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!
