SugarPlum
Active Expediter
Really?????.....well sorry I've been busy trying to survive......did not have time for playing......
Should you run for Multiple Carriers? Read this first!
- Thread starter Lawrence
- Start date
Really?????.....well sorry I've been busy trying to survive......did not have time for playing......
SugarPlum
Active Expediter
LOL.....I finished with them over a year ago.....but they told me: "The check is in the mail"....REALLY????......after 3 months?....and after talking to Ann she got really upset because I had the gall to ask for my money!!!....then I spoke with Chet also and he started doing the same thing. Hang ups and yelling. I had to have a lawyer call them and when they saw it was getting serious I got my money, after it was getting close to 4 months. SOOOOO, Sorry to say this, but DO NOT sign on with this company, unless you want to work for free.
SugarPlum
Active Expediter
You know what, guido4475????........I do not want your sympathy, you can shove it .............If you run, even for that amount and you get loads you make some money, barely but you do and you can at least put food on the table so your kids can eat. But if you SIT on your *** and wait for the load that pays you $1 or more per mile, you could be sitting for weeks at a time, not just days. So I wasn't 'whining', I was just *****ing about those companies that take advantage of the drivers (O/O). I guess you're luckier than most if you get a lot of loads that pay that well. More power to you.
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SugarPlum
Active Expediter
You are so right BigCat....
......I have had some really hard times and I am in the process of changing all that. Let's hope it works. Wish me luck......OK?
SugarPlum
Active Expediter
Common sense!!!!! HELLOO!!!!!! You call their insurance company and check.........Aren't companies supposed to do that?
Besides, if you don't know what type of insurance you need, go to the FMCSA site and find out or call them. Simple!
SugarPlum
Active Expediter
Really?.....They are listed on the TEANA site ( maybe it hasn't been updated). I understand it is an internal company issue. But, not paying one's own workers speaks of how ethical that company is. Doesn't it??? Shouldn't that be relevant?
SugarPlum
Active Expediter
GOOD LUCK!!!!! Make sure you have funds for 2-3 months (fuel and expenses). You won't get paid for at least 2-3 months. Or more.......Have fun, don't believe what everyone else is telling you about Whirlwind, we are just crazy.
It is in the process of being updated as renewal period just ended. While I personally agree with what you are saying on this post, it is not something that trade organizations can get involved in. Other member carriers can file ethics violations against another member. It is one of the advantages of membership.
Whether [or when] a carrier pays it's contractors is very often a 'he said/she said' situation, or a matter of disagreement, rather than outright fraud, so anyone not directly involved is generally wise to stay out of the disagreement.
If you read the Mission Statement and Purpose on TEANA's site, you will notice that it's not their intention to uphold standards between carriers and their contractors, but between member carriers and their customers. You [the O/O] are not their customer, and you need to look elsewhere to try to enlist help for your cause. If Whirlwind violated the terms of a legal agreement with you, an attorney would be the logical choice.
I don't mean to sound harsh, because I've driven a cargo van, and understand the slim profit margins, and the difficulty of surviving on a shoestring, but the solution is to attack the correct problem, and TEANA has no dog in your fight.
Tennesseahawk
Veteran Expediter
You are so right BigCat....
Me wunderz if onez haz sometin to dooz wid de udderz. And is the process of changing all that meaning that you're changing your thought process, or stop feeding your kids? IMO, by endorsing taking crap priced freight, you're admitting being the cause of your own hard times.
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Tennesseahawk
Veteran Expediter
While I agree with your premise that TEANA should stay out of the equation, shouldn't they also not praise their members who are knowingly capping on contractors/other companies? Perfect example is Nations, about 3-4 years back, taking 120 days, in many cases, to pay their bills. Now every company in TEANA knew what they were doing, yet the policy was to say nothing, and instead give them kudos. IMO, that undermines TEANA's credibility.
