New member, looking for some guidance...

Sharan. Don't shy away from CH Robinson. Mostly all of us on this forum probably work with them on some level. They are solid payers in that you will be paid without delay. If you are a one or two person business, I believe if you pin your hopes on finding loads on loadlink, you will spend more time parked looking for loads than driving. CH Robinson is just one example of a broker that you can work with, but like Greg says, if you have a conversation with a company and can align your needs with theirs. it might just work out.
 
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The nice thing about CHR is that they pay very quickly. I have never seen an invoice make it to 30. Usually around 21-28 days. Also, you have the option of direct deposit and you can get advances if you need one. Invoicing is done through the internet and you can also search for loads on the same site
Looking for pay under 15 days you'll be getting quick pay and will loose a percentage of your hard earned money.
I suggest you meet with Greg, He's been good to us and he has a fantastic team
 
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martinetav said:
Sharan, you might try going and signing up to load boards of the different companies also. CH Robinson is one that is mentioned. There is also Landstar, TQL, ABF, ECHO, BEAR just to name a few. They have you pre-approved to carry for them and if necessary they will work to have you pre-approved for loads that go to Lowes, Home Depot, Menards, Walmart etc. I would think that this would be a great option for you. It's a little work filling out the different packages but once you get that out of the way ... :)
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Thanks! I knew of the few I listed but some of those names are new to me, I will definitely get going on that!
 
whatiship said:
I guess it depends on where you want to run. If you look at some of the ad's in the trade magazines many carriers look pretty decent, but looks can be deceiving. I think the best way to find out how a carrier is to work with is to narrow it down to 2 or 3 major outfits who are growing and looking for owner operators. Then look for their trucks every time you are at a truck stop and ask the driver to tell you how he/she gets treated. Current owner op's will normally give you the straight goods. If you sit down with a carrier, write down all the things that you are concerned about and write down their answers. Also, try to sneak a look at the "drivers room" at the terminal, that will give you a pretty good indication of how they feel about their people. If the carrier is always looking for owner operators and their fleet size is not growing you gotta wonder why?
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Thanks for the feedback! Honestly I don't think I could go back to working as an owner operator. I am blessed that I don't need to run hard and have adjusted my lifestyle that running even two team trips a month are enough. Been there, done that and have learnt and grown. But good information for anyone transitioning from company driver to owner operator.
 
Freight Broker said:
I wouldn't pay too much attention to the negative commentary. Outfits like TQL and CH are big for a reason... they're able to get a lot of people to haul for them. That says a lot. You don't get to a billion plus in sales by pissing off your carrier base. Sure, not all of their agents are great or even good, but as soon as you start employing people your quality takes a hit... doesn't matter if you're a carrier or a broker or a baker for that matter.

About shady brokers, I can't say too much as I don't work with other brokers, but brokers are representative of the population at large, and some are going to better and more honest than others. I've run into shady carriers also, and there's usually no way to tell they're shady until after the fact. If they all had horns or fangs it would be so much easier. But often they're smiley and polite and confident looking... until you loan them money to help them out of a fix and then they're gone.

Sounds like Landstar or Jones or Admiral Merchants might be more along the lines of what your looking for, but you've probably already thought of that.
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Yes I have to learn to take the internet comments with a grain of salt. Actually I have not heard of Jones or Admiral Merchants so I will get researching. Good and bad people in every facet of life. You live and learn. Thanks for the information!
 
