 3 days wait (my daughter lives in Deland, so I was happy to hang out), I got a load picking up in Orlando & delivering in Los Angeles. Granted, it's a D unit, but loads do come out of Fla....

 

[chefdennis]

Whitewolf wrote:

I'm not picky but with TriState I won't take that load 1st reason is I have to deadhead to many miles maybe in PA or IL to get another load the next week or to get back home (Detroit) and sit there another week to get loaded.

Are you saying that Tri State won't look for loads in the SE to get you moving at all? You would have to DH to the Mid West to get your next load!?!?

Im seriously asking, If that is true, i am at a loss for words, and that in itself is funny!!

 

[Turtle]

Scenario #1, I'd take it without hesitation. Like you said, most people either don't go in the first place, or they drop and retreat. I rarely have to wait very long to get a load out of Florida, and when I get one, it's usually out of Orlando, anyway. Besides, if I had to deadhead out from Orlando, there are lots of places where freight comes from other than Atlanta.

As for Scenario #2, the response as a carrier may depend on the history with that driver, but for the most part, he's just told you that he cannot be counted upon nor can his word be trusted. It would be very difficult to place bids in the future for that van, not knowing if he'll run it or not. Stating that you'll run a load for a certain minimum, then getting the load at that rate, and then turning it down, is no different from placing a bid on a load, being awarded it, and then backing out of it. In either case, you aren't likely to get too many more loads from that source.

 

[aristotle]

Absolutely, take that load to Florida. That's a decent rate for vans.

 

[aileron]

I would definitely be all over that load for $500. However, my rate now is .85 a loaded mile + 6.3 cents /mile fuel surcharge. So at $430 for this load, I would have to think if I want to do it, since I never got anything out of orlando, and I have been sitting there a few times. I think it would all depend on how long I have been sitting in ATL.

#2 is just not acceptable.