break down question

[janitor]

Hello, first time posting here. Hopefully G Man and mike3fan can post an answer to this. I am leased onto a large carrier(only O/O's) and recently had a breakdown in the Pa mountains. Since I was under a company provided load they sent a replacement truck (another O/O) to rescue the load and deliver it while I got repaired( a few days). We are able to secure our own loads if we desire( thru approved brokers) and I asked dispatch if I had been under a load I had secured would they have sent a truck. No ,was the answer since it was a load I secured and another truck may not want to come out for the rate I had taken from the broker. They said I might have had to rent a truck or pay an extra fee to a truck to come out and rescue the load if the other truck would not do it for the rate I had taken. If I didn't want to rent a truck nor pay an extra fee what would be my responsibility for getting this load delivered( this was not a reefer load so it could sit a few days and not spoil). I don't mean never deliver and just abandon it but in this case repairs were 3 days before I could get moving again. I realize I would contact everyone involved to keep them informed but is there a penalty I may face also? The dispatcher also tried to infer they didn't really have an obligation in this whole thing since I had gotten the load. I didn't agree with that but didn't argue the point. I thought it better to seek some real answers. Do you address this type of situation anywhere when you lease on to a company or if under your own authority address it with the customer? Thank you and I have enjoyed the posts you and others have placed in these forums.

[b00m]

From my experience i hope this never happens while you are under a load.

For me as an independent,it will be my responsibility to deliver ,along with the broker's that hired the truck to deliver the customer's freight.My broker gives me 90% of my freight and if that would have been the case, he would understand it and help me out.Rent out a truck at my cost,or see if load can be delayed,depending on circumstances.Last Thanksgiving i had a problem like that and he worked quite a bit to find me a rental next day after thanksgiving.Really depends on who you deal with.

[rank]

Welcome to the world of The Carrier.

There may very well be charge backs to you if this happened. You are at the mercy of the broker and consignee. Depends on a couple of things.
1. Your relationship with the broker. Have you used them before and will they cut you some slack?
2. The broker's relationship with the consignee. See above.
2. Is there a crane appointment at the delivery? Can they reschedule the crane without cost? You better hope so.
3. Is it JIT freight that will shut down an auto plant if it doesn't arrive?

[GMAN]

It depends on what you agreed to in your contract. It may also be determined by what is written to on the rate confirmation. If the load is not time intensive there may not be a problem. Most of the time the delivery could be delayed until your truck is repaired. Some carriers or brokers may want to re-power your load if they are under tight time constraints. If that is the case then you could be responsible for any additional charges. If a load needs to re-powered you may need to take money out of your pocket to get someone to take the load. This usually doesn't happen with a brokered load. I have seen it more from carriers when dealing with owner operators rather than from brokers or shippers who deal direct with a carrier or owner. About a year ago I had a truck break down while under a load. I rented a truck and delivered that load along with a couple of others that I had committed. In this case I didn't need to rent a truck but I had given my word so I fulfilled my obligation. I didn't really make any money on those loads with the extra cost of truck rental. Neither the shipper or broker could believe that I would have gone to that expense. I built a lot of good will with both of these companies.

[janitor]

Thanks alot for the answers to my breakdown under load question.

[GMAN]

I suggest getting set up with Penske or Ryder before you need them. They usually run your credit and can get you set up in case you need them. I got a better price from Penske. It doesn't take long to get set up providing you have an established company. I believe they pulled my D & B file on the company. It isn't something I would suggest for the long run but it could work short term for you should something happen to your truck.