It's Not Your Carrier's Fault

[PantherPower]

Hello all!

I was sitting in the driver lounge yesterday listening to a lady complaining about her carrier (quite vehemently I might add) “letting†her sit on the board for two days before offering her a load. Have we all forgotten that it is NOT the fault of the carrier? There has to be a shipper that needs our services before a load offer can be given.

I spent 8 years as a Warehouse and Distribution Supervisor at an automotive supplier in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I’ve loaded freight into many different expediters’ vans and trucks and I have some first-hand experience to share.

Generally, an expedite occurs when someone or something screws up. The Big Three (as well as many others) use what is called “Just In Time†or JIT shipments. They only keep a small number of parts on-hand to keep costs down. When something throws a wrench in the works, you get an expedite. Here is an example…

One night I get a call at home from our CSR telling me to go to the warehouse and prepare an expedite for immediate shipment. It seems that someone at Ford (Twin Cities Assembly) dumped a skid of door handles. Rather than sort through them to weed out the scratched ones., they want another skid ASAP. Can you say “expedite“ ?? Customer paying of course. By now, Ford is on the phone with me at the warehouse and THEY are telling me who to call. I think it was Roberts Express (remember them??) They show up a short time later and the skid of door handles are off.

My point is this; dispatch is not sitting there with a list of pickups and playing favorites as to who to give it to. A shipper calls in to ones’ carrier with a need and dispatch starts looking for the nearest vehicle suitable for the run. If you are sitting on a board for a while, it is not because they are “letting†you. No one has called in for an expedite that you are qualified to take. It’s as simple as that. Being in the right place at the right time.

Drive Safe!!

 

[mrgoodtude]

Thank's Kenny,
I like you believe that it is a industry issue not a carrier issue.
The rates I see coming out of the load offers from the Fed tell me that they are trying to keep market share.
I guess the big question is how low are you willing to run for to save the industry? To remain a player?
Mike and Cyn

 

[LDB]

Along with that remember that when your wheels aren't turning you aren't the only one not making money. The carrier only makes money when you are dispatched. Granted, they are making money from other vehicles that are dispatched but don't you think they want to make money from yours as well? Given the choice I doubt there is a carrier out there who would say "No, we don't want every driver to max out their hours. That would make all of us too much money.".

Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB, OOIDA 677319
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
Highway Watch Participant, Truckerbuddy
EO Forum Moderator
----------
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

 

[mrgoodtude]

Well said Leo,
Bottom line don't take it personal.
Mike and Cyn

 

[Vinnie T]

>Along with that remember that when your wheels aren't
>turning you aren't the only one not making money. The
>carrier only makes money when you are dispatched. Granted,
>they are making money from other vehicles that are
>dispatched but don't you think they want to make money from
>yours as well? Given the choice I doubt there is a carrier
>out there who would say "No, we don't want every driver to
>max out their hours. That would make all of us too much
>money.".
>
>Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB, OOIDA 677319
>Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
>Highway Watch Participant, Truckerbuddy
>EO Forum Moderator
>----------
>Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you
>like.




Each unit the carrier has signed on also comes with a price. Each unit must be unsured for one. Also depending on how they do business many of them work with the O/Ops on plates, IFTA taxes, there is also drug screening, saftey, paperwork and billing costs etc. If you the O/O has a tractor there also may be a trailer cost involved. It kills me when I hear some of these drivers complain when they do not know all that goes into it. A company may have to run a truck for a week or two each month before they see any profit themselves in order to cover some of these costs.

 

[DannyD]

> My point is this; dispatch is not sitting there with a
>list of pickups and playing favorites as to who to give it
>to. A shipper calls in to ones’ carrier with a need and
>dispatch starts looking for the nearest vehicle suitable for
>the run. If you are sitting on a board for a while, it is
>not because they are “letting†you. No one has called in
>for an expedite that you are qualified to take. It’s as
>simple as that. Being in the right place at the right time.


I agree w/ this post for the most part. I wanna pose a counterpoint though.

Some of the complaints drivers have can be because what they were told. Either by recruiting about how busy a company is & the payscale, or by dispatch to go to area X & wait because that's a hot zone for freight. So when something doesn't pan out I can see where drivers are gonna be feeling less than great.

