Satellite communications
- Thread starter DannyD
- Start date
What a good deal that is!! Man, I wish I had a sweet deal like that one, oh wait, I do.
We have, however, had our dome replaced once.It has been the norm in transportation companies with brokers to cover an array of communications costs by charging the brokers more than the cost of the equipment being used by the broker. The added amounts pay for the airtime etc utilized by the dispatch units and also go towards the costs of the phone system. As mentioned already the broker does not see all the costs/benefits of what services and charges the company gets from the communications supplier. I used to setup courier companies and the initial norm was for a minimum of 10 units in the field at double the cost per unit. This covered all airtimie and the costs of the dispatch units. From there all monies from additional units went to cover other communications costs. This was a standard practice in the industry.
Rob
Rob
Companies should make their money from the shippers not from their contractors. Charging more than the cost for a QC is no different than keeping FSC money paid by shippers rather than passing it along to the operator where it belongs. Common practices aren't necessarily appropriate practices.
I don't believe I'm the one missing the point - I said GPS [apps or pinging] has nothing to do with it. I call dispatch, or they call me - no satellite required. Then you posted on 'pinging' - completely misunderstanding my meaning, looks like.
I've never liked the QC, [Panther used to ask why I'd stopped, or say I was behind schedule, or wake me up with an asinine 'safety' msg when I'd just got to sleep, waaay too often for my blood pressure to remain normal] and I'm opposed to them on principle. I don't have one, and the cellphone [without any apps of pings!] works just fine.
Having to pay for it [at a large profit to the carrier] just adds salt to the wound, IMO.
How true this statement is!!! Required equipment by carrier should be supplied by the carrier. Or a carrier should offer cell phone or Qualcom usage......... options!!
They can supply, and sell the cell phone for their cost and have these cell phones wired into their dispatch operations. then you are charge a smaller respectable monthly fee.
Carriers setting high communication fees are only interested in becoming a profit center. They had better be careful if they wish to keep contractors. By the time a contractor is forced to purchase a Qualcom, pay for installation, pay escrow on it, in a years time you can buy about 600 or more gallons of diesel fuel for the price of this expensive forced purchased QC!!!
greg334
Veteran Expediter
There is an old adage;
Tripping over dollars to save pennies.
This is really a non-issue for the most part because it is part of doing business and servicing the customer. The company isn't there to just make money hauling things, they should be making money any which way they can within a reason. The "profit" they make is not just free and clear, but again if we were to pay for our insurance without their discount, how much more would we be actually paying?
No matter how you cut it, the industry has moved in a direction like this, and company needs the information to stay at least with their competition and overall the amount of money we spend each month allows us to actually make money with the company we choose to work with.
For what it's worth, if you take a pharma, government, fema or a number of specialized loads, then you need this system and you are heavily compensated for the work you do. If you own a fleet, don't complain, the work that is being done for you with recording the miles in the states and the keeping track of your truck is well work the added expense.
For those load, pharma, government, fema and other specialized loads, there are requirements that you as an owner don't see. Take Pharma loads for one, that all falls under the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) which is just one of a few regulations that oversee the shipment of drugs and supplies. NEXTEL can not be used, but Qualcomm can because it is a 'validated' system, which means it has been tested in different conditions for different situations.
SO the amount of money that is "made" off of us, goes back into maintaining more than just a glorified email system. Panther, FedEx, Landstar, E-1 and a few others have to pay for things outside of just the qualcomm.
Tripping over dollars to save pennies.
This is really a non-issue for the most part because it is part of doing business and servicing the customer. The company isn't there to just make money hauling things, they should be making money any which way they can within a reason. The "profit" they make is not just free and clear, but again if we were to pay for our insurance without their discount, how much more would we be actually paying?
No matter how you cut it, the industry has moved in a direction like this, and company needs the information to stay at least with their competition and overall the amount of money we spend each month allows us to actually make money with the company we choose to work with.
For what it's worth, if you take a pharma, government, fema or a number of specialized loads, then you need this system and you are heavily compensated for the work you do. If you own a fleet, don't complain, the work that is being done for you with recording the miles in the states and the keeping track of your truck is well work the added expense.