All these yrs doing this and s don't have a pot to whiz in..,,
Tennesseahawk
Veteran Expediter
Well the hornets nest has really been stirred on this topic. I would like to say that I have changed a bit with the whole milti-carrier concept. It worked for a while until companies started going under and the rates started getting bad. I was owed 2500 dollars at one time by LRT, but thankfully I was paid before they went under. But to be honest with you all, I was always worried about whether or not I was going to be paid when I worked the multi-carrier model. The only two companies that I never had a problem with as far as pay were Eclipse and Express Family. I never had to call them once to beg for my money, it was always there on time. Ground Flight also paid on time, but I only ran two loads for them.
To Rocketman and Bigbill I'd like to apologize for getting tempered with you guys. I'm not angry when I attack the multi-carrier model. I'm just coming to the realization that it's not a very good way of doing business. I had one of my drivers come back out on the road for three weeks with 4 companies and they couldn't load him up. He had to deadhead back home and park his van. It's all a matter of luck whether you are with multiple companies or one of the bigger companies. That is all i'm trying to say here. If you have two bad months at Bolt or Load One jumpping around to another company isn't really going to solve your problem. If you are running for 3 companies and not getting loads adding a fourth or even fifth company isn't always going to be the solution. The business is what it has become. Just figure out how you want to run your business and run it accordingly. That is all i'm going to say.
To Rocketman and Bigbill I'd like to apologize for getting tempered with you guys. I'm not angry when I attack the multi-carrier model. I'm just coming to the realization that it's not a very good way of doing business. I had one of my drivers come back out on the road for three weeks with 4 companies and they couldn't load him up. He had to deadhead back home and park his van. It's all a matter of luck whether you are with multiple companies or one of the bigger companies. That is all i'm trying to say here. If you have two bad months at Bolt or Load One jumpping around to another company isn't really going to solve your problem. If you are running for 3 companies and not getting loads adding a fourth or even fifth company isn't always going to be the solution. The business is what it has become. Just figure out how you want to run your business and run it accordingly. That is all i'm going to say.
One last thing in the whole what is a good milti-carrier and what is a bad multi-carrier is the way that they operate. I can tell you this much that Ground Flight never cut the rates; not even in Laredo. They told me that they bid their rate on every load and if they don't get their rate they don't take the load. That is why I only got two loads from them in 1 month. Both loads paid close to a dollar a mile. Ground Flight also makes their driver attend an orientation where they have to sign real legal contracts and have their equipment checked out.
Express Family makes you send in pictures of your van with E-track, get TSA certified, they run a full background check on you, make you use a tracking phone, and have an hour long orientation with you via phone. You also have to sign legal paperwork and have experience in the business. They don't just put you on the in one day. The entire process takes a week. That is what I call a good multi-carrier company. But the background check alone really weeds out a lot of bad apples.
I think the multi-carrier companies need to do background checks on their drivers, hold orientations, and do random drug testing on their O/O's in cargo vans. The background check and the drug testing will help weed out a lot of bad drivers. It's kind of like when you are renting an apartment and tell all applicants that you are charging 25 dollars to run a credit check. That pretty much eliminates most of the bad renters and anyone who is not a United States citizen. I know because my family owns a duplex. I've had loads from Express 1 before that were going to hospitals. Imagine if a bad driver disappears with that load and people die. I can see why NLM is now requiring all of their carriers to have satellite tracking capability via Macropoint.
Background checks, drug testing, employment verification, vehicle inspection reports, dot physicals, physically inspecting a new contractors equipment, and satellite tracking will eliminate a lot of nightmare situations. Trust me I lived through one of them. I hope this makes some sense for those who think that i've turned on the milti-carrier model out of spite. It's not spite. I understand why Panther micro-manages their drivers. You have to be equipped to handle any situation when you are running time critical freight. It's kind of like "trust but verify!"
Express Family makes you send in pictures of your van with E-track, get TSA certified, they run a full background check on you, make you use a tracking phone, and have an hour long orientation with you via phone. You also have to sign legal paperwork and have experience in the business. They don't just put you on the in one day. The entire process takes a week. That is what I call a good multi-carrier company. But the background check alone really weeds out a lot of bad apples.
