Waiting time ?

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djsstrans

Member
May 12, 2009
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I don't know how many times i have read complaints from freight brokers about carriers holding freight "hostage", well unfortunately as a carrier we have had to implement a new policy when it comes to delay time (which by the way has to be logged in most cases as on duty)

In a case where a driver has been held up over 2 hrs. at point of pick up or delivery, the freight will stay on the trailer until the original agreed rate has been adjusted via revised confirmation.

As a carrier we have been burned SO many times after unloading someones freight before we have received a new confirmation with adjusted rate, we have had to introduce this new policy.

If you say your going to pay waiting time (everyone should after a 2hr grace) PAY IT. Rome transportation, Traffic Tech and CH ROB just to name a few.
 
this is also a trust thing, if you trust your freight broker then it's not an issue!

I've always worked to get as much possible for my carriers, within what is considered reasonable.
 
I agree with your new policy djsstrans. We always issue a new confirmation with an adjusted rate when excessive waiting time is incurred. The only thing we require in return, is a signed Bill of Lading with the hours in and hours out marked and initialed by the receiver/shipper. Without that, it is difficult, if not impossible, to get reimbursed by the customer.
 
So does your driver sit there, perhaps take a nap or send texts to wife, or do you guys bother to call your brokers and let them know there's a problem? My biggest problem getting o.t. for waiting time is frequently being the last one to hear about a delay. Then our client wants to know why we never told him. Him or us for that matter, may have a handle on decision makers that drivers and dispatchers never considered, and a quick phone call could have shook up the unloading process and saved al of us the hassle. It is about trust, as is every business of doing business. The secret to good transportation is good communication. But if you're not going to report delays in to our dispatch and you're intention is to hold my freight hostage, don't take it. Thanks.
 
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Talk about jumping to conclusions PARISITE I don't care what my driver does while he waits, and fortunately we have been around long enough to know we need times in and out and to communicate the problem to the person that brokered the load. My problem is after we have faxed time in and out and communicated our issue EVERY SINGLE time we unload on good faith we get burned.
And last, with a name like that I don't want your freight.
 
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I don't care what he does either AFTER he calls his dispatcher who I expect SHOULD call my dispatch so we can intervene with OUR CLIENT to try and SOLVE THE PROBLEM. Send me a bill that says you sat there for 3 or 4 hours and I want to know why you never called me.

BTW we're all hiding behind secret names, so what's in a name ? What do you call a person from Paris ? Mister Parisite thanks.

You're complaining about not getting paid for waiting time. If you're as honest and ethical as you want me to believe, then fine, you are....so put your money where your mouth is...are you saying you wouldn't call the broker you were working for if you got to a pickup or delivery and they delayed you ? I just trying to figure out where you stand, you know...are you part of the problem or the solution ?
 
RE: TRUCKIT

Parasite does make a valid point about SOME carriers not informing the broker (THE CUSTOMER ) about delays. All he is asking for, is the carrier to contact us,(not 6hours later) . Most of the time I can have the driver out of there once I know of a delay.
just my 2 cents
 
Ancillary Charges

I have been surprised many times with invoices from carriers with unexpected waiting, unloading, and loading time charges. The follow up calls to the carrier(s) for an explanation, usually resulted in receiving vague information at best, or just "the driver said ...") at the worst. I will always go to the wall for any carrier that legitimately incurs the additional waiting time. The most problematic issue I've dealt with seems to be a general level of incompetence and lack of logical thinking that those carriers displayed when trying to collect for unsubstantiated ancillary charges. And that without any notification whatsoever. The bottom line is as it's always been - "Help me help you!" If it's 2 hours on and 2 hours off, call me after 1 hour if they haven't started on your truck. It's not a lot to ask for and allows the broker and or their customer the opportunity to mitigate unnecessary charges.
 
Thanks Activet, my problem exactly...that and having a stupid name.
You've had the exact problems I've had, not once but probably 95% of the time.
The other 5% are the times when I anticipate waiting time and my orders come to the truckers with anticipated hours and and hourly amount agreed to by me and the dispatcher.

"And last, with a name like that ..."
"This members comments speaks volume to the type of company he is running."

I appreciate the personal attacks. Thanks.
 
We also need to remember that we must be on time if there is an appointment. If we are late picking up or deliverying I tell my drivers the 2 hours cannot apply and the shipper/receiver will have to work then in when they can.
 
