Varstar Alliance: Masters of the Excuse, Kings of the Short-Pay

[TaskSwap]

If there were awards in freight brokering for “Most Creative Excuses Not to Pay Carriers,” Varstar Alliance would win every year. They’ve practically turned short-paying into an art form.

Deliver a load early? Doesn’t matter — they’ll find a reason to shave dollars off your check. Trailer spotless? On-time to the minute? Doesn’t matter — somehow it’s always your fault. According to Varstar, carriers must be responsible for everything from “improper loading” to the weather, the moon cycle, and maybe even Mercury being in retrograde.

Here’s the trend: you do the work, you burn the fuel, you pay the driver, you get the load there… and Varstar Alliance finds a way to “trim” your pay. Always just enough to sting but never enough that they think you’ll fight back. It’s like death by a thousand cuts — except it’s your bank account that bleeds.

The truth is simple: good brokers pay what they owe. Bad brokers invent excuses. And Varstar Alliance has built a reputation in this industry for being one of the worst.

Carriers: be warned. If you’re thinking of hauling for Varstar, remember this — excuses don’t pay fuel bills, creativity doesn’t pay your drivers, and short payments don’t keep your trucks rolling.

So unless you like donating your hard-earned money to the “Varstar Excuse Fund,” steer clear. There are plenty of brokers who value carriers. Varstar Alliance? They just value excuses.

 

[Deisel1]

Can you share what happened that caused them to short pay you?
I am no way defending the action of Varstar but we all have learnt there is always 2 sides to a story.

 

[TaskSwap]

Six months, ten loads, and guess what? Varstar short-paid me on four of them. That’s not bad luck — that’s their business model.

Today’s excuse was a masterpiece: they claimed we were late. Funny thing is, my truck showed up at 7:00 AM for a 9:30 AM appointment. Two and a half hours early — but in Varstar’s world, that’s “late.” When asked to explain? Silence.

This is their playbook:

1. Carrier does the job.
2. Varstar invents an excuse.
3. Carrier gets short-paid.

If you enjoy working for free, go ahead and haul for them. If you actually like being paid, steer clear. Varstar doesn’t run on integrity — they run on excuses.

 

[Mario]

I guess its your choice if you still want to do loads for them

 

[Deisel1]

Thank you for sharing.

We've done many loads for Varstar Alliance with no issues with payment. In fact, there average is 31 days via EFT. I can also share, 0 invoices were short paid.

From my experience dealing with Food/Retail Distribution, even though you show you early for an appointment, the vendor gets fined. However, most times, this is highlighted, in some instance, the driver must check in 30 minutes prior to the appointment, any earlier or later can be subjected to fine.

Is this a possibility of what happened to you?

 

[TaskSwap]

Lesson learnt: not dealing with Varstar anymore. They don’t pay carriers — they just pay in excuses.

 

[bigt]

Thank you for sharing.

We've done many loads for Varstar Alliance with no issues with payment. In fact, there average is 31 days via EFT. I can also share, 0 invoices were short paid.

From my experience dealing with Food/Retail Distribution, even though you show you early for an appointment, the vendor gets fined. However, most times, this is highlighted, in some instance, the driver must check in 30 minutes prior to the appointment, any earlier or later can be subjected to fine.

Is this a possibility of what happened to you?

Diesel 1, i agree with you. We had same scenario. Few years back, I wen to deliver load to EV Logistics in Langley. i was an hour before my appointment. So, they ask me to go out of the property and check back in half an hour, before an appointment. So, went out and drive around couple of blocks and by the time i came back, there is no parking on the road. Few trucks lined up to get in. Did not want to go in early again, So, went around again and by the time i entered the property and try to check in, guess, i am late for delivery. And they charge $500 for late delivery. but luckily had camera in the truck and also, recorded conversation on the phone( had same situation with driver in the past. so decided to record) first time check in conversation and sent to our customer in US and they end up not deducting $500

 

[MLCAR]

Diesel 1, i agree with you. We had same scenario. Few years back, I wen to deliver load to EV Logistics in Langley. i was an hour before my appointment. So, they ask me to go out of the property and check back in half an hour, before an appointment. So, went out and drive around couple of blocks and by the time i came back, there is no parking on the road. Few trucks lined up to get in. Did not want to go in early again, So, went around again and by the time i entered the property and try to check in, guess, i am late for delivery. And they charge $500 for late delivery. but luckily had camera in the truck and also, recorded conversation on the phone( had same situation with driver in the past. so decided to record) first time check in conversation and sent to our customer in US and they end up not deducting $500

I really don't understand why we tolerate this in the industry. Walmart is notorious for this BS and I get it you don't want a bunch of trucks just sitting and clogging up your yard, but make it make sense. Its the luck of the draw If I show up early and have to circle the block and few times to time my entry right for the "check in" at the gate to then sit for 4 hours to get offloaded. Had a situation once, where their guard shack had an issue and couldn't check trucks in and had to do it manually, there was a KM long line of trucks waiting to get in, a Month goes by and our customer gets a "Missed appointment" fine for $1000.00 (not kidding). We had to provide GPS time stamps, video, signed BOL (not POD since they like to slap their barcode stickers on them and cover up the hand written notes) for them to accept and drop the fine. I haven't delivered to Sysco, flanagans etc for a long time over this crap, but its crazy to me how many truckers just bend over to these policies.

 

[BBL_Cody]

Search up Varstar and open the other two threads on Inside about them, some people are just able to strip away their last shred of humanity for 50 bucks. And fuck Flanagan too, they ask you to make an appointment but then they start the offloading two hours after the appointment because their policy states that they can simply just do that

 

[BBL_Cody]

And they will explain you 4 times over email about how much they care about you...... but pay some detention ? Ahhhh I'm not sure about that chief

 

[MotherTrkr]

I second this, we do not work with Varstar, they will find any motive to short-pay or deduct. Its the same with all of them, C1, Venkor, Triumphant

 

[MLCAR]

dont get me started with Triumphant...

 

[Jane D]

Had a bad experience with them once - I say once because thats all it took to DNU based on the way they handled the situation.

Few years & 2 companies ago now, so can't recall the exact details, and I no longet have the email communication- but shipper told me directly on the phone load was not ready & he would pay the wait time - truck was there for hours, & because it was after hours Varstar was nowhere to be found when trying to reach them. After all was said & done, they refused to pay, even though they agreed in the beginning since shipper greenlighted it- obviously because they wanted us to complete the delivery first before they screwed us.

 

[pizzzapie]

Worst company to work with.

Booked a load Chatham ON - PA, sent my truck down there from Mississauga got confirmation at 12:30 pm. Informed with that we will deliver next day early morning and we need to come back to gta since we had pickup scheduled for ON - FL for friday pick. At 3:22 they send new address to pick (Chatham near) at 4:35pm when my driver is just 20 mints away, j get an email from them saying can you guys load tomorrow!!!! Seriously??? When i called them guy says “i think site closes at 3:30pm and you can’t get loaded today” mind you guys, we informed eta before picking up and after getting the confirmation too & point to note, they sent new address at 3:22 pm, they knew site closes at 3:30 and informed us only when we were just 20 mints away.

Sent highway driver to pickup so he could deliver staright and come back empty for Friday. Drove almost 500 km (roundtrip) for nothing and no tonu yet. No respect for companies, no one answering phone calls. BS company stay away from them.