It's now mid-summer, 2011, the year the bugs and quirks were supposed to be worked out of the governments DP3 system. Ha! By far, I'm sure you will all agree, it couldn't possibly be any WORSE!
There is so much to smash on and wondering 'wtf are they thinking', I'm not quite sure where to start and if there is anywhere to stop! I regret not taking time throughout the last month to update my blog and all the foolishness I've seen on the street but this time of the year, sleep is more important and time off is rare...
Remember for the past few years they slowly tried to implement this wonderful 'Families First', now DP3, system?? Every time they tried there were problems problems and more problems. No one in the industry thought it would work and no agents or drivers were welcoming it. After seeing this year after year they decided to FORCE it on to us and did so successfully. How did this really happen?? Why in the world and how in the world did the carriers allow it? I understand the military is THE biggest mover of household goods in the world and it is the bread and butter for thousands in the industry, but why would you possibly let a customer (of ANY size) dictate to you how to run your business?? First of all, most of the people in the corporate offices don't know anything about the moving industry anyhow, but now you're going to let some military officer tell you? What does he really know about the day to day operations of a moving company?? Was he deployed to Fort Wayne, Indiana for a tour to learn the industry? The answer is surely 'No.' With that being said, it is totally and honestly ridiculous that the industry allowed this to happen. Yes, customers are the most important person in the big equation but if sum of your equation equals ZERO or a negative by dealing with this customer, what are you really accomplishing?? Nothing. And that's the problem. Most, if not all, of the major players out here just bowed down to the military and let them have their way.
Now, since they forced DP3 upon the industry look at all the wonderful times we are having!! Great idea, right?? Last year the carriers set discounts so low that no one made a profit except them. Agents and drivers were trying to figure out all the workings of this god forsaken system to try to profit while never being able to and the carriers were saying '..it's really not that bad!'. Of course not - you have little to no overhead! As the winter passsed more agents and drivers went out of business and day by day, as the cycle change came close, the carriers were singing about how much better this year will be. I heard it all about how the rates were going to be SO much better and how smooth things should be... What happened? Do you really think that because your lows are only 69% that its ok? Drivers and agents started refusing 70's, so you put in a 69 and think its going to be better? This only goes to show how unconnected you really are from where you need to be for everyone to be profitable. And honestly, most of the carriers lows aren't even 69% - they're still in the 70's! Why?? Now, in order to get these shipments moved, you are paying either bonuses (which I'm SURE the driver never sees) or a different linehaul discount. Well, to that, at least you realize that much. But if someone in your office realized it takes a low discount to move a shipment, wouldn't it be smart to have him consult with the person setting your discounts?!? These people get paid generously for the job title they have but yet can't get together and make an intelligent decision? I realize that the government set limits for high and low discounts, which, by the way, I don't even believe is legal, but wouldn't you think that you would want to be at the side most beneficial to you and your company? Hmm.. If the owner of my company said 'I'm going to pay you somewhere between $4000 and $7500' to haul a shipment, do you really think I'm going to tell him - 'Yea, I'll take the 4, Thanks!' This is not brain surgery! I do think some of you folks in the corporate offices NEED brain surgery, but this definitely is not. Everyone knew that this was going to be one of the busiest years in a LONG time so why not put in 40% discounts? There's plenty of work to go around, why not? Oh yea, because we wouldn't dare want another carrier to haul 8 more junk shipments than us! Then we can't say we're the biggest or busiest... We'd rather lose money than our reputation. Sadly to say, the reputation you have created for yourself is FOOL. Well congratulations because your reputation is one I'm glad I'm not stuck with right now!
Since the industry lost so many agents and drivers over last year, this year was certain to be interesting... And boy has it been!! Where do we start? Well without the amount of drivers needed to haul the amount of shipments you were awarded because of your crappy rates, you have resorted to paying different linehauls and/or putting shipments on ABF or other freight trailers. This is ABSURD!! Let's look at this...
By paying a different linehaul, you are getting the shipments moved, but look at the extra cost - I've personally pulled two shipments, 29000#, for the same carrier, out of the same area, at 59% discount instead of the 72.18% discount the job was booked at. The difference in the linehaul amounts was not small. I appreciate the work because at 72%, I would have sat at home. Instead I took your profit and then some. Thanks. Next time put in a better rate and we can both make a profit.