For those load, pharma, government, fema and other specialized loads, there are requirements that you as an owner don't see. Take Pharma loads for one, that all falls under the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) which is just one of a few regulations that oversee the shipment of drugs and supplies. NEXTEL can not be used, but Qualcomm can because it is a 'validated' system, which means it has been tested in different conditions for different situations.
SO the amount of money that is "made" off of us, goes back into maintaining more than just a glorified email system. Panther, FedEx, Landstar, E-1 and a few others have to pay for things outside of just the qualcomm.
guido4475
Not a Member
I had generally had a negative feeling towards Qualcom & such, mainly because of the cost. My current company uses satellite, though they use Nextel GPS.
For the first month I didn't really see the big deal in it one way or the other. Yesterday though, I was driving thru Tenn. I was driving through Jackson & they told me to stop, as they had a load from there going to Romeo, Mi that they were gonna bid on. We got the run & that right there changed my opinion on satellite. That's a run I wouldn't have had if it wasn't for satellite.
Couldn't dispatch have simply called your cellphone, like mine does?
Cheri, if you are driving down the road, while leased to a carrier that does not have nextel, qualcomm, or any other kind of device to pinpoint a drivers location, anytime, how are they knowing where you are at when all that is required at your company is a drivers cell phone?Do you give a position update every 10 minutes via phone call? Just wondering.
guido4475
Not a Member
No, Guido, I don't give them an update every 10 minutes - they don't need that. I let them know where I am, and when I move, where I'm going, including ETA. If they [or the customer] require an update, they call me. It works for all concerned
You are missing the whole point, Cheri.Look at what is said before you, how you are replying to DannyD's post. He is talkng about when he is DRIVING They know where he is at at all times, which has proven to work in his favor as far as getting a load because of a gps/satellitte system.
Now how could Polly possibly do this without any type of satellitte communications? It would be a guessing game as to where you are at,unless a phone call is made to you everytime they see a load pop up and they THINK you may be in that area at that time.Qualcomm updates youre location so many times an hour, making you more viisble and useable to all that can see you.Most customers want to know NOW where their load is at, not whenever the driver can be reached for an update via cell phone.Customers dont want to waste their time tracking down their freight's progress by phone callls when they can do it by themselves by going online in seconds.
I'm not missing the point - when I'm moving, they know where I'm headed, and when I expect to arrive.
I contend that satellite tracking is useful in a handful of situations, [DOD & high value loads], but for the most part, it's a service the customer didn't need until some bright [not!] chowderhead told him he needs it. It worked very well for home delivery, why not for shipping, right? Because home delivery involves a residence that is usually unoccupied during business hours - the recipient needs to arrange for someone to be present when their pkg arrives. [Also when to call it missing, if it doesn't arrive.] A person awaiting UPS or FedEx delivery has a need to know when it will arrive, and probably enjoys tracking their pkg on the computer - how high tech cool can you get?
What we do is very different, and I think it was a mistake to suggest that customers need or want to track their freight every 10 minutes [don't they have any real work to do?!] What they need to hear is that once delivery has been set, they can put it out of their minds, it will be there when promised. Any unavoidable delays will be reported to them as they occur, and absent that, they can expect delivery to be on time. Why suggest otherwise?
On a personal note, I've already noted my frustration with the QC [being woke up by asinine 'safety' msgs, etc] and as long as I can avoid having the electronic babysitter onboard, I will continue to do without it. If I've missed any loads because dispatch couldn't reach me, it's still worth it to me.
I contend that satellite tracking is useful in a handful of situations, [DOD & high value loads], but for the most part, it's a service the customer didn't need until some bright [not!] chowderhead told him he needs it. It worked very well for home delivery, why not for shipping, right? Because home delivery involves a residence that is usually unoccupied during business hours - the recipient needs to arrange for someone to be present when their pkg arrives. [Also when to call it missing, if it doesn't arrive.] A person awaiting UPS or FedEx delivery has a need to know when it will arrive, and probably enjoys tracking their pkg on the computer - how high tech cool can you get?
