They finally wised up

layoutshooter · Jan 14, 2010

I guess I don't understand something, I know what I need to make for a load to make money. I know what certain weights, running the reefer, providing protection for the load is worth. I only take loads that I can make money on the load and always look at what happens on the other end, long DH out etc. Assuming that I figure correctly what difference does it make if that load weighs 11 ounces (the lightest load I have carried on my DR unit) or 18,000lbs. I don't see where it being exclusive use, or 30 stops matters, as long as I operate in my profit margin. What am I missing?

x06col · Jan 14, 2010

Nothing i'd say Layout, longs yer happy.

layoutshooter · Jan 14, 2010

Thanks, I get confused so easy anymore these days!! I thought I had it sorta figured out, I was hopin that I did not have to start over again!! LOL!!

piper1 · Jan 14, 2010

I think the Fed has merely found another avenue to move freight even cheaper for their "price point" type of customers who don't give a rats arse about things like exclusive use or if the guy shows up in a Fed branded truck. This leaves the purple and blue available for the rest of the customers who do care.

I dunno about anyone else but NLM has been a good thing as far as my dealings with the Fed, I've made a lot of money from it.

skyraider · Jan 14, 2010

x06col said:
Well yes, when making a sales call, if the first or second thing outa yer mouth is "the only thing that goes on that truck is your shipment", then that is the way it is. Seems foolish to me tho, having a 24 foot truck going down the road with 2 skids and 2000 pounds. And, if they want to pay for that, i'm game. However, I didn't see the gain for the foolishness when I wuz "exclusive use" wiff em.

I run 2 skids in my cargo van frequently, up to 3000 lbs, make only 95cents a mile,,i would like to get $1.65 a mile

x06col · Jan 14, 2010

You could.....with two loads.

davekc · Jan 14, 2010

x06col said:
You could.....with two loads.

That is how a lot of them work. Many just don't know it. Folks been double dipping NLM freight for years now.
As for the Fed using the Alliance, I agree in that they probably are having to look at other avenues to move freight.
Probably not as a primary vehicle to obtain freight. A lot of their rates have been reduced so you need a cheaper source to haul them.

Dreamer · Jan 14, 2010

Col, that multiple loads on one truck doesn't work when it is TRUE Expedite, ASAP pick up. If you can take the time to schedule far enough in advance, is it really expedite? Would that not be regular LTL, and could go on any truck that would take a bunch of 50 cent a mile freight and lump it together? In my opinion, true 'expedite' freight has to be picked up ASAP, and delivered straight thru. If they have time to wait while someone tries to string together 2 or 3 more loads going the same way, they might as well run it on a regular LTL truck.

I know you made your money on those kinds of loads.. but it seems to me you did not run true 'expedite' loads. You used an 'Expediter style truck'.. to run scheduled, LTL loads.... just using a straight truck instead of a semi.

Sure some loads are scheduled ahead of time, but 90% of our loads ( at least mine.. ) are pickup in an hour, and go, go, go... I can't imagine telling dispatch, 'Wait.. can you find me another skid, or wait while I find one?"

Either you want to run Expedite Freight for a company, or you want to find your own freight....and run it using a Expedite Style truck.

It's not the same thing.

Dale

rodeehos · Jan 15, 2010

HAVEN'T SEEN THEM POST ANY LOADS ON GPS SO FAR. MOST OF THE LOADS I GET OFF OF NLM ARE FED LOADS. CAN'T HARDLY SEEM TO GET ANY OF THE BIG 3 LOADS.

x06col · Jan 15, 2010

Dreamer said:
Col, that multiple loads on one truck doesn't work when it is TRUE Expedite, ASAP pick up. If you can take the time to schedule far enough in advance, is it really expedite? Would that not be regular LTL, and could go on any truck that would take a bunch of 50 cent a mile freight and lump it together? In my opinion, true 'expedite' freight has to be picked up ASAP, and delivered straight thru. If they have time to wait while someone tries to string together 2 or 3 more loads going the same way, they might as well run it on a regular LTL truck.

I know you made your money on those kinds of loads.. but it seems to me you did not run true 'expedite' loads. You used an 'Expediter style truck'.. to run scheduled, LTL loads.... just using a straight truck instead of a semi.

Sure some loads are scheduled ahead of time, but 90% of our loads ( at least mine.. ) are pickup in an hour, and go, go, go... I can't imagine telling dispatch, 'Wait.. can you find me another skid, or wait while I find one?"

Either you want to run Expedite Freight for a company, or you want to find your own freight....and run it using a Expedite Style truck.

It's not the same thing.