Next, someone came up with the bright idea of using ABF trailers. This was a brilliant idea!! Someone figured 'Hey we don't need a household goods driver - we can load freight trailers!' Again, I must comend you on this idea.. First of all, if you were knowledgable, you would realize, in the summer, the quality of help you get from an agent is pretty much poor. Everyone knows even drivers find it tough to find good help from an agent. This is why so many drivers run with someone because if all else fails they have one good man and together you can show the greenhorns and get the job done. Where does the knowledge come from when three greenhorns show up on a job to load an ABF trailer? Do you, as carriers, honestly think you are getting the agents best loader? Or a loader at all? Since the agent doesn't have any responsiblilty of a claim (unless the shipper actually sees something done at origin) what does he care? I just hope no agents are dumb enough to be loading the trailers for $3.50/cwt. Please don't. ABF isn't giving away a 70% discount to move the trailers. They pay ABF what they want. Let them pay you what you need. Name your price to load them. If thats what they want you to do - fine - but set a price where you are going to profit. If not let the ABF driver load it.. Let's see what THAT would cost.. But obviously, cost is no issue at this time.. It's almost seeming like the union is getting their foot in the door a little at a time. Drivers and agents are dropping off left and right, carriers are reeling and losing money by the ton and we're giving away our work to unionized companies to haul. If this keeps up we won't have any work at all! If ANY unions are pushed upon this industry - shouldn't it be one WE create? Back to what it is really costing these carriers to ship these shipments by ABF - It costs to load the truck - hopefully around $10/cwt, then they have to pay ABF to pull the trailer to its destination, and then another $10/cwt to unload it. If you think ABF is pulling these trailers around for free - you're out of your mind! Sadly enough, the money it's costing for the transportation ALONE is more than the linehauls! I know this for fact. I've seen a Landstar Qualcomm that showed the linehaul for a shipment going from RI to Pensacola, FL. $3.00/mile plus waiting time on both ends. The GBL was paying $4100 and change. The mileage was 1398 miles x 3.00 = $4194.00, and this doesn't include the money to load and unload it. Again, another loss. And let's not forget the all intelligent Full Value Protection that you promised!! How many happy customers do you suppose there will be later having their worldly possesions paper padded and thrown on a spring ride freight trailer with holes in the ceiling and sides? (I have pictures of these as well, so it's not heresay!) So not only are you taking a loss on the transportation, you will SURELY see even bigger losses when the claims start rolling in! Guess what - you did it to yourselves and DONT expect us drivers to help deflect any cost of this because we won't! YOU made your bed - lie in it. I really find it not only disgusting, but also mind boggling on why you would do such things as these instead of just paying the experienced drivers you have (or have recently lost) to do the job the right way? All of these years you have been figuring out a way to increase YOUR profits and decrease ours until we had no more to take. Now look at where we are. How does the word 'Quality' even show up in your vocabulary? You expect us to give you high quality work when you are paying less experienced or NO experience people to do our job? Thank God there are some guys like me that take anythying that I do personally and make sure its done right - otherwise you might as well fire anyone in Quality Assurance. You should anyhow it's a joke.. Real furniture movers don't need any help or guidance from some 20 year old girl answering a phone 1500 miles away. Unfortunately, real furniture movers are hard to come by these days.. This is why the few of us left are going to surely demand we get what we deserve! I recently pulled an ABF trailer to a shippers house from Yuma, Az. He had two. The one I brought was filled with boxes and a little bit of furniture they literally threw in it. When I returned to the yard to hook up to the second trailer to bring him, I couldn't because the mup flaps interfered with the landing gear. We called the carrier to have ABF pull it out to residence - Couldn't possibly be done until the next day. Contacted the carrier, their thoughts were to cut off the shippers lock against his wishes and put it onto a shuttle truck to deliver it. The shuttle would be paid for but just get it done. Why is it that a shuttle for a job that doesn't need it can get authorized in less than two minutes but a driver that needs a legitimate shuttle needs to wait hours if not all day for authorization? Anyhow, calls were made by my company to find another tractor to pull the trailer there to try to salvage a relationship with the customer and it finally got there around 3:30. Nice, the trailer with the furniture shows up late afternoon. ALL his wood was marred, broken, chipped or gouged in one way or the other. All 17500 lbs of it. It was wrapped in brown paper partially and some dressers were loaded on their sides, others were wood on top of wood leaving rub and wear marks of 2300 miles. And of course, since the person doing the inventory wasn't responsible for anything, basically just listed his items. No descriptions, just an occasional top scratched.This shipper will probably get a 25 or 30 thousand dollar claim. This is your great idea of moving a 67% discount... I have never seen a shipper so stressed out and rightfully so than this Marine officer. And to think this is where the carriers are pushing the industry.
