Split loads...Cross-docking

[Mailer]

I'm in Barstow CA waiting to intercept a split load and cross-dock into my van.

I have occasionally been offered these type of loads. There's hasn't been much discussions here on the EO regarding this type of strategy.

For me, I thinks this would greatly benefit the O/Os and drivers. For example, a 3000 miles load from NY to CA could be arranged into 2-3 runs and provided three drivers/operators with income instead of just only one.

Have you ever done this? Why are we not seeing more offer from this type of loads?

 

[Ragman]

I'm in Barstow CA waiting to intercept a split load and cross-dock into my van.

I have occasionally been offered these type of loads. There's hasn't been much discussions here on the EO regarding this type of strategy.

For me, I thinks this would greatly benefit the O/Os and drivers. For example, a 3000 miles load from NY to CA could be arranged into 2-3 runs and provided three drivers/operators with income instead of just only one.

Have you ever done this? Why are we not seeing more offer from this type of loads?

I don't know many shippers willing to do this. Most want to put it on one truck and be done with it.

 

[Turtle]

It's Panther's bread and butter when it comes to cargo vans. <snort>

Of course one of the problems with those runs is making sure you have drivers available for the second and third legs. There may or may not be a driver sitting there ready, willing and able in Cheyenne, Wyoming when you need them. Worse, trying to find someone willing to swap out a load to someone else in Cheyenne, then sit there, while someone else runs it the rest of the way to San Francisco.

 

[davekc]

Also more cost involved usually. Splitting a load several times may require a dock at each exchange along with a hand unload if it is done that way. Not a ton a money but stretched over a lot of loads, it adds up. With Panther, I think they only do when they have to. If it is a matter of securing a load or satisfying a customer, they are going to do it. Especially loads that they can't broker.

 

[MikeDamone]

I'm in Barstow CA

Youre in bat country!

 

[Mailer]

Youre in bat country!

Lol, Mike I am.

When those brothers and sisters are ready to get off from their pain. I've got them covered. I'd give them this number to call. 760-255-2045.

 

[Mailer]

Thank you Turtle, Dave and Ragman. I guess there are much larger issues involved in setting up this type of loads and may not be worthwhile in most cases.

But wouldn't it be cool, if some major carrier CEOs and Brokers came across these posts. And, after having read these posts, they might be saying this to their administrative staff:

" Ladies and Gentlemen, we have our drivers and Owner Operators sitting in the sprinters and cargo van, in hot sun for days and weeks waiting... Let's take care of our people. Once those orders with big miles are in and confirmed. Let's map the starting and ending points, find out where all of our drivers and partner carriers are. Re-map all of the major routes of the interstate . Plan the splits, coordinate the dead heads and cross-dockings. Sales team, let's work your magic. Back to our customers and shippers and renegotiate the rates....Folks, our drivers and O/Os need us and we will take care of them. ..... ..Let's make it happen!"

Lol...I was in Barstow, may be am hallucinating.

 

[Slo-Ride]

Tst is fairly good about Xdocking freight (or was). That was why it was never a problem going deep for them. They had xdocks in Erlanger area, Cincinnati area,and a few other spots we would swap loads from different directions on a regular basis. And of course the Woodhaven yard but that was xdocking for different reason.
The carrier I'm with now, well let's just say ya gotta really careful about going deep. Xdocks are unheard of as far as I know other then rescuing loads.
There has to be a expense with using one, but once a carrier establishes itself as a regular customer, I'm sure the charges become affordable as with anything else.

 

[Turtle]

Let's map the starting and ending points, find out where all of our drivers and partner carriers are. Re-map all of the major routes of...

That's called LTL. They merely Pony Express loads from point to point.

You can do that in expediting, but really only within the same carrier. It doesn't make financial or liability sense for, say, Panther to pick up a load in El Paso, swap it out to an XPO van in Houston, then the XPO van swap it out to a Load One van in Atlanta for delivery to Newport News, VA.

 

[Moot]

It's Panther's bread and butter when it comes to cargo vans. <snort>

Not so much any more which surprises me. ABF has terminals all over the country making it easy and cost effective to swap rather than pay another carrier or towing joint. For me, load swaps have been greatly reduced. But...

