Common scams for independents
 

First of all I am no genuis I got this info from reading the GL message board every day
Bogus Company contacts posted truckers offering them a great rate
Trucker faxes all their info to bogus co.
Bogus co now has an identity to operate
....you.....
New bogus co alters identity and calls a broker for a load
All info is shared and all seems well.
New bogus company now contacts another posted trucker and gives him unbelievable rate. and a bonus if he fedexes bills
Trucker bites and sends info and picks up load.
Trucker calls bogus co that he is loaded and bogus co calls original broker for an advance
he may be happy with advance
or
may wait until he has the signed bol and submits for quick pay
trucker calls expired disposable cell phone
bogus looks for next victim

a variation is where the 2nd trucker is in on the deal and after bogus gets advance
the trucker calls shipper or broker and demands full payment or he will not deliver load (holding load hostage)

for those of you who think being a broker is the way to go
there are sharks looking for new broker licenses
Truck gets load from broker at 120 per mile
truck picks up load
Trucker calls broker and demands 3.00 per mile or he won't deliver load

COD
a zillion variations
You get check but you must mail it to broker
Broker claims he never got check
and where is it, send it to him so he can pay you

COD reciever claims it was prepaid
Has broker on phone to clear it up
"broker" is in the other room

COD reciever claims he knows nothing about COD and must wait for(secretery, president, owner....) to bring check in a couple hours
we can start unloading though.......
don't laugh there is a lot of pressure on you to make your next p/u to get home for weekend...

the further away from home you are the more problems with COD btw

They don't even need to be bogus companies. Several legit companies (at least as legit as the government requires them to be) are pulling these scams. There's a warning on ITS right now about a group that's been operating under several names in CA that agrees to haul a load, factors it, then posts it for a higher amount so someone else is sure to pick it up. By the time everyone involved figures out what's going on you've got a shipper, a receiver, a carrier, and sometimes a broker, who've all been screwed to some extent. Yet another reason to only do business with reputable companies.

We had a ,,broker'' who booked a load thru us and he told me that he was HUB Group, people who are very legit and people who i have done buisiness with alot without any problems. Next day we booked a load from another legit broker and he asked me where was the freight i picked up for him yestrday, i said, WHAT F*&^&* freight, i wasnt even there at that time and it turns out that we have been played by the same guy who later refused to pay the bill. That legit broker sent me MY confirmation with my F*&*&* name on it saying how i agreed to get this freight for certain amount of money, i mean i was looking at my confirmation, one that i make myself and didnt believe it untill things cleared up a bit....
I was able to get his home adress by looking up his fax number and me, together with two of the guys that were at our office in Ontario, CA, went to his house where he wrote us a check on the spot and apologized. We reported him by name and his home adress to OOIDA and Internet Trucksop.

I mean, you should see the confirmation this guy was putting up front, they were exact same conf. that i recieved from Hub Group, its was deffinetely expirience and things dont seem to stop amazing me in this buisiness day after day....

THis should be a sticky

I had a couple out of cheyenne try that with me, dumbass used his real name though.


I didnt get screwed though, googled his name and found his home, taped a note to his door asking if him and his wifes life was worth scamming me.

Re: Common scams for independants
 

That stunt right there is why I mentioned being wary of COD's. Has happened to me far more times than I can remember. And yes, my company has told me to wait many times, affecting the rest of the route.

Agreed. Good info for independents.

Some people are too stupid, thats why they scam. In this day and age of technology, they all eventually get caught.

I like Brians way of sorting tings out :shock: :lol:

The problem is (for anyone getting authority or deciding to be a broker) there plenty of rules set by the Feds but the only thing enforced is the safety aspect. When it comes to $$$$ issues you are on your own.
The ripped off trucker can try to get his $$ from the shipper or broker but he is at their mercy.
The ripped off broker just has to pay the advance and AND the hostage taker or he will lose his customer.
A dishonest broker can get any info he wants from a desperate trucker wanting a load.
He can look up your experience and how long you have had your truck posted
(there are produce trucks right now sitting for days in Cal because of all the crop damge)
The broker can fax you a stack of papers to sign change which include some official looking paperwork that requires your Social Security # and some other stuff and a copy of your driver license......blah, blah all in a days work..........
In haste and the need for a load the driver complies and just gave out his identity

I always check out a new broker before committing to haul a load for them. If I find a problem, I simply don't haul the load. If you want to protect yourself you should do your homework and check these people out before you take their load. You can check their broker authority, insurance and credit references. I don't send anything to a broker with whom I am not familiar unless I first check them out. It is just good business. You should never allow yourself to be so desperate that you throw caution to the wind and don't check someone new out.