just my 2 pennys

[danthewolf00]

As I sit here at a shipper waiting on a load I started reading my copy of landline and come unpon phil madsen's story and one line sticks out to me the most

"Expedited freight is not about weight; it's about speed and special care."

This is true we are not here to bulk haul like the t/t. We are here to make sure the 1-3 pallets get to the consignee undamaged and on time so they can keep in bussiness.
Just my 2 pennys
And phil good work on the story in landline!

 

[nightcreacher]

In the beginning,expedite was making sure the customer didn't have to shut the line down, cause he ran out of product.Usually a couple pallets would hold him over, 'til the rest of the product showed up on a regular carrier.
As more and more companies went to the just in time way of keeping their lines running,more and more need was in expediting,eventually,moving up to tractor trailers.
So in today's market,there is a need in equipment from the cargo van, all the way to the tractor trailer.
Yes,it's not about weight or bulk,it's about the need,and that is mainly why in the expedite business there is so much sitting around.
John Doe Expedite doesn't call looking for loads,as this will invite a regular truck load or a partial size rate.Now we also have a new player on the block,the internet,were loads are published,and the expedite companies seek to haul freight from.Some of these loads are actually on a timed delivery,and the rates are much better than those that aren't a rush.
What we are running into is,because so many expediters are changing companies, like they change their socks,to keep these people moving,loads are being offered at a substandard rates,'cause these companies are taking what ever loads that they feel will keep their trucks moving.Also, everybody and his brother are hauling expedited loads,as in reality,they do pay better than regular freight,but the competition is setting the rates.
Being an expediter,takes lots of patience,and most of all, you have to have a positive attitude.
If your someone that has to go go go,this business isn't for you.

 

[greg334]

IT all depends.

How many of you have had freight that just had to get off the docks but when you delivered, the guy said "oh we didn't expect that" or "we didn't need this"?

A lot of times we are moving freight within a time limit set up by the company, not the customer. The customer's needs aren't met by the time schedule but rather your company's needs are.

Many of us don't know where our work comes from, whether or not it is a bid load or a customer calling or a sales staff that actually works for your group or within the company - doesn't seem to matter, because it seems to be lumped into the same category of freight most of the time - expedite.

I am told if it is expedited or not. A lot of you don't get that. A lot of you have to deal with stats which arbitrarily put you into expediting mode all the time which in some cases is a good thing.

Sit with a customer a few times and listen to them and how they work. Sit in the sales office or "load planning" office at your carrier and see what is actually taking place. It is amazing how the person on the phone can quote a price and then promise to get it these by X time without asking the customer if they need it there by X because they know that the competition will be doing the same.

What Phil said has been said before, many times by the way.

 

[termite289]

I treat every load, as if it were the most important one i ever hauled. ill show up at shippers and receivers the night before, just to let them know we are on the job, and taking care of their needs. they want their freight on time, and i want to haul another load for them. and another, and another, and another.
having a customer reschedule the appointment for me is absurd
showing up at shippers 13 hours early also lets me leave the shipper with full hours, which benefits me. even if they swap it out, i may still have enough hours to go pick something else up.
i guess im always in expedite mode, and i like it that way.

 

[nightcreacher]

You have to be careful delivering expedited freight early.If in fact you deliver,and the night shift signs for it,the day shift that needs it,might not know it's there,Then it could be considered late.This doesn't happen to often with tractor trailers,or straight trucks,but has happened often with vans.Especially if security is the one that signs for the freight