Need advice on ConWay NOW

TONYII · Jun 21, 2004

Hey folks,
Hope everyone is doing better then I am right now. I seem to have a problem, I signed on with ConWay NOW a few weeks back and dont seem to be getting very many runs and the ones that I do get are not very good ones. Heres my situation, I have a d unit, I Live just 42 miles from Detroit, and 31 miles from Flint. Perfect area for expediting as we all know. I have never had a problem with any other company getting out before but now it seems to be a problem. I have been sitting here on the board now for 4 days and still have not had a run offer yet, last weekend much the same but got out at 11:30 monday morning. The week before took me till tuesday to get a run. Was hoping this last week maybe to stay out though the weekend but come friday afternoon all I got offered was a load right back to sterling heights. What can I do to help myself out? Any susgestions would be appericated.

Glen Rice · Jun 21, 2004

How about checking with dispatch, where they may need your unit? Maybe Chicago would be better for better loads etc.. ask dispatchers what can you do to help your situation..be honest with them and hopefully they'll be the same with you.

davekc · Jun 21, 2004

Just my opinion, but if you are not getting loads out of Detroit, something is clearly not right. As Glen said, get their dispatch or operations manager on the phone and ask them what they are doing. If a company can't pull loads out of Detroit it would make you wonder what their capabilities are in a slow area.

Lawrence · Jun 21, 2004

Tony,

I think the first thing to do is speak with a person above the dispatcher and ask them to make sure everything is Ok. Like your truck status etc.

I recall several years ago not getting a load offer for an entire week - only to find out my DOT medical card expired and I missed a call from dispatch saying I was out of service - even though my truck was still showing available.

Lawrence,
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TONYII · Jun 21, 2004

Hey Guys thanks fopr the responces,
I have talked with dispatch and a couple of folks above that area and I get the same thing from all of them. We are busy and we are turning down 90 to 150 loads a day. I am good on all my paperwork and nothing wrong with why I am not getting loads other then I am not in the right area at the time they have the loads. I got to agre with you Dave if they cant get loads out of Detroit I am thinking it is time to make a move. I used to have to shut off my phones when I wanted a weekend off with Panther. Didnt matter if you were out of service or not they had frieght in Detroit and needed it moved. I just dont understand whats going on at ConWay. At first thought maybe I was just in one of those slumps we get into every now and then, but 3 weeks of slumps, cant be.

davekc · Jun 21, 2004

For what is worth; we ran into a single Conway driver last week in Toronto and he was taking a load to Louisville. He said it was his first load in a week and the third in two weeks. Not sure as to why he has your same situation. We were pre-dispatched on our load the day before while we were coming in with a load from TN. We are a team so maybe that makes some difference. Before you jump ship, talk to some other drivers and see if they are having the same experiences. Like you said, at Panther, I don't think they have ever had enough trucks for all the loads in Detroit.

pellgrn · Jun 21, 2004

I agree with the previous posts,the problem i have with that area is not will i get a load it's do i want the load,there usually not over 150 miles and go into O.H were your gonna be 15th out and there goes the day.I run single in a van,the only thing you may want to do is move closer to Detriot,put yourself within 25 miles instead of 41.You may get have been past over cause the customer wanted the closest truck.I like to sit at the BP on mound and 696,it's in a great location.

BigBusBob · Jun 23, 2004

TonyII, here's the deal, Expediting for solo's is generally slower on the weekends, a solo driver in a D unit to another... Expediting for solo's is slow Friday thru Monday's. Generally I find that if I don't have a load (out of anywhere, Detroit included) out by Friday nite then I'm going to be sitting for the weekend. I run for Panther II and refuse nothing. I take all loads offered unless my log is not able to-and I've tried to do a load at Panther with a comic book and Safety catches me and calls me and dispatch and lets us both know it's not legal. Expect weekends to be slow, Tuesdays thru Fridays are busy though. That's my 2 cents, and I can see that happening in many expediter company's with solo's in D units. I talk with solo and teams and thats generally how it goes. Later, Bob.

