And if so, how badly were you overloaded? I can't be the only one to find that their scales are off by at least 600 pounds and I believe they are shaving weight off their pallets to get the drivers to take the loads cheaper, they also aren't accounting for the weight of the pallets. The brokers are depending on the info given to them.... a nice breach of trust in my opinion.

Has anyone else had this problem?

 

Have you gone to a certified CAT scale to verify this?

Regardless, it will be your fault if your found over weight. I'm sure they could be held liable in some respect also.

 

Yes, we did go to a CAT scale for exactly this purpose. He's hauled through the mountains before but this time it was a lot tougher. Hardies scales ere off by 600 pounds and the shaved off 2,000# by not adding the pallet weight, packaging weight and taking a bit off of the product. I know this sounds like sour grapes on us, but this really isn't right. The broker is depending on Hardie to give accurate information so we can't blame CH Robinson entirely, and Hardie won't budge. If we'd taken the Mack we'd have been WAY overweight, luckily we had the Peterbilt this trip. Robinson is trying now to make amends for us and they will be much more careful in taking loads from Hardie by booking loads that are only 42,000# and less to allow for the extra weight so the drivers won't wind up in a mess should they be found with an overweight. I know it's the O/O's responsibility to make sure of the weight, but the nearest scale was 75 miles away and a lot can happen in 75 miles..... none of it good. I'm hoping that a few drivers will read this and if they get a load there to be extra cautious regarding the weight.

 

I quit hauling James Hardie garbage years ago.

They constantly load you heavy no matter where you are. Plant City, FL is even worse. Another bad location is Tacoma, WA

I figure let Prime take all the cheap, heavy loads.

 

This will be the last load we ever pull for them. We took it just to get a load back east out of Nevada but this wasn't worth it. We are going rounds with CH Robinson about compensation, had to go to corporate, but it sounds like they may give us something. Either way, Hardie just lost another company to haul for them as I agree with your last statement 110%. In time, they'll learn when they can't move their product.

 

There loads tend to be heavy and cheap. At one time I used to haul loads out of one of their plants in Texas. At the time I believe we were getting about $1.70 or 1.80 plus fsc. That was about 2 or 3 years ago. The last time I checked they only wanted to pay about $1.30 or 1.40. They don't seem to have any trouble moving the loads. It would be convenient for me to haul them but not for the rates they want to pay. They pay about $1.20 or less coming out of Florida. That is WAAAYYYYY to cheap to go on my truck. If they ever get their rates to an acceptable level, I may consider hauling them again. I don't see that happening with so many willing to haul them for the cheap rates.

 

Aint that the truth. We have a steady load going from Glendale Heights, IL to Fallon, NV that pays $4,200. This return Hardie load paid $2,200.00 from Sparks, NV to Rochelle, IL with a drop in Casper, WY. In averaging the miles it was roughly $1.50 a mile. Not a great rate but it beat deadheading from Nevada to Indiana. Typically I won't take anything under $1.80 a mile, but in this case I figured something was better than nothing. Next time, I'll sit at a hotel until a decent load comes up even if it's going in the wrong direction and Hardie can rot with their product, it'll never see my flatbed again.

 

Until people stop hauling the cheap rates, there is no incentive to pay more.

 

Yeah, I know it, sadly, so does Hardie and all the other big companies like them. Theres always someone who will haul it for next to nothing, I say let them have it, they can destroy their trucks, I'll sit back and wait.

 

It has been some time since I have looked for a load out of Reno. If I remember correctly, you may be able to get a load of plastic pipe out of Fernley. It seems there was another plant which had insulation.