I can only speak for Fedex policies but most of the time they will give you what they call dry run pay. If you have been dispatched and the customer cancels during the normal pick up time they do get charged a small percentage of what they would have paid.Exceptions are,say you were dispatched at 1600 for a 0800 pick up the next day.The customer cancels at 2100 that night,you get zero.Normal pick up time varies as to the distance that the customer is from the dispatching center.Example is,if a customer in Columbus Ohio calls in a load for a pick up at 0800 and you are dispatched at 0600,they have 30 minutes of free time to cancel,and believe me most of the customers are aware of that.I think what happens a lot is that a customer calls and schedules a run with one of the larger companies,that way they know it will be covered.Then they go looking for a cheaper method and if they get some local oufit (Joe Bobs Express) to commit and give a cheaper rate they will cancel the premium carrier.Very frustating to us out here when that happens, but don!t know what we can do about it.I think the dispatchers should have some sort of program that tells them who has a high cancellation rate and charge them some type of penalty or refuse to do business with them.LOL on that one..
