If truck covered take off LINK

I can't agree with this more. Especially with freight going in and out of Ontario, it looks like there is 100 leads but there are actually only 2 trucks out of that whole list that are actually there. At least put a "just looking" or something in the description please.
 
And can I add ...

Please post your truck or your load for the day it is required.
For example: If you have a shipment available for January 20th -- post if for that day. Stop posting today and then, under the comments say it is ready on the 20th.
Companies that are posting their trucks for the 20th won't see your shipment and lose out.

I'm just sayin'...
 
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Link Etiquette 101:

I like the thread so far.
Absolutely if we're posting a load for a date that is earlier than the ready time in order to find a truck the day before and pay for the driver to have a steak dinner, comfy hotel sleep and do our pickup at 8AM the following day I always put in the notes "ready xx/xx''.

I'm not so hard on carriers that post 'lanes' and just roll them every day so that everyone is reminded that they go to these areas, the qualm is when 'someone' takes 147 points in a 50 mile radius and posts them all. Ok, I get it, you service that area. :) Carriers posting 'lanes' is ok in my books, but ya, in the notes would be nice to see 'ready now' or 'every day', I'd know what to expect when I call.


Happy Friday!
Mike
 
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YES thank you for pointing that out, if covered, take it off lol

I see one guy posting often, in his comments it shows COVERED, so what the eff? lol

or also NO CALLS, TEST, etc, ok for 5-10 minutes but testing all day every day shouldn't be allowed...
 
I thought TEST meant, I'm looking to service this area and want a feel for the kind of volumes on the lane (and maybe to discuss rates with people with loads in these areas)?

COVERED - doesn't that mean he's committed to someone but looking for $5 more so he can bail on the first agreement, then keep looking for another $5? Thankfully I hardly ever see this.

:)
Mike
 
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People in our office get pretty upset with this ghost posts lol, we are pollite to the people we talk to but at times it's hard to take when it's the 10th carrier in a row to tell you it was covered yesterday, ya know?!?
 
I agree with everyone that this can be very frustrating....but brokers are also some of the worst culprits on this subject. If I had a $1 for every time I called on a load on link that was already gone, or seen "test, no calls" than I wouldn't have to be working today. Brokers do this just as much as carriers do, and its funny how once capacity tightens up how quickly the brokers start to cry the blues on the subject. Does anyone still believe this driver shortage is still a myth fabricated by carriers? Ask any carrier right now, quality drivers and owner operators are very hard to find, or often candidates that do come in the door only want to "run here, or only go there" or they "don't want to do this, or that". Not very often do you come across someone who is just willing to drive.

And yes, carriers do post outbound from Ontario all the time and sometimes they don't have trucks available. But if you ask most carriers, those posting are on there 365 days a year, and rarely do they even generate loads for us, as a lot of brokers (not all) will call 10 carriers posting to the area and just go with the cheapest option available, and then complain when something goes wrong. Reputable carriers will often not be the cheapest option, but will be upfront with you on service and price. Price isn't the "be all, end all" and if you're looking for good service, honesty and integrity then don't pin the reputable service providers against the undependable, unreliable cheaper options, who won't be in business in 6 months.

Everyone is guilty of "not taking something off" the link, as it does happen, but lets look in the mirror before getting upset at the carrier as brokers also do the same (including leaving the load on the link to find a cheaper option).
 
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yes we all seem to forget some postings, but we all have to agree that some people (both carriers & brokers) have postings that just roll to the next day and they almost never have availability.
in either case, this is a good rant, we've probably all experienced a day where you need to book a load or you need to move a truck and no matter what you do or who you call, it's just not happening that day lol
 
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see I have no issues with test or rates or covered, i read that and move on.

but leaving is issue and I know brokers do this and typically people on this board are not the offenders especially ones that post.

was my rant of month and been on your side and agree brokers are just as bad with games they play!

guess it is same as driving Etiquette it is gone in our day and it's sad!

at least we are covered our loads and ones that wasted my time are now in my head and in future they will be last call. Do the same the us pimps that waste your time!

cheers and half way there kids!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shakey
 
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I thought I would add my 2 cents today. That's all I have left after this week!