I think the multi-carrier companies need to do background checks on their drivers, hold orientations, and do random drug testing on their O/O's in cargo vans. The background check and the drug testing will help weed out a lot of bad drivers. It's kind of like when you are renting an apartment and tell all applicants that you are charging 25 dollars to run a credit check. That pretty much eliminates most of the bad renters and anyone who is not a United States citizen. I know because my family owns a duplex. I've had loads from Express 1 before that were going to hospitals. Imagine if a bad driver disappears with that load and people die. I can see why NLM is now requiring all of their carriers to have satellite tracking capability via Macropoint.
Background checks, drug testing, employment verification, vehicle inspection reports, dot physicals, physically inspecting a new contractors equipment, and satellite tracking will eliminate a lot of nightmare situations. Trust me I lived through one of them. I hope this makes some sense for those who think that i've turned on the milti-carrier model out of spite. It's not spite. I understand why Panther micro-manages their drivers. You have to be equipped to handle any situation when you are running time critical freight. It's kind of like "trust but verify!"
No he has a cup to pizz in! lol
Blizzard, I owe you an apology too. I can see that you have learned a lot. I don't have so much of a problem with the multi carrier business model as I do with the way so many of them are being ran. I was thinking today that when you look at the exclusive use carriers, maybe out of 4 are going to be a real loser of a carrier. When you look at the multi carriers, that segment would be doing good to produce 1 out of 4 that are even decent carriers. The cheap rates, the illegal games, the failure to pay contractors...all of that stuff is rampant in the multi carriers.
I like what you say about the carriers needing to screen the drivers. I also think that the carriers need to be screened as well. The entire multi carrier system needs a good flushing. Let the good ones stand and send the rest packing.
I like what you say about the carriers needing to screen the drivers. I also think that the carriers need to be screened as well. The entire multi carrier system needs a good flushing. Let the good ones stand and send the rest packing.
I've been on a short fuse lately. I want to come back out and drive again but I'm having a hard time with my leg and lungs. I can't afford to have an event 2000 miles away from home. I miss the old life on the road and I can't get used to having to slow down like an old darn man. Just picture me as a wounded animal in the woods right now. So I may be looking at trying to get some sort of training for an office job. Maybe medical billing or something where I can still pop a few pain pills, be a little bit slower, and be able to get up every two hours to circulate the bad leg. No more meeting new people on the road, no more talk radio all day, just time to play the "office space" game right now and hold on to all of my glory day stories. I keep on remembering the days when I used to work 12 hour shifts in a factory, running around like a maniac to get the parts done on time, and man I can't even barely climb a flight of stairs. It just messed up my mind a little bit. So when I snap at you guys it's just me having a bad day. Kind of like that new commercial "you're not yourself when you're hungry!" lol.
BigBadBill
Active Expediter
Blizzard, Thanks for you messages and posts. Understood and you seem to be a standup guy.
Regarding the business model - What I have said is the model is not bad it is many of the people that are implementing it. Lack of capital, lack of ethics, lack if accounts - guess you could say they are just lacking.
But you see it in all business models. It is just easier to take a little and turn it into a lot of non-exclusive drivers compared to being a traditional carrier.
We are not large. We will broker about $10 million this year. But we have enough to get a decent view of the market. We track bids by carrier and cheap bids are an issue across all the business models.
Regarding the business model - What I have said is the model is not bad it is many of the people that are implementing it. Lack of capital, lack of ethics, lack if accounts - guess you could say they are just lacking.
But you see it in all business models. It is just easier to take a little and turn it into a lot of non-exclusive drivers compared to being a traditional carrier.
We are not large. We will broker about $10 million this year. But we have enough to get a decent view of the market. We track bids by carrier and cheap bids are an issue across all the business models.
guido4475
Not a Member
Whats wkth youre attitude on here witb everyone?