Whirlwind Express
- Thread starter Wannabe01
- Start date
cableguymn
Seasoned Expediter
Don't know much about them. They look like a smaller broker. If your over 10,000lbs you need your own authority.
jeffman164
Seasoned Expediter
Actually , I was their very very 1st van . At one point , I had 3 leased on with them . At the start , everything was great , then the pay got slower and slower and slower and slower. Then for some strange reason ( which maybe you can figure out ) the owner wouldn't take my calls anymore ( which would upset me to no end ) . She would just e mail me with different excuses saying that the check was in the mail . My pay date would vary anywhere from 40 - 60 days from the delivery date . My very last load with them took 96 days from delivery date until the check finally arrived in my mailbox . 96 days I say !! Not trying to bash them because they ALWAYS did pay me in FULL - just telling it like it is . Or like it was LOL . It's up to you if you can afford to wait .
Zoli
Veteran Expediter
It is true. Very slow pay.Otherwise they are a good company.
jeffman164
Seasoned Expediter
Yes , they are a good company and received many loads from them . The sad part is that they are a - the check is in the mail company .
purgoose10
Veteran Expediter
Sounds like they don't pay you until they get paid. Some companys factor their recievables which cuts their draw about 5%, they probably don't.
The best way to find out these things is call them direct and question them from a list you have made up and reading from. Also ask for references of other contractors. If they won't give them, don't mess with them.
The best way to find out these things is call them direct and question them from a list you have made up and reading from. Also ask for references of other contractors. If they won't give them, don't mess with them.
cableguymn
Seasoned Expediter
Sounds like they don't pay you until they get paid. Some companys factor their recievables which cuts their draw about 5%, they probably don't.
The best way to find out these things is call them direct and question them from a list you have made up and reading from. Also ask for references of other contractors. If they won't give them, don't mess with them.
How they cash flow their side is not the drivers concern. I suspect you are right. But they should have enough $ on hand to pay their contractors on time.
They probably don't use a factoring company and wait until they get paid from the brokers before they pay their drivers. They invoice directly but do not use a credit account to do so. In one aspect this is a very smart move as factoring fees tend to sap a lot of the profit from the load. They should just be up front about what is going on. There are some companies that pay in 30, 60, 90, or even more days from the date that they are invoiced for a load. I know this because I am a carrier now.
It is very hard for a smaller company to wait that long to get paid unless you have at least 20-30 k sitting in a bank account to pay your drivers and then wait up to 100 days to get paid by a broker. Sometimes you have to threaten to file on a brokers bond before they get off their duff's and send you a check. There is a lot of tracking down money and changing of hands in this business.
I use a factoring company because I like "terminal pay" for my drivers and for the carriers that move loads for my brokerage firm. I think terminal pay is the way every broker and carrier should do business. But it's not a common practice and comes as considerable cost. Now that being said, I personally do not look at the fact that I may loose 1k a month in fees, because I just consider it to be the cost of doing busines the way I think business should be done. If my cut after all of the fees and expenses is enough to get what I need out of the whole deal then I am good to go! So slow pay does not always indicate fincncial troubles - just the way business is handled by all of the parties involved. I hope this helps explain the "check is in the mail" companies!
purgoose10
Veteran Expediter
I guess if they don't want to get paid it's not their concern. A lot of brokers don't pay until they are paid. It used to be a normal practice until the operators could not operate w/o advances.
cableguymn
Seasoned Expediter
As a driver, I don't care if the company ever collects from the shipper as long as they honor their side of the agreement. If my contract says "complete a job between the 16th and the last day of the month, be paid on the following 15th" that is what I expect. The agreement between the company I signed with and the shipper is the companies issue.
Now, if their contract reads "you get paid when/if we get paid" then they can by all means make drivers wait.
The reason it takes so long to get paid is likely the number of hands in the pot.
You have the originating shipper, the broker, the carrier and you. That normally is the shortest chain there is for the money to travel if your contracted with a carrier.
If each one takes 30 days to pay the next.. you could be in for a long long wait.