I see Parasites posts as what a typical client would want/should expect. If there is waiting time involved, a simple call to the client/broker to inform them ahead of time will alleviate any problems collecting for that waiting time down the road.

Me- We just arrived at Company A, looks like there will be waiting time as there are 4 trailers in front of us.

Client- Ok great, let me see what I can do. Call me when it's delivered.

A 15 second phone call doesn't seem too much to ask.
 
Wait Time

I believe you MUST call. Trying to collect (Carrier OR Customer) after the fact is almost impossible. However, notifying the customer that the truck has arrived and that it is not being loaded/unloaded puts the pressure on the customer. "Hello Mr/Mrs. Customer, the driver is there waiting and they are not loading/unloading him. Is there a call you can make to get things moving so there isn't any waiting time?" The onus is now on the customer to rectify the issue and it becomes their responsibility. Wait time at the dock = Wait time on the invoice. (The driver must get BOL signed time in and out).
My cent and a half anyways......
 
We do call immediately if there is an issue, my problem is hearing "we will look after you" and ending up with a pissed off driver ( with good reason ) and having to compensate him myself. I'm sure everyone here knows there isn't enough money in this gig to begin with. So like it or not our policy is as follows- after 2 hrs broker gets a call when driver is loaded and B.O.L. has signed time in and out we fax to broker freight stays on trailer until issue is resolved. remember drivers MUST log these hours. Sorry if you don't like it but you know what they say about a few bad apples.
 
Sounds like a solid plan if you get delayed picking up. But what about delivering? Do you leave your guy in the dock? Do you get him to park across the driveway? Maybe get the driver to sit in the office? Sometimes you have to take someone at their word, but only once if they lie to you.
 
djsstrans,

I don't feel that holding anyone's freight is the best solution. Perhaps if you are getting burnt by the same people all the time, maybe it is best not to haul the freight. I have always paid waiting time (within reason) however by the time I have confirmed in-out times with customers, it has taken sometimes as many as 2 days. That is why it is important to have a good relationship with my carriers. At the end of the day, they all know I will be fair with them. Holding my freight for 3 hours ($180.00) would drive me crazy.
I think it would drive a carrier crazy as well if I cut an invoice $180.00 for being 3 hours late on a delivery. I would never do that, just making a point.
 
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Wait Time

Here's a point not to be missed as well: Some carriers are quick to ask for wait time, but also quick to point out excuses when they are late. We had an issue last week where a carrier committed to picking up between 8-9am. By 11am the pickup was still not done...OK..no problems...shi@ happens. The very next day (at the same shipper) the carrier had to wait a couple hours to get loaded and was on the phone looking for wait time (maybe we are an easy target because we DO pay it). I am probably going to take heat for this but my point is that it has to be "give and take". Not every issue is the same every time. As in the situation above, the carrier was very late on their committed pickup time so maybe they could have waived the wait time the next day as it was the same customer?
 
We pay for waiting time.

There are things that a carrier needs to do to be sure that the broker is able to capture the waiting time.

You need to contact the broker and advise if the driver perceives loading / unloading time will longer than what is considered normal.

Drivers should be asked by dispatch to mark their in and out times on the bill of lading or provide a copy of the trucks tattle tale report showing arrival and departure times.

If everything is done correctly and with detail... charging and collecting shouldn't really be an issue for the carrier and/or the broker. If either party feels as though their being taken advantage of... perhaps that's something to consider when booking future business.

Good point made by the brokers though... when a truck arrives late... who pays?... (no one usually). If that truck that arrives late puts the shipper/receiver behind schedule and the next truck has to wait more than the standard 2 hours to load... the shipper pays for that too? Doesn't seem fair if you're the shipper does it?
 
I'm all for paying waiting time when the carrier is taking responsibility.

This means:
- notifying us when the situation is imminent and/or underway
- notifying us when the driver actually leaves

Too many times, carriers try to tell us after the fact, when it can't be verified. At those times, we are not being helped in our fight so we can't help with yours.
 
Most brokers wil pay you a few buck to "cover waiting time" , the rates don't include waiting time , brokers dont want to go to customer , most just pay out of there 10 percent profit margin and move on. When you get into the 6 to 9 hrs waiting time thats when its hard to collect. "your driver needs to walk around the truck 3 times get the pink b/l signed and you wil be paid. They make it impossible to collect because the rules change depending on what day it is.
 
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