With all the crazy and foolish things going on right now - how can this DP3 system still even be a viable thought in the minds of anyone?!? Everyone needs to start opening their mouths and reiterate to the powers at be that this is not going to work. Every time you turn around there is an exception for this and that so why bother? The rules are made up as things go along and are constatly changing. To think this is all supposed to be for customer satisfaction. Fact is, nobody is happy - not the agents, the drivers OR the customers! So at what point of disarray or how many people have to go out of business before this changes? Hopefully not too many more because there aren't many left! Every day this continues, the deeper the hole is we are going to have to dig ourselves out of.. Thankfully I work for a small independant company who has been being extremely picky at what tonnage we haul. If it doesn't pay - we don't haul it. If I don't want any particular shipment, it stays where it's at. This is probably why I still move furniture. I don't have to deal with the shady 'if you don't want this shipment, you lose the whole load' crap that most dispatchers pull. Today a major carrier called my company with 3 shipments - one at a 51% discount, the other two at 72%. The owner told them we'd gladly take the 51 but we were all set with the others. Their response was - one or none, so he chose none. 30 minutes later, they called again to find out where to fax the paperwork on the 51% job. If everyone adopts this train of thought, it won't take long for the carriers to realize agents and drivers have woken up and things will change! They'll have to. Hopefully it won't be before its too late.. Please, if you agree with any of the things I have to say - firstly, join me on my facebook page and secondly, and most importantly raise your voice and let it be known - things have to change or our industry will be going the way of the horse and carraige, a thing of the past. Lastly, to all my fellow drivers out there trying to do their jobs - Be safe, keep your head up and try to spread the word - together we can make a difference!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
A tale of the 70% discount...
I've had a few days around the house and got to do things I don't get a chance to so much on the road such as looking through the newspaper and flyers that come to the house.. It seems out of all the great sales and discounts that businesses are giving today to try to get a small edge in, I have yet to find one offering a 70% discount for anything.. Especially anyone in the service industry. I've read ads for maybe 10% discount or a senior citizen's discount of 10-15%, but no 70% discounts? Why would you suppose only moving companies are giving 70% discounts and ABOVE?? Even with material products that are sold everyday by conglomorate corporations like Walmart aren't marked down 70%.. At best you may catch a Buy One, Get One at 50% off or if you're lucky Buy One, Get One Free. But even with these deals the first one you purchase is at no discount with the second "free" one at equal or lessor value.
I don't feel out service should be discounted at all, unless occasionally you wanted to give a senior citizen a little.. But these huge discounts of today are ridiculous and need to be stopped!! As a driver or an agent, even the 'Buy One, Get One' would be better than where the discounts are today! With the same conditions - you move with me once, the next time YOU personally move again, I'd do it for free considering it was of equal or lessor value. This sounds absurd but in actuality it's far better than what we are hauling now. The first move would be at FULL price, therefore you'ld be able to profit enough on that move to take the chance that the same customer would have to move the same miles, with the same amount of household items again. At worst it would be two moves at a 50% discount... Hmm, that's a huge increase over a 70% discount isn't it??
A question to the carriers and "salesmen" of today - What are the benefits of giving a 70% discount on a service where you, no my mistake, I am 100% responsible for replacement value? There is NONE! Not to me anyhow. You, yes, me no. You both make a commision off of the service that I provide. This makes no sense. First off let's see what commision means, or what it means to be 'on commision'.. According to Dictionary.com, the idiom of on commision is - paid entirely or partially with commisions from SALES or for WORK one has done. Now, with that, let's look into this a little bit. For the carrier - you hire what you call salesmen to 'sell' your product (which is me by the way, not your logo!) and you do no actual work when it comes to getting the job that got booked done. You do have the authorities and insurances and what not to deserve some of the pie, but not the huge chunks you take. Now to the 'salesmen' that you hire to 'sell' my service. First of all, a salesmen, you would think would SELL the product or service to the public. You need to change their titles to 'Charity givers' or maybe 'Givers of others money' because this is what they do. They do not sell ANYTHING!! A salesman that has one ounce of self respect for his title would not be proud of selling a 70% discount! How can you be rewarded for landing an account that you're willing to give a huge discount like that?!? The problem of today is that when Mary Lou calls the first moving company, that salesmen will give her a 65% discount, mover two 70%, mover three 72%.... Why in the world do the discounts keep getting bigger and bigger? So your 'Charity giver' can get his percentage for just bidding lower than the previous guy? That's not SELLING that is AUCTIONING! Backwards auctioning at that. Why should he get a percentage of ANYTHING?!? He should get a pinkslip for being a moron! The owner of my company, who is also the salsman, booked a 45% discount on 13000 pounds going from NY to Florida. That's SELLING a job on quality service not giving it away just to work. Any high school kid can say 'We can do it cheaper than that!', and he'll be happy with minimum wage. Instead, you think you're going to sell MY service for minimum wage. Well my friend, the time is over for that - whether you realize that or not but if not you soon will because you will be out of business! And your dispatchers who force these huge discounts onto their drivers are disgraceful. They put the SUPER ridiculous discounted shipments in with shipments where there driver might make a few pennies so he still just breaks even.. Why?!? To get it moved? There is a real simple solution to the problem of getting it moved - DONT BOOK IT!! I've recently heard of an 80% discount on a North American driver! And a 78% DP3 on a Mayflower driver. Big shipments with big discounts gets you a little money and your driver none. It's has been getting out of hand for a long time now and it's to the point where drivers needto say enough is enough! It's disgusting that this is how you and your people treat the ones who provide their services..
