Friday Short Haul - Truckers Protest Low Rates, 1 Million Masks Given To Drivers, SecurSpace App Finds Parking

In this Friday Short Haul - Truckers protest low freight rates, FMCSA gives out 1 million masks to drivers, and the SecurSpace app finds parking spots for drivers.

Friday Short Haul - Truckers protest low rates, 1 million masks given to drivers, SecurSpace app finds parking

What a bunch of idiots that bunch is! First it's, "we want less government." Then, because we're too stupid to understand business and economic trends, "we need more government to punish the evil brokers that are stealing from us." LOL.

Here's a suggestion: be a company driver, because if you believe the brokers are all getting rich by thievery, you shouldn't be running your own business.

What a bunch of idiots that bunch is! First it's, "we want less government." Then, because we're too stupid to understand business and economic trends, "we need more government to punish the evil brokers that are stealing from us." LOL.

Here's a suggestion: be a company driver, because if you believe the brokers are all getting rich by thievery, you shouldn't be running your own business.

I have to disagree. I see every rate con for my loads, some of the brokers we deal with show everything they're supposed to with full transparency when asked but they don't give it willingly. The average rate brokers take off the top is 30-35%, then they list the load. A carrier will book the load, only to be told the load cancelled when it didn't actually cancel, someone else offered to haul it for cheaper. There's a lot of shady stuff going on with brokerages, double brokering loads etc and there legitimately should be some sort of regulation. If nothing else, they should be forced to abide by the regulations in place, that they skirt quite a bit. My information isn't coming from websites or other drivers, it's first hand information coming from my load planners and the long term relationships they have built with reputable brokerage firms. Not all of them are.

Nobody is forcing anyone to sign a contract to haul the freight. Nobody is forcing these drivers to sign a contract before reading all of it, including the fine print, either. What other business is there where the supplier lists what their profit is on the product so the consumer can see it, prior to a possible purchase? Why should Big Government get more involved with our industry?

If the rates are too low, don't haul the freight. I predict the next two quarters are going to be low paying as well. Those that aren't prepared are going to be out of business.

The issue is that brokers violate. 49 code 397.1 (I need to double check that reference). There's already guidance in place that states if a carrier requests the entire rate and billing, it must be provided. Brokers notoriously will hang up the phone when it's requested even though it's already mandated by law. People are just asking for them to play by the rules, just as carriers are expected to play by the rules. I've personally gone to pick up a load, with a signed rate con. I arrived at the shipper , waiting to load and received a call from the broker claiming it cancelled. While waiting for my reload, I watched the load I was supposed to pick up get loaded on to another truck so I asked the other driver how much they were getting for it because I "had an identical load". He took it for $1100 less than my company had agreed upon. It's games and behavior like that which need to stop.

The push is twofold. One, to make companies that aren't aware of the regulation and get more people to demand to see the entire rate, the rate charged to the customer and not just what was put on the load board. The other push is to get brokers to start working more honestly and abide by those regulations set in place. How can a company, any company bid on freight when the real numbers are being hidden?

The biggest problem right now regarding "Brokers are creating low rates?"

These same drivers that gleefully exclaimed, "Screw the brokers!" in 2018, now seek a scapegoat during the economic downturn at the beginning of 2020, coupled with this media-created Covid19 hysteria. Right now, brokers are the current target. Later, it will be shippers, mega carriers, unfair labor, unions, regulations, etc.

What if the brokers were getting 50%, but the driver still got paid, say $3.50 per mile? Would it matter then?

Of course not. Rates are rates, and right now these are low.

Company drivers are mostly paid by the mile, never changes, no matter what the economy is. Seems like for the remainder of 2020, it will be a good idea to be a company driver. Much less fake news and employee-created drama.

I am a company driver and there's nothing "fake news" about carriers being allowed to see the full rate charged to the customer before it's put on a load board. Let's just use your $3.50 a mile number as an example on a 1,000 mile load. It's on a load board for $3,500 all in but the customer is being charged 5k with the broker holding back $1,500. Wouldn't you rather bid it at the transparent 5k or the $3,500? It doesn't matter if it's a single truck operation or a company with 1500 trucks, the goal is revenue and it's much harder to do that when real numbers aren't being shown as required by law.

Let's just use your $3.50 a mile number as an example on a 1,000 mile load. It's on a load board for $3,500 all in but the customer is being charged 5k with the broker holding back $1,500. Wouldn't you rather bid it at the transparent 5k or the $3,500? It doesn't matter if it's a single truck operation or a company with 1500 trucks, the goal is revenue and it's much harder to do that when real numbers aren't being shown as required by law.

I'm clueless about O/O, load boards and such but does it really matter what the customer is paying? Isnt your agreement with the broker? You're hauling the freight for an agreed upon rate. If you don't like the rate can't you just not take that load?