You Cant Makey Money Saying No

Trucker spirit animal! Awesome, that makes me so happy.

I’ve turned down loads, but usually only in conjunction with home time. Mid December my DM coached me to only accept loads going West.

At this point they commit me to the loads immediately as well. If there’s an issue I’ll call.

Before my Clarkston run this week the local planner gave me 4 local runs, but I needed miles and had already talked to my DM. I was at the terminal and spoke to both my DM and the planner. I committed to a live local at Costco DC and the Clarkston drop and hook. Win/win!

The load I’m on was planned late. ETA of 1500 in Sumner with a 1700 delivery in Spokane. I accepted it and am now in Spokane. 482 miles yesterday 300 of those were heavy!

I’m going back to sleep.

Cheers,

G

Here's another twist on this whole idea of refusing loads. I've watched a good number of drivers come and go on this dedicated account I'm on. I'm considered the "senior driver." That's not due to my age, but rather my longevity on the account. I've been here longer than anyone else (5+ years). There's actually two brothers who've been here longer, but the company no longer considers their longevity in the hierarchy due to quitting and coming back, or having gone into leasing.)

Many of the drivers who've quit blamed it on the fact they can't get enough miles. I scratch my head at that reason because there's a ton of work available to us. They will even claim they never refuse loads, but they insist on running certain areas only. Once they start they will tell our operations manager, "I will run any load you can give me, but I don't go North of the Mason Dixon line." Or they say, "I only want to run the Midwest." One guy insisted on running the Southwest only.

You can't be so demanding and expect to be treated like royalty. Here's a recent encounter I had with a driver who insists on running the Southwest exclusively. We are at the plant (Delhi, Louisiana) together, securing our next load. He asks, "Mister Dale, where are you headed?" (They all call me "mister" for some unknown reason - probably because I could be their grandpa) I say, "I'm headed up to New Hampshire." He wrinkles up his nose in disdain, and asks, "You like it up there?" I'm grinning as I say, "It pays the bills. You should try it sometime."

Then he wants to know, "Where'd you go last week?" He's digging for information now, and he finds out what he's looking for when I respond that, "I ran a load down to Miami." "Oh Man," he says, "They told me they didn't have any loads available. I had to sit at home for three days. Now you're telling me they could have sent me to Miami. I'm gonna have to talk to them!"

You see, when you set limits on what you're willing to do, you also unknowingly set limits on your availability. They know I can, and will, run anywhere, under any circumstances. They are not going to have me wait on a load just so they can pacify a driver who has a laundry list of demands. This happens all the time. I've even had drivers ask me, "Hey Man, how did you get my load this week? These loads don't have anybody's name on them. They don't belong to any particular driver. They just need to be delivered.

Make yourself available to more opportunity and you'll be all the better off out here. It's a competition. Don't hamstring yourself.

Being a "local" driver driving a day cab is a different animal from Around the Clock OTR , I am comparing apples to oranges. Knowing that, declining a load because it is "too short" isn't an option. Besides, I cannot "refuse a load", unless it will put me over my 14 before getting back to home base. Doing so will get me shown the door. I will get a 2-3 mile run within Wooster, or an 8 mile run to a customer in a nearby town, unload or drop and return to base for my next load. The only saving grace is our mileage rate is on a sliding scale. Thankfully, I don't get these types of runs often. Give me a nice 500 mile round trip to Buffalo or Dunkirk, NY and I will be happy every time, of course. Well, except when there is bad Winter weather along I-90E.

They know I can, and will, run anywhere, under any circumstances. They are not going to have me wait on a load just so they can pacify a driver who has a laundry list of demands.

This is a key concept to understand. The folks in the office will take best care of the drivers who take the best care of them. It's a partnership.

The salespeople book freight. They hand that freight over to the load planners and dispatchers who must move all the freight by assigning it to the appropriate drivers.

Dealing with drivers is pretty much a nightmare. They have all sorts of issues:

• Homesick
• Physically ill
• Only want to run during the day
• Won't go to the Northeast
• Won't haul runs shorter than 300 miles

The list goes on for miles. So assigning freight can be a nightmare.

Each dispatcher has a large pool of drivers. The number varies by company and division, but it's often in the 30 - 60 driver range. When they assign freight each day, probably 70% of the drivers have some sort of issue with the load they're assigned. The complaining, arguing, and threats begin. Being a dispatcher can be like teaching a classroom full of little kids who all need a nap.

When you're one of the few drivers who are reliable and cooperative, it's a joy for dispatch. Maybe 5% - 10% of their drivers fit into that category so you really stand out. They really want to take great care of you because they appreciate the fact you make their life so much easier.

Not only that, but dispatchers and load planners often receive pay that is based in part on their driver's performance. So if you turn a lot of miles and you're on time for all of your appointments, they make more money.

So now you're the type of driver that makes your dispatcher's and load planners lives so much easier and you make them more money. It's safe to say they adore you! They want to do all they can for you.

Drivers have no authority, other than to refuse to drive for safety reasons. So you can't force anyone to do anything for you. The most powerful tools in your arsenal are your fantastic work ethic, your reliability with appointment times, your ability to solve problems without their intervention, and your cooperative attitude. If you use those tools consistently you'll get better miles and better treatment than 90% of the drivers.

But keep in mind, that means sometimes you're hauling freight that doesn't thrill you. All of the loads must get moved, and some of them are simply crappy runs that no one likes. If they can give one to you once in a while knowing you won't complain, it's such a huge relief to them. They will reward you handsomely. You may have to remind them from time to time and say, "Hey, I'm a little short on miles this week because I've had two short runs out of three. Can you throw me a bone?? I need some big miles to reach my goals this week." They'll be happy to do it.

Be the type of driver that dispatchers love to take care of. There's nothing more powerful than that.

Old School lays it down (I know, Brett already quoted this):

They know I can, and will, run anywhere, under any circumstances. They are not going to have me wait on a load just so they can pacify a driver who has a laundry list of demands.

You can think "Ok, I'll do this 150 mile trailer bump for my DM , then he'll return the favor with a trip to Nevada."

There's no "favor" involved. If you do the "can and will" part, your DM will know who to count on for any load any where. You'll be at the top of the list for the DM's "Who's next?" DMs have between 20-50 drivers to handle. They won't waste their time being "fair" when they have a ton of loads to get off their board.

Usually when I'm about 10 miles out from receiver I'll receive a preplan for my next load. I've yet to wait. As soon as I'm empty I'm heading somewhere else.

Being a "local" driver driving a day cab is a different animal from Around the Clock OTR , I am comparing apples to oranges. Knowing that, declining a load because it is "too short" isn't an option. Besides, I cannot "refuse a load", unless it will put me over my 14 before getting back to home base. Doing so will get me shown the door. I will get a 2-3 mile run within Wooster, or an 8 mile run to a customer in a nearby town, unload or drop and return to base for my next load. The only saving grace is our mileage rate is on a sliding scale. Thankfully, I don't get these types of runs often. Give me a nice 500 mile round trip to Buffalo or Dunkirk, NY and I will be happy every time, of course. Well, except when there is bad Winter weather along I-90E.

My husband works with Don, and they are both 'off weekends/home daily' sorda local guys. Well, they 'asked' my hubby to do two runs to Chewy yesterday (Saturday.) Do you think he said NO?!?!? (Hayl nawh....!)

The horse is probably dead, but it has room for a little more flogging...

I got 2400 miles this week (for heavy, that’s a ton, 2200 under a load)! I did regional with a touch of local (under 10 miles), moved some empties to Costco DC, and will finish my 70 tomorrow with 2 more hyper sensitive local runs. Dispatch knows they can count on me to help when I have time.

I do this in a heavy haul condo!

Brett, Errol, OS you have all been inspirational and I base my work ethic on your advice! I haven’t been disappointed and I’m making great $$!

Cheers,

G

I just took a 19 mile load from West Memphis, AR to Mississippi tomorrow morning with a live unload at the delivery. Next one is from there to SC.

Keeps me moving.

I love being able to chose my loads based on all available loads out of my terminal or whatever terminal I happen to be at. Sometimes there are only less than desirable loads left on the board, but I'll never say no because I'm not in the business of making no money. I prefer my days off to be paid time off, excluding weekends of course.