I have at times left my trucks posted even though they are covered and I have also at times left my freight posted even though I have it booked with a carrier. The reason for both is the same. I get a feeling from whoever I was talking to that there might be an issue. I've been told that I will receive a fax for a load and at the end of the day I have nothing but "Oh yeah, my customer said the freight wasn't ready!" or "Oh yeah, my truck broke down!". We all know things happen, I get that. What I don't get is why is it so hard to tell someone things might go sideways. I booked a load earlier this week and after waiting for 2 hours for a fax I called back and asked what was going on. I now find out that the customer has to decide what they want to do. I gave the person 30 minutes or I have to start shopping for a new load. After 30 minutes I had to look for another load. Because I still had my truck posted I was able to call the people I knew who had freight pop up to possibly get a back up load. I'm patient but when it comes down to it, I need to find a load for my truck and I don't want to find out at the end of the day that the load was actually cancelled just like I hated hearing at the end of the day that the truck won't be showing up to load my load.
 
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I will admit to forgetting to delete a post after the load is covered.Chalk it up to approaching senility or laziness-take your pick. On the rare occasion that this has happened,it is deleted as soon as someone calls on it-my apologies to anyone this may have happened to;this being said,I do track carriers who post a truck in an area,but are not there. I will give them the benefit of the doubt if I am told "Just covered it,thanks",but if it is apparent there was nothing there to begin with,it is noted. I understand some carriers routinely post "lanes" as a form of advertising,but in my case at least,this business model is self defeating. I will not use a carrier for anything after a certain number of notes. I don't expect anyone to lose a moments sleep over this, but I feel better for it. If you are going to pursue a certain path,be aware of the ramifications.
 
Great comments but we must remember how Link is set up which creates the issue of carriers posting their truck but no truck actually available.

On the Link as a broker, you can go search for carriers in any given lane without posting a load.

Whereas if a carrier wants to search available loads in any lane they have post their truck. So if a carrier has a possible load from say Winnipeg, MT to some place in VA, that carrier may post their truck in VA back MB to see possible return loads.

I respect that carriers have to post a truck to search loads but key is if you have no truck, just put "TEST" or " Do not call" or Avail Tuesdays or Mon/ Thurs or something in comments so we can move on.

Biggest complaint I hear from carriers about broker postings is brokers often don't post the actual pick-up and deliver locations. Brokers will often post to nearest city. Reason they do is they get more response than posting a little town 50 minutes from nearest city. Jury is still out on this issue as I have had loads posted from small town BC to small town SK and I have had carriers call and ask if anyone has called on the load and I have said no. The carrier suggests I change to nearest city to get a better response.

That is my two cents on this topic.
 
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I wish actually the link would be better (and they could be); they should have a moderator to oversee the comments. As you all know the comments are there to fill the gaps of the requirements for specific load, i.e. Tri/Quad axles, weight load, specific equipment, contact number different than what is on file, but there are people out there that use the comments for their own specific needs.

What about the broker/carrier (same ones all the time) who constantly post TEST NO CALL on the same lane? Is that a signal to some carriers that they have a load out there but they just want YOU to do it?

I agree that a truck or load should be taken out when it is covered; and I tried to do just that but I realized that it happens to the best of us to forget... that is OK, if you take it off after someone inquire about it but there are those who still lingers... and there are some who get caught in the technology, as far as they can see they're load/truck is no longer there but it still shows for some of us. What about these brokers who automatically re-post in the middle of the night for loads that have been covered? The whole process can be frustrating at time, take this week; 3 loads in a row and all 3 cancelled one after the other leaving my driver out over the week-end. Either you have a load or you don't, let's play even field.
 
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