And finally, the reason that I figure you will be out of business soon is because when I DO see signs for any discounts as ridiculous as 70% or more is when a company hangs a sign on the front of the building that says "GOING OUT OF BUSINESS - EVERYTHING MUST GO" Even those going out of business don't start with a 70% discount, they start around 50% and as the days linger down to the last it finally reaches 70 or 75%.. When there is nothing left to save. Why would our industry be any different?? Look around, open your eyes. Drivers are getting tired of being broke to make you and your charity giving salsmen money... With out drivers - guess what..
YOU ARE OUT OF BUSINESS!
You can take that to the bank...
Drivers it's time!! Let's get together and FORCE changes! STOP HAULING JUNK TONNAGE!!
I don't feel out service should be discounted at all, unless occasionally you wanted to give a senior citizen a little.. But these huge discounts of today are ridiculous and need to be stopped!! As a driver or an agent, even the 'Buy One, Get One' would be better than where the discounts are today! With the same conditions - you move with me once, the next time YOU personally move again, I'd do it for free considering it was of equal or lessor value. This sounds absurd but in actuality it's far better than what we are hauling now. The first move would be at FULL price, therefore you'ld be able to profit enough on that move to take the chance that the same customer would have to move the same miles, with the same amount of household items again. At worst it would be two moves at a 50% discount... Hmm, that's a huge increase over a 70% discount isn't it??
A question to the carriers and "salesmen" of today - What are the benefits of giving a 70% discount on a service where you, no my mistake, I am 100% responsible for replacement value? There is NONE! Not to me anyhow. You, yes, me no. You both make a commision off of the service that I provide. This makes no sense. First off let's see what commision means, or what it means to be 'on commision'.. According to Dictionary.com, the idiom of on commision is - paid entirely or partially with commisions from SALES or for WORK one has done. Now, with that, let's look into this a little bit. For the carrier - you hire what you call salesmen to 'sell' your product (which is me by the way, not your logo!) and you do no actual work when it comes to getting the job that got booked done. You do have the authorities and insurances and what not to deserve some of the pie, but not the huge chunks you take. Now to the 'salesmen' that you hire to 'sell' my service. First of all, a salesmen, you would think would SELL the product or service to the public. You need to change their titles to 'Charity givers' or maybe 'Givers of others money' because this is what they do. They do not sell ANYTHING!! A salesman that has one ounce of self respect for his title would not be proud of selling a 70% discount! How can you be rewarded for landing an account that you're willing to give a huge discount like that?!? The problem of today is that when Mary Lou calls the first moving company, that salesmen will give her a 65% discount, mover two 70%, mover three 72%.... Why in the world do the discounts keep getting bigger and bigger? So your 'Charity giver' can get his percentage for just bidding lower than the previous guy? That's not SELLING that is AUCTIONING! Backwards auctioning at that. Why should he get a percentage of ANYTHING?!? He should get a pinkslip for being a moron! The owner of my company, who is also the salsman, booked a 45% discount on 13000 pounds going from NY to Florida. That's SELLING a job on quality service not giving it away just to work. Any high school kid can say 'We can do it cheaper than that!', and he'll be happy with minimum wage. Instead, you think you're going to sell MY service for minimum wage. Well my friend, the time is over for that - whether you realize that or not but if not you soon will because you will be out of business! And your dispatchers who force these huge discounts onto their drivers are disgraceful. They put the SUPER ridiculous discounted shipments in with shipments where there driver might make a few pennies so he still just breaks even.. Why?!? To get it moved? There is a real simple solution to the problem of getting it moved - DONT BOOK IT!! I've recently heard of an 80% discount on a North American driver! And a 78% DP3 on a Mayflower driver. Big shipments with big discounts gets you a little money and your driver none. It's has been getting out of hand for a long time now and it's to the point where drivers needto say enough is enough! It's disgusting that this is how you and your people treat the ones who provide their services..
And finally, the reason that I figure you will be out of business soon is because when I DO see signs for any discounts as ridiculous as 70% or more is when a company hangs a sign on the front of the building that says "GOING OUT OF BUSINESS - EVERYTHING MUST GO" Even those going out of business don't start with a 70% discount, they start around 50% and as the days linger down to the last it finally reaches 70 or 75%.. When there is nothing left to save. Why would our industry be any different?? Look around, open your eyes. Drivers are getting tired of being broke to make you and your charity giving salsmen money... With out drivers - guess what..
YOU ARE OUT OF BUSINESS!
You can take that to the bank...