When something doesn't go as planned, from the drivers point of view, they'd probably be more accurate in thinking something like "this is what I was told & it didn't quite work out that way" rather than thinking "the company is out to get me".

What I feel would be the best thing for a driver to do is figure out how often things aren't going as well as ya thought they would. Then evaulate if it's worth staying. Ya have to weigh it all out. No company is going to be perfect 100% of the time. Just like you as a driver won't be perfect 100% of the time.

I go by track record if ya will. If a company has been pretty good & they make an oops, that happens. Recently I went 80 miles for a pick up to deliver 50 miles because I was told there was a delivery that got me back home. The 2nd delivery cancelled & I ended up doing 160 dead miles for a 50 mile delivery. That stuff happens. All in all the company's been pretty good so ya kinda shrug it off as one of those days. If I was w/ a company where this kind of thing happened a lot, I'd have to reconsider things.

I put into use what I just said up there. In addition to the 3 main companies I've worked for & been generally happy w/, I've also worked for 4 or 5 for a very short time. By this I mean from one day to a few weeks. Whether it was no pay, not paid what was agreed upon, sitting, to much deadhead or just whatever, I'm going to be quick to get out of what I feel is a bad situation.

Even those companies that didn't work out, I don't think they were "out to get me". Well, maybe the no pay company was, not real sure. Anyway, as a rule I don't think they were out to get me, I just think they weren't able to deliver on what they promised. Hence it's time to move on to a situation that fit my needs a bit better.

Take care,
Danny

 

[DannyD]

And a lil add on to the above. Got a perfect run for me just a second ago. A run from Alpena, Mi to Detroit Metro airport. 247 miles & I get to head up north. Yea it's prolly gonna be 50% dead but it fits my criteria to a "T". I might get something from Metro back north but if I don't no biggie. That's what I mean. All in all a good company. An oops here or there is bound to happen. Again, go by the track record of your company. If it's mostly good stay w/ em. If it's mostly bad time to look elsewhere. No one is "out to get ya" though.

Be well,
Danny

 

[PantherPower]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone.

If everyone would realize that we can only be offered what has been offered to our carrier, there MIGHT be just a little less bashing. Like what was said earlier; no carrier, shipper, or driver is perfect and things WILL go wrong. All we can do is roll with the punches and hope the next load will be better.

 

[Broompilot]

Misunderstanding here, its gotta be the companies fault never me the driver. Heck I bought a nice truck, if I wana go home for a week it usually means 10-11 days. No I won't go to Canada, NY NY or if I am not in the mood Chicago.

I want to have one day between loads so if I unload Tuesday at 7am do not call me until Wednesday afternoon. And you better have a load betweeen 2pm and 3pm cause I get ahead of rush hour if I am gona make it on time. After 4pm forget it to much traffic these days.

Rush? Only if I can get it there between my lunch break, fuel stop, and the gift store.

Is this why its called Expediting?

 

[kempers_gramp]

Broom, That's hilarious.....by the way Chicago is probably the best of all three to go to. Just be prepared to stop and go, unless you have I-Pass. The new open road tolling is slick.

Before you read my post please keep in mind that I am not a disgruntle ex-Tri-State employee or contractor, and that what I state is fact, not some conspiracy that I cooked up in my own little corner of the world. Other than what I state here, I was primarily pleased with Tri-State.

Anyway back to the subject at hand.
Ex-Tri-State contractor here. I was twice put into what dispatchers there, at TRI-STATE, called the "Penalty Box"!

What in SAM HELL is a "Penalty Box"?

A penalty box is, when they put you out of service for 12 hours for refusing loads that they want covered but you refuse to cover them, because you are sick of loosing money on doing favors. Or, whatever your reason is for refusing them. The point is you are a independant contractor. If you say NO, not only do you mean no, but hell no, and for your own good reason, whatever it is.

For all of you Tri-State drivers and contractors out there, have you ever refused a load in a good area just to sit there for 12 hours without another offer, then all of a sudden your QC goes off stating (if my memory serves me well) that you are such and such number on such and such board.
When that happens that is not a dispatcher error. It is the computer system at Tri-State puttting you back into service.

Don't believe me? Try it some time just for kicks. Try refusing 3 questionable loads out of Chicago, and see how long it is before you get another load offer.