What we do is very different, and I think it was a mistake to suggest that customers need or want to track their freight every 10 minutes [don't they have any real work to do?!] What they need to hear is that once delivery has been set, they can put it out of their minds, it will be there when promised. Any unavoidable delays will be reported to them as they occur, and absent that, they can expect delivery to be on time. Why suggest otherwise?
On a personal note, I've already noted my frustration with the QC [being woke up by asinine 'safety' msgs, etc] and as long as I can avoid having the electronic babysitter onboard, I will continue to do without it. If I've missed any loads because dispatch couldn't reach me, it's still worth it to me.
I'll have to refute what you are saying a bit Guido...How many times has dispatch called and asked where are you now? even with a QC...TOO DARN MANY times...all they have to do is ping me...sheeesh...
A smaller company like Cheris' can and probably tracks her even better then the QC...because they actually communicate...
A smaller company like Cheris' can and probably tracks her even better then the QC...because they actually communicate...
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Most QC's have a profile that will update the location every half hour, of when there is a status change, like ignition on or off, or any message sent or received.
Half hour updates is usually sufficient. I've gotten several loads while moving to another area and happened to pass through the right place at the right time.
Half hour updates is usually sufficient. I've gotten several loads while moving to another area and happened to pass through the right place at the right time.
guido4475
Not a Member
Bingo. excactly the point I am trying to make.Thank you.
Guido: I understood what you meant, but reread post 21 - d'ya think the loads covered the cost of the QC?
Even if they did, I still think it was a marketing idea, and the carriers who use it to send asinine msgs ["Weekends are a great time to get that truck maintenance done" sort of krapola] have just made me want to throw it out the window & run over it. Strangely enough, the cord is just a little too short. Coincidence? I think not, lol
Even if they did, I still think it was a marketing idea, and the carriers who use it to send asinine msgs ["Weekends are a great time to get that truck maintenance done" sort of krapola] have just made me want to throw it out the window & run over it. Strangely enough, the cord is just a little too short. Coincidence? I think not, lol
Since we get our load offers by phone..I just unplug the darn keyboard thing when sleeping...then plug it back in so the offer can come across...the pinger still works that way
One thing about the QC is, you can be in way rural nowhere where a cell signal ain't gonna happen and still be able to have communications, especially in case of an emergency. That's not an insignificant thing if you're out west and off the beaten path.
RLENT
Veteran Expediter
Well technically, the way I read it, a carrier can't require you to have any equipment that they are supplying, as a condition of leasing on with them.
From Part §376.12 "Written lease requirements":
"Except as provided in the exemptions set forth in subpart C of this part, the written lease required under §376.11(a) shall contain the following provisions. The required lease provisions shall be adhered to and performed by the authorized carrier......"
"(i) Products, equipment, or services from authorized carrier— The lease shall specify that the lessor is not required to purchase or rent any products, equipment, or services from the authorized carrier as a condition of entering into the lease arrangement. The lease shall specify the terms of any agreement in which the lessor is a party to an equipment purchase or rental contract which gives the authorized carrier the right to make deductions from the lessor’s compensation for purchase or rental payments."
The entire section of the Written Lease Requirements can be read at the following link - it does not appear to me that there would any relevant provisions in subpart C to exempt them from the above requirement:
Part §376.12 Written Lease Requirements
Of course, while you may not be required to have the equipment as a condition of your lease, not having said equipment may result in you receiving fewer load offers, if the equipment and the functions it performs is integral to the carriers operations.
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Qual-comm is a profit maker for the company....so why would they stop requiring it on their trucks?...I was paying $100.00 a month ($25 a week) + cell phone as required....... Cell phone can do the job just as well or better...we are told to control our overhead to make money these days... a driver must RUN LEAN!!!!....so I did switched companies....no more QC.... Its gone have not missed it.... and buying my own insurance not through the company is cheaper to...no paper work handeling charges. Best move I ever made...Be Safe...