QuestionYou have great advice Bob! My father is a new owner/operator. He has the truck (no trailer), all the licenses and permits that he needs and he is ready to take loads. We joined www.getloaded.com to get him started, but this is where I am lost. When we call the companies for the loads what kind of information will we typically need to provide? How does payment for loads work?
AnswerHi Annette.
Well, your first problem is that you will need a trailer. When you call these companies, they just have the freight. If you don't have the money to buy a trailer, go rent one! Penske or Ryder have great trailers and you can pull theirs until you get your own.
Then you need to decide what you want to pull. If your father just wants to pull a dry van, no sense in renting a reefer trailer. He may want to pull a flatbed or even lowboy. Whatever you decide, I'd try and get a 53' trailer.
Now you have your trailer. You go on www.getloaded.com and log into your account. Lets say your Dad got a refrigerated trailer and he lives in Atlanta. He now has his choice of dry van loads (listed as 'V') or refrigerated loads (listed as 'R'). Then you can run a search engine for the radius around Atlanta you want the computer to search for loads, the pick up date, trailer type, full load or LTL, and so on.
Next, where does he want to run to? Say that there are eight loads with eight companies going to Dallas. That could be just ONE load listed with eight brokers. You never really know, but I call all the ones with a good credit score (at least 80 and higher) and see which one pays the most. If it's a matter of a few dollars, go with the highest credit score. You DON'T want to haul freight for free, and it happens!
When you call each broker, or shipper, you ask them (1) what it pays, (2) what is it, (3) what does it weigh, (4) is it a driver unload (if not, what do you pay for a lumper)?, what size trailer do I need, and so on. If your new to this broker, you'll have to fax him all your paperwork. Proof in insurance, proof of DOT - FMCSA Authorization and FEIN W-9. It all depends what the broker wants, so just ask, but it sounds like you have it all. Then, tell him you want that load. He will fax you all the information on it (or give it to you over the phone). It should tell you all the info you just asked, along with when you'll get paid. Make copies.
Your Dad should get a copy. When he goes and picks up the load, the shipped will give him a bill of lading (BOL). Hold on to that like a title for a car. When he delivers the load, get it signed off by the receiver and have him make copies. ALWAYS make copies! Then he (or you) will mail the original to the broker. Depending on the broker, your check will be mailed to you in days or a week. You'll learn the good brokers quick, and use them more often. Those are the ones that pay fast. Like I said, though, keep a copy, because if the receiver says they didn't get that load, now you have proof. You didn't mail your only copy away! Very important!
Once you build up a relationship with a few brokers, then you can just call them. I still like using the web, but if nothing good shows up, I just call a favorite broker and ask him what good runs can give me. I now know some local companies that use to use brokers and now call me almost daily. Cutting out the broker puts more cash in my pocket and they know they can count on me.
I hoped this helped out and one last piece of advise, buy a fax machine, you'll need it! If you have any more questions, feel free to ask!
Good luck to you and your Dad!
Bob Stephens