An hour ago I accepted an 866 mile load. It picks up latter this afternoon. I have 18¾ hours from pickup to delivery to get it there. Because of Panther's 16 hour rule I only have 16 hours. I am also 60 miles from the shipper so I will allow an 1½ hours to get there. Now I down to 14½ hours.

Once I pick up the load I will get a message from Safety telling the latest I must take my 5 hour break. This load will swap or I'm not being given the protect time. Just another day in the life!

 

[Turtle]

ABF has terminals all over the country making it easy and cost effective to swap rather than pay another carrier or towing joint.

Yeah, I remember how easy it was to do swaps at Con-Way terminals. Easy in, easy out.

I also remember the load at Panther from Norfolk, VA to El Paso, TX that I knew was gonna swap, and I tried to make it easy as possible by letting them know that Jackson, MS would be a good spot. They said, "No, you're making great time, no need to swap it, keep going." So I kept going. Went down for my 5 hour break west of Baton Rouge. Three hours into by break they called me (after shift change, when someone came in and saw that this situation needed to be fixed, desperately) and told me that I didn't have enough time to finish my break and then still deliver the load on time. I did, of course, but that was beside the point. Their solution, instead of my suggestion of finishing my break and going on to Houston to swap it out, they sent someone from Jackson, MS, 190 miles away, to come and get it. The other driver arrived 4 hours later, 2 hours after my break was over, and then we had to wait 2 more hours for a tow truck to bring a forklift to the Pilot in order to transfer the freight, on an early morning Labor Day Monday. The cost of the swap was $550 and the other driver headed out with the freight 5 hours later than I would have if they'd just left me alone. The driver was, not surprisingly, 3 hours late to delivery. They actually tagged me with a late delivery on that one. I got it removed, but it took a face-to-face meeting in Seville to get it corrected.

This load will swap or I'm not being given the protect time.

Probably both.

 

[xiggi]

That was one of the things I disliked about panther, so personally I feel a ceo announcing to the staff that load swaps is the way of the future is a terrible idea. Remember swaps aren't done on an equity basis. Often one person would get 20% of the miles and the next guy would get the other 80%.

 

[Mailer]

That's interesting. There must be some good reasons behind that.

...... load swaps is the way of the future...

That's pretty interesting. I wonder what the upper management saw that we didn't see.

 

[Turtle]

That's pretty interesting. I wonder what the upper management saw that we didn't see.

Bonuses

 

[acvox24]

Yeah, I remember how easy it was to do swaps at Con-Way terminals. Easy in, easy out.

I also remember the load at Panther from Norfolk, VA to El Paso, TX that I knew was gonna swap, and I tried to make it easy as possible by letting them know that Jackson, MS would be a good spot. They said, "No, you're making great time, no need to swap it, keep going." So I kept going. Went down for my 5 hour break west of Baton Rouge. Three hours into by break they called me (after shift change, when someone came in and saw that this situation needed to be fixed, desperately) and told me that I didn't have enough time to finish my break and then still deliver the load on time. I did, of course, but that was beside the point. Their solution, instead of my suggestion of finishing my break and going on to Houston to swap it out, they sent someone from Jackson, MS, 190 miles away, to come and get it. The other driver arrived 4 hours later, 2 hours after my break was over, and then we had to wait 2 more hours for a tow truck to bring a forklift to the Pilot in order to transfer the freight, on an early morning Labor Day Monday. The cost of the swap was $550 and the other driver headed out with the freight 5 hours later than I would have if they'd just left me alone. The driver was, not surprisingly, 3 hours late to delivery. They actually tagged me with a late delivery on that one. I got it removed, but it took a face-to-face meeting in Seville to get it corrected.

Probably both.

That's funny when I first started. The exact same thing happened to me, and I called them to try to work with them and I got the identical response. Of course they had to scramble at the last minute to find another driver.
Panther now is much less likely to swap. 3 weeks ago I had a 1200 miler going to Miami and only 21 hours to get it there. I thought for sure it would swap; nope. The customer was pretty pissed when it showed up 3 hours late

 

[Turtle]

They have these rules that so often get applied hard anf fast without any common sense or intelligence. Part of that is because if they don't apply the rules, and something bad happens, their job is at risk. So I get that.

From what I understand, ever since ABF bought Panther, a little common sense and intelligence is allowed from Dispatch. That probably has to do with the ridiculous amount of money they were paying per year for swaps.

