When you can't pick up a shipment

hauling_ass

hauling_ass

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Mar 15, 2010
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I am very curious as to how some of you experienced (and not-so-experienced) dispatchers handle this situation (especially with the amount of creative storytelling that goes on in this industry):

Your truck is loaded and headed for Kalamazoo, Michigan. Only an hour out of Toronto, your customer calls to say that the delivery address has changed to Cheboygan, Michigan. No problem with getting paid BUT...

You've already agreed to pick up a load in Kalamazoo but now you are not going to be anywhere near there. What do you tell the broker?
 
I think it depends on the distance of course. In this instance, I would expect my carrier to give me the "going rate" to Cheboygan and then if they asked for extra due to the fact that you have to now go back down to Kalamazoo, if it was fair, I would pay it and explain the same to our customer expecting the same fairness from them. Depending also on the extra, if it was only a few $100, I would just bury that in the new rate to Cheboygan and avoid any sort of altercation with the client.
 
Transaction -

Sounds good for the first shipment but what about your next pickup? Instead of picking up your next load in Kalamazoo as promised on Thursday (or heaven forbid, Friday), you either have to bail on that broker or try and pick it up the following week.

How do you explain to the second broker and still keep a good working relationship?
 
Absolutely... Tell the broker the whole truth and nothing but.

I've been the broker that has to tell the carrier that your Cleveland OH load (that's en route) is now going to Cincinnati OH. Sh*t happens... work together... be fair with each other... It all works out over time. Sometimes the customer wins, sometimes the carrier wins... some times the broker wins... keep the wins even... that's the secret.

Build relationships eh.
 
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This has happened to us many times. Like Igor said, honesty is the best policy. The last-minute change is out of your control and there is nothing you can do about it since your customer decided to change the delivery location after your truck had already picked up the load. I have had many brokers agree to pay the extra miles just to avoid the headache of cancelling and then finding another truck to go pick up their load. It, of course, depends on the lane and truck availability. Also, with the long weekend coming up, it might be in the best interest of everyone involved to just leave things as is. Worst case scenario, your truck will pick up on Friday rather than Thursday.
If anyone in this industry can't handle "last minute" changes then they should look for another job.
Hopefully everything will work out fine.
 
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THANK YOU for everyone's input.

We always go with the truth even though in this case, the broker was far from pleased and our driver isn't a happy camper either. But if I look on the bright side...I learned a few new words today! o_O
 
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Haulin', the truth is the best policy. Stranger things have happened than having a load reconsigned somewhere else. I've had a load of meat sent back to the shipper in Nebraska because the product didn't pass quality control but no one noticed until the load was shipped and almost across the border.
 
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hauling_ass said:
Transaction -

Sounds good for the first shipment but what about your next pickup? Instead of picking up your next load in Kalamazoo as promised on Thursday (or heaven forbid, Friday), you either have to bail on that broker or try and pick it up the following week.

How do you explain to the second broker and still keep a good working relationship?
Click to expand...
I didn't think about that. Since you are already on your way, you have no choice but to keep moving to the new address. As everyone is saying, tell the truth to the return load broker and see if you can pick up late or the next day. I always feel the pain of the carriers when this sort of thing happens to them as I know it screws up their return load.
 
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The shipper had the address correct BUT their customer asked that the product be delivered to Cheboygan where their customer was located. I believe their logic was to get the product delivered quicker and to save the wear and tear on their own truck.

But you're probably right bubba-one. It makes sense that the salesperson missed the very important detail about where the load was to be delivered because I never heard that this was a last minute decision.

Gotta keep the customer happy though. ;)
 
I agree with Bubba-one,

Proper planning by all parties, proper exchange of information (and don't hold and details back) is the best way to keep your shipments moving, your trucks rolling and your sanity. A cancellation or changes by any party has an impact on all other parties to the transaction.

I track closely:
Customers making last minute changes as it affects our relationships with our carriers. Those that we see repeat freight changing in size when the truck is on site, regular production issues, or mistakes regarding delivery locations get a visit from sales to discuss the situation. If there is no improvement over time we simply can't continue the relationship.

Carriers cancelling a load booked with them, the length of time from booking, the length of time from pickup, the day of the week, the day of the month it was cancelled. I used to track the 'reason' but have stopped doing so. The reason is irrelevant to me as it's simply a reflection of their customer base or staff turnover (thee are other factors too). Their customer this or that, the driver called in sick, etc... One or two instances in a short period of time can happen and may be let go, but if I see they took 6 loads this month and only hauled 1 I'll be advising the carrier of their bookings and ask that they change their ways. If not, I simply tell dispatch to not use them for a period of 6 months. It costs us time, effort and sometimes money in order to recover those shipments.

Our cancellations - rarely 2 dispatchers book the same load at the same time (for the same price), one on the phone and one by email - silly because they have set territories. Lets not go there right now, I'm working on it. We review mainly which carrier has a stronger service history and keep that one on the load. Occasionally an order is entered that has incorrect information and customer service is to blame, we feel bad but have to cancel a carrier on the load. These are tracked and they come up in the CSR performance review.

Know what your customers are doing and work with the ones that want to work with you, know what your carriers are doing and which want to work with you, know what your staff is doing as it can impact relationships with customers and carriers.

Yaya, I'm on my third coffee...

Keep well,
Mike
 
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So I'm sitting at my desk working on my sales numbers when I get a call from my customer telling me that they are having a sale but they forgot to order the product. Man somebody's going to get an ear full but in the meantime my customer needs product for their shelves. That's when I realize that I have a shipment coming from the manufacturer in Toronto. I call them and they say the truck loaded an hour ago so I ask them if they can talk to the carrier and have them take it straight to my customer in Cheboygan instead of to our location in Kalamazoo. He says he will do what he can. The carrier agrees to do it and I get a bonus for my quick thinking and making the customer happy.

That is one way a load gets diverted. I don't think it happens too often by it does happen. Now if you use that idea as an excuse to not pick up a load for someone, eventually people will question why all your loads get diverted. That's why honestly is best. We had a load diverted yesterday from Edmonton to Fort McMurray. As long as the customer is paying to take it to the new location it doesn't bother us.
 
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