How can you call and set up an "appointment" (since when is an "appointment" in a 9:00 to 5:00 window anyway) if you do not have the shipment at your dock ready to deliver?

And when you set up that appointment knowing that you don't have the freight at your dock ready to deliver, how about the courtesy of calling to let the "appointment" know when the day of the "appointment" arrives and you know you still don't have it.

And when your "appointment" calls you, because they've been waiting around all day for you to arrive and you never did, know that a "whoops, our bad" isn't going to cover it.

When they call to set up a freight pickup advise them that if the load/product is not actually ready for immedate loading then they will be charged a service pickup charge and you will not return later to pickup the load until that service fee is paid. .....drill sgt.

quote:

Originally posted by drill sgt:
When they call to set up a freight pickup advise them that if the load/product is not actually ready for immedate loading then they will be charged a service pickup charge and you will not return later to pickup the load until that service fee is paid. .....drill sgt.

Nice thought, but aren’t you just shooting yourself in the foot if customers are waiting for safe deliveries and you’re going to make them wait even longer while you fight with getting a fee from the freight hauler? Seems like a no-win situation in either case.

quote:

Originally posted by drill sgt:
When they call to set up a freight pickup advise them that if the load/product is not actually ready for immedate loading then they will be charged a service pickup charge and you will not return later to pickup the load until that service fee is paid. .....drill sgt.

Pretty sure the 'appointment' is for a Delivery, NOT a pickup...

quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:
How can you call and set up an "appointment" (since when is an "appointment" in a 9:00 to 5:00 window anyway) if you do not have the shipment at your dock ready to deliver?

And when you set up that appointment knowing that you don't have the freight at your dock ready to deliver, how about the courtesy of calling to let the "appointment" know when the day of the "appointment" arrives and you know you still don't have it.

And when your "appointment" calls you, because they've been waiting around all day for you to arrive and you never did, know that a "whoops, our bad" isn't going to cover it.

Wait until you see what they do to you in the drive through.....

You’re not kidding. You’d think a freight company wouldn’t suck donkey balls at logistics, but they mostly all do.

-Rob

quote:

Originally posted by BurtonRW:
You’re not kidding. You’d think a freight company wouldn’t suck donkey balls at logistics, but they mostly all do.

-Rob

They ALL suck at doing their job....they consider it successful and a job well done that they deemed it worth their while to deliver your freight, regardless of how timely it does or more like doesn't get to you.

So I work for an LTL freight company. I agree some are very bad at what they do. But are you aware of how freight moves through their network? Large, national carriers use a breakbulