TriState again

whitewolf · Mar 12, 2009

Is it possible a customer to ask for a specific truck? Or is just an excuse for company to move some preferred drivers? You'll get an load offer and after 5 min you'll get another message ..disregard load sent to wrong unit?
When you ask what happened they said the customer ask for a specific driver????

Roadpig · Mar 12, 2009

whitewolf said:
Is it possible a customer to ask for a specific truck? Or is just an excuse for company to move some preferred drivers? You'll get an load offer and after 5 min you'll get another message ..disregard load sent to wrong unit?
When you ask what happened they said the customer ask for a specific driver????

You know what? There's a whole department for these questions. Call Don Sling.

whitewolf · Mar 12, 2009

The answer is customer ask for a specific truck...I got that load before and now they need someone else

OntarioVanMan · Mar 12, 2009

I've heard of customers aking that certain trucks or drivers not come back for whatever reason and the carrier doesn't tell you of that fact...so you might be in an area where you know there are loads but unknown to you...you'll never get one from that customer.......

Moot · Mar 12, 2009

What are the odds that a specific driver would be nearby and available to service that particular customer when a load comes up?

OntarioVanMan · Mar 12, 2009

Moot said:
What are the odds that a specific driver would be nearby and available to service that particular customer when a load comes up?

Buy a lottery ticket...

whitewolf · Mar 12, 2009

How come they send the load to me and after that the customer called again and ask for someone else.. and the customer is a very big company...I can bet my truck the customer don't care who is taking the load.

flattop40 · Mar 12, 2009

whitewolf said:
How come they send the load to me and after that the customer called again and ask for someone else.. and the customer is a very big company...I can bet my truck the customer don't care who is taking the load.

That does sound a little fishy to me. I would monitor how many times this happens. If its a one time thing then let it go, but if it happens on a regular basis?

highway star · Mar 12, 2009

It does happen where I'm contracted. It's rare and with just a couple of customers. In both cases, it's loads with days of advance notice.

pjjjjj · Mar 12, 2009

OntarioVanMan said:
I've heard of customers aking that certain trucks or drivers not come back for whatever reason and the carrier doesn't tell you of that fact...so you might be in an area where you know there are loads but unknown to you...you'll never get one from that customer.......

If that were true, wouldn't it be in the best interests of the OO to be told the request of the customer, and the reasons, if any? This is a business, these are customers, and if it's coming from a customer, the OO needs to know this, and know why. If the OO then took it upon himself to call the customer directly for any reason, to complain or question or whatever, his contract should be immediately terminated.

If, on the other hand, it's the carrier playing games, obviously they wouldn't be able to tell the OO.

OntarioVanMan · Mar 12, 2009

pjjjjj said:
If that were true, wouldn't it be in the best interests of the OO to be told the request of the customer, and the reasons, if any? This is a business, these are customers, and if it's coming from a customer, the OO needs to know this, and know why. If the OO then took it upon himself to call the customer directly for any reason, to complain or question or whatever, his contract should be immediately terminated.

If, on the other hand, it's the carrier playing games, obviously they wouldn't be able to tell the OO.

Just a sample story from a shipper of the big D up there...The shipper told me of 2 trucks not wanted back because the drivers were "unacceptable" ....Drivers/owners had no clue they were banned...the carrier just dispatched around them....

pjjjjj · Mar 12, 2009

OntarioVanMan said:
Just a sample story from a shipper of the big D up there...The shipper told me of 2 trucks not wanted back because the drivers were "unacceptable" ....Drivers/owners had no clue they were banned...the carrier just dispatched around them....

That is just wrong. As tough as it might be to have to tell someone they will no longer get business from X as a result of X, it's the professional thing to do. And it seems it would be the OO's choice at that point whether to do something about it or not.

OntarioVanMan · Mar 12, 2009

pjjjjj said:
That is just wrong. As tough as it might be to have to tell someone they will no longer get business from X as a result of X, it's the professional thing to do. And it seems it would be the OO's choice at that point whether to do something about it or not.

I couldn't agree more...but that is the way the big D operates...on the sly, on the sneak....

pjjjjj · Mar 12, 2009

OntarioVanMan said:
I couldn't agree more...but that is the way the big D operates...on the sly, on the sneak....

Sounds like they're not the only ones

whitewolf · Mar 12, 2009

The problem was the shipper ask for a specific truck after I had the load on QC..and TS send me a message..Load sent to wrong unit...When I ask whats wrong with my unit they said is costumer who ask for a specific driver..and TS bring another driver from another board.

ATeam · Mar 12, 2009

Diane and I have had it happen several times that a customer asks us how the customer can ask our carrier for us by name the next time they have a shipment. We show them our truck number and driver names on the bill of lading that they already have. We also say that when the customer next needs a truck and team, we could easily be a thousand miles away if available at all.

In 5.5 years, it has never happened that we have been dispatched on a particular load because a customer asked for us by name; at least not that we know of.

I don't know if our carrier would even honor such a request if it was made. If they did, it might open up a major can of worms; like drivers rebating a few bucks under the table if requests by name were made. So, because of the potential for corruption, my preference would be that by-name requests not be honored and the regular dispatch system be allowed to operate in its normal fashion.

In your situation, I would not automatically dismiss all of the explaination you are receiving. I know for a fact that customers sometimes note driver names and truck numbers with the intention of specifically requesting them the next time they book a shipment. As for the rest, I have no idea.

guido4475 · Mar 12, 2009

or just maybe they found another company to do it cheaper.i have had that happen many times to me.

broker · Mar 12, 2009

Just as ATeam, many times a customer has asked if they could request for us to haul for them.
We instead tell them thank you but this is the kind of service they will get from all the drivers for our company.
BIG JOHN

truckrnnr · Mar 12, 2009

I had that happen to me ALOT when I was with Tri-State, but on the flip side,Tri-State has a very good (regular) customer that is a few miles from my house,I have done business with them personally for 10 years prior to going to Tri-State. These people are personal friends, so I would let them know when I was home and when I wanted to head back out,.............the next load they sent out, they would request me. I got my butt chewed out by Tri-State,......they even told me that if I spoke to these people again that they would cancel my contract. I just passed that info along to my friends who kindly reminded Tri-State who works for who, and the problem was solved.

davekc · Mar 12, 2009

I wouldn't personally care whether it opened a can of worms or not. Our trucks have been requested before because a relative of the driver worked there. If the customer gets what they want , which of course is the main objective, everyone wins.
I think it would be foolish on a carrier's part to deny/interfere with that type of request. The customer could care less about board position or anything else.