enough of the bs

chi-batman · Mar 17, 2009

Ive been reading the board for a while and its getting a little deep here. The drivers getting 2-3k a week are straight truck drivers not the cargo vans. And the straight trucks are taking van freight. How do I know this? I drive a cargo van for a man that drives a straight truck and he says 1 out of 3 loads are van loads. And this isnt a case of no vans in the area. He even asked 1 of the vans drivers why they turned down a decent load and he was told that it wasnt offered to him. This has happened several times. The board numbers I dont believe are accurate either. Ive spent the last 2 months in texas and the south. I go on a board thats says it does 1 or 2 a day and I sit there for 3 days and nothing moves. This happened week after week after week. I came up to Chicago after finally getting a run to Peoria and sat there for two days on a 1 a day board. Finally friday on friday after getting paid $88 for a run that I did two weeks ago(atlanta to gadsen al) I dead headed up to Chicago friday pm. Got offered a discounted run sat am that I had to refuse because I have cats with me and it was going to a power plant and they wouldnt allow me in with the cats. Late sat pm they sent me a 140 mile run from Ohare to the airport in Champaign. I ran it and cleared out my savings to dh back up to chicago instead of being 3rd on 1 a day board (probably less than 1 a day but they dont give out less than 1 a day average and round up to 1) so I am 8 on a board that supposed to do 14 a day. great should get out early afternoon. Nope only 3 got out on Monday but the average stayed the same . I finally got a run offer at 7pm tuesday going to cedar rapids. 254 miles with a .10 fsc. that will likely be my last run this week. a total of 394 paid miles. This is the average for me. And before you ask I have 100% on time, 100% safety, 100% in service and 100% acceptance for 7,14 days and 86% for 30 days.
The reason some of you guys on this board get more and better runs is your companies know who you are and you are fed more runs or better runs so if someone complains you can respond "I get good runs you just must be having bad luck" It wouldnt do the companies any good if the spokespeople on this board were able to badmouth it. So your guys are benifiting from being on this board all the time. Every driver I speak to( and I havent seen a whole lot of drivers recently) seems to be a week or two away from quitting
I have spoken with one of the company bigshots and he keeps replacing fleet owners drivers because he is afraid that they will take thier trucks somewhere else. Where the heck are they going to go? Noone is hiring. But they insist on replacing the drivers and starving out the single o/o and drivers Its not fair. Ive probably taken a 60% cut in pay since last September. But I'll bet the executives are still getting 100% of their pay. but not the drivers. But what what goes around comes around and they will get theirs

Mike99 · Mar 17, 2009

Good and accurate post.My advice is try to play cards,keep your % up to 67% and do not take anything.For example when you in Chicago number one and you have high % you can refuse one or two loads. If you have some luck from three loads one is 6-700 miles.Try to stay in good boards.Last time I went from Toronto in Chicago just to have a load.But what can I say ,it is hard times for everybody...Do you go in Canda?

xiggi · Mar 17, 2009

Sometimes when times are slow I think we have to much time to sit and think. It can lead a person to start seeing things that may not exist.

simon says · Mar 17, 2009

Yes- I am sure the execs will get theirs- that is the way America has always worked, just now some folks realize it! This whole system of trucks on call was planned this way to make profits for auto companies and a few large expedite companies when they stopped producing stuff in house. They haven't needed this many of us ever since they adopted the Toyota model of warehousing offsite...I would suggest to vans they go find a local company who has some courier work and go home at night. Many straights are being driven out if they owe payments... I spoke to two different solo drivers a few weeks ago from two different companies: the cat driver was talking bankruptcy and the other one said he re-sets his hours about twice a week. No future in working like that!
I agree with the post: stop the BS- this is not "when times are slow"; this is more like selling apples for .05c.

inkasnana · Mar 19, 2009

Well, hmmm.. I recall reading a LOT of posts during the past couple months where most everyone is commenting on how slow things are right now, and a LOT of advice to potential newbies that now is NOT the time to get into the business. So, how is that bs?

layoutshooter · Mar 19, 2009

Besides, how are truckers going to be able to talk about ANYTHING without, BS'ing? Layoutshooter

highway star · Mar 19, 2009

An incredibly long paragraph of whining. Typical DBP. We probably won't see him again.

inkasnana · Mar 19, 2009

layoutshooter said:
Besides, how are truckers going to be able to talk about ANYTHING without, BS'ing? Layoutshooter

Now layout, I'm absolutely positive that you would never stoop so low as to bs anyone about anything!

layoutshooter · Mar 19, 2009

OH NO!!! Not ME!!!