 

[geo]

when I was with fedexcc I did a lot of swap's I had a dock plate in my truck and pallet jack to so
back other truck up to me put dock plate down and transfer the load
with sprinter have down couple of transfers , have plywood I put on my rollers and back up to lift gate, use pallet jack to transfer load to me and off we go, have done it van to van little harder, just roll the pallet forward and push on to other van

also with with fedex cc would take Canada load and transfer it to a Canada driver as I would not go Canada after they started going nuts at border

 

[Moot]

My load swapped a couple of hours ago. I got 731 miles and my weekly allotment of stupid all on the same trip. 14 hours into my magic 16 hours I stopped at a Wally World for my 5 hour break. I figured I wasn't told the actual delivery time so I must have the whole load. Sent a QC message that I was taking my break. Put my screens and shades in place and crawled into bed.

Five minutes later my phone rings. Guess who? Swap time at an ABF terminal 45 miles down the road. Oops, change of plans. ABF terminal isn't open so instead I'm directed to a UPS (Overnite) terminal. I get there and the gate is locked. Won't be open until 06:00. I go down the street to a small truck stop and inform dispatch. I tell dispatch to have the other driver call when 10 minutes out. He does. I try to give him directions to the truck so I can lead him to the terminal. He doesn't want any directions because he was given the address and told to go directly there. I let him know that a GPS won't get him here and to call me when he gets lost. 30 minutes later he calls and 20 minutes later he shows up at the truck stop. I lead him back to the terminal and eventually the swap takes place. Just another day in Stupidville.

 

[scottm4211]

My load swapped a couple of hours ago. I got 731 miles and my weekly allotment of stupid all on the same trip. 14 hours into my magic 16 hours I stopped at a Wally World for my 5 hour break. I figured I wasn't told the actual delivery time so I must have the whole load. Sent a QC message that I was taking my break. Put my screens and shades in place and crawled into bed.

Five minutes later my phone rings. Guess who? Swap time at an ABF terminal 45 miles down the road. Oops, change of plans. ABF terminal isn't open so instead I'm directed to a UPS (Overnite) terminal. I get there and the gate is locked. Won't be open until 06:00. I go down the street to a small truck stop and inform dispatch. I tell dispatch to have the other driver call when 10 minutes out. He does. I try to give him directions to the truck so I can lead him to the terminal. He doesn't want any directions because he was given the address and told to go directly there. I let him know that a GPS won't get him here and to call me when he gets lost. 30 minutes later he calls and 20 minutes later he shows up at the truck stop. I lead him back to the terminal and eventually the swap takes place. Just another day in Stupidville.

You're either very level or an odd duck. #quack

 

[JohnWC]

Yeah, I remember how easy it was to do swaps at Con-Way terminals. Easy in, easy out.

I also remember the load at Panther from Norfolk, VA to El Paso, TX that I knew was gonna swap, and I tried to make it easy as possible by letting them know that Jackson, MS would be a good spot. They said, "No, you're making great time, no need to swap it, keep going." So I kept going. Went down for my 5 hour break west of Baton Rouge. Three hours into by break they called me (after shift change, when someone came in and saw that this situation needed to be fixed, desperately) and told me that I didn't have enough time to finish my break and then still deliver the load on time. I did, of course, but that was beside the point. Their solution, instead of my suggestion of finishing my break and going on to Houston to swap it out, they sent someone from Jackson, MS, 190 miles away, to come and get it. The other driver arrived 4 hours later, 2 hours after my break was over, and then we had to wait 2 more hours for a tow truck to bring a forklift to the Pilot in order to transfer the freight, on an early morning Labor Day Monday. The cost of the swap was $550 and the other driver headed out with the freight 5 hours later than I would have if they'd just left me alone. The driver was, not surprisingly, 3 hours late to delivery. They actually tagged me with a late delivery on that one. I got it removed, but it took a face-to-face meeting in Seville to get it corrected.

Probably both.

I can Rembert a few of those loads from my panther days the on that always got me was sending you up to 200 miles out of route and not wanting to pay you
The one I Rember the most was Laredo
Took my 10 hour break in Lafayette had after break 12 hours to del 9 hour trip if you go threw Houston hop on 59 then take a farm road drops you out on I 35 north of Laredo your there
Sent me to San Antonio for swap took 8.5 hours and payed team round trip from Laredo to do swap and wanted to take a hundred and fifty miles off my load