Together we can do it

M

MontrealTrucker

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Jun 9, 2009
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Tired of being ripped off


Many of us truckers have been ripped in the past year or two by companies posting freight on a popular load board that I will not mention for the moment. Criminals have been able to use this load board and steal millions of dollars from truckers and load brokers. The system this loadboard uses simply does not work because we are well aware of how people got on there and used their service and technology while we the users paid the monthly fee and provided the service we never got paid for. Like many here, I was contacted by these criminals that offered the freight to me because they were able to see I had a truck posted somewhere. Everything looked all right (that included their credit) and I took the loads, this has happened to me several times over the years with this loadboard and there is absolutely no system in place that I am aware of to protect us. I will not name this loadboard for obvious reasons.

Just think of all the people that have been ripped off by criminals that have been allowed to access this loadboard simply by paying the monthly fee and showing they have the permits (anyone can get the permits). Some of you may have an idea where I am going with this but that is not the case at this moment , I would like other folks like myself, brokers and carriers to let me know what they think about this very serious issue.

Your opinion would be very much appreciated.
 
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Great comments Montreal Trucker, Personnally I do not think you should be growing your business by using a loadboard. Part of the problem in our industry today is that too many folks are starting trucking companies with no direct customers. They rely soley on loadborads and brokers. This is a recipe for failure. These folks get in over their head and before you know it unaware suppliers are taken for thousands of dollars. My company will not send trucks into the middle of nowhere without knowing what we will bring home. My business model has always been to secure freight south of the border first. This is my bread and butter I then can easily sell my service in the GTA to match my northbound needs. The only way to eliminate the risk from the scum bags taking advantage through loadboards is to stop using them all together.
 
Or... and perhaps this is something like what MontrealTrucker was aluding to...

There has been much success on this site in identifying and weeding out those who are in the business to rip others off or those who just run their businesses poorly.

At the same time, there have been many complaints about the kinds of companies some of us end up dealing with through load boards.

Maybe it is time to bring the two ideas together. A load board that is linked to a forum like this. Loads and equipment could be posted and those who wish to can discuss everything out in the open.

Or... Perhaps a load board where companies can only sign up after being referred and vouched for by other trusted companies that are already on the board. If there are problems with a member of the load board then they could be removed by way of a certain number of complaints or such a mechanism.

Anyway, my 2 cents.
 
Together we can do it?

Anyone depending solely on load boards to survive is in no position to defend themselves from criminals who will take advantage of cracks in any load systems that are out there.

Risks are as big with direct customers and anyone should always do their research of the company's paydex through Equifax, D&B, Transcredit and referrals (not the small companies that some load brokers gives...).

It would be great to have a load board which carriers gives payment history on receivables, Internet Truckstop is somewhat setup that way but the problem is that friends of these bad companies gives out false information and corrupt the true data (I no longer use that load board for this reason).

I read from time to time some disturbing comments from members on this site caused by frustrations and I can certainly understand why.

Other than being extra careful in dealing with anyone what more can be done to stop all this nonsense like loads at 90 cents per mile from Ontario to Illinois etc... (I certainly never would take load from these poor companies as I would not want to pay to carry freight).

Carriers with real loads and direct customers should build a link like system and only allow verified members to participate in dealings and have open discussions on service provided or problems that occurs in all sides. But how would you keep this one as well from being corrupted by greedy members or infiltrated by smouth criminals?
 
I've mentioned this on the Double Broker board as well. Link is being abused -- it is taking the place of relationships and that was never the intention ... although Link is all too happy to take your money for the monthly fees anyway, no matter who you are.

Without the relationships, we have nothing.

As far as the forum attached to the load board, GetLoaded has it.
 
Does anyone use the Private Network option on the Link? You can add / delete carriers and choose who will see your postings?
 
If a new load board was created, what would some of the features that would make it stand out be? any input....
 
I think there are too many load boards out there now. You can't blame link if you don't due your own due diligence. I do think it would be great if we could get link to work with their legit members to clean up the mess of double brokers, carriers without proper authorities and non paying brokers and carriers. Maybe flagging carriers with conditional safety rating or companies with proven over 45 days??

Has it been suggested to Link to work together with the members to see what the members would like to see.

I don't know if re-creating the wheel (link) is the best solution or working together at making it what is needed.
 
I think that if you had senior members recomend/support new companies to join and you would jepordize your standing with the matching service should they turn out to be unreliable. I think this way everyone would have a vested interest in only dealing with reliable companies.
 
Barking up the wrong tree!!

I am certainly in favor of some changes that would help weed out the growing multitudes of transport & logistics firms that do not pay their invoices.

