The Plastic Chair

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
Drivers who do U.S./Canada runs are probably familiar with the plastic chairs the customs officers have you sit in when you are delayed at the border for one reason or another. While sitting in one on Wednesday, a thought came to mind.

Perhaps a plastic chair should be added to the dispatch room at carrier headquarters, and when a driver is sitting in a plastic chair at the border, a dispatcher must sit in the plastic chair at HQ. The dispatcher could not return to his or her desk or leave work until the driver's problem was solved and the driver vacated the chair at the border.

While this idea would degrade dispatch productivity and morale, it would help keep the driver's plight on the minds of the other dispatchers. The driver in a plastic chair would not be as likely to be forgotten about over a shift change or other incoming calls when there is a dispatcher seated in a plastic chair doing something that you are not permitted to do at the border; namely, call out, "Hello? Is anyone paying attention? Please don't leave me here! Hello?"

The productivity hit dispatch would take by sidelining one dispatcher would serve to remind all others of the productivity hit we drivers take when, through no fault of our own, we are forced into the plastic chair. For full effect, the dispatcher who sits in the plastic chair must do so off the clock. The dispatcher won't get paid but he or she cannot leave either.

As it is with drivers, it should not matter to the dispatcher that the border delay may have come through no fault on the dispatcher's part. The delay may be due to a a broker error, shipper error or vindictive customs officer. It's not about being fair. It's about being consigned to the plastic chair until the driver is permitted to move.
 
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Ragman

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Drivers who do U.S./Canada runs are probably familiar with the plastic chairs the customs officers have you sit in when you are delayed at the border for one reason or another. While sitting in one on Wednesday, a thought came to mind.

Perhaps a plastic chair should be added to the dispatch room at carrier headquarters, and when a driver is sitting in a plastic chair at the border, a dispatcher must sit in the plastic chair at HQ. The dispatcher could not return to his or her desk or leave work until the driver's problem was solved and the driver vacated the chair at the border.

While this idea would degrade dispatch productivity and morale, it would help keep the driver's plight on the minds of the other dispatchers. The driver in a plastic chair would not be as likely to be forgotten about over a shift change or other incoming calls when there is a dispatcher seated in a plastic chair doing something that you are not permitted to do at the border; namely, call out, "Hello? Is anyone paying attention? Please don't leave me here! Hello?"

The productivity hit dispatch would take by sidelining one dispatcher would serve to remind all others of the productivity hit we drivers take when, through no fault of our own, we are forced into the plastic chair. For full effect, the dispatcher who sits in the plastic chair must do so off the clock. The dispatcher won't get paid but he or she cannot leave either.

As it is with drivers, it should not matter to the dispatcher that the border delay may have come through no fault on the dispatcher's part. The delay may be due to a a broker error, shipper error or vindictive customs officer. It's not about being fair. It's about being consigned to the plastic chair until the driver is permitted to move.

Sounds like somebody got delayed at the border today.
Hmmmm, I wonder who? :eek:
 

purgoose10

Veteran Expediter
The delay's are the exact reason I don't go to Canada. Another reason, coming back to this country and dealing with the attitudes of our border patrol. Free to leave, Pay to come home. What kind of logic is that??
 

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
The broker delays are rare...sometimes there are circumstances your carrier is not privy too....like unpaid brokerage bills by customer.....and we at Load 1 pay NOTHING to cross the border Load-1 pays the shot....
 

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
Broker delays have not been rare in our case. In the last four months we have done four loads into or out of Canada (Quebec or Ontario). Two of the four involved broker-caused border delays of 12 hours or more.
 
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ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
The broker delays are rare...sometimes there are circumstances your carrier is not privy too....like unpaid brokerage bills by customer.....

If broker errors are rare at one carrier but not rare at another, what do you think is going on that makes the difference?
 

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
Automotive freight

I thought that might have something to do with it. Knowing very little about automotive freight, I presume it frequently crosses the border, has no out of the ordinary security or regulatory issues attached, and is handled regularly by the same brokers.

