Pretty sure that that was everyone's point leading up to this. No one has a problem with anything as long as they are getting paid for it.
TQL Strikes again!!
- Thread starter Wiley One
- Start date
30
I hate to point out the obvious but here it goes again. This is why brokers and carriers get involved in the whine-fest.
-The shipper is probably US based and does not know, nor care, what the consignee in Canada does with their paperwork. They do not want to incur costs or time, however small we feel it is, to do anything with it. They believe it is the Canadian who should take care of it. Maybe call the Canadian consignee to see if they can obtain a copy.
-The freight broker does not want to rock the boat and ask the customer to do something that seems petty. They, both the broker and customer, don't understand the problems that it would solve and feel that if the customer or shipper is unwilling, they probably have their reasons for it. There is no value in it for the freight broker to pursue this interest - there is no money in it for them. The same thing goes for accessorial charges, they would much rather take it out of their end rather than ask the customer. That is why accessorial charges are so low compared to the value they are getting ($35/hr detention after waiting for two hours for a truck/trailer/driver...really?)
-The carrier gets stuck on all these issues because s&$t really does flow downhill. The carrier is the one that needs the paperwork to continue. Their driver gets paid by the mile so he needs to keep going so he faxes it. Whatever the issue may be, the carrier will soak it up one way or another because time is not on their side to sit and argue or wait for someone else to do it.
Right now, and for the past number of years, there are more trucks than freight. We stumble and whine when we use companies like TQL for one-offs to fill in the gaps by the imbalance. These issues, and faxing is a small one, will continue to be solved, and paid for, by the carrier because like TQL said; 'there are lots of trucks that will do it'. The only way it will get fixed is for pricing to increase, trucks to decrease and, like @busterknoxville said, charge for the small stuff and customer will find ways to get the shipper to send it. Then brokers/carriers will find ways to eliminate the wasted time that we all want to charge via accessorial charges but have a hard time being successful with; shipper sending paperwork, importer of record manages their customs brokerage transactions, waiting time at shipper/receiver, poor appointment scheduling, sweeping of the trailers, poor/missing information on confirmations, horrible shipper/receiving hours, paying for lumper......the list goes on and on.
Like this post if you agree.
-The shipper is probably US based and does not know, nor care, what the consignee in Canada does with their paperwork. They do not want to incur costs or time, however small we feel it is, to do anything with it. They believe it is the Canadian who should take care of it. Maybe call the Canadian consignee to see if they can obtain a copy.
-The freight broker does not want to rock the boat and ask the customer to do something that seems petty. They, both the broker and customer, don't understand the problems that it would solve and feel that if the customer or shipper is unwilling, they probably have their reasons for it. There is no value in it for the freight broker to pursue this interest - there is no money in it for them. The same thing goes for accessorial charges, they would much rather take it out of their end rather than ask the customer. That is why accessorial charges are so low compared to the value they are getting ($35/hr detention after waiting for two hours for a truck/trailer/driver...really?)
-The carrier gets stuck on all these issues because s&$t really does flow downhill. The carrier is the one that needs the paperwork to continue. Their driver gets paid by the mile so he needs to keep going so he faxes it. Whatever the issue may be, the carrier will soak it up one way or another because time is not on their side to sit and argue or wait for someone else to do it.
Right now, and for the past number of years, there are more trucks than freight. We stumble and whine when we use companies like TQL for one-offs to fill in the gaps by the imbalance. These issues, and faxing is a small one, will continue to be solved, and paid for, by the carrier because like TQL said; 'there are lots of trucks that will do it'. The only way it will get fixed is for pricing to increase, trucks to decrease and, like @busterknoxville said, charge for the small stuff and customer will find ways to get the shipper to send it. Then brokers/carriers will find ways to eliminate the wasted time that we all want to charge via accessorial charges but have a hard time being successful with; shipper sending paperwork, importer of record manages their customs brokerage transactions, waiting time at shipper/receiver, poor appointment scheduling, sweeping of the trailers, poor/missing information on confirmations, horrible shipper/receiving hours, paying for lumper......the list goes on and on.
Like this post if you agree.
30
I agree with that Jim; however, problems are also opportunities. In this business there are precious few opportunities for each of us to stand out from the competition. There are literally hundreds of thousands of freight brokers and carriers doing exactly what we're doing. So when something comes along that allows us to differentiate ourselves from all those other guys we should grab that opportunity as if our livelihoods depend on it. I hear the frustration.. some shippers aren't interested in making our lives easier nor are they going to pay extra for something that can easily be accomplished at almost no cost using modern up to date technology. Just the way it is..
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I've seen this type of thing happen a few times over my career. While I am no fan of them, I don't believe this is a TQL issue. It's a shipper issue, and likely it's a shipper that doesn't export much so they're not that familiar with the process. I know a lot of trucking companies now put scanners in the truck so one can scan/email ... especially when e-manifesting this is a good idea anyway.
Knowledgeable shippers who do a lot of cross border freight in some cases will automatically scan/email us customs documents before the shipment is even picked up, especially if they are situated near border points.
Knowledgeable shippers who do a lot of cross border freight in some cases will automatically scan/email us customs documents before the shipment is even picked up, especially if they are situated near border points.
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Jim L,
Talking about giving great service to our customers... Isn't the consignee on a load usually/probably the shipper's customer... ? isn't a part of taking on this Canadian customer's order, making sure that it actually gets to the consignee... ? Would this not include providing and sending paperwork to customs?
Having children included changing poopy diapers... could have done without that
but it was part of the 'having children' bit... ying and yang!
