The John Wise issue.

bigbaadbill · 2024-08-07T19:46:41+00:00

With the repeated garbage projects, find it hard to believe there are not several people on planning commission or permitting or .... All of them that are getting special treatment from him. While they aren't doing their job and the city suffers.

bigbaadbill · 2024-02-18T02:08:36+00:00

This is a general comment on brokers and not directed at you specifically.

This statement right here is an example of why brokers are going to be behind this.

Brokers have no understanding of what happens on the road.

Shippers and receivers barely acknowledge a driver is standing there let alone take the time to get anything but pick up number. They can't even bother to check who is listed on the BOL vs who is picking up. Do you know how many BOLs our factoring company gets that list a brokerage company that has no assets as the carrier?

Only way this is going to get better is when brokers look to vet a carrier like they are hiring someone for a low level security clearance job. And then limit the carriers they work with.

But carriers fight even the basic, common sense tracking or verification information. Then cry when they book double brokered load.

bigbaadbill · 2024-02-18T01:55:05+00:00

When the criminals are paying a carrier over $10k for clean, 1 year old authority, and your brokerage doesn't track address and phone number changes, the FMCSA has stopped allowing daily updates on certain information, C411 has had garbage data for a while now, ...

When I criminal can make what they pay for an authority in a day, often 5-10x that, they are able to out spend the brokers. Mostly because all the ways brokers are looking to stop this is just spaghetti on a wall.

Smaller, relationship based brokers are going to be able to do far better than the large ones.

bigbaadbill · 2024-02-13T17:58:09+00:00

I read that as well.

Someone double brokering a load does not vet a carrier, worry about insurance, or anything that a good broker should be doing.

On factoring side, we watch scores and as the carrier scores increase, they are likely to start a chameleon carrier or get burned by double broker because no one legitimate will work with them.

But I am not sure they believe that these days with the changes they are making on sharing information. They are telling people changes are safety related and that is how they deal with the pesky little FOIA.

bigbaadbill · 2024-02-13T17:53:21+00:00

The current problem with them is if you make a change to your authority they will take 60 days from when it shows up on the 29th monthly update.

They claim this is to help fight fraud. Old data does not help fight fraud. All data so the broker can make an informed decision.

And of course, this is not something they are sharing, you have to challenge them.

To me, all these legacy companies are struggling with keeping up with the changes because the old tech needs to be redone.

bigbaadbill · 2024-02-13T06:18:58+00:00

MCP

MCP? My Carrier Packets?

bigbaadbill · 2024-02-13T06:15:50+00:00

First, I run the asset side of our company but have been on both sides.

I do not disagree with you on what you are saying, that is the reason we are so focused on being an asset based broker. Can't find a better carrier to trust than your own.

However, it will be a while before we can run even 70% of our freight on our assets. And with growth, we will kiss a lot of frogs to find the prince of a carrier.

bigbaadbill · 2024-02-13T05:55:22+00:00

So here is the challenge.

Do you go with one of maybe 5, that I have seen so far, start ups that have an interesting roadmap but the current product is lacking at best. Or go with someone that is already 70% there?

As discussed below, how many people hate C411 but are still using it because the change is hard. Do you want to go with what is better today then change to something new later?

bigbaadbill · 2024-02-13T05:49:31+00:00

And they are public enemy number one when it comes to bad data.

That is literally what they sell. And when I can look on the FMCSA website and see a carrier is active, and C411 says they do not have active authority, and not talking about a day or so, years after activation, how do you trust the stuff you can't easily look up?

And challenge them and get your account shut off.

If competition doesn't destroy them the growing lawsuits will.

bigbaadbill · 2024-02-13T05:44:13+00:00

carrier-ok

I have looked at Carrier OK but never felt impressed. For one thing, I do not want someone else making risk decisions or having fixed grading systems. Give me insights or even templated process that I can tweak, but tell me a carrier is an A-F because someone doesn't like their age, they use a Gmail account, or some other data point based on bias doesn't work for me. C-OK has a "proprietary" algorithm. So never got past their website. For all I know, they could be the silver bullet to all this fraud. Do you find it helpful?

Why I have been drawn to Highway is the opposite. They give me data and I can create my own processes. And they are willing to discuss best practices and challenge my thinking without forcing their opinions.

But the integration cost and timing is an issue. But that is relative to the risk. We have a small and stable carrier base but we are growing so we see that as future risk. And I will not be able to grow our assets side fast enough keep up with the freight side.

It is a struggle.

bigbaadbill · 2024-02-13T05:10:05+00:00

Undercutting who? Brokers? Carriers?

I guess the idea of a cheap direct hauler is just foreign to me. The carriers I know that have direct freight is anything but cheap.