Some of the stuff we get into is more complicated and perhaps that is why brokers screw up more.
 

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
My Can Carrier we did some specialized stuff...like University equipment but most of that stuff had a Garnay type crossing...The stuff that got held up was unusual and either client wasn't familiar with each other..I'd go for a year and no problems, then whack I'd get stung with nothing but problems..Like

We don't clear for that customer to that plant location from this crossing...

Parties don't agree to who is paying the fee...

Brokerage bill unpaid....

Oh we clear for that party, but not at this crossing...

Phil...I think you are just having a bad streak...looks like it is just catching up to ya....
 

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
Yes. And the brokers these companies use never close.

Unless you use Alexander Bay crossing...Brokers close at 11pm....

You do have an option to request the load be put into "bond" and take it to a bonded warehouse until cleared...you could vacate the load or at least you'd be free of hanging around customs.
 
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ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
Phil...I think you are just having a bad streak...looks like it is just catching up to ya....

Perhaps, but that does not mean that is the way it has to be. It seems to me far too easy for a broker to blow it. While we sit and rot at the border the broker seems to bear no consequence at all (though I must admit I know little of what goes on behind the scenes).

I am not pleased with the costly delays Diane and I have had at the border and am looking for ways to fix that. We have lost highly desirable runs that we were already pre-dispatched on. We have lost the chance to accept good runs that were offered but we could not take because the broker-botched load tied us down. Not going to Canada is one solution but not the ideal one.

I would dearly love to know if any carrier has figured out a way to reduce or eliminate broker errors. I have already figured out that it would be helpful if our shippers only used brokers that were open 24 hours and/or if our carrier insisted that the shippers we serve do so as a condition of taking their freight. How realistic that is, I do not know.

It is simply unacceptable to strand a driver at the border overnight or longer while the broker sleeps without interruption at home. Suggestions for a fix are most welcome.
 

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
You do have an option to request the load be put into "bond" and take it to a bonded warehouse until cleared...you could vacate the load or at least you'd be free of hanging around customs.

That is not an option for us. Exercising that one would likely free us from hanging around as a contractor with our carrier.
 

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
I don't know why Fedex just could not broker the load thru their own brokerage and the powers that be could could sort thru it after the fact and you'd be on your way.

OR Bill Fedex thru your company...and if they don't pay..take them to small claims court...

BTW...just how did you get stuck at the broker? Did Fedex give you the green light to proceed?
 
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ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
BTW...just how did you get stuck at the broker? Did Fedex give you the green light to proceed?

It depends on the load. They go bad in various ways. We seldom know what is really going on behind the scenes. There are steps drivers take on international loads and double checks we can make to do everything in our power to make sure things go right. Nevetheless, that is sometimes not enough and we still get stranded.

Most recently, we did the departure call as usual and proceeded toward the border. Normally, if we are not cleared by a certain time, we stop before the border and wait to be cleared. This time, when an OK to clear message would be expected, we were told to stop instead because the paperwork was not right. We believe it was a broker error because the issue could not be resolved, dispatch said, until the broker opened for business the next morning.

When I say stopped at the border, I did not mean exactly at the border. We were told by our carrier to stop and not cross the border so we found a good parking place to spend the night about 25 miles before the border.
 

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
It depends on the load. They go bad in various ways. We seldom know what is really going on behind the scenes. There are steps drivers take on international loads and double checks we can make to do everything in our power to make sure things go right. Nevetheless, that is sometimes not enough and we still get stranded.

Most recently, we did the departure call as usual and proceeded toward the border. Normally, if we are not cleared by a certain time, we stop before the border and wait to be cleared. This time, when an OK to clear message would be expected, we were told to stop instead because the paperwork was not right. We believe it was a broker error because the issue could not be resolved, dispatch said, until the broker opened for business the next morning.