crosgre said:
Great points freight broker.
My advice for working with the larger brokers is; call in, ask to meet with a capacity rep and start to build a relationship with that person or their smaller team. Having up front conversations about your expectations and goals versus their expectation and goals will help you decide if this is a good fit. Ideally, the relationship should be mutually beneficial and you will want to achieve growth together. Then I would continue to call that person daily and show them that you want to work together. It can be difficult to 'break in' to their top carriers call list. Trust is key and once you build that trust, it gets easier, day-by-day. Then I would try to stick to working for that person or smaller team and have them work to move you around (look for round trips, or additional opportunities). I always tell people that if they were to do 100 loads with 100 different people in a larger brokerage firm and they mess up 1 of those 100 loads, that person could potentially 'flip out', and look to remove the carrier from any future load with their company as there may be a lack of strength in relationship. However, if they moved 100 loads with the same person (or small group) in that same brokerage firm and they messed up one load, the result would probably be completely different. The strength of the relationship would be weighed, there would be an opportunity for learning (what went wrong? why? what should have happened? and how to avoid in the future?) and as long as the trend didn't continue overtime in the future, the relationship would grow stronger via communication. I work for CHR and if you would like to contact me, I would be happy to direct you to capacity rep looking to grow their portfolio and willing/wanting to sit with you and discuss where you and CHR may align. We are always looking to match freight on both sides of the border. Do we always have round trips? NO, but we work diligently to match freight as best we can to provide additional opportunities for our carrier base, while looking to increase efficiencies.

Greg Cross
greg.cross@chrobinson.com
CH Robinson - Toronto, ON
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I appreciate the knowledge you have provided. Learning the ins and outs of how companies work can be difficult without someone to point you in the right direction. I understand what you are saying about working with the same person or group of people. You build rapport and a history and get to know the quality of the person rather than just being another load. Good advice for sure. I will take you up on your offer and be in touch. I will get the CHR package filled out first so that I am set up in the system. Guess you are already proving the negative comments I keep reading about CHR wrong, look forward to speaking with you. Thanks!
 
chica123 said:
Sharan. Don't shy away from CH Robinson. Mostly all of us on this forum probably work with them on some level. They are solid payers in that you will be paid without delay. If you are a one or two person business, I believe if you pin your hopes on finding loads on loadlink, you will spend more time parked looking for loads than driving. CH Robinson is just one example of a broker that you can work with, but like Greg says, if you have a conversation with a company and can align your needs with theirs. it might just work out.
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Absolutely, it has finally sunk in, don't take other people's negative perceptions as the truth and do my own due diligence. Next thing today is filling out the CHR package and getting it back to them asap. Thanks!
 
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martinetav said:
The nice thing about CHR is that they pay very quickly. I have never seen an invoice make it to 30. Usually around 21-21 days. Also, you have the option of direct deposit and you can get advances if you need one. Invoicing is done through the internet and you can also search for loads on the same site
Looking for pay under 15 days you'll be getting quick pay and will loose a percentage of your hard earned money.
I suggest you meet with Greg, He's been good to us and he has a fantastic team
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Good to hear your positive comments on CHR. Nice to know I will get paid for any work done through them, that is always a major concern. So far I have kept away from quick pay, hate to lose hard earned money for not being able to wait a few weeks. Although another carrier I dealt with in the past that always paid 30 days out would really try to sell the quick pay option, obviously to their benefit to promote it. Definitely I will contact Greg, he was so helpful with his comments. Thanks!
 
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Awesome discussion everyone, I really appreciate all the positive input and massive amounts of new knowledge sent my way!
 
Mostly flatbed and interstate. That's just the way its worked out.. I'm trying hard to get more Canada freight.. I find it hard though and I don't know why. ..:) I can sell someone in Georgia transportation services easier than I can to someone here in Ontario... not sure why that is.
 
Freight Broker said:
Mostly flatbed and interstate. That's just the way its worked out.. I'm trying hard to get more Canada freight.. I find it hard though and I don't know why. ..:) I can sell someone in Georgia transportation services easier than I can to someone here in Ontario... not sure why that is.
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We have the same type of issue, Canadian customers are much hard to close than American customers!
 
Freight Broker said:
Thanks G Roch, any ideas on why that is? Is the market in Canada that much more competitive?
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I believe running a truck intra Canada is easier than into the states due to DOT, etc
plus most Canadian carriers are parked near a Canadian shipper, whereas an American shipper won't have a Canadian carrier at their disposal like this.
p.s. we only book freight into & out of Canada, aiming at the US market who control their freight into & out of Canada has been our bread & butter for years! plenty to go around!!
 
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