For the folks that have their own authority....
#82
Originally Posted by SteveBooth
I wouldn't worry about getting paid, it's not like he's dealing with thousands of dollars here. At 5%, the most he would lose would be $100 bucks on a $2,000 load so then you don't deal with that person again. My guess is that it wouldn't take long before he had the max amount of people he could handle and if it worked out, he wouldn't have a high turnover rate with his carriers.
I'm not sure how many people one dispatcher could handle. I would imagine 3 carriers all needing a load in the same day would be one hell of a task trying to line something up for all 3 that same morning. Your talking to both the broker/shipper and the carrier at the same time for 3 people within lets say a 3 hour window from 9 to 12 in the morning. You could try to setup the loads in advance but from my experience the action takes place the day of the load. Not sure if you have any hair on your head Mike but if you do, it won't last long. I think that I would need at least 5 people to get started. I would want to limit the number of people I signed because I don't think you could have 50 people you were handling and do a decent job with any of them. The entire concept of working with a dispatch service is that they should be able to do a better or more efficient job of keeping your truck rolling than you could do yourself. Many of the major carriers will assign 50 trucks to a single dispatcher. That puts a lot of stress on the dispatcher and will reduce their capacity to get the better paying loads for all of their trucks. If you have too many trucks then you won't be able to do justice to any of them. Communication would be key in being successful in this type of operation. There will also be a time of getting acquainted and learning where and how an owner likes to run. If an owner waits until they get unloaded before letting me know that they need a load, then they may sit until a good load can be found. There are a lot of loads, but those paying a decent rate are not as plentiful, especially with the high cost of fuel. Some of my best paying loads have been booked at the last minute. Some brokers or shippers try to book a load for a cheap rate and when no one take it the price goes up, especially if it is something which must be moved by a certain date. If the owner lets me know when he will be empty, then I can start to look for loads for that day. We can sometimes book something in advance, other times things may not come together until the day the truck is empty. There are a lot of brokers and shippers who have been burned by trucks booking loads in advance, then not showing up. They are reluctant to book a load until they know the truck is empty. Getting to know how someone runs helps to know when to book a load. You are right about several trucks needing loads at the same time, Steve. That is one reason that I don't want a lot of trucks to run. If I get too many then I will either need to hire someone to help dispatch or the owner will suffer. I don't want either to happen. I have had a lot of people working for me. In fact, I had 91 people working for me at one time. I don't think that I want to get into that again. Even limiting the number of trucks I dispatch, it could get a little harried at times. That is one reason to have good communication. It isn't usually that difficult to find loads. Getting the good paying loads is the challenge. Finding those can take time. One other thing. I will need to check new owners mask size before signing them on. :wink:
#85
Originally Posted by SteveBooth
Got a load.
5 Bobcat tractors to Maine for $2.00 a mile from CRST. I guess my $200,000 cargo limit paid off.
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#87
Originally Posted by SteveBooth
lol
You would have been proud of my negotiating skills. Them:Hi Steve, we have a load to Maine for $2.00 per mile. Me: What, are you shitting me, I'LL TAKE IT I am officially bored to tears! My truck is in da shop with a broken headbolt, and waiting for the doctor to fix it.
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Space...............Is disease and danger, wrapped in darkness and silence! :thumbsup: Star Trek2009
#88
Originally Posted by SteveBooth
Got a load.
5 Bobcat tractors to Maine for $2.00 a mile from CRST. I guess my $200,000 cargo limit paid off. You must have a load of those Case Holland skidders. I have hauled a lot of those. I never could talk them into giving me one. I kept telling them that they should since I was hauling a lot of them at the time. No dice. They have a neat proving ground or testing area as you drive into their facility. Imagine guys playing around with those all day long. :P Gee Steve. And here I had you a $2.50/mile load plus fsc, drop pay, tarp pay and pay just because it is Tuesday. :wink:
#90
Senior Board Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: jackassville (winnipeg, mb)
Posts: 3,280
Originally Posted by GMAN
Gee Steve. And here I had you a $2.50/mile load plus fsc, drop pay, tarp pay and pay just because it is Tuesday. :wink:
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