Working for 2 companies

[DannyD]

Awhile back working for 2 companies was brought up. I did just that & have been at it for a bit now. Here's my thoughts on it. The two companies I work for are T&K and Alliance.

Overall I wouldn't suggest it. Having said that I like both companies enough that I won't quit unless one tells me I've got to pick just one. In that case I'd probably go to the other.

When things are slow, it's not really going to matter if you're w/ 10 companies I wouldn't think. I did this for 3 weeks about 2-3 months ago & got 1 run between the 2 places. Figuring expediting was just that bad, I left.

Came back about a month ago to try it again (glutton for punishment maybe??) & I've had 1 good week & 2 less than great ones. Some of that is on me as I have another job & got some work w/ that. So I went out of service.

I'm under the impression they're bidding from the same boards. I'm guessing this because when I've taken a run & notified one that I was out of service, they knew about the run I was taking. I mean like the details of the run. Who from, who to, & so on.

Being in service w/ 2 companies means you're out of service a fair amount, like when on a load w/ the other one. In my case add to this the other job (I'm aware of the ups & downs of expediting & want the buffer) & I can see where in their minds I'm out of service a lot. In my mind though, I'm either working or available for work almost every waking hour of the week.

It's one of those things where the Col would be calling me a lazy, worthless POS & my friends are like "geez dude, you're always working or waiting for it & never play any poker anymore. What gives?"

Communication is important. Ya gotta make sure ya let one company know when you've got a run w/ the other one. So far I think I've done that part pretty well. What blows though is when ya call the one to tell em & they were about to bid on a job for ya. At least in my case, I feel kinda bad about it.

Obviously ya don't wanna mix up your paperwork either. So far so good on that. I try to keep organized.

There's pros & cons to each company. T&K is more a mid sized company w/ actual dispatchers. Alliance is more of a mom & pop where the main dispatcher has other things to do besides looking for runs. I'm guessing that Alliance is a bit more understanding that I have another job because I think she's got another one too.

This arraingement is ok. I don't see where a person would make more $ w/ 2 companies than w/ 1 though. Occasionally you'll get a run a bit sooner than ya would have when you're on the road, maybe cuz one dispatcher catches something another one didn't or something. So that's a plus.

Anyway, there's my innitial thoughts. I re-read my post & it came off as more down than I meant it to be. It's not a bad situation or anything. It's nothing like that. Both companies are good. I'm just saying it's not like you'll get twice the work if you're w/ 2 companies.

 

[aileron]

Danny,
Thanks for confirming my assumptions.
I wanted to do just this kind of thing a while ago, but finally decided it wasn't worth it. Also, most companies don't allow you to do this.

 

[jeffman164]

I am leased on with more than one company and couldn't be happier . The trick is to make sure that the companies don't just bid off of the NLM board , but also have some of their own personal customers . Or at the very least , have contacts outside of the load boards .

 

[DannyD]

So it looks like it's working better for Jeff than me. I realize my post looked kind of down on things. I should have said it more like "it's basically about the same as working for one company w/ maybe a few extra calls to keep people informed."

Either way, if someone's interested in it by all means give it a try. You'll never know if it's right for you unless ya try. I was more giving my personal observations. This industry is def. not a one fits all thing.

Quick Q for Jeff if he comes back to this, what do ya like about working for more than one? What would you say the advantages? And what disadvantages have ya come across?

 

[CharlesD]

I am leased on with more than one company and couldn't be happier . The trick is to make sure that the companies don't just bid off of the NLM board , but also have some of their own personal customers . Or at the very least , have contacts outside of the load boards .

That's what I was going to say. As someone on the other side of this equation, I can offer a slightly different perspective on this. There are a couple questions you want to answer regarding this type of arrangement.

1. Do the two companies have enough different contacts to actually increase your chances of a load?

2. Also, even if they do have different contacts, if you are in a good area, how often is one company going to be able to get you a load out of there while the other company can't. They might have different contacts, but if the area has enough freight, it might not really matter. I would be willing to bet that while one company gets you that load, the other company probably had a couple options as well.

Basically, most expedite carriers out there, especially the smaller ones that are going to be agreeable with an arrangement like this, are competing for a lot of the same freight, with the exception of whatever customers they may have. If you're working with two carriers who are both bidding on GPS, NLM, and Active Aero freight, it might seem like you have better chances of getting a load, but it might just be a case of one carrier beating the other one to the punch and if you had only been with one or the other you might have had the load anyway. If one of the carriers has access to one of the above and the other doesn't, that might change things slightly, but like I said above, if it's a good freight area, either carrier might have as good a chance of getting you out of there. It really depends on who the two carriers are, what contacts they have, and what kind of rate they're giving you. With that said, if you choose to go into this kind of arrangement, I would say that frequent and detailed communication is key. You don't want one carrier bidding on loads when the other one has already found you something. That could get a little tricky if they both have loads awarded for you and you have to make a decision. As a carrier, you don't want to make a habit out of backing out on loads you have already been awarded.