Drivers it's time!! Let's get together and FORCE changes! STOP HAULING JUNK TONNAGE!!
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Attention Carriers - Time to wake up!
Today is May 15th, the day the military rates are supposed to go up to a rate where someone besides the carriers may be able to make a buck. Unfortunately I'm thinking a change for the better has been made, but for most it is going to be too little and probably too late. Many owner operators and agents have been trying the best we can to get by on the travesty that you, the carriers have started. And what have the larger companies been doing while we've been suffering?? "Necessary" things like cutting all their overhead with their trucks and putting all the expense on some poor driver, or how about, the definitely needed logo change? Hello?!?! Mr CEO, your drivers are starving, losing everything they have, your agents are shutting the doors at a rate unheard of, and you think a new logo is going to do the trick?? I don't make the huge salary that you or your whole marketing department does, but I DO know a new logo for an entire fleet of trucks is not cheap nor is it going to help your business. I do know however, that if you took a little more time and money and put it into your MOST VALUABLE resource, your contractors, you'd see a significant difference. You are asking us to go into situations where we KNOW we aren't going to make a paycheck and perform a service no one else wants to do, and do it with a smile.. How many drivers out here do you think are happy making no money? I can see in someones face when they aren't happy - your customers can too. And their quality of work is what is going to sell your business NOT your logo!! So next time when you have your board meeting, why don't you have some representation from us, your drivers? And no, not a yes-man, figurehead. I'm mean an intelligent businessman driver. You may have to do a little searching, and schedule your meeting around his schedule, but you'll get REAL input on what's going on in the street, where your work is done, believe it or not . How are office workers who have never been on a job going to figure out what it needs to take to make a change?? I've never seen a Bible of Moving, and the corny training videos you publish don't come close to real life situations. That's like training a soldier on an XBox, isn't the same. All the money spent on your logo change could have been put to good use by the guys who do the work, if they're still in business. You could have split the money in half, put half in your pocket and the other half split between drivers and you would have had a bigger profit (as if you need one), overjoyed drivers who would still be happy with their job, and even drivers beating your door down for a job. Instead you have drivers leaving by the busload, and no one can figure out why... because they aren't making money!! It's not brain surgery.
Now, the reason we aren't making any money:
The first and foremost reason we are not making any money is because the people who set the rates in this industry have NO IDEA what it takes to do a household move. None. So, that being the case, why is that their job?!? I wouldn't want a dentist telling me how much it is going to cost to have a toilet installed. But this is how the moving industry is run. It's absurd. The people saying the work can be done at a 75% discount have no idea what's involved. I just don't understand. The salesmen are getting ridiculous as well.
All to book a job that isn't profitable? How many days do you think either of these people would work if THEIR paycheck didn't come? Or if it was discounted 75%?? But yet your drivers do it everyday!!
Instead of having a stupid video to show your office people what goes on - how about they get in a truck for a couple weeks or better yet, until the driver gets back to HIS home, and see what happens. First of all, the positions would probably stay open but that's besides the point. At that point I feel a salesman would be able to accurately price a job. He'd be able to see what it REALLY takes to do things such as: hoist a couch out of a third floor window, fight to get a truck into a tiny alley fighting traffic, put up with unrealistic shippers IN PERSON, not on the phone, sit in a truck stop for days on end waiting for a load, put up with the DOT regualtions and cops who have hard ons for truckers, and the list goes on and on.
What everyone fails to realize is that us drivers give up a big part of our personnal lives for our jobs. You don't. You don't miss birthdays, holidays, dinner with long lost relatives, baseball and soccer games, plays, first days of school, etc., etc.. And as far as you're concerned, apparently, none of these things are worth anything. Well they are and if you don't make this profitable for the drivers your salesmen and office people will soon have no choice but to be on the truck or there will be no job. If we made the money we deserve nobody would have to miss these things because airplane tickets or rental cars would be affordable in order for people to get to where they need to be and be back in time to complete their jobs. In the past I've done it but now I can't afford to! This is why we drivers are taking a stand in order to have OUR lives back.. Wake up corporate moving industry or there will not be a moving industry no more! Let the people who want to bicker over pennies move their own stuff! They'll only do it once, trust me. Then they'll call back and pay the price that we need to get. Stop wasteful spending and put it into your most valuable resource: YOUR DRIVERS!!
