I bought the truck from a Freightliner dealer in Miami. How they got it I don't know as I can't figure out how these companies cycle these trucks. Do they buy them and sell them back? Who knows.

Well a day from hell today. I couldn't see as fog was thick as hell getting out of the Flying J. I banged the side of the rim and as a result of that apparently 2 pallets tipped over and they said they are making a claim of 7 cases.

I called the broker and tried to find out how much as for that amount I'll just pay for it and not have a claim. They just keep telling me to don't worry about it. I hate getting people like that on the phone. The first one said don't worry it will go through the insurance and the next one said there won't even be a claim for that amount. I hate getting different answers.

Good thing I had that website http://nttsbreakdown.com/ntts/programs/main/home.php as I found a place real close so no service call to fix the rim or buy a new one rather.

I had to get an Oregon permit which cost $36.50. I'll tell ya, this newbie (I always hated that word) is tired and wants to go home to rest for a little.

What do you think No_worries? A little time on the beach in the sun? Funny thing is now I get home and I am running around taking care of truck stuff and then I just want to get back out so I can get things moving. This business sure can consume your time. But it's a business, and what business doesn't do that?

 

LOL, what you're saying is definitely true. It does take up a lot of time OUTSIDE the truck. I think Steve's mentioned that once or twice too. Eventually you'll get into a groove and start to plan your schedule in a way that allows you to make the most efficient use of your time. For instance, maybe you'll always stay out for 3 weeks because that's when you need to get PM's done and do your end of the month paperwork. So you get home drop off the truck at the shop, spend a day on paperwork and bills and know you've got the rest of the time for yourself. Otherwise, whenever you get home you're taking care of one or two things as they pop up and they never seem to end. It gets better, but it'll always be more work than you initially thought it would :lol:

 

Merrick,
Put that little boo-boo behind you fast. They've told you don't worry about it so don't. Learn from the mistake and move on. The sooner the better.
If you worry about it, you'll lose focus on your tasks ahead of you.
Just my 2 cents worth.
Like they all have said. You'll find your comfort zone and things will start falling in place and you'll be making business decisions a lot easier.
Best wishes and safe travels.

 

How does this calling on shippers work? I was talking with this broker and he was telling me about the transportation sales position at CH Robinson and how they are to call shippers and see if they have need of carriers. I guess we can do the same really.

I mean if I am in Lakeland, FL can I just call these juice shippers and see if they have loads? Maybe not in those words but just wondering? I mean isn't that all brokers do? Anyone care to enlighten me on this?

And while you are at it, I wish someone would explain what those fence looking things on land next to the highway are in Wyoming? Look like pallets standing on their side. Seemed like they were throughout the whole state. They can't be fences as they are only so long.

 

Those fences are snow drift breaks. They put them up in bad areas where the wind really kicks up and keeps the snow from drifting on the highway.

You can cold call all the shippers you want. Just ask for the shipping department then ask who is in charge of arranging trucks and speak to them.

 

Stay away from Cheap Shippers!!! The shipper money will always be there. Only been burned by 2 shippers, both produce loads. I cant complain. Since you are hauling produce, get to know the packers, farmers, produce brokers, they view your truck very favorably unlike shippers and brokers with other products. Your truck to them is another load of product sold to the customer. Get to know those people.

 

Thanks LOADIT. The thing is, and don't laugh, but when I get to these places I'm obviously there on behalf of a broker. Now sometimes of course the broker represents the buyer not the shipper so I can ask but I didn't want to do anything that would be percieved as stealing the brokers customer. I guess there could be big problems with that.


I do talk with the people at everywhere I go but usually it's just friendly talk. Also as a lot of these places now have spanish people there, and I speak Spanish, well they are usually pretty nice to me. Not that they weren't polite before but you know.

I made one big mistake, the CH Robinson broker with whom I was hauling for mostly in the first place, well as I was running on behalf of this other guy I was accepting loads that were too cheap, so when I got to the point that I refused to put another cheap load on my truck, the broker got mad. But I guess if he isn't going to pay me I don't want to haul for him anyway. Hauling cheap as more consequences than you migh imagine I guess. This guy was head of SE Produce too but if we work together again at least he'll know not to put cheap freight on me.

So in the end, like any other business this is going to take time.

So LoadIT, these shippers you deal with and call on are mostly smaller ones than? I guess that would make sense, I mean how are you going to build a relationship with ConAgra if you don't have 100 trucks or more like 1000?

Well thanks for all the help. And thanks Steve for explaining those drift fences, it was driving me crazy wondering what they were.

 

Just want to add that it is also confusing on who is paying for these trucks. For instance I was in Delaware one time picking up corn and I was asking questions and he said sometimes they hire trucks but as I was picking up for Publix, he said they always obtain their own trucks (me through CH Robinson).

Then you have third party buyers, like right now I picked up apples in Washington and it's for Country Fresh,but I think they distribute to others.
I screwed up in Washington, cause I really got to talking with those kids in the office and I was asking on the harvest times and if they have work all year round. But I do this as I am by nature very curious but I need to put that curiousity to work now. The big question like how many loads you send out a day and stuff like that and leaving my name and number or even getting theirs I didn't do. I have to start doing that.

 

As far as I know, juice rates out of FL are CHEAP and heavy :lol: But everything is worth checking on further, especially when it's that convenient.

I tell ya, sitting here wanting to get out of CA, rates sure aren't keeping up with the fuel spike over the past few weeks :x

 

I know about those juice loads I hauled a bunch of them with the company I was with. They are heavy as hell.

The area I'm going to (Gray Court, SC) seems to have quite a bit of stuff, I might make one more trip before heading back to Florida. Really if I didn't need to do a couple of things, I'd stay out here until I figure this system out.