Talking about giving great service to our customers... Isn't the consignee on a load usually/probably the shipper's customer... ? isn't a part of taking on this Canadian customer's order, making sure that it actually gets to the consignee... ? Would this not include providing and sending paperwork to customs?
Having children included changing poopy diapers... could have done without that
but it was part of the 'having children' bit... ying and yang!There have been a lot of valid comments regarding "doing a little more for your customer" to help them out. However, The consignee is the buyer of the goods and the shipper is the seller and more importantly the shippers customer. Take the broker and carrier out of the picture and the shipper is the one who is refusing to do something minor to assist his customer. When a shipping department does it they are efficient and following procedure, when a carrier does it they are lazy. Rant over.
5
Not to split hairs but the shipper isn't "refusing to do something minor to assist his customer"...the shipper is refusing to do something minor to assist his customer's other supplier (aka the carrier)
and quite frankly he's under no obligation whatsoever to help his customer's other supplier
We don't know what all the contributing factors are here...it's well and good to assume it's due to lazy shippers but there are lots of places that don't allow dock-staff in the office (where the fax machines usually are)...lots of places where shippers are expected to load X numbers of skids/trucks per day & get a finger-wagging if they don't meet that number...and probably a surprising amount of shippers who don't know how to operate a fax machine!
Ultimately it is the carrier's responsibility to ensure the documentation is submitted. Yes it would be nice if all shippers would assist us in accomplishing this...and when I am crowned King it will be the 2nd law I pass...but until then sometimes you gotta bite, chew, swallow, repeat (Walking Dead fans will get that last line)
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Being a rookie and not starting into this business until the early 70's, I've always believed the shipper should get a Pars/Paps number from the carrier. Then the shipper , customs broker and customs people should process all the paper-work. The driver then applies his sticker to a blank piece of paper to hand customs, wa la the loads cleared good bye and Freds your Uncle.
I almost replied, then thought screw it. I have had enough of this topic.
My point was not to continue on the sending of the paperwork. My point was to touch on all the items that seem to be dumped on a carrier in the expectation that they will do it for no additional fee. It does not happen in the container industry or the rail industry - the freight just sits until someone does it and pays the charges. It doesn't really matter who changes the diaper, but it needs to be done - the question is who? The mother, father, grandparents, older sibling or nanny? In reality, the expectation is that one of the parents should do it (much like the shipper/receiver) but at times others end up doing just because it needs to be done....Jim L,
Talking about giving great service to our customers... Isn't the consignee on a load usually/probably the shipper's customer... ? isn't a part of taking on this Canadian customer's order, making sure that it actually gets to the consignee... ? Would this not include providing and sending paperwork to customs?
Having children included changing poopy diapers... could have done without that
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That's just about the smartest thing I've heard today ... LOL
Vis-a-vis the responsibility for US bound paperwork, there is some obscure language in the CBP ACE regs that says the shipper is responsible, not the carrier. Wish I could remember where it was ... had to use it once to convince a shipper it was their responsibility. I'm not sure what the CBSA regs say about Canadian bound shipments.
@Wiley One ... did you think about telling them to take their load off your trailer? They might have 1500 other carriers, but I'll bet none of them were sitting in that loading dock with you. While I totally agree with you, I also know it costs money to uphold your principles. You just have to decide if you're going to get your money's worth.
From my perspective, I'll chew on it the first time if you catch me off guard, but you'll pay for the privilege after that.
Something I am looking forward to though is;
"You know that extra 45 minutes I had to take to fax the paperwork, well that burned my driver's hours and he's now sitting outside of Buffalo waiting for his log book. I sure hope the receiver's line doesn't go down waiting for this product which will now deliver tomorrow." This just promises to be an absolutely fun conversation ... LOL
As for TQL, I get along with them pretty good. Keep in mind there is always a supervisor to talk to. Very rarely does the supervisor ever book a load directly with a carrier, and chances are you won't even know who he or she is.
I also get calls from them offering to help me move freight. Like others, no, they'll never get a stick of it, but the guy I talk to is a good conversationalist ... LOL
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Regardless of what the rules say, its just smart business to go the extra mile for the customer. We can stand on principle.. we can stand on legalities.. but ultimately it makes more sense to go that extra mile to keep our customers happy. Like the FedEx guy who comes to my door every other day. On his way up the driveway he hands me my newspaper. He doesn't have to do that.. but that tiny infinitesimal gesture is magnified a thousand times in mind, and I come away with the impression that FedEx is great outfit. In the same way.. if we bring modern technology to bare here and simply take care of the customer they in turn will likely appreciate this gesture out of all proportion. And talk about insulating yourself from the competition. It really is the little things that make all the difference. Yes, opportunities often manifest themselves as problems.. ultimately all of us are in business to solve someone else's problems be they transportation related or otherwise..
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For Carriers that have drivers with smart phones....there is an app out there called "Drive Axle" It is free for short term use and a very reasonable fee for a permanent staple of a drivers process. It takes a picture of the the paperwork but converts it into a fax that goes to the fax of your choice. It comes through looking like a fax. We have one of our fax lines go into our email system so it works very well. It is relatively easy to use and some of my more tech adverse drivers not only found it easy to use but a big time saver.
That should help someone's Monday.
That should help someone's Monday.
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Igor Galanter
Well-Known Member
20
I did use it too for awhile. till they asked to buy..
So far, everyone I deal with OK with emails, so need to spend extra.
So far, everyone I deal with OK with emails, so need to spend extra.