Now, fuel prices. Need I say more?? It disgusts me that we are paying over $4.00/ gal for fuel. And I've heard of non-existent fuel surcharges, are you kidding?? EVERY business out here is charging a fuel surcharge. And remind me the reason the carrier needs any of the fuel surcharge? I put the fuel in my truck, I need the fuel surcharge, not you. Here's an example of how assanine this is:
I'm looking at an estimate on a 5000# move going short mileage. Surprisingly, it's a 68% discount. The fuel surcharge rate is 0.0027 and totals $12.69. 0.0027??? Twentyseven ten-thousandths?? And how far is $12.69 going to get my truck. Well let's figure it out: $12.69 divided by $4.499/gal = 2.8206 gallons of diesel fuel. My truck gets approx. 5 mpg therefore my truck would be able to go 14.1 miles. Basically, that doesn't get me out of the hell hole of an apartment complex that your salesman said was 'no problem at all, easily accessed'. This is RIDICULOUS! The only other business I know that doesn't charge a fuel surcharge is the US Post Office.. Want me to figure out what it would cost a shipper if they had to move a trailer load of household items via the USPS?? I bet the numbers would have 5 or 6 figures in it. But yet we do it for next to nothing! If the shippers do not want to pay the price let THEM buy the fuel and load it in a rental truck. Save us all a headache. When they arrive at their new destination and their loved one is crying and screaming because over half their stuff is broken and now junk, next time they will pay what it's worth.
On the same estimate the extra stop rate is $40.70. I guess this means the extra stop is definitely within 25 miles, because it only pays for less than 10 gallons of fuel. (I guess the help rides around for free!) Think about what you are doing. We drivers can not absorb anymore costs!! We aren't making any money to begin with because of simple things like this.
If you care so much about the customer, stop taking the money out of our pockets and reach into yours. WE do the work, WE keep the customer happy, WE get situations figured out 100 times a day WITHOUT calling an operations manager for help. We'll most likely get a voicemail ,so why bother when we can save all important time figuring it out ourselves. No one in the corporate world of moving know what job his contractors actually have.. We are professionals at way more than just carrying boxes like most think. Actually, alot of drivers don't actually tote much but they manage a crew of workers as well as the customers. We have to direct all our help but also deal with everything else that is involved. Sometimes that involves comforting a shipper who is in tears as her sofa is being carried out of the house. Or, like I recently had to deal with, a shipper who was apparently bipolar, on strong meds and drinking the entire 32 hours I was on the job. (That didn't include the 3 day pack) We have to deal with the DOT regulations, the police, the company mandated policies, over and above the state and federal policies, for what?? For some moron to tell us how to do our job when we are doing it for next to nothing!?!
It's time for everyone to wake up! EVERYONE! Carriers wake up and appreciate what we do every day for you and drivers wake up and stand up for yourselves!! Don't quit - quitting is easy... Fight! Fight for your occupation and livelihood! If we are going down, let's put our feet down, our heads together and demand a change! If not let the them sink with us.
Now, the reason we aren't making any money:
The first and foremost reason we are not making any money is because the people who set the rates in this industry have NO IDEA what it takes to do a household move. None. So, that being the case, why is that their job?!? I wouldn't want a dentist telling me how much it is going to cost to have a toilet installed. But this is how the moving industry is run. It's absurd. The people saying the work can be done at a 75% discount have no idea what's involved. I just don't understand. The salesmen are getting ridiculous as well.
All to book a job that isn't profitable? How many days do you think either of these people would work if THEIR paycheck didn't come? Or if it was discounted 75%?? But yet your drivers do it everyday!!
Instead of having a stupid video to show your office people what goes on - how about they get in a truck for a couple weeks or better yet, until the driver gets back to HIS home, and see what happens. First of all, the positions would probably stay open but that's besides the point. At that point I feel a salesman would be able to accurately price a job. He'd be able to see what it REALLY takes to do things such as: hoist a couch out of a third floor window, fight to get a truck into a tiny alley fighting traffic, put up with unrealistic shippers IN PERSON, not on the phone, sit in a truck stop for days on end waiting for a load, put up with the DOT regualtions and cops who have hard ons for truckers, and the list goes on and on.
What everyone fails to realize is that us drivers give up a big part of our personnal lives for our jobs. You don't. You don't miss birthdays, holidays, dinner with long lost relatives, baseball and soccer games, plays, first days of school, etc., etc.. And as far as you're concerned, apparently, none of these things are worth anything. Well they are and if you don't make this profitable for the drivers your salesmen and office people will soon have no choice but to be on the truck or there will be no job. If we made the money we deserve nobody would have to miss these things because airplane tickets or rental cars would be affordable in order for people to get to where they need to be and be back in time to complete their jobs. In the past I've done it but now I can't afford to! This is why we drivers are taking a stand in order to have OUR lives back.. Wake up corporate moving industry or there will not be a moving industry no more! Let the people who want to bicker over pennies move their own stuff! They'll only do it once, trust me. Then they'll call back and pay the price that we need to get. Stop wasteful spending and put it into your most valuable resource: YOUR DRIVERS!!