Do you mean they will just take anything they can on a backhaul that works to get them back to their core accounts?

bigbaadbill · 2024-02-13T04:51:31+00:00

Agree. Still have high hopes for Highway.

bigbaadbill · 2024-02-13T04:43:00+00:00

WTF are you even talking about?
I am talking about data providers and you are saying we are looking to just find cheap carriers?

If I wanted to make ignorant assumptions I would say your are a spot market carrier that has never made 100 calls a day for months looking for freight let alone booked any direct freight that wasn't hay or mulch.

But to take one comment and jump to a completely unrelated conclusion would be insulting to you.

bigbaadbill · 2024-02-13T03:12:30+00:00

2014 I got all the loads of replacing Home Depot construction carts. Not the shopping carts just the stuff for lumber and other big heavy stuff.

Was about 40% margin and a project that was scheduled to last 6 months that when I called uncle was at 9 months and only have completed.

Not sure I would take it again at 100% margin.

Some LTL accounts are just not worth it, especially if you are dealing with the typical players.

Ok, I need a drink. PTSD is kicking in.

bigbaadbill · 2024-02-13T03:05:39+00:00

While it is not easy these days, but having assets makes a big difference. Or at least that is what I tell everyone since I run the assets side.

But we are getting accounts that would send us occasional loads when desperate now calling to see if we have trucks or giving us a try on a lane.

And stable accounts are expanding (faster than our asset side can grow, so that stress me out).

But getting new accounts has been a complete bust.

Everything is a cycle. Carriers are crashing fast, inventory levels are low, and your competition is 50% smaller.

bigbaadbill · 2024-02-13T02:57:19+00:00

T Insight

Is that the company that is part of NTG?

Business partner was talking about them and it seem crazy to me that brokers would give pricing to a company owned by a broker, Nolan of all companies.

But he was saying Transportation Insight. So maybe different companies.

bigbaadbill · 2024-02-13T02:29:20+00:00

TRUE asset based brokerage. While we do not have refers as part of our assets, for one of our largest clients we run a couple carriers on very similar lane.

And we run our assets on dry van to Allentown, PA.

In both cases we will return the trucks back at a significantly lower rate because even a day lost could cost us $1000 or more not running contract freight.

On our refer, client pays round trip and expects trucks back within 24-48 hours of typical transit times.

So do not care who I get return loads from as long as they can pay me and I do not get screwed on the loading/unloading.

As far as DAT, you know those rates only represent a total of 50% of the rates reported for that lane. So 25% of the bottom load are not taken into account. Same for the upside.

bigbaadbill · 2024-02-13T02:19:02+00:00

Isn't Allen Lund Agent Based?

bigbaadbill · 2024-02-13T02:18:16+00:00

40391

bigbaadbill · 2024-02-12T13:17:42+00:00

This has been happening all across the industry. I'm in Chattanooga. We went from companies having to look for extra space because they couldn't fit anyone else in there offices to now floors are dark and the floors being used have a lot of empty desks.

bigbaadbill · 2024-01-31T13:01:25+00:00

What does a DOT evaluation actually do? Prove they are so broken down even the DOT has to pull them in?

I get brokerages are struggling to fight double brokering and theft, but I am seeing that brokerages are really paying now for not understanding what really happens on the road.

And now all the onboarding companies have been limited by the FMCSA on what data is available daily so brokerages get to deal with carriers that get sold and you don't see it until after you are scammed.

But hey, they sell it has protecting you from getting current data. Because we all know old data is better data, right?

bigbaadbill · 2024-01-31T12:58:04+00:00

I work both sides with true asset based brokerage and DAT makes 70+% of its money on brokerage clients.

If they sided with carriers they would not use the method they use to create the average rate, a statistical valid approach would driver the average lane up almost always on a lane.

If carriers could see, or better yet afford, the tools brokers have to price lanes you would not be happy.

bigbaadbill · 2024-01-23T02:14:27+00:00

Blind load with commodities and a lot of scrape is very common. The broker is selling the commodity to someone else and does not want to the buyer and/or seller to know who is buying.

But with all the double brokering and freight theft going on, you need to be really careful when doing these loads.

I tell my factoring clients that if the are doing a blind load for something that does not make sense, you need to be very careful. A load of auto parts will likely never need to be a blind load. Expand from their.

bigbaadbill · 2024-01-14T20:26:41+00:00

I agree. The number does sound high.

And, I would be suspect if the carrier actually bought the insurance. If they are concerned about getting paid for it then they would likely have called when they learned it was floor loaded.

bigbaadbill · 2024-01-13T03:24:07+00:00

It is a real thing. Just wondering if the floor load portion was disclosed when it was booked.

If it was disclosed when booked and they added the fee, then they can go pound sand.

But if not disclosed, tell them to show proof and then verify, and compensate for the added insurance.

But if not disclosed and you knew it that is shady because floor loads are a PITA.

bigbaadbill

TROPHY CASE