The TruckLoad Expedite costumer

moose · Jul 6, 2010

the question is :
hoe is the truck load expedite costumer ?
what make a shipper pay the extra to use a 53 footer expedite trailer .

not talking WG/Elite ,and if driver qualifications is not needed .

when it comes to reefers ,many truckLoad carrier now days providing on line temperature validate ,on time satellite trucking and the rest of the services being provided by Expedite carriers .

when it comes to 53 footer dry van ,many TruckLoad carrier can guarantee exclusive use of the box for way less .

on a side note : why dose it take more to move an Expedite tractor ,then on traditional transportation . ,and how often those trucks move general freight ?

Jefferson3000 · Jul 6, 2010

moose said:
the question is :
hoe is the truck load expedite costumer ?
what make a shipper pay the extra to use a 53 footer expedite trailer .

not talking WG/Elite ,and if driver qualifications is not needed .

when it comes to reefers ,many truckLoad carrier now days providing on line temperature validate ,on time satellite trucking and the rest of the services being provided by Expedite carriers .

when it comes to 53 footer dry van ,many TruckLoad carrier can guarantee exclusive use of the box for way less .

on a side note : why dose it take more to move an Expedite tractor ,then on traditional transportation . ,and how often those trucks move general freight ?

I deal with this all of the time. Even small loads that would fit a cargo van or straight being moved by a truckload broker with the promise of "exclusive use." I have a customer who started doing this instead of calling us. He said that it's just much more affordable to move three skids at "truckload rate" rather than calling an expedite carrier. It usually works for stuff that is days specific, but not time specific, or if it's a 500 mile load, ready this morning at 10am, and deliver by 5pm tomorrow. All you can do about it is sit and wait until they screw something up that was really hot.

The brokers book it at TL rate and promise that it's exclusive, but it's normally not handled that way when it's booked by the running carrier. If it's a few skids, why not throw a couple more LTL loads on with it? They don't care.

Last year I had a broker call us, wanting us to move one crate to Jersey from south GA, but said it this way: "The customer is asking for exclusive use. That just means, as long as there is nothing on the truck at pickup, and there's nothing else at delivery, then I don't know about it." He probably booked it at TL rate, and was trying to move it with us for about .90 per mile. I laughed and gave him what our rate would be for a dock high truck. Then I told him that this is the kind of load where you lose a customer for playing games.

ATeam · Jul 7, 2010

moose said:
the question is :
hoe is the truck load expedite costumer ?
what make a shipper pay the extra to use a 53 footer expedite trailer .

not talking WG/Elite ,and if driver qualifications is not needed .

when it comes to reefers ,many truckLoad carrier now days providing on line temperature validate ,on time satellite trucking and the rest of the services being provided by Expedite carriers.

when it comes to 53 footer dry van ,many TruckLoad carrier can guarantee exclusive use of the box for way less .

on a side note : why dose it take more to move an Expedite tractor ,then on traditional transportation . ,and how often those trucks move general freight ?

May I ask what prompted your question? Just curious.

It has been clear for a long time that if there ever was an accepted definition of expedited freight or an expedite carrier, it has become muddled over time as technology emerged that made fast freight and monitored freight services easier for carriers of all types to provide.

Exclusive use, straight through, reefer freight? A guy running produce coast to coast as a regular run meets that definition.

Is it about fast freight? Diane and I call ourselves expediters but not all of our loads are booked on short notice or delivered straight through. Yet, some of them are the highest paying freight we haul.

Does special handling have anything to do with it? Household goods and trade show services people have done that for years. Are they then expediters?

Does HAZMAT make an elite expediter? Perhaps, but what about companies that specialize in HAZMAT and drive loads straight through. Are they then expediters too?

What is an expediter today? If asked, I would be hard pressed to provide a good answer. It is a question of some interest but more important is the fact that Diane and I can make a good living providing the services we provide with the (expediter) truck we operate.

Scuba · Jul 7, 2010

I think it's more of a mindset than anything else. How often have you heard a company driver say well if they wanted it at 0700 they will be tickled to death to see it hit the dock at 1200. The Expedite driver takes pride in being on time all the time.

Turtle · Jul 7, 2010

No matter what you haul in your expedite truck, expedited freight is still "time-sensitive freight", time-sensitive at the pickup or the delivery, usually both, and usually delivered straight through.

That's the litmus test. Special handling, refer, exclusive use, and many other things may also be a part of expedited time-sensitive freight, but they do not define the term, even if it is hauled in an expedite truck. Expediters merely provide additional services beyond that of time critical for freight. "Special handling" or "refer" freight is just that, unless it's also time-sensitive, then it becomes expedited freight. "Exclusive use" freight is exclusive use, but unless it's also time sensitive, it's merely exclusive use, not expedited.

Just because you're an expediter and haul expedited freight doesn't mean that all loads you haul are expedited. People put freight on expedited trucks for a wide variety of reasons, just one of them being time-sensitive.

So to answer the original question of what makes a shipper pay the extra to use a 53-foot expedite trailer, it could be any number of reasons, time sensitivity being just one of them. It maybe that they are comfortable in knowing for sure where their freight is at all times, or it could be they are comfortable in knowing the driver is dedicated to their freight and their freight alone for the entire trip.

greg334 · Jul 7, 2010

Moose,
Who says they are paying extra?

About 90% of the loads I call on are these types. Even though they 'fit' on my truck, the customer wants to see a 53 or 48 foot trailer in the dock.

When I have talked to customers directly and get to know what they are paying, the use of my truck most of the time would be cheaper but the impression that I get, there is a perception that they are getting cheated for anything less even though they would save money.

It seems to come down to how the service is sold, most of the time these agents/brokers are competing with others for the same freight and have to sell some sort of an edge.

Exclusive use of a 48 ft trailer and tractor for two pallets sounds great at $3.50 a mile plus FSC, doesn't it?

Rates are dropping as far as I can see. When I should be getting $1.60 to $1.70 a mile offers, I routinely get offers at $1.30 a mile. I know some of the offers are sold at $3.50 a mile, some even more but by the time they get to me, it has changed at least two hands.

My last FedEx offer was funny, when all these FedEx trucks refused the $1.10 a mile, it was offered at $1.60 a mile to my truck but I refused it because I didn't have enough blankets on board - reefer/WG load. I would have taken it but without the blankets, there was no reason for it.

nightcreacher · Jul 7, 2010

When I'm dispatched,my loads are all expedite as they are time sensitive.If I get a truck load dispatch,the only hurry up on the load is me wanting to get it off as soon as possible.Our dispatch system doesn't give truck load rates to a customer that wants expedite delivery,as many of the other expedite companies do.

moose · Jul 10, 2010

ATeam said:
May I ask what prompted your question? Just curious..

i was asked that by a broker ,that was not familiar with Expedite ,a few weeks ago .

moose · Jul 10, 2010

greg334 said:
Moose,
Who says they are paying extra?.

Supply & Demand .

Tho'w you bring up a good point , those loads are going high to begin with .

nightcreacher · Jul 11, 2010

Not supply and demand,if it's time sensitive,you can make more money.When a broker tells you he has a 600 mile load and needs it there in 10 hours,why would you take it for the normal pay?