Now, fuel prices. Need I say more?? It disgusts me that we are paying over $4.00/ gal for fuel. And I've heard of non-existent fuel surcharges, are you kidding?? EVERY business out here is charging a fuel surcharge. And remind me the reason the carrier needs any of the fuel surcharge? I put the fuel in my truck, I need the fuel surcharge, not you. Here's an example of how assanine this is:
I'm looking at an estimate on a 5000# move going short mileage. Surprisingly, it's a 68% discount. The fuel surcharge rate is 0.0027 and totals $12.69. 0.0027??? Twentyseven ten-thousandths?? And how far is $12.69 going to get my truck. Well let's figure it out: $12.69 divided by $4.499/gal = 2.8206 gallons of diesel fuel. My truck gets approx. 5 mpg therefore my truck would be able to go 14.1 miles. Basically, that doesn't get me out of the hell hole of an apartment complex that your salesman said was 'no problem at all, easily accessed'. This is RIDICULOUS! The only other business I know that doesn't charge a fuel surcharge is the US Post Office.. Want me to figure out what it would cost a shipper if they had to move a trailer load of household items via the USPS?? I bet the numbers would have 5 or 6 figures in it. But yet we do it for next to nothing! If the shippers do not want to pay the price let THEM buy the fuel and load it in a rental truck. Save us all a headache. When they arrive at their new destination and their loved one is crying and screaming because over half their stuff is broken and now junk, next time they will pay what it's worth.
On the same estimate the extra stop rate is $40.70. I guess this means the extra stop is definitely within 25 miles, because it only pays for less than 10 gallons of fuel. (I guess the help rides around for free!) Think about what you are doing. We drivers can not absorb anymore costs!! We aren't making any money to begin with because of simple things like this.
If you care so much about the customer, stop taking the money out of our pockets and reach into yours. WE do the work, WE keep the customer happy, WE get situations figured out 100 times a day WITHOUT calling an operations manager for help. We'll most likely get a voicemail ,so why bother when we can save all important time figuring it out ourselves. No one in the corporate world of moving know what job his contractors actually have.. We are professionals at way more than just carrying boxes like most think. Actually, alot of drivers don't actually tote much but they manage a crew of workers as well as the customers. We have to direct all our help but also deal with everything else that is involved. Sometimes that involves comforting a shipper who is in tears as her sofa is being carried out of the house. Or, like I recently had to deal with, a shipper who was apparently bipolar, on strong meds and drinking the entire 32 hours I was on the job. (That didn't include the 3 day pack) We have to deal with the DOT regulations, the police, the company mandated policies, over and above the state and federal policies, for what?? For some moron to tell us how to do our job when we are doing it for next to nothing!?!
It's time for everyone to wake up! EVERYONE! Carriers wake up and appreciate what we do every day for you and drivers wake up and stand up for yourselves!! Don't quit - quitting is easy... Fight! Fight for your occupation and livelihood! If we are going down, let's put our feet down, our heads together and demand a change! If not let the them sink with us.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Drivers needed!
Well, it's getting to be that time of year again. The giveaway lists are building already & recruiters are going CRAZY trying to find drivers. Unfortunately for them, they finally have their work cut out for them.
So far, within the last few months I've heard from carriers I looked into signing up with as much as three years ago! I've been offered jobs from several places. Another friend was offered a job at every agent he stopped at on a trip from Va to Southern Cal.. He told me an agent in El Cajon has no idea where he's going to put tonnage because, in his words, 'No one is going to want to haul this junk...' ALREADY?!? It's not quite May 1st yet... He has an absolute right to worry and wonder because he is right. My advice to him - Don't do it! Don't do it to yourself, your company, and your help! It's stupid. If the carriers want to overbook junk tonnage, let the carriers come pick it up off the street and bring it back to their cubicle and store it until they can sucker some greenhorn to take it! We as drivers and small agents have a HUGE advantage right now people, let's not pass this oppurtunity up. It's economics 101 - Supply and demand.
Drivers have never been in such high demand. Now that finally it's being realized, even in the offices finally, that without drivers, there is no moving company. Without the guys at the bottom, nothing gets done, nothing. I'm actually interested about what this summer can bring. I'm thinking hopefully we can throw alittle bit of OUR weight around now! Tired of dispatchers and operations managers with their panties a little too tight?? You should be! We are the slaves of today. We do work noone else will do and we are doing it for free... Slaves - sad to say in this day and age. Let's take advantage of this oppurtunity.. Input from anyone would be good... I know SOMEONE has to agree with me!?! Let the salesman who books a 70% discount pick up the shipments - don't haul them! How quick do you REALLY think it could change if NO driver will touch it? Newsflash - if he doesn't get paid, if the job doesn't come out of the house. They may fire the first guy that tries it, but when noone hauls it - what are they going to do? Go into June with no drivers!?! Let's get this together! I want to make money.......