zingfu25 · Jun 25, 2004

Something must be wrong...I drive team with my wife and we have a hard time finding time for a shower with Con-wy now. I would tell you the miles we ran the past 8 days but I would be called a liar by someone. Oh well, here goes....6890 miles

6-17 greenville, nc to laredo, tx 1631 miles
6-19 laredo, tx to brampton, ont. 1884
6-21 markham, ont. to greensboro, nc 766
6-22 smithfield, nc to decatur, in 653
6-23 ft.wayne, in to columbia, mo 493
6-24 bonaparte, ia to chester, va 1005

6890 miles

so just hang in there and maybe grab a partner to team up with.....very good luck to ya.

romoore245 · Jun 25, 2004

Yea those weeks are great we can back you one the milage.

I remember we once had to take a 1800 mile load away from three solo vans that were slated to tag team it to the drop, because it was an oversize load. The first we met in memphis who said he had just sat for two weeks in laredo before DH to memphis that was to be his first load in a while, we felt really bad about it.

good luck

highway star · Jun 26, 2004

Does Con-Way still have the "foreign power" policy where a driver who is at home will get moved down on the board when an out of area driver posts? Back when a lot of expediters were hanging at the Citgo in Franklin,Ohio, there was a Con-Way driver who lived in the area that would come over there and try to talk other drivers into leaving the area. Just curious,why would someone sit anywhere for 2 WEEKS?!?!?!

romoore245 · Jun 27, 2004

i havnt heard about that policy it never took more than a half day to get loaded sitting at home in texas, running team. We wouldnt sit empty more than two days anywhere. If not loaded after two days we would go home, weither it was fifty miles or 1800, no load, time to head to the house. When we came back in service we ran strong three to four weeks before a lull would hit again. Once a solo driver told us about a past policy where dispatchers would even out loads so as everyone was having at least one good month out of two.

Tony · Jun 27, 2004

>Something must be wrong...I drive team with my wife and we
>have a hard time finding time for a shower with Con-wy now.
>I would tell you the miles we ran the past 8 days but I
>would be called a liar by someone. Oh well, here
>goes....6890 miles
>
>6-17 greenville, nc to laredo, tx 1631 miles
>6-19 laredo, tx to brampton, ont. 1884
>6-21 markham, ont. to greensboro, nc 766
>6-22 smithfield, nc to decatur, in 653
>6-23 ft.wayne, in to columbia, mo 493
>6-24 bonaparte, ia to chester, va 1005
>
> 6890 miles
>
>so just hang in there and maybe grab a partner to team up
>with.....very good luck to ya.

DAMN, that's a lot of miles, did you have time to shut the truck down?

Stand up for what you believe in, don't do something just because everyone else is!

InfoWarrior · Aug 5, 2004

Stop refusing freight.. Don't forget that the load that takes you a bit out of route may get you home..

Dont wait for that "perfect load" to home..

Example. Ky to Cleveland.. then Cleveland to Detroit = home.

Refusal could mean you sit even longer, ESPECIALLY if you are slow in that area.

>Hey folks,
>Hope everyone is doing better then I am right now. I seem to
>have a problem, I signed on with ConWay NOW a few weeks back
>and dont seem to be getting very many runs and the ones that
>I do get are not very good ones. Heres my situation, I have
>a d unit, I Live just 42 miles from Detroit, and 31 miles
>from Flint. Perfect area for expediting as we all know. I
>have never had a problem with any other company getting out
>before but now it seems to be a problem. I have been sitting
>here on the board now for 4 days and still have not had a
>run offer yet, last weekend much the same but got out at
>11:30 monday morning. The week before took me till tuesday
>to get a run. Was hoping this last week maybe to stay out
>though the weekend but come friday afternoon all I got
>offered was a load right back to sterling heights. What can
>I do to help myself out? Any susgestions would be
>appericated.