So do they really want you to max out your hours? Most of the time yes, but you better do it when they want you to.

There I finally said it. Been holding it in for over a year!

Questions?....PM or e-mail me!

 

[terryandrene]

PantherPower's post should be repeated every year as a reminder to all of us that this is the nature of expediting. Hurry up and wait to hurry up.

 

[cheri1122]

Broom, you totally misrepresent some of us - I will go to Canada, NYC, Chicago, (have been to all 3 last month), I only need 4 hrs sleep after an all night drive & morning delivery, & after 4pm? I'm on it! But, DON't beep me between 2-4, cause, durn it, that's my NAPTIME!!

 

[MTC]

"Have we all forgotten that it is NOT the fault of the carrier?"

I'm afraid I have to take issue with this claim. It most certainly IS the fault of the carrier!

The main contractual obligation of the carrier is to market your services and provide you with the freight resulting from their marketing efforts. That is their business. That is their only business. If that freight is not being provided it is an indication that the carrier has failed both the shippers and drivers.

 

[PantherPower]

I am afraid that my point may have been missed; While it is the responsibility of our carrier to provide us with freight, they still have no control of when a shipper will call them with a need.

Expediting is a customer's LAST option. You can have ten trucks on a board a couple of miles from one of their biggest customers and that does not gaurantee they will be called for a load. In a perfect world, everyone would ship regular LTL or even standard Fed-Ex or UPS before they would pay the additional costs associated with an expedite.

I once had a partner who wanted to sit right in the parking lot of a customer that called often under the premise that if they looked out the window and saw our truck, they would go "hey...there's a Panther truck out there! What can we ship with them today?". Now you may get lucky and get a load from them, but simply seeing our truck out there will not trigger an expedite.

So my point is even with the carrier working overtime to solicit their services, it is still whether or not the shipper needs us. Our carrier can't force the customer to use us when and if an expedite arises.

 

[cheri1122]

But if they do need an expediter, and you're already there....

 

[MTC]

I understood your point. The first problem with it is that you start from a basic assumption that "expediting is a customer's LAST option." While this assumption is valid in many, even most situations, it certainly does not apply to all loads. Shippers use expedited services for a variety of reasons.

The second problem is that you seem to suggest that the potential market is so narrow and so limited that expanded, effective marketing would be pointless. This is simply not true. In fact, the strategy you describe in your analogy is the exact strategy being employed by the companies you are defending.

As I pointed out in another post, the company's primary contractual obligation is to provide sufficient freight to its customers (the contractors) at a rate sufficient for the contractor make a decent profit. If the company is not doing this, it is most certainly their failure.

 

[cheri1122]

MTC, you may think of yourself as the carrier's customer, but I believe the carrier considers the shippers & consignees to be the customers, and the independent contractors the means to provide the service to the customers. When there is a conflict of interest between the customers & drivers, whose needs are met first?

 

[PantherPower]

My original post was about a lady griping that she hasn't got a load in two days and that it was all her carrier's fault. No matter how you look at it, her carrier could not call their customers and say "hey we have a lady out there upset that you haven't needed to expedite".

My intent was to illustrate how she was saying that they were just "letting her sit there". Like they had loads left and right but just said "hey, let's mess with Lucy Lou and just let her sit there. Won't that be fun?" So she was ranting and raving about how this was so much BS and it was all their fault that ABC Company hasn't called them.

To sum it up, I am saying that if there is a need for you, and they have a load to offer you, they will. Your carrier can spend hundreds of thoudands of dollars marketing their services, but I don't feel it is their fault if those services aren't needed when I'm sitting there (like I am now after a dry-run no less) waiting for a load. It's kinda like blaming the lottery when your number doesn't come up.

 

[RichM]

Mtc or whoever you are, you won't like this but the Carrier is your only customer. It is in your best interests to keep your only Customer as pleased with your performance as possible. That was always my attitude and it worked. My customer responded much better with me having a sugar coated attitude that a you know what attitude.

 

[TeamBud8]

If that lady was complaining about NOT being dispatched,why not complain to the carrier.Ya know that most companies have a fleet coordinator of some sort.What ever they are called.I'm sure there has to be someone who she could talk with,or simply move to another location/board.


The Only Easy Day,Was Yesterday - U.S.Navy Seals