[solo379]

Originally Posted by merrick4

Somebody said that the Penn turnpike charges by weight or something. I didn't understand what he was saying and I don't see how they know how heavy you are. I must have heard him wrong.

No, you've heard him right! PA Pike, so is OH, charge you by the weight, they scale you at a toll booth. NY, charge you extra for 53' trailer.
Also, keep in mind, they charge you about $0.05 cpm for every mile you run in NY.

Sometimes, it makes sense go around toll roads, sometimes, it don't.
You have to consider, time, and miles. It's funny, how some people going around actually spend more on fuel, not to mention wasted time.
But that's simple business decision... :roll:

[merrick4]

It's 3 A.M. and found a spot at the TA. This time works out good for me as the early crew, that is those that park early are leaving now to head out so I can find a space.

Tonight as I was driving I was thinking about how everyone, especially GMAN, always says you need to be good in business to succeed here. However I think that needs to be broken down a bit. I use to read when he wrote that and kind of glossed over it because I was thinking that I am good with managing money. I see a lot of people here come on and say that they want to be an O/O becuase they are good with money.

Really though, someone who is good with money, is the CFO of a company. The CEO is the one who is good in business (of course these are broad statements). I realize that I need to learn to negotiate and maneuver the truck to certain freight lanes like a piece on a chess board.
A business man needs to see the whole picture and put the pieces together. This worries me a bit as I think I make a better CFO than a CEO. The negotiating I am very uncomfortable with. When I buy a car, I'm usually red in the face and looking down and just trying to write the damn check and get out of there.

But knowing one's weak points is obviously a plus. The guy I'm working with is good at negotiating. The problem is I don't deal with him as much as I'd like too. He has a day job and I find myself dealing with the dispatcher whom I didn't know before this. Anyway I was talking with my friend tonight and I was going over the numbers of the past two weeks and he kind of got mad. Not at me, but for instance he said that the load I'm taking right now would not be on his truck therefore it has no business on mine. Going from a good area where I was to a bad area, I needed to get a better rate.

I will learn the freight lanes but like I said negotiating is not my strong point.

Solo379, you are right about the tolls. That's why I wanted to check out the Penn turnpike. I like doing the I68 in Maryland but when pulling heavy, it kills me to push the truck like that. I don't understand what it is about the truck that allows some to pull up those hills like nothing. Is it the gear ratio or the horse power?

Person, (by the way I like your handle) how does that website know what the carriers are getting for rates? I mean are these self disclosed and if so why would a company disclose that?

A lot of good advice on this board, I appreciate all the input as well as reading the stories of others. Another 7 days and doghouse should be out here so it will be interesting to see his experiences too.

By the way I was thinking another thing tonight too. I mean I often wondered how does a small guy compete with the big ones. But there I was tonight with the thermometer in the corn and not letting them put the stuff on my truck at that temperature. I can assure you that I wasn't standing on docks when I was with the company like I do now. Don't get me wrong some guys will but for the money I was making I just didn't care. I did routinely check the reefer and make sure everything was on the right temp and had a thermometer in the back vent which I checked but to go the extra mile and stand there and pulp pallets I wasn't doing.

Actually they couldn't get the corn to the right temp but the buyer okayed it to go on the truck with some extra ice and instructions on handling the temperature.

[person]

This is truckloadrate.com's statement comparing their rate service to Internet Truckstop's.

IDSC (TruckloadRate.com's parent company) has developed relationships with carriers throughout North America based on the company reputation in the industry and from business relationships through carriers licensing IDSC software. It is through these relationships that carriers provide IDSC access to their rate data. Historical information from participating carriers is extracted monthly from the carrier TMS (Transportation Management Solution, AKA Dispatch System) for inclusion in the market rate index. Pulling the information in this manner ensures that the billed rate is the rate included in the index. Additionally, through relationships with the contributing carriers, IDSC has built an extensive database of exclusions from within the carrier data to ensure a pure line-haul rate without the inclusion of broker, inter-modal, dedicated, expedited or other types of rate data. Internet Truckstop falls under one of the evaluations below.

We have evaluated other sources of data not directly from a carrier base and has the following opinions:

Website user submitted rates

This method comes with the following concerns.
There is no backing documentation, such as a bill of lading, or electronic record to confirm the accuracy of the transaction.

There is no knowledge of the nature of the business producing the rate.

Shipper submitted rates

There is the potential for conflict of interest allowing the shipper community to impact the market rate
Unless the data compiler understands the various facets of the business and can exclude unique circumstances that impact the rate then the rate will be less than ideal for the over the road irregular route carrier.


Factoring Company submitted rates - There are 2 main concerns with this type of data.

The majority of factored freight involves a third party such as a freight broker. There is no way to verify whether the recorded transaction is through a broker, and if so whether the rate is what the shipper paid the broker, or what the broker paid the carrier. In either case it’s typically not a predictable contract line-haul rate.

The general quality of the rates through factoring companies could be suspect considering the nature of the fees associated with the service. If an individual will give up a % of the revenue in order to have the money now, it could be questionable whether there was normal consideration given to the rate from the beginning.

I appreciate that you recognize your lack of negotiating skills. For a carrier to be successful that is a mandatory asset. So you have no choice but to rise above this. There is no doubt that the more you do it, the more it will become less of an issue to you. You may never like it but you will be able to do it on a regular basis. It can be as simple as saying "I need X amount per mile to make it." and then maybe add "and I'm x miles out from there." I know that a man of few words can go along way. And real important words can be "No thanks."

[solo379]

Originally Posted by merrick4

The negotiating I am very uncomfortable with.


I will learn the freight lanes but like I said negotiating is not my strong point.

And what's so complicated about it? If you know the "fair market price", and your "true" costs, just tell them what you need, within those parameters, and if not, just move on!
And of course, it's actually imposable successfully negotiate, w/o knowing it! :wink:

[geomon]

Merrick....there are also courses on negotiating and sales that you can buy (cd's to listen to) that will help you in how to respond to certain statements and tones of voices that experienced brokers use to manipulate a situation.

You are your own CFO-CEO-Sales Manager-Purchasing Dept...all wrapped up in one....could be 8) or could be :shock:

[no_worries]

Merrick, as far as my statement regarding my maintenance and inspection policy, I just came up with that myself. You're a smart guy so you'll be able to go into the FMCSA regs, read the requirements, and put your stuff together so you're compliant. In that same thread, I think Ron Fulton posted the pertinent regulations.

I'm really not a big negotiator when it comes to what we haul. I know what I need to get on a given lane that's the bottom line. I'm not always looking to get the most I possibly can on a load, nor am I willing to haul for less than my bottom line. There are times when I recognize that I'm in a position of strength and I will use that to my advantage, but I rarely turn every last screw. I prefer a stress-free environment.

Either a load is acceptable or it's not, if you go in with that approach, you don't have to do much negotiating.

[Doghouse]

A lot of good advice on this board, I appreciate all the input as well as reading the stories of others. Another 7 days and doghouse should be out here so it will be interesting to see his experiences too.


Sure will, I'm planning on heading out Monday the 13th to go get my trailer in Stanley Wisconsin. Nice long bobtail run :roll:

[person]

Well, Merrick4 hasn't posted in 7 days. Do you think
A. CAD shut him out again
B. He has a life outside CAD
C. We over suggested things to him
D. other (speak your choice)

[Doghouse]

He probably imploded from all the BS,... I'm not even going to make it out till the 20th because of all the crap that I missed.

[no_worries]

He's been locked out by CAD again.