Although, I do not in any way agree with the line of thought that I see in the prior postings in this thread.

I beleive that we should not be looking at ways of barring entry to new or existing memebers. This smells of protectionism and I do not see how we as a group could controll this.
As we do not trust many of the credit references we are given by prospective clients, why should we trust a member vouching for another.

What we should be doing is , agressively lobbying our politicians and transport ministers regarding the issue of non apyments that have now become an epidemic. In this, I include major bankrupcies that leave smaller carriers holding the bag.

What we should call for is a task force to look into the way we all do business and to implement measures that will correct the present lack of conformity.

I am sure that we have the legal tools to make this work, we just do not know how to use them.

In the USA if a person issues a check without funds knowingly, they have comitted a crime and a simple call to the sherriff wil have them arrested and charge , with generally serious consequences.

Here we have Carriers / brokers that issue such checks, or have work carried out with no intenetion of paying for the service and I have yet to hear of one that has been punished!!
 
Set up equipment and shipment availability via the Carrier's satellite Provider. Therefore...

> All Carriers that subscribe to the Satellite Provider sends in their daily equipment availability and shipment availability. Equipment availability would be set up as automatic as equipment already shows on each Carriers system.

> Satellite Provider matches up the loads available to the equipment and sends an e-mail to the corresponding Carriers to review further.

> Third Parties - would be approved by the Carrier for an automatic e-mail being sent out by the Satellite Provider on equipment availability.

> Third Parties would see this as an "approved carrier" as e-mail is being received from the Carriers satellite Provider

Just a thought......
 
Lowmiler, I don't think that spending 300-500 for a load matching service that cant manage or upgrade their own software is worth it. There is little to no growth in the service they provide. I am sure that we all experience the same delays and technical errors and instead of investing to upgrade or fix it, they seem to be putting more money into there sat. division or there dispatch software. all that is asked from them is to listen to customers complaint and addressed them, new load boards wouldn't be popping up as fast you they are.
 
AMA I'm not sure I understand your answer you asked what we would like to see so I stated I would like to see Senior members vouch for junior members and have everyone be responsible. I was not talking about Link they are a money machine with no care who pays them - and by the way they have always been that way so I'm not sure why people still complain about them.
If you read my comment maybe the Senior and Junior references might reflect to this actual website from my understanding load matching software is relatively cheap and we already have a pretty good base to start our own site and people buy in much like a golf membership so they have something to loose if they do not operate on the up and up they forfiet the membership and the priviledge to have access to reputable companies (which is what we all wnat - at least that is what I hear on this site everyday). We make membership hard to obtain, we keep the bad guys out we say who get's to play. There would be monthly fees involved because someone would have to run the site but we wouldn't be looking to make a profit and have huge offices with cherry wood furniture we could probably do it with 2 people. Would you be willing to pay for a site like this? I sure would.
 
I think you might be on to something here. Whether or not that was the intention of the OP, it sure seems to have spiralled into something that could be good.

I like lowmilers idea, as a matter of fact I tend to already do that right now anyway. I happen to know some of the members of this site, and I would not hesitate about taking a load from them, nor booking one with them. There is a certain trust factor developed from my short time on this site.

If anything did happen to transpire from this, I would be more than willing to put my monthly payments to better use than where they are going now (cough Load Link cough).
 
DRC has organized a night at Jack Astors, hope to see you there;)
 
Just Like ebay

I think Link should have a "customer rating" just like ebay does. Before you buy from someone you can see what others are saying about them. This would be great both for carriers and brokers. It would hold both to a new standard because any BS is going to end up on link as a comment from their customer/supplier.

It's beyond me why they won't do this.
 
I agree with Lowmiler88. Start with a small group that can trust each other, like senior members of this site. Then have that small group vouch for new members of the group. If someone keeps screwing others over, there would be a mechanism to remove them. This in my opinion would not exactly replace the link or other "general public" loadboards, but would be another place to look. If you have two options for your load, one coming from a complete stranger on the link, and the other coming from someone you trust on the private group, you could choose the lesser risk and go with the trusted company.
 
This does sound all rosey and I personally agree it would be an idea BUT
Do we as transportation professionals not already have this in place through our years of hard work and building up a client base be it direct or through brokered freight?

The point lowmiler makes is a good one. But instead of spending more money would it not be easier to just use the links private member tab so that only people in the group can see it.

That being said people are going to have to come out of the closet so to speak and say who they are and where they work to get in on this.

I have a feeling that not everybody on this site is as respectable as they come off as on here and like the annonimity of hiding behind a handle in this fourm. This is just my 2 cents and I do not write or type as eloquenty as others but hey wanna buy a vowel!!!
 
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