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The Effervescent Joy of Expedite CEO's
- Thread starter ATeam
- Start date
YEP!!! Not JUST a living!!
Sylectus is not a load board. It is software that carriers use to share freight and trucks. Most of these carriers are carriers in their own right. They have their own customers. Sylectus comes into play when they have a truck but no freight, or freight but no truck.
This article is about expedite CEO's. Another article is in the Expedite NOW pipline, entitled "Sylectus, an Unseen Force in the Expedite Industry." It explains more about Sylectus itself and how carriers subscribe to and use this resource.
It is important to understand that Sylectus is not a load board. While people sometimes refer to the "Sylectus board" and dispatchers look at computer screens to find available trucks and freight, the business relationships are different and there is much more more to Sylectus than "load board." To consider it a load board only is to misunderstand Sylectus.
I think some maybe confusing the Alliance board with Sylectus...
Alliance supplies the load.....Sylectus is the method to transfer information about said loads...
Alliance supplies the load.....Sylectus is the method to transfer information about said loads...
Moose...wake up....wake up......Sylectus has no loads! LOL think of it as a cross dock....the cross dock just transfer the freight...
I'll answer- no, to both your questions, but it fills in the gaps. Also, it proves that there are no "undisclosed locations"
CharlesD
Expert Expediter
Sylectus isn't a load board, but it has a load board. That is only one feature of the whole, so to speak. Generally, the larger companies might utilize more of the features than the smaller companies. Here's how we use the site.
We're a fairly small company, just running a dozen trucks at the moment, but likely to have more in the next month or so. We do keep tabs on the posted loads and do quite a few of them actually, but basically what you have here is a way for companies to get together and form relationships. I see a load posted and I have a chance to help that company out by covering that load. We do a good job on that load and now our two companies have formed a relationship that can be mutually beneficial. I might have a load I need help covering down the road.
But everyone pretty much understands that part. When we first got going, we used it mostly as a load board, but as time went by we formed relationships with people on there and we find ourselves doing loads that were never posted. We also have a mailing list of all our customers and partners and with a couple mouse clicks can send out a list of available equipment. This has helped immensely by keeping our available truck locations in front of people we get loads from so we can get calls and emails back with available freight from time to time. There are also quite a few companies, like a large number of Landstar agents, who don't post loads on there but will search the truck listings when they need freight covered.
So I would say that a small percentage of the loads we haul are loads we see posted on the board and bid on, but a large number are loads we get because of other features we utilize. It pays for itself.
We're a fairly small company, just running a dozen trucks at the moment, but likely to have more in the next month or so. We do keep tabs on the posted loads and do quite a few of them actually, but basically what you have here is a way for companies to get together and form relationships. I see a load posted and I have a chance to help that company out by covering that load. We do a good job on that load and now our two companies have formed a relationship that can be mutually beneficial. I might have a load I need help covering down the road.
But everyone pretty much understands that part. When we first got going, we used it mostly as a load board, but as time went by we formed relationships with people on there and we find ourselves doing loads that were never posted. We also have a mailing list of all our customers and partners and with a couple mouse clicks can send out a list of available equipment. This has helped immensely by keeping our available truck locations in front of people we get loads from so we can get calls and emails back with available freight from time to time. There are also quite a few companies, like a large number of Landstar agents, who don't post loads on there but will search the truck listings when they need freight covered.
So I would say that a small percentage of the loads we haul are loads we see posted on the board and bid on, but a large number are loads we get because of other features we utilize. It pays for itself.
moose
Veteran Expediter
a load board is designed to make sure the costumer freight is being covered.
a bid board is designed to lower the shippers costs.
both designed to screw the drivers, by making sure ALL available trucks are fighting for the same freight, regardless of the DoT # on the door.
reread Mr CharlesD post.
if he have a costumer, and his trucks are 300 mil away, he will contact his 'partner Carrier' if he see said carrier have an available truck in the area.
in a nutshell, a carrier now have no incentive what so ever to place freight on his own trucks contractor, but to save money for the shippers.
Moose makes a very important point; one that all expediters should think deeply about.
CharlesD
Expert Expediter
So what should I do if I get a call from someone with a piece of freight he wants hauled and we don't have a truck near it?
Should I just say, "Tough luck, I don't have a truck", or should I maybe try to cover it with a partner who might have a truck in the area?
If I put that piece of freight on that partner's truck, how is that hurting my own contractors if none of them are near that freight? If anything, the other carrier benefited as well because they got a load they might not have otherwise had access to. And in that case, it really doesn't save my customer any money because I have to charge them enough to pay the other carrier what they want and still make a profit.
My incentive is and always will be to put as much freight on my own trucks as possible, but if I have access to some freight that I don't have a truck near and I can cover it with a partner, I see that as a win win. I serviced a customer and made it more likely that I'll continue to get freight from that source, I helped another carrier load their driver, and I made some money for my company in the process. I don't see a negative there.
Should I just say, "Tough luck, I don't have a truck", or should I maybe try to cover it with a partner who might have a truck in the area?
If I put that piece of freight on that partner's truck, how is that hurting my own contractors if none of them are near that freight? If anything, the other carrier benefited as well because they got a load they might not have otherwise had access to. And in that case, it really doesn't save my customer any money because I have to charge them enough to pay the other carrier what they want and still make a profit.
My incentive is and always will be to put as much freight on my own trucks as possible, but if I have access to some freight that I don't have a truck near and I can cover it with a partner, I see that as a win win. I serviced a customer and made it more likely that I'll continue to get freight from that source, I helped another carrier load their driver, and I made some money for my company in the process. I don't see a negative there.
moose
Veteran Expediter
here's how the system works.
XPO Logistics Reports 1Q Losses - Truckinginfo.com
so XPO loss money, big deal.
but yet they also did this :
"XPO's freight brokerage business generated total revenue of $7.9 million for the quarter, a 32.5% improvement from the same period last year."
how do you like those apples now ?
XPO Logistics Reports 1Q Losses - Truckinginfo.com
so XPO loss money, big deal.
but yet they also did this :
"XPO's freight brokerage business generated total revenue of $7.9 million for the quarter, a 32.5% improvement from the same period last year."
how do you like those apples now ?
Moose I am sure your carrier's goal is to service it's customers and protect the business. If they have to use other carriers to do that, doesn't that make sense? Next time you are in an area, do you want to not get freight from a customer because they don't use your carrier anymore because they said no 30 percent of the time?
By god, I think he has got the concept nailed!
I'm not sure I get your point, Moose. As they do every quarter, XPO announced the revenue of its three divisions and other company information. Two of the three divisions showed an increase. As stated in the press release, the brokerage revenue increase was due to increased volume in one office and the addition of another. What are you getting at?
(Full Disclosure: Diane and I own shares of XPO.)
moose
Veteran Expediter
That's all nice & dicy, but we see 2 trucks in Laredo, once the Shipper is happy, the Carrier is happy, we have no incentive to keep the O/O happy.
just place the freight on a partner carrier truck, and keep your rigs available for a just in-case.
not a 'just in case the shipper call',
"just in case partner carriers won't have a truck" !.
interesting how well the system works.
just place the freight on a partner carrier truck, and keep your rigs available for a just in-case.
not a 'just in case the shipper call',
"just in case partner carriers won't have a truck" !.
interesting how well the system works.
BigCat
Expert Expediter
Moose I think you get the idea companies load the partner truck parked beside their own first. It doesn't work like that. If you truck doesn't want it and you have no other trucks around why not give it to someone else.
You want to keep that customer happy for the next time you have a truck in that area,right?
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