Round Trip or Return Loads

[Streakn1]

How often does your carrier dispatch you on a round trip or return load? Is it dispatched as one or two individual loads? If dispatched as one load, do you get paid full rate on the miles both ways?

We are on a round trip that started Thursday and will be completed tonight once we return to the point of origin. The loaded miles round trip will be 2310mls. We deadheaded 268mls to point of origin.

Much of what we haul is new or rebuilt parts that go immediately onto a waiting jetliner as soon as its off loaded from our deck. The parts that they are replacing are often shipped to rebuild shops to be rebuilt and cycled back onto another aircraft. As in this load, we sometimes may be required to wait onsite until the new parts are removed from the shipping crates and the old one placed back in the crates for the return trip.

When we delivered yesterday, we were pulled into the hanger alongside of the jetliner needing the parts. We stayed parked inside the hanger and were able to watch the actual work being done while the new parts were remove and the old one were crated. These included the fan cowls, and an engine nose cone for one of the engines. We also loaded two flaps from a wing and a radome ( covers radar system inside ****pit nose cone).We obviously did not stay to see the new parts installed since once the return parts were loaded on our deck we were off to complete the run.

If you look at the photos below, the large crates contain the cowls. The large crate on the upper deck is the engine nose cone. The raydome is the white cone shape object. Check out the blue movers pads from our FECC days! They come in handy for wrapping aircraft flaps like the 16' one on the deck that aren't crated. Typically they are painted to match the jet so you don't want to scratch or damage them.

This was one of the few loads we've done that did not require tarping!

 

[pelicn]

We've had a few round trip loads and they've been dispatched as one load. We've also hauled a nose cone like the one pictured, except it was for a lear jet.

 

[Refer Hauler]

When I was leased to EGL (now CEVA) I did a lot of these out "A.O.G." runs for UPS in Louisville. Usually the second leg of these had me take the bad/out of sevice part to a certified repair facility, Then pick up a replacement and take it back to SDF for stock.

 

[layoutshooter]

We often ask customers if they have return shipments or other freight moving. We even once got a load, returning helium tanks that we had just delivered. The customer mentioned that he had to arrange tranport back for the empties, we told him we could handle that for him and got dispatch on the phone to take care of it. No DH, just re-load and go. Nice couple of runs. Layoutshooter

 

[moose]

I had 2 round trips this year , both dispatch as one.
the first one was for a shipper that had customize creates ,
i unloaded the loaded ones , and was loaded with the MT ones from the previous shipment .
the 2nd load was a hand crafted coffin .
i was to go and park next to an old lady house and wait for her to die ...



Moose.
Dickson , T.N

 

[Streakn1]

Hope you got detention pay for that one Moose!!!

 

[FIS53]

Don't get too many loads with a return. All on one bill or sometimes split as two separate loads. Sometimes dispatch says one or two and sometimes it's the customer as they want signatures. Lately several of my return loads have been partial load refusals (usually takes several phone calls). At least half of my return loads go at a discounted rate, especially the refusals as we do not expedite those unless the customer requests immediate return.
Rob

 

[Streakn1]

At least half of my return loads go at a discounted rate, especially the refusals as we do not expedite those unless the customer requests immediate return.
Rob

I guess what you are saying is that the customer expects to get their freight hauled back across the same miles from point to point for less $ since its not an "expedited" load? Why put it on an expedite carrier's truck then instead of a common carrier?

Is it good business sense to except the discounted run, full truck load or not? Maybe if it were a partial load and you could pick up additional bills along the way to offset the discounted run it would make more sense. Why agree to do the same work for less? I remember times with a past carrier of being asked to do return runs for almost 50% less per mile than the initial run.

 

[Falligator]

As a cargo van, last year I had one round trip go from Ohio to Ontario....ended up being a 600 and some mile trip. Rarely ever happens that I even get a load back!