I personally would never sign on with a company that offers me loads where my pay was based on their ability to collect payment from their customers.
LisaLouHoo
Expert Expediter
WW had a specific pay schedule in their contract, no mention of drivers getting paid after they got their money.
Sent from my ADR6300 using EO Forums
Sent from my ADR6300 using EO Forums
jeffman164
Seasoned Expediter
When I originally signed on with them , the contract said that a check would be sent out 30 days from invoice . Then that changed to 35 days . I would routinally receive my checks 50 , 55 , 65 days from invoice . Always some excuse . Or , worse yet - no excuse at all because owner would not answer the phone . Just an e mail with " THE CHECK IS IN THE MAIL " . I know someone personally where the same thing is happening to him to this day . Why it took 96 days for me to receive my check I will never know . I do have my SUSPICIONS though . LOL . I'm sure that all of you can figure it out for yourself . The weird part about it was that I was with them for 3 years , had 3 vans on with them at one time , referred countless people to their co , always delivered on time , I'm very polite and courteous to the customer and then - no receiving phone calls - just a " CHECK IS IN THE MAIL " e mail . Like I said in an earlier post , I did get payed in full - however , I will NEVER do business with them ever again !!
Well, I have to chime in here.
I have been contracted with them for a time last year, along with 2 other companies. They told me in advance that they pay the following Friday, 30 days after they receive the paperwork from me, which was fine since I am not strapped for cash. I had a choice to get a check in the mail, or have the money on a T-Check card. I started with the card, but then I switched to the check method to avoid the T-Check fees.
They paid better than the other 2 companies that I was leased with at the time, and they never 'forced' me to take anything that I did not want. If I remember correctly, they were the highest paying company that would let you sign on with other companies that I could find. The owner and dispatchers were very friendly and courteous.
The only reason that I am not with them any more is that I needed to take a break for a while for family things. After the break, I really did not like the idea of being leased to more than one company any more, just too much trouble to keep everybody informed of my status. So, I signed on with a better paying, one company only deal.
If anything else changes in the future, and I need to go with more than one company, I wouldn't hesitate to go with them again.
I have been contracted with them for a time last year, along with 2 other companies. They told me in advance that they pay the following Friday, 30 days after they receive the paperwork from me, which was fine since I am not strapped for cash. I had a choice to get a check in the mail, or have the money on a T-Check card. I started with the card, but then I switched to the check method to avoid the T-Check fees.
They paid better than the other 2 companies that I was leased with at the time, and they never 'forced' me to take anything that I did not want. If I remember correctly, they were the highest paying company that would let you sign on with other companies that I could find. The owner and dispatchers were very friendly and courteous.
The only reason that I am not with them any more is that I needed to take a break for a while for family things. After the break, I really did not like the idea of being leased to more than one company any more, just too much trouble to keep everybody informed of my status. So, I signed on with a better paying, one company only deal.
If anything else changes in the future, and I need to go with more than one company, I wouldn't hesitate to go with them again.
purgoose10
Veteran Expediter
I'm not disagreeing with you, I'm just saying how it was forty plus years ago. Times have changed with business practices and the electronics. If they have a contract then yes you should be paid period no excuse. There are some brokers and company operators that could care less about paying anything but themselves. Mostly because there seems to be a never ending supply of truckers who complain about it but keep coming back. I agree with you 100%. I might let one payment end up gone but the second one comes with a notice.
I just left them Nov 11th and I am still waiting to get paid as of now for a couple of loads I did in Oct/Nov. They are supposed to pay within 45 days according to their conrtract. But just so you know, They do pay but are slow in doing so. It is now Jan 26 2012 Still no check. But Check's in the mail.
Mike99
Veteran Expediter
They saying 30 days but in reality is 40 to 60 days. Unfortunately more small companies follow them like T&K for example.
What keeps someone from filing for a debt on their broker bond? Does it have to go much longer than the time they pay? I am very new in this just curious. If they have a contract saying they will pay in 30 to 45 days and it goes up to 90 days it seems to me there could be a claim against their brokers bond. Does anyone have info on this?