I have to ask ... Is there any real value in LoadLink?

For 1 or 2 loads a year it's definitely huge money thrown from window whether you are freight broker or carrier. I value LL as this: if it helps me source a load per month worth $800CAD then it's OK. Now is it pricy? Way too much. Is monopoly suffocating? It absolutely is.
 
The Competition Act is supposed to control and govern monopolies in Canada. How effective that Act is, is certainly open to discussion. If LL is categorized as a real monopoly or not, they do not prevent other parties from entering this particular field of business. The marketplace is open to anyone who thinks they have a better plan. However as we have seen over the last few years, the hold LL maintains over its customers makes it hard for new entrants to get established. Again, the problem here is that all load boards are selling the same thing. There are only so many available trucks and only so many available loads on any given day. Regardless if they are offered by LL or Louies Load Board or anyone else, the product being offered is the same. Yes, different pricing structures, different software, ease of use, etc., etc. but in essence, they all are selling the same service. That said, if a new entrant was even half way successful in breaking LL’s iron grip on the industry, I do believe we could see more competitive pricing offered on the part of LL in an effort to maintain their market share.
 
loaders said:
Regardless of how strong you build the hen house and how fortified you make the door, the foxes will still find a way in.
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its not about keeping the foxes out its about making it hard enough that they lose interest. Accountability lies with all of us, not just 1 entity or the other. Link has been notoriously slow to react to verified blatant fraud, because lets be honest, its not in their interest to stop someone legitimate or not paying them their fee. There are a lot of restrictions in place to verify a carrier, like the example @loaders mentioned about the Box truck posing as a carrier, you could call the insurer on the policy to verify equipment, drill down and get the VIN# of the vehicle and verify. What tools are there to verify, other than the run of the mill credit checks, trade references and surety bonds to make sure you are not dealing with a fraudulent entity brokering freight? its that low barrier of entry to become a broker that causes so many "foxes" to exist. Extremely low repercussions when it comes to the law, and low barrier of entry but high reward if done right. Of course that doesn't shift responsibility onto a platform to mitigate and manage that risk, however if I'm to switch from 1 to the other, I'd like to see what their take on it is to put some measures in place. There are boards out there that take this accountability albeit they don't solve it, ActiveAero and Omnitracks come to mind. And before I hear about Omnitracks being rampant with fraud, they do a much better job at responding to complaints than LL ever has and I'ev seen not just brokerages but the people who ran them be completely banned off the platform. Now does that stop them from starting up again under the name of the family member? no, but it makes it harder and that's the point.
 
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MLCAR said:
its not about keeping the foxes out its about making it hard enough that they lose interest. Accountability lies with all of us, not just 1 entity or the other. Link has been notoriously slow to react to verified blatant fraud, because lets be honest, its not in their interest to stop someone legitimate or not paying them their fee. There are a lot of restrictions in place to verify a carrier, like the example @loaders mentioned about the Box truck posing as a carrier, you could call the insurer on the policy to verify equipment, drill down and get the VIN# of the vehicle and verify. What tools are there to verify, other than the run of the mill credit checks, trade references and surety bonds to make sure you are not dealing with a fraudulent entity brokering freight? its that low barrier of entry to become a broker that causes so many "foxes" to exist. Extremely low repercussions when it comes to the law, and low barrier of entry but high reward if done right. Of course that doesn't shift responsibility onto a platform to mitigate and manage that risk, however if I'm to switch from 1 to the other, I'd like to see what their take on it is to put some measures in place. There are boards out there that take this accountability albeit they don't solve it, ActiveAero and Omnitracks come to mind. And before I hear about Omnitracks being rampant with fraud, they do a much better job at responding to complaints than LL ever has and I'ev seen not just brokerages but the people who ran them be completely banned off the platform. Now does that stop them from starting up again under the name of the family member? no, but it makes it harder and that's the point.
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My reference to “foxes” included all breeds and types, not just brokers. My most hated fox, is the guy posing as a legitimate carrier. He can furnish a current CVOR, valid insurance and proper authorities and licensing. Talks a good game and if dealing with even the slightest of inexperienced dispatchers, can easily sweet talk them into giving him a load. Of course he has no truck to speak of and immediately removes his carrier hat and puts on his broker hat to offer your load at a much higher rate to any unsuspecting legitimate carrier. I really don’t care what you want to call him…is he a broker? a carrier?….I call him a criminal and those are the creatures who need to be removed from and prevented from returning to any load board.
 
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loaders said:
My reference to “foxes” included all breeds and types, not just brokers. My most hated fox, is the guy posing as a legitimate carrier. He can furnish a current CVOR, valid insurance and proper authorities and licensing. Talks a good game and if dealing with even the slightest of inexperienced dispatchers, can easily sweet talk them into giving him a load. Of course he has no truck to speak of and immediately removes his carrier hat and puts on his broker hat to offer your load at a much higher rate to any unsuspecting legitimate carrier. I really don’t care what you want to call him…is he a broker? a carrier?….I call him a criminal and those are the creatures who need to be removed from and prevented from returning to any load board.
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the only way to get rid of the above-mentioned individual is either total excommunication or flamethrower.


HIGHWAY COMPLIANCE
These guys confirm Vin #s under the insurance policy and forward this information to the brokerage.
 
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Remember when the mafia ran all that sh!t ??? Damn, those were the good old days. At least you knew who the criminals were, and where you stood in the grand scheme of things.
 
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loaders said:
My reference to “foxes” included all breeds and types, not just brokers. My most hated fox, is the guy posing as a legitimate carrier. He can furnish a current CVOR, valid insurance and proper authorities and licensing. Talks a good game and if dealing with even the slightest of inexperienced dispatchers, can easily sweet talk them into giving him a load. Of course he has no truck to speak of and immediately removes his carrier hat and puts on his broker hat to offer your load at a much higher rate to any unsuspecting legitimate carrier. I really don’t care what you want to call him…is he a broker? a carrier?….I call him a criminal and those are the creatures who need to be removed from and prevented from returning to any load board.
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The business version of getting catfished. Start out by assuming you're being lied to, and go from there. When dealing with US carriers I always ask who their factoring company is. If the response is "we don't use a factoring company but we require payment within 48 hours".. then 99% of the time its fraud.
 
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there is value but, seems to be wanting to take over and be only player on market
 
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