On ‘price gouging,’ or the new rates race to the top
In which a broker's message urging a story on supposed carrier 'price gouging' -- $7-$10/mile rate demands -- illustrates the utility of close relationships between carriers and brokers, and vice...
View ArticlePOLL: Independents/small fleets, do your CSA scores still matter as a...
This poll looks at use of independents' and small fleets' now private CSA scores in the program's Safety Measurement System. Since scores were pulled from public view in December of 2015, have you been...
View ArticleHow about ‘broker of choice?’: A little credit where it’s due from small...
There's a first time for everything, a Chicago-area small fleet found out when a driver was 45 min. late after a flat tire en route to a shipper for pick-up, and treated poorly. Broker and consignor,...
View ArticleAn ELD positive, an hours negative, and more from trucking’s present and...
Views on trucking from the "Future of Expediting" panel on the final day of the Expedite Expo, from hours and ELDs to autonomous trucks — and why one fleet's CEO says ELDs might be the "best damn thing...
View ArticleFreight boom, ELDs created ‘most disruptive time seen in trucking’
Economists and analysts last week at the annual FTR Conference recapped what was referred to as a "year of upheaval" in trucking, in which the combination of unexpected economic growth, the...
View ArticleVideo: Investing in relationships — Tips and an amazing story
Knowing your primary customers has been a big theme of trucking radio host Kevin Rutherford’s. He explains the importance of cultivating relationships with them.
View ArticleOwner-operator income benchmarking, freight relationships and best practices
This edition of Overdrive Radio rounds up three distinct parts of the Partners in Business seminars held last month at the Great American Trucking Show, with presentations by ATBS President Todd Amen,...
View ArticleFlexibility in appointment times from Convoy broker
For some shippers' freight in the Convoy mobile app, a new "Flex Loads" feature will allow truckers to see a date range and "choose the appointment time that is best suited to their schedule, allowing...
View ArticleTruckstop.com, Dock411 partner toward integration
The new partnership between the companies will help facilitate marketing for the young freight-dock-info service, and Dock411 will in future be integrated in the Truckstop.com freight marketplace/load...
View ArticleBeware what you sign with brokers: Freight-payment offsetting of cargo claims...
Every had a broker give you load after load following a cargo claim, then never pay you for any of them? Such can be the case when "right to offset" clauses are included in a brokerage contract. Issues...
View ArticleCovering your tracks: The brave new world of ‘freight visibility’
As load tracking systems have proliferated and evolved, angst over their intrusion, as well as opportunities for owner-operators to benefit from them, have been on the rise.
View ArticleFor small fleets, tracking can be ELD fringe benefit
“I hate the ELD, I hate that it’s mandated,” says small-fleet owner-operator Rob Hallahan, but I “like the utilities that come with it,” including location tracking and sharing.
View ArticleCustom mapping app Trucker Notes designed by an independent to save parking...
Debbie Desiderato is the owner-op behind the free app, launched within the last few months. She came to it with hopes of creating a way for herself and other truckers to save their notes about...
View Article2018 ‘coulda planned better’: Counting down the top 10 Overdrive Radio...
Take a review run back through some of those most memorable moments from the top 10 most-listened-to episodes of the year, from details of owner-op Mark Kirbyson’s skepticism of any wisdom present in...
View ArticleThe broker-margin transparency federal law already affords to carriers who...
Owner-operators have a "right to review" amounts paid by shippers, collected by brokers and disbursed to themselves in any brokered freight transaction. But a right does nothing for anyone if not...
View ArticlePOLL: What is the most difficult aspect of growing beyond a single truck as...
Small fleet owners and those in the midst of an expansion plan beyond a single truck: Which of these areas -- finding dependable drivers, dealing with more maintenance, equipment investment, insurance,...
View ArticleUber Freight adds facility ratings/reviews
With a goal in part to facilitate information sharing among its carrier/driver networks and closer collaboration with its shipper/consignee customers, Uber Freight has introduced a facility ratings and...
View ArticlePOLL: Have detention times improved since the ELD mandate came into play?
What's been your experience at shippers and receivers since the ELD mandate came into play in late 2017? Have detention times gotten shorter, longer, stayed the same? ...
View ArticleThe expansion challenge: Getting started with solid freight relationships
While most owner-operators have considered adding a truck to their business, many never try it, and few have sustained success for years. The challenges are many, but the rewards can be substantial for...
View ArticleOwner-operators report mostly negative, if any, change in detention times...
Early detention-poll results show most readers feel that the load/unload locations they visit had either seen no change (44 percent) or actually gotten a little (18 percent) or a lot (20 percent) worse...
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