The New FedEx CC Load Board

[CedarMike]

So you get DH all miles if they call you to cover the load but limited DH if you accept the very same load off the board? If so, that's a brilliant stroke by the carrier. Why pay full deadhead if you don't have to? Put the load on the board first to see if someone will take it with limited deadhead. If not, offer full deadhead and get on the phone to cover the load.

How much do your operating expenses decline if you use the load board to accept a load?

Zing . Right ? Imagine X number of loads per day , year , month , whatever optioned through competing drivers and all the extra money they pocket not paying the DH. On this load for instance they would have saved about 345$. So if I can't find a load within 150 miles I wait out till they offer me one outside that radius .

I don't understand your second part to the question .

 

[CedarMike]

If the DH is paid differently load board verses a dispatch, I would see that to a carriers advantage and a detriment to the operator. Not sure it is a win unless you are going home or real close to the load. If one is going home and is in a isolated area, they likely would get the load out from under another truck just because they might be doing it cheaper? Might be wrong, just an observation with minimal information.

The LB was set up with home time planning in mind . Loads are posted up to 2 weeks out . It's too thin in my opinion to be effective everywhere yet but if you can string them together you can not only make it work but if you get lucky enough preplan all your revenue , FED has been good about scouting for repositioning loads for me in thin freight areas through outside brokers . They have a back haul team and at the end of the day if you're not going where you want you can call a dozen brokers on their approved list at any time

 

[CedarMike]

Bear in mind I don't think they'll be able to throw all their loads on a board because if a customer calls on short notice for a time definite requests then the load call option works best for them , their computers scan for all available units within X number of miles then offers the load. Closest to pickup would determine who wins the bid in many cases . Then it's a ten minute window to respond and awarded on best candidate rather than fastest load board fingers

 

[ATeam]

The question, "How much do your operating expenses decline if you use the load board to accept a load?" was a rhetorical question designed to point out the fact that it costs you the same to drive to the pickup whether the carrier pays you deadhead or not.

Using your example, you drive X miles to the pickup, which costs you X amount of money. If you got the load off the board, you drove that distance for $345 less in pay. If you do that five times a month, $1,725 goes into your carrier's pocket that would have gone to you if the loads were not covered by the load board.

It was stated elsewhere by other drivers that the rates are standardized on the load board. That may be true but a fierce competition goes on between those who are willing to forfeit this deadhead pay and those who are not. Again, this is a brilliant stroke. Many thousands of dollars are kept by the carrier instead of being paid out to the trucks and the carrier did nothing to earn that money beyond posting loads on a board and letting the drivers scramble for them.

 

[jjoerger]

CedarMike, are you in an E unit?

 

[CedarMike]

The question, "How much do your operating expenses decline if you use the load board to accept a load?" was a rhetorical question designed to point out the fact that it costs you the same to drive to the pickup whether the carrier pays you deadhead or not.

Using your example, you drive X miles to the pickup, which costs you X amount of money. If you got the load off the board, you drove that distance for $345 less in pay. If you do that five times a month, $1,725 goes into your carrier's pocket that would have gone to you if the loads were not covered by the load board.

It was stated elsewhere by other drivers that the rates are standardized on the load board. That may be true but a fierce competition goes on between those who are willing to forfeit this deadhead pay and those who are not. Again, this is a brilliant stroke. Many thousands of dollars are kept by the carrier instead of being paid out to the trucks and the carrier did nothing to earn that money beyond posting loads on a board and letting the drivers scramble for them.

Understood . I agree it's master work . Of course would I rather sit or give up 300 bucks to make five thousand ? That's the crux of the choice and it's no different than what we've all done for years , competing for freight . I had a truck at LS for a year with no DH paid . I'll be honest I'm happy just to get DH pay. I think once they flesh it out and add more loads the DH will be cut significantly

 

[CedarMike]

CedarMike, are you in an E unit?

Yup

 

[BigStickJr]

Damn it Phil.

Until you explained it to these guys the carrier has been patting itself on the back because they are now transparent.

We all know transparency is good.

 

[CedarMike]

Lol . Well I've been an owner op for five years hauling tanker for JBK and a year at LS but I know the game . The first thing I keyed on was their advantage at paying out a maximum vs an authorized amount . I'm probably one of the few that likes a flat rate guarantee from what I read on the forums . I know it's good enough to break even and FED has always seemed interested in keeping me moving and happy . I'm in a line for team white glove TVAL where I expect to make more, if the averages they pitched to me are accurate at 2.10 pm plus FSC. The advantage to load board dispatch in my mind is choice of when you work and destination but clearly the advantage concerning DH pay is with the carrier

 

[CedarMike]

And I've got a 500 dollar minimum to turn the key in my contract whether 1 mile or 500 , so pretty happy with that

 

[BigStickJr]

That sounds ok if more of the loads are under 200 miles, and fewer are close to 500 miles.

 

[CedarMike]

A lot of them are short in that triangle north of Atlanta to New England and back to Ohio. For a solo guy that's bread and butter . I did a 60 mile hazmat drum load from jersey to penn that paid 650. I try to snag short ones every time I get one that's close . I've seen a regular run in Houston that's a cross dock that pays 550. I run team though so I try to get longer ones for the most part