It's Not Your Carrier's Fault

[ATeam]

MTC wrote, "The main contractual obligation of the carrier is to market your services and provide you with the freight resulting from their marketing efforts."

If you can show me that in the contract you or I signed with our respective carriers, I'd love to see it. I've read my contract. Nothing in it obligates my carrier to market my services or provide me with freight.

While it is very much in my carrier's and my own best interests for the carrier to market my services and provide freight (at a profitable price), my carrier is not in any way obligated to do so.

 

[highway star]

Not only is there no contractual obligation, some contracts go so far as saying that the company makes no guarantee that they will get you any freight.

 

[slfisher45]

I agree with Highway Star, MTC is short for this business if he continues his all

 

[slfisher45]

for me attitude

 

[Marty]

One thing many carriers are at fault with is over hiring. They want to make sure that they have lots of desperate drivers all over the country who are willing to take any load that is offered to them because they don't get enough loads to keep them economically solvent.
The carriers don't care if their drivers go broke and quit because there is always someone else willing to buy a truck and take their place.

 

[Teflon]

Phil....you are right, there is no contractual obligation on the carrier's part. As with most companies using the "independent contractors" business model, it boils down to simple "risk/reward". It is left up to the contractor to decide whether the risk is worth the reward.

 

[Bruno]

Well I have to jump in on this one. It's not FedEx Tri-State or Panthers fault because you don't have a load. Eacy company is different and they all have there own ways of doing things. Everyone gets upset when the company they drive for adds on more units to cover loads. You have to ask yourself "am I part of the reason they are adding more trucks" Well if you run 3 weeks and then take off one week then I would say yes you are.

At FedEx, Tri-State, Panther and so on their is always 1/3 of the Fleet at each of these companies out of service each day. So If you have a fleet of 1000 trucks, 333 units are out of service each day. So now there is 667 trucks left to cover 600 loads each day. Some of these trucks maybe on longer loads that take a few days. So there is not as many trucks to cover 600 each day. Then because of this they add more trucks.

If everyone did the (13 Day Out Program) that we have our drivers do it would be a Win/Win for everyone. Every time a truck goes out for 3 weeks and then takes 1 week off they lose 25% of their income each month and each year. By doing the 13 Day Out Program you go in sevice on Sunday nite at 23:59 and then your out for 13 days and then back home Friday night Saturday morning. Then the Drivers take off for 72 hours and then go out for 13 days and then come back home for their 72 hrs off. Doing this program really helps and the income is there each week. Our one truck went from doing a $121,000 a year to doing over $163,000.00 a year the next year. This truck is a non white glove truck too.

By being home every other weekend and running during the week every week it makes more sense and puts more money in everyones pocket. I would rather take a Monday off than a Friday. I hope everyone will try this because what have you got to lose if you don't. Just Money.

Just ask Brad Stover he is one of our old driver's that live's in Indiana and still does this program to this day. Brad likes theis program because he has kids and he can see them every other weekend and he he don't lose 25% of his money each month.

 

[Broompilot]

13 days back home DH from how far? I can assure you when I was with my last carrier the CLOSEST I ever saw home on or near a Friday was well over 300 miles. There fault No but when one gets near the house and time is up I am there for what the rest of the world considers a weekend.

My weekend just happens to be many more days in row than most working class.

If it were a perfect world your model might just work. This aint a perfect world and I do live in a excellent frieght zone, but as for getting home or close every two weeks is only wishfull thinking.

 

[sucbadriver]

My question is why was she sitting for 2 days?? Learning impaired or what if I sit 24 hours im on the phone with backhaul. Try for a nlm load often you can get one that is at your contract rate. Move to an area where we have freight use dispatch find out where we have loads and no or few trucks. Then get with backhaul tell them where you want to go use load boards use companies like get loaded and expedited loads etc be proactive. If you’re not proactive its not the carrier’s fault that you’re not motivated to run your business. Remember it is your business run it that way.


And with that said if you notice my sign in name is misspelled there is a reason my email address is spelt that way because someone had sucbadriver already