Made to final and waiting to get unloaded. They pushed the delivery date up and this load turned into an expedited one. And to make matters worse they (TQL) started with the "where are you" phone calls. Mr. very polite and humble Merrick flipped on the kid and that ended the phone calls. I rush myself I don't need to be rushed by anyone else.
Also what started as $1.30 out of Florida turned into $1.15 actual hub miles as I avoided the Florida Turnpike. Kind of upset when I saw that but I calculated the rate going into to Florida and this one coming out and it averaged out to $1.54 a mile. And that is every single mile on the truck including taking it to Miami for service and back to home in Broward. Plus I am in a good area (Indiana).
Anyway I have a problem that I need help with. I just got a call from a shipper in Miami that I have been calling. They returned my call and want to deal with me. We didn't discuss rates didn't but they have been using CH Robinson and also sending out daycabs to over the road runs and paying for meals and hotels for the drivers.
So my problem is I don't know what rate to set. They said they would continue to call CH and then call me to see if I can do better. Also I had a very nice talk with the guy and he stated he wants me to keep calling him to check on loads. It is dry freight. Their business is growing fast too. It is exactly what I was looking for, a company tied to South America. They import what they sell and finish it here and then send it out.
What I would like to do is set a rate and then add a fuel surcharge that would just adjust with the fuel. Also I would like to make it a rate that would stay continuous throughout the year so it might be a bit higher during the down time but would stay they same when produce kicks in and they need to start paying more. I would like continuous freight down there.
But really I don't know which route to go as I'm so new at this. I don't want to make a stupid mistake and screw it up. Any ideas how I should go with this?
I know this is awkard asking this type of question, but what the hell I got off my rear and found a shipper but am not sure how to proceed. I have this friend I was working with but he isn't answering a lot of my questions. There are many questions I ask that he doesn't answer for some reason. People are funny sometimes and I think he will be a big help to me if and when I make it on my own. Right now he has made it so there is no incentive to help another make it. Human nature.
One other thing, I have called on dry loads and sometimes they say no reefer so I'm hoping that won't be a problem either.
That picture Mike3 put of the containers was something else. This whole movement of freight is quie somthing. I mean looking at all of this besides looking just at the load we carry the big picture of things is amazing. And it will probably are only at the beginning still of globalization. I always use to say that one day the Africans will be wearing Nike too. Half the world is still living in unbelievable poverty, what happens when they all have discretionary income?
That might not happen actually now that I think of it. After all the world needs poor people, without poor people there would be no rich people. Just like there would not be no police if there weren't robbers.
Of course there are levels of poverty. I heard the other day some guy saying there is no poverty in America and if there is then if you are going to be poor then you best be in America where the poor have cellphones and everything else.
Actually I had to evict tenants out of my rental last year and these people couldn't (or wouldn't) pay their rent but they had enough for DirectTv.
Ok that's enough, I'll shut up now.