Why would I, a hunter and fisherman, ever BS anybody? Now REALLY!

Layoutshooter

MentalGiant · Mar 19, 2009

I asked once why we were getting a CV or sprinter load when I knew there were some there in a CV or sprinter. They told me because we had more hours sitting than any other person there. Which made sense, but being as a team, I would like the longer hauls, like in the 700's or higher. But, that doesn't always happen. If they try to give us one like 300 to 400 something miles, I'll say why don't you offer it to a CV or sprinter, I'm sure they would want it and/or need it. My owner doesn't like it, but I have control over what loads we take and don't take for now.

Key word for now.

Don't get me wrong, if don't have hardly any miles for that week, I'll jump on it.

layoutshooter · Mar 19, 2009

Well, we are not paid by the mile. We are paid by the load and I will jump on ANY load that is worth my while. There are many reasons why a van is not dispatched on a load. I have no way of knowing why I got the offer. If it pays well and is worth tieing up my truck for that time frame I take the load. Layoutshooter

youngsamuel · Mar 19, 2009

Most of the senior members nailed it. If you don't like it quit. I did not like seeing straight truck runs pass me by last fall so that left one solution. BUY A STRAIGHT TRUCK. Usually the only person mad at the rich guy is the poor guy. If I don't make it or succeed it sure won't be cause I did not try. I am new to expediting and new to this site. I haven't browsed here lately because of the COMPLAINING (mostly newbies who sought advice then did not take any). Simply man up and don't blame AIG, P2, NLM or anyone else. If the leasing company repos my truck tomorrow I will hand them the keys and go home to my lovely wife two daughters and son on the way, and if I have to support them while asking "would you like fries with that?" I will. I am not trying to tear you a new one just saying when all the vans and straights are gone what do you have left?

mjolnir131 · Mar 19, 2009

layoutshooter said:
OH NO!!! Not ME!!! Why would I, a hunter and fisherman, ever BS anybody? Now REALLY! Layoutshooter

OLD FISHERMAN'S PRAYER: May the gods let me catch a fish so big i do not have to make up stuff about it.

layoutshooter · Mar 19, 2009

I NEVER have to lie about the size of the fish I catch. Every fish I catch is exactly the size I wanted to catch!! If if get a 1 inch bluegill I can say that I was after a world SMALL record!!! SEE, honesty pays!! Layoutshooter

