fielding calls from brokers then refusing loads ??

[charged]

After a few weeks of running loads by a load planner and paying 5% for it my dad is starting this week doing it himself off the load boards.

Here is a question for you guys that do that.

He found a couple decent paying loads to MO. He called both. He left a message with one and the other, landstar, tenatively set up to take their load. The first called back a minute after he was off the phone from landstar. It payed better so he committed to it. He called the landstar agent back and he told her he found something else. She said she was going to put a black mark on his record. She told him three marks and he wouldn't be able to haul landstar stuff.

There was no faxed rate confirmation or anything.

Is this true about the black marks?

What do you guys do in this situation? Take the verbally committed to load? Take the better load?

[Walking Eagle]

Agent was p'sed cuz she lost a load that was probably double brokerd anyway. Landstar doesn't have a 3 strikes and your out policy, if they did I would not have hauled a load for them for several years Just tell the agent "I am still looking till I get a load confirmation and I sign and send it back"

[GMAN]

When I commit to a load I do it. I don't need to sign a contract to be committed to the load. When I give my word I keep it. If you want others to keep their word to you then you must decide that you are going to keep your word. It sometimes takes a little while to get all the paperwork back. I have taken loads before and shortly after been offered something that paid more. I took the original load that I committed to do because I gave my word. If the load didn't pay enough then he should not have committed to doing it in the first place. There are a few brokers with whom I have done business that will book a load with me without having the paperwork signed and faxed. There are also a few brokers that I will pick up a load without first having a written confirmation from them. I know these brokers will keep their word and they know that when I commit to a load that they can count on me to do the load as agreed. I WON'T do this for most brokers or someone with whom I don't know. You need to allow the broker a fair amount of time to get the paperwork to you. Most will fax or email the confirmation to you within a few minutes.

I have had a couple of brokers tell me that they will not load certain carriers due to them dropping off or cancelling the load after committing to do it. I would feel the same way. Each load is a negotiation.

[NotSteve]

I agree also. My word is as good as a signed contract. I've hauled many loads for Landstar and TQL with the same broker and there's no phone calls back and forth and no worrying on either end if this is really a go. Same thing with the check calls, there aren't any.

[coastie]

A man is only as good as his word..

[BigDiesel]

Geezus......

It is obvious that " Charged's " daddy needs his hand held....

[no_worries]

Gotta agree with the consensus...if you say you'll do a load, do it.

Hey BigD, didn't realize you were such a big Price is Right fan

[charged]

Thanks. He said next time he commits to a load he said he would do it. I think his mistake was committing to a load. Next time he'll just say, "I'll think about it."

I took a week off work and am driving with him today until Friday. He signed up for an account as eagleone so as soon as that is activated he can ask questions for himself.

[Walking Eagle]

How many times have you told an agent you will do a load and get "Ok, let me call the shipper and I'll call you right back" Wait an hour or so then you call back and they say "Oh, was just going to call you. The shipper just got back to me and isn't ready to ship it today" Ahhhhh Hmmmmmm does that mean double brokered ? The broker you called had to call the other broker and found they had already given away the load. 90% of the brokers out there don't have their own freight they just suck off the ones who do so you are getting hit double or triple or even four times..

[GMAN]

It doesn't matter what some brokers may do. I can only control what I do. If a broker lies to me then that will be the last time I do business with them. What someone else does has nothing to do with whether or not I keep my word. If you give your word it should mean something. If you don't plan on keeping your word, then don't give it.

[DD60]

NEVER tell the broker of an originally commited load that you found something else that payed better. If a broker booked a load with me and than called back and said they found a cheaper carrier I wouldn't be too happy about it either. There are much better excuses.

[NotSteve]

Ya, like my dog ate your phone number so I couldn't call back.

[Dejanh]

I really dont care...


Ill refuse anything at anytime if i find a better paying load, this was back when i did VAN.


I never had any problems doing buisiness with that particular broker again, no black maks or whatever.


I have had MAAANY call me to cancel after we booked it, from Landsta to Hub Group.

[Scottt]

I had one happen today that po'd me. Called the office this morning and told them I was unloaded.

They told me they had a load lined up 20 miles away. They gave me the brokers numbers to get the details. I called the broker and she was at dinner and nobody else there could help me. They said they would have her call as soon as she got back. I waited a hour and half and no call back so I called her and she said it was a hectic Monday and she would call me back in 10 minutes cause she had to call the customer and confirm the rate. Waited another hour and nothing so I called her back and she said the customer had to call a higher authority to approve and she was waiting for them to call her back.

Called my office and told them what was going on and they called her and called me back and said will have load confirmation soon.

Waited 2 more hours and nothing happened. Finally the broker called me and said the customer decided to line their own carrier up. She said they said the rate was too high.

I ended up sitting all day and not getting a load.

Did the broker find a cheaper carrier?

Can the customer do that after committing to a broker?


BTW Has anybody ever picked a load up at Langer Juice in LA?? Wow what a place for a newbie to try and back into the dock.

[NotSteve]

Sure sounds like the broker found a cheaper carrier to take the load. I keep my truck posted even though someone has given me the load. If I don't get a conformation within a reasonable amount of time and another load comes along, I will take it. A rate conformation should come to you within at least 15 minutes after all paperwork is done. If it doesn't, something is up and all bets are off.

There are a few brokers and carriers like C.H. Robinson, TQL and Landstar that I will move in a moment. They give me pickup address and numbers right off the bat without a conformation and I know they are good to go.

[GMAN]

I won't wait 2 hours to get a confirmation. That is different than committing to a load, getting the confirmation and then canceling the load. Steve is right about the time frame. It should not take long for the rate confirmation to come in.

[rank]

I've a had a few brokers try to pressure me into taking their load by trying to make it sound like I agreed to it, when in reality I said something like "OK I'll call you back." Then I call back to say NO and they freak....."What you said OK." Yeah, right B*tch.

So now, I tend to more clear. I might say "Let me take a look at this and then I'll call you back."

But yeah, if you say YES, it's yes. But if the confirmation should come soon.

[2]

I just gave back a reasonable paying load, after agreeing to take it.

The confirmation had a nasty word on it, which changed the picture, considerably.

The word was: "tarp"

[hoohaa]

I try my best not to go back on my word.
I have left loads at shippers before, because of safety issues.
I have cancelled a few loads after agreeing to it because things have changed and the money didn't.

When a broker tells me, that she has to call the shipper about a load, I give them 15 minutes to get back to me.
I tell them that after 15 minutes, I'm resuming looking for a load.


If I find a better load in the meantime, I'll take it, if the 15 minutes is up, then call 1st broker, and tell them sorry.

After I book a load and it is set, I dont go back to the load board anymore.