Dale

Actually, you couldn't be more wrong in your figgurin. i'll suggest that the vast majority of your loads have been on their shelf for a few hours. Or, days for that matter. They jes don't give em to you till the eleventh hour. It's obvious you don't understand the volumn of freight to be found out there, if, you are paying attention. As a contractor, we all have been sold a bill of goods about our importance. And some actually believe it.

It's not magic to operate profitably, jes takes paying attention and a bit of work. Ya need to be cognizant of what freight is going where BEFORE the opportunity to double up arises. Then act.

It is the same thing. Jes a little more involved than most like.

OntarioVanMan · Jan 15, 2010

Gotta side with the Col on this one...seen many a load ordered days in advance and only dispatched later...even NLM seen them ordered way in advance...so an alert person could easily double up....granted there is some rush jobs but not that many..we may be expediters but we are not going to save the world...as the world doesn't revolve around us...

layoutshooter · Jan 15, 2010

Part of what is going on is that the business itself seems to be evolving, as all things do.

When we first started 5 years ago we ran a lot more emergency freight than we do now. It seems now that we are more of a "special handling" business. Expediting may be a term that does not apply to a lot of us anymore, we just have not come up with a new term to describe what this has grown into.

To be sure there is still a lot of the "gotta get it there yesterday" freight out there and there always will be. There is a lot like the Col is talking about that can be chased.

For the most part, we in this truck, seldom work either type. The vast majority of our freight is the "special handling" type. Often booked in advance, sometimes days in advance. It is almost alwaysexclusive use. We have to deal with customers that can be very picky with their zillion dollar freight.

I remember one guy when I first started. He was running around in the way, making it hard for us do get his freight loaded quickly, which it had to be. I finally asked him why he was so nervous. He said that the product we were moving was "his entire life's work" and if it was mishandled in any way it would be ruined. I just explained to him that this truck and business was my life's work and that he had paid a lot of money to get this truck and the services that we provide and that it would go much quicker and safer if he would just allow us to do our job. Things went much smoother after that and his life's work was moved without a hitch.

CharlesD · Jan 15, 2010

They might not post loads on there at all. Tri-State has been on the Alliance for years and doesn't post any of their loads on there. They could be using it to search truck availability if a partner isn't responding to a load offer or nobody is bidding on the ones listed on NLM.I'm hoping they don't go listing them on GPS because their loads have been some of the better paying brokered loads I've done.

Jefferson3000 · Jan 15, 2010

x06col said:
Seems Fedup finally figgured out where the freight is these days and joined the Alliance. You sitters will have some chances to move prolly

Yeah, I saw that. . Oh course Tri-State has been a member since the beginning, but mainly use it to search for trucks already approved in their system. Not sure how the Fed will use the system.

Just realized that Charles stole my thunder.

greg334 · Jan 15, 2010

Dale,
I also agree with X06col, the problem is many of the loads you get you will never see the processing time or which division it came from. The need for them to maintain an equal objective for all the work that comes to them as a group overrides the needs of the customer - in other words everything seems to be treated the same from pickup times to delivery times. If the customer doesn't really need it there until late Monday but it hits the system on the prior Thursday - it is to be moved ASAP on Thursday and because of the groups policy to deliver ASAP it arrives on Friday to the surprise of the shipper.

Also I have done a number of expedited multiple pickups and stops, the last run I did was exactly that, it was very time sensitive and very PIA to do but it was true expedited freight.

davekc · Jan 15, 2010

CharlesD said:
They might not post loads on there at all. Tri-State has been on the Alliance for years and doesn't post any of their loads on there. They could be using it to search truck availability if a partner isn't responding to a load offer or nobody is bidding on the ones listed on NLM.I'm hoping they don't go listing them on GPS because their loads have been some of the better paying brokered loads I've done.

I agree
I believe the Fed will use it as a vehicle much in the way Tri-State does. If they can broker a load cheaper than their lease drivers are willing to run, then they are going to do it. Even more so with less trucks out there. I am amazed how cheap some will run for off the Panther broker system. Have to think it is good for the Fed, but hard to tell for the lease drivers. It would depend on how much they use it.
That aside, I believe only about a third of the loads booked on a given day are really "exclusive use". Loads like Pharma,DOD, reefer jobs, art and probably a few others. The others usually have some flexibility in them. The argument that if you have two or more loads on the truck it "isn't expedite" , but rather high dollar LTL?
One can call it anything, but if each load pays a expedite rate then it matters little what it is called, it becomes what does it pay.

layoutshooter · Jan 15, 2010

We just accepted a load that you would not call an expedited load. It does not pick up until next Tuesday, running from Philly to LA. Pays super!! Makes the week!! Not true expediting but what difference does that make? Money in the bank is just that, money in the bank. How you earn that money does not matter as long as it is legal and moral.