chi-batman · Mar 19, 2009

First of all star, you are wrong i am back. First of all what is a dbp? second of all im not refering to bs as 2 drivers sitting and talking Im talking about the companies and their bs and the cheerleaders who dont nthink that the companiesn do anything wrong. Secondly i dont speak for straight trucks whose are a different story all together Third Im not a noobie. I have 3.75 years with roberts/fecc and over 3.5 with the cat. out and out lying to drivers and when caught, im told the person must have made a mistake. Yesterday was a prime example. Delivered in Cedar rapids in the am and found a walmart to sleep. Was woken up in early afternoon asking if I wanted a run to Sacremento CA Almost 1900 miles and a .09 permile fsc. I accepted it and headed to go pick it up. about 20 miles down the road they called and said it dryran. Suddently the freight wasn't at the pu location. When they sent me the confirmation of the dry run the fsc was .18 not .09. When I asked about I was told I was mistaken. Yet again today for some strange reason the resent the confirmation today witht the fsc being 18. how many other runs does this happen on? I find it a little funny that when fuel was high I was routinely gettting fsc .10 to .25 a mile higher than the fuel costs. But now that the fuel has dropped its routinely .05 a mile cheaper than fuel cost. When I asked why was told that the customer renegotiated their contract when fuel went down. Now that runs are few and far between and a few cents a mile makes a big difference, they continue to nickel and dime drivers.
You people in straight trucks may look down upon us vans, but remember if they get rid of vans you guys with be the ones taken the crap runs ie running 70 miles for a 120 mile run and dhing back to your orginal board and being 4 or 5 spots down from where you were before you took the run. Think you wont and you will refuse the run? Then your load acceptance goes down. then you have to decide if you want to make your truck payment or eat or skip paying some other bill. thats what they have done to vans. The ones who bought a sprinter and have a $700 a month payment and might only get two runs a week if they are lucky adding up to 600 miles a week if they are lucky. with each mile they run costing a nikel or more out of their base rate. suddenly they cant make their payment. They cant quit because noone else is going to hire them. All because greedy companies dont care anymore about the drivers and hired way too many vans in a bad economy. And they are afraid not to replace fleet owners drivers because they think the fleet owner will take his fleet and go somewhere else. Where is he going to go? noone is going to add on a fleet of vehicles now. Catterpiller just anounced bunch more layoffs in the Lafayette plant. I drove past the Belvidere Il chrysler plant last night and it was empty of stock and employee cars. It will take monthes of good news before expediting is up and profitable again even if the recesion was declared over tonight and yet the execs are oblivious to the drivers.
You asked if I go to Canada. Why should I? First of all I cant afford the background check. Second no van freight comes out of there unless your willing to wait 4 or 5 days for it. Out of 25 trips I've done to Canada Ive gotten 1 run out of there. Third dealing with the broker is a unpaid night mare. Plus the money they give us to go into Canada doesnt pay all the fees going in and coming out. Fourth the US customs people are very rude and unprofesional. Granted they have a bad job, but still there is no excuse for them to take it out on American citizens. Not sure now but last time I was up there fuel was expensive as hell. If I get up there in later part of the week and dont get out before Sunday I cant get my paperwork scanned and sent in so it would be another week before I get paid. I cant afford that. and before you says I should have seen things comimg and saved money to get thru the weak times, I never made enough to do that. I guess thats what I get for believing the sunshine emama the shoved up my A$$ in orientation.
And for those whose say I should move up to a straight truck, nobody is going to lend money out for a straight truck in this economy.

greg334 · Mar 19, 2009

I gots to axe.. what company do you work for?

MentalGiant · Mar 19, 2009

From the sounds of it, maybe you should of picked another proffesion. You don't sound to happy doing this. We all had our disappointments, but my theory is, if it gets to bad and its making me miserable, its time for me to head else where.

layoutshooter · Mar 19, 2009

We don't deal with brokers, FDCC does all of that for us and it has been working very well since they started it. What backround check do you have to pay for to run Canada? We did not have to pay for a backround check for runs there. If you mean FAST we did do that but it is unlikely that we will renew it. We have NEVER run a FAST load do date. As to having to dead head out. We take that into consideration BEFORE we take the load and, for our figuring purposes, count those miles as part of the load. IF the per mile and all other things meet our standards we take the load, if not, we don't. It is that simple. I don't know anything about vans. When I started looking at this business almost 5 years ago now I did not think that running a van was a good idea. I read a lot on here and even then I thought that the industry was heading away from vans. So we went the straight truck route.

So far, in this economy, our business is doing ok. Not setting the world on fire but NOT going backwards. I know that can change, so far, so good. Year to date our loaded per mile and overall per mile rates are higher than year to date for the same time frame last year. Our gross revenue is down a bit due to not having as many long runs, luck of the draw on that, break downs and not getting started until the second week in Jan due to the hurricane repairs to our truck.

Maybe you can get out of the van and run a straight truck for an owner? I don't know you situation so I don't know what to say that might help. I do hope things improve for you. I really hate to see anyone have a tough go of it. Layoutshooter