When I say stopped at the border, I did not mean exactly at the border. We were told by our carrier to stop and not cross the border so we found a good parking place to spend the night about 25 miles before the border.

Oh Ok...so you are not trapped at the compound....that is one good aspect....
 

greg334

Veteran Expediter
The thing that gets me is most of the problems that have happened to me are the fault of the carrier and nothing more than that.

The brokers are easy scape goats, they can process a load with a good customer in a matter of minutes, not hours but it is the customer who can cause the delay.

The carrier, more precisely the people handling the load are really the problem when it comes to delays, I could list maybe ten different issues with what happens in three carriers here most of all it is the problem with communications and time management oh and not knowing what in the h*ll they are doing.

IF there is a bit more trust and actually involvement with the driver, then it would go smoother. There is absolutely no reason for the driver to take control of this for one simple and important reason, it is their a** on the line if there is something wrong - not the carrier's.

Customs isn't brain surgery, many make it out as but it isn't at all.

BUT with that said, I guess the thing that gets me the most is when people complaining about the time lost at the border, it isn't like they are not being compensated for the use of the truck, right?
 

Bruno

Veteran Expediter
Fleet Owner
US Marines
Phil

When I did go to Canada I would use Pars going in and Paps coming out. The best way to do customs paperwork is do it yourself. I found that if you do it before you leave the shipper then fax it to the customs broker with a note saying what time you will be crossing with your cell phone number. That way if there is any problems with your paperwork they can call you. I also would write the Pars or Paps number out in case they couldn't read it on the fax. Before I left the shipper i would call the broker to make sure they got my paperwork. Most of the time I would put that I would be at customs six to eight hours before we really was, if it was a short load I would put two to four hours than I really was. A few hour later I would call back with my Pars or Paps numbers to see if it had been set up and is cleared. 99% of the time I never had a problem.

Customs Paperwork is not that hard to do once you have been showed how to do it the right way. I was shown how to do it by one of the best, Jay Hobbs from TST Expedite Services back when when we had a truck on with them. Yes sitting at custom is no fun and is time lost on getting freight off of your truck. As drivers we are suppose to know how to do our paperwork the right way. Most of the times the problems with customs is the paperwork is filled out right. Just some of the things I used when going to Canada. I hope it can help you on your travels.
 

pjjjjj

Veteran Expediter
The thing that gets me is most of the problems that have happened to me are the fault of the carrier and nothing more than that.

The brokers are easy scape goats,.........

The best way to do customs paperwork is do it yourself.

After seeing how it *really* works, I agree with the 2 statements above. The broker is just an amazing scapegoat to blame all delays on, if there is no pressure to prove it. My bet is on it being the carrier's fault most of the time. If you look after it yourself (will Fedex really allow you to do this??), then you will know exactly where the hold up is. And what kind of broker isn't open 24/7?

The times when it really *is* the customs broker's fault, somebody pays, usually the shipper will be charged or whoever hired the broker. If it's not the driver getting the holdup pay, it's someone else. There are charges levied for that type of thing.

Of course, though, if it is Fedex's shipper customer, and Fedex offers the shipper the services of their own customs brokerage to look after it.... I guess there isn't anyone to charge, since it is themselves?

The threat of putting the shipment in bond is a good one, and one the carrier can use to promote action on the broker/shipper's part (apparently it's unreasonably expensive!), if in fact it really is the broker or shipper's fault. If it isn't, and it is really the carrier's fault, of course they'd rather find another driver who is content to just be told it's the broker's fault and they just have to wait.

It's a simple process that goes in a simple sequence, taking a certain amount of time. There is no reason for all the holdups I hear about. You can bet that if it was any kind of money coming out of the carrier's pocket instead of the driver's pocket, the carrier would be billing for it or making appropriate staff changes or using a different customs broker. More respect is required for the drivers, and more training is required in the carrier offices so that someone knowledgeable is on duty at all times who can look after the 'odd' glitch.
 
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