So far, within the last few months I've heard from carriers I looked into signing up with as much as three years ago! I've been offered jobs from several places. Another friend was offered a job at every agent he stopped at on a trip from Va to Southern Cal.. He told me an agent in El Cajon has no idea where he's going to put tonnage because, in his words, 'No one is going to want to haul this junk...' ALREADY?!? It's not quite May 1st yet... He has an absolute right to worry and wonder because he is right. My advice to him - Don't do it! Don't do it to yourself, your company, and your help! It's stupid. If the carriers want to overbook junk tonnage, let the carriers come pick it up off the street and bring it back to their cubicle and store it until they can sucker some greenhorn to take it! We as drivers and small agents have a HUGE advantage right now people, let's not pass this oppurtunity up. It's economics 101 - Supply and demand.
Drivers have never been in such high demand. Now that finally it's being realized, even in the offices finally, that without drivers, there is no moving company. Without the guys at the bottom, nothing gets done, nothing. I'm actually interested about what this summer can bring. I'm thinking hopefully we can throw alittle bit of OUR weight around now! Tired of dispatchers and operations managers with their panties a little too tight?? You should be! We are the slaves of today. We do work noone else will do and we are doing it for free... Slaves - sad to say in this day and age. Let's take advantage of this oppurtunity.. Input from anyone would be good... I know SOMEONE has to agree with me!?! Let the salesman who books a 70% discount pick up the shipments - don't haul them! How quick do you REALLY think it could change if NO driver will touch it? Newsflash - if he doesn't get paid, if the job doesn't come out of the house. They may fire the first guy that tries it, but when noone hauls it - what are they going to do? Go into June with no drivers!?! Let's get this together! I want to make money.......
Monday, April 25, 2011
It's time to take a stand!
Ok everyone, as an owner operator, I've continued to see this moving industry be controlled by large carriers and corporate know nothings for far too long! It's time us, the operators and small agents stand up, stand together and say - "Enough is enough!". I may not think the same as everyone, but all the folks I've dealt with over the past few years all say the same as me. This industry is running itself into the ground. Especially within the last year or so the situation has gone from dire, to now - desperate. Every driver I know personally, or have spoken with is broke! BROKE?!? No, none of them are overindulging in Sin City either.. Everyone is saying the same thing over and over - 'I don't know about this moving game..'
Well, although it may sound stupid, but I used to enjoy it. Most movers do - the work hard, ridiculous and alot of stress, but at one time you as a small business owner were rewarded with gratitude from everyone, and most importantly a nice fat settlement! Boy those were the days....
But wait! No, that's not good enough! Those weren't the days. What about tomorrow??
What I haven't figured out is why is it the people that have NO IDEA about what it takes to do a household move have ALL the say in what WE get paid?!? Are you kidding me?? The people in the office that are telling us what is best for us to do probably hasn't even stepped inside a truck and trailer, unless it was part of his little walk through about 'our operation here at ABC Van Lines'. Come on guys we need to get together and say enough is enough! If its junk tonnage that isn't going to make us a profit, let the carrier deal with it. Let Betty from customer service take your two wheeler and go out to the job. Do you think ANYONE from the office will be shedding their button up to lug a dresser to the fourth floor?!? We have a job NOBODY wants to do - but we get to do it for free! What? This is a no brainer - let's get together and put a stop to this nonsense - BEFORE the busy season! Everyone is "gearing up" - Let us do the same and DEMAND what we deserve! We are broke now - at least if we are broke over the summer, its nice out and we can enjoy time with the family. Betty will be busy answering complaints but everyone else can be broke too then!
Well, although it may sound stupid, but I used to enjoy it. Most movers do - the work hard, ridiculous and alot of stress, but at one time you as a small business owner were rewarded with gratitude from everyone, and most importantly a nice fat settlement! Boy those were the days....
But wait! No, that's not good enough! Those weren't the days. What about tomorrow??
What I haven't figured out is why is it the people that have NO IDEA about what it takes to do a household move have ALL the say in what WE get paid?!? Are you kidding me?? The people in the office that are telling us what is best for us to do probably hasn't even stepped inside a truck and trailer, unless it was part of his little walk through about 'our operation here at ABC Van Lines'. Come on guys we need to get together and say enough is enough! If its junk tonnage that isn't going to make us a profit, let the carrier deal with it. Let Betty from customer service take your two wheeler and go out to the job. Do you think ANYONE from the office will be shedding their button up to lug a dresser to the fourth floor?!? We have a job NOBODY wants to do - but we get to do it for free! What? This is a no brainer - let's get together and put a stop to this nonsense - BEFORE the busy season! Everyone is "gearing up" - Let us do the same and DEMAND what we deserve! We are broke now - at least if we are broke over the summer, its nice out and we can enjoy time with the family. Betty will be busy answering complaints but everyone else can be broke too then!
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