 

[jeffman164]

If you lease on to more than one company , then you definitely have to be on the ball about communicating with each other . No messing around . Advantages : Smaller companies = more personal commitment to find freight for each van .
No deductions except my own personal cargo insurance .
Personal contacts from company to finding freight .
Companies really know how I run and how I take care my business .
Companies will let me run the way that I see fit !! ( No Big Brother issues ) !!
No Qualcom .
No 700 mile - ya can't drive anymore B.S.
No signs .
Some higher paying freight .
Disadvantages :
Some duplicate bidding from N.L.M. boards or Active Aero .
Smaller companies = no one watching for freight at 3:00 A.M.
Have to be more involved rather than just waiting for that beep to go off .
Some lower paying freight .
Slower pay sometimes .
All and all , it's the only way that I would ever stay in this business . I'm not really sure if I'm making more $ than if I was signed on with one of the big companies . Let's be honest - nobody really knows for sure - at the very least , it's just a crap shoot . What I do know is that I' m a very free spirited and feel that if I'm self employed - with all of the risks that are involved , then I don't want BIG BROTHER telling me what I can and cannot do !! That's just me though .

 

[Darmstadter]

If you're able to make it work, more power to ya.
Not for me--would be too much like trying to keep 2 steady girlfriends. At some point I'd screw up and call one by the wrong name. Or in this case forget to go out of service when applicable. I would think that it'd bother the dispatchers to be constantly putting someone in/out of service. If a really sweet run comes up and dispatch has a choice between a driver that is on steady vs somebody split between companies, who do ya think they'll give it to? If both companies are understanding about the situation, maybe it'd be alright.

 

[Zoli]

Awhile back working for 2 companies was brought up. I did just that & have been at it for a bit now. Here's my thoughts on it. The two companies I work for are T&K and Alliance.

Overall I wouldn't suggest it. Having said that I like both companies enough that I won't quit unless one tells me I've got to pick just one. In that case I'd probably go to the other.

When things are slow, it's not really going to matter if you're w/ 10 companies I wouldn't think. I did this for 3 weeks about 2-3 months ago & got 1 run between the 2 places. Figuring expediting was just that bad, I left.

Came back about a month ago to try it again (glutton for punishment maybe??) & I've had 1 good week & 2 less than great ones. Some of that is on me as I have another job & got some work w/ that. So I went out of service.

I'm under the impression they're bidding from the same boards. I'm guessing this because when I've taken a run & notified one that I was out of service, they knew about the run I was taking. I mean like the details of the run. Who from, who to, & so on.

Being in service w/ 2 companies means you're out of service a fair amount, like when on a load w/ the other one. In my case add to this the other job (I'm aware of the ups & downs of expediting & want the buffer) & I can see where in their minds I'm out of service a lot. In my mind though, I'm either working or available for work almost every waking hour of the week.

It's one of those things where the Col would be calling me a lazy, worthless POS & my friends are like "geez dude, you're always working or waiting for it & never play any poker anymore. What gives?"

Communication is important. Ya gotta make sure ya let one company know when you've got a run w/ the other one. So far I think I've done that part pretty well. What blows though is when ya call the one to tell em & they were about to bid on a job for ya. At least in my case, I feel kinda bad about it.

Obviously ya don't wanna mix up your paperwork either. So far so good on that. I try to keep organized.

There's pros & cons to each company. T&K is more a mid sized company w/ actual dispatchers. Alliance is more of a mom & pop where the main dispatcher has other things to do besides looking for runs. I'm guessing that Alliance is a bit more understanding that I have another job because I think she's got another one too.

This arraingement is ok. I don't see where a person would make more $ w/ 2 companies than w/ 1 though. Occasionally you'll get a run a bit sooner than ya would have when you're on the road, maybe cuz one dispatcher catches something another one didn't or something. So that's a plus.

Anyway, there's my innitial thoughts. I re-read my post & it came off as more down than I meant it to be. It's not a bad situation or anything. It's nothing like that. Both companies are good. I'm just saying it's not like you'll get twice the work if you're w/ 2 companies.

Can you send me Alliance website or their phone number? Thank you!

 

[jeffman164]

Alliance phone number is - (401) 450 - 6872 .

 

[solo11]

Also, most companies don't allow you to do this.
<<<<<<<<<<<

Hi Aileron,

I read a lot of this on this board. Surely, as an independant business person, you can drive for all and sundry, and, I'm 100% positive the I.R.S. would side with you on that!!!

Contractors at the big companies need to say " boo " once in a while!!

 

[aileron]

Also, most companies don't allow you to do this.
<<<<<<<<<<<

Hi Aileron,

I read a lot of this on this board. Surely, as an independant business person, you can drive for all and sundry, and, I'm 100% positive the I.R.S. would side with you on that!!!

Contractors at the big companies need to say " boo " once in a while!!

In a way you are correct, but when you sign on with one of the big companies there is a part in the contract that says something like 'this contract can be terminated for any or no reason by either party....' So yes, you can do whatever you want, but the company when they figure it out can cancel your contract.

 

[nightcreacher]

im confused,are you independent and partnering with 2 companies,or leased to 2 companies at the same time.leased to 2 companies to the same time,i believe could get you a big fine

 

[guido4475]

A big fine, yes, unless youre in a cargo van. Under the DOT scope on this.

 

[guido4475]

Or if you have you're own operating authority.