NEW O/O!!! Please give ANY advice!

[rank]

Steve,

I operate in the real world too LOL. All of my backhauls are through brokers.

I see what you're saying though, and you are partialy correct. Yes our outbound shipments do not involve brokers but all the backhauls do. I try to set it up so that we have a backhaul before we do the headhaul, because as everyone knows, it's tough to negotiate a rate when you're sitting empty. It's not too terribly difficult to do because we are regional and only a day away from pickup. If I confirm a load right now, we can pick up Thursday AM and deliver Friday. Some of the better brokers with regular shipments like it too because they know all they have to do is give me a days notice and we are there.

As of know we have about 10 outbound loads waiting for me to find good paying backhauls for. So I should probably get to work LOL.

[pepe4158]

Can't speak for Pepe but I truly wish I was hauling a flatbed right now. If it wasn't for the opportunity I had with this guy that's what I'd be doing. I'll tell you the reasons GMAN and maybe you could dispel some of the notions if they happen to be wrong.

1) Better money though I really don't know this to be true but from what I hear I guess

2) Less competition which would lead me to believe #1 is true. I have never seen a grey haired lady pulling a flat like I have a dry van. Nor have I seen a 300lb man doing so either.

3) Would like to be out of the truck more. I don't think I'd like it in the winter but I love being out there in the blazing heat.

4) More ways to interact with different commodities and people. That is more information to be gathered which I enjoy. You go to these Food DC's and there's only so much you are going to learn. I see some of these things on the back of a flatbed and I wonder what they are and what they are for.

Same exact concern....think you summed it up well :-)
A 5th for me would be quaranteed no driver unloads.....sure I am trading it off for all the chainning, strapping, n possibly tarping tho...a matter of as G-man siad tho, which conditions do I prefer. Ive just had it with warehouses n idiot lumper service formans I quess :-p
The last straw was my last load, after telling me that I was too incompatent to operate the machinery (palet jacks) would I quit, pay them to do it, when I said NO WAY JOSE to pay them, would I then kindly put the stuff I DID unload back on my truck (OMG I knew I had them then... time to call a Fed. marshall time lol)

[no_worries]

I just don't understand you guys that have trouble with lumpers and warehouses. You bill for the lumper and you bill for detention. If the load won't pay or the rate isn't so high that you don't mind, you don't take the load.

[pepe4158]

I just don't understand you guys that have trouble with lumpers and warehouses. You bill for the lumper and you bill for detention. If the load won't pay or the rate isn't so high that you don't mind, you don't take the load.

Yeah when you have a good and honest broker.....finding out some just dont really care about YOUR problem :-p all in the rate agreement I am learning from OOIDA and G-man.
AS I am learning tho, the honest ones will include it in the rate agreeement themsleves and give you time so they can reflect that, and the more dishonest will just bum rush you to run over and p/u their load.

ATS sureway....is great to deal with...will make sure that the rate agreement reflects everything they promised and is really a pleasure to work with.

Hub group and mid america, a couple I have used, they always bum rush me n try to JUSDT get me to pick up the load n worry about the rate agreement latter.

I just don't understand you guys that have trouble with lumpers and warehouses. You bill for the lumper and you bill for detention. If the load won't pay or the rate isn't so high that you don't mind, you don't take the load.

Yup, I agree. I've had to pay lumpers 3 times. Once I was told to put it on the invoice and I got paid. The other 2 times I got paid so much money for a 3200 mile load the $60.00 was nothing.

[GMAN]

Pepe, not to pick on you, but I think you and some others are taking loads which don't pay enough and you are not taking care of the details. You seem to be in so much of a rush to drive that you aren't taking care of the details, which is your bread and butter. Not taking care of the details will kill you. Unless it is someone with whom I have dealt for a while and know how they do business, my truck doesn't move until I have checked them out and have all the paperwork signed and in my hands. I recently got a call from a broker with a really good paying load. The problem came in once I checked his credit. He didn't pay his bills in a timely fashion. It doesn't matter what a load pays if you don't get your money. Once the load is on the truck there is little you can do.

[pepe4158]

Pepe, not to pick on you, but I think you and some others are taking loads which don't pay enough and you are not taking care of the details. You seem to be in so much of a rush to drive that you aren't taking care of the details, which is your bread and butter. Not taking care of the details will kill you. Unless it is someone with whom I have dealt for a while and know how they do business, my truck doesn't move until I have checked them out and have all the paperwork signed and in my hands. I recently got a call from a broker with a really good paying load. The problem came in once I checked his credit. He didn't pay his bills in a timely fashion. It doesn't matter what a load pays if you don't get your money. Once the load is on the truck there is little you can do.

agree 100%.....been my learning curve
Had a long talk with OOIDA wen I started having some probs there (I call when I wana know my rights) and the guy strongly advised the same.

[rank]

You seem to be in so much of a rush to drive...

Yep I agree GMAN. Never get in a hurry. I've said it 100x on this forum...may as well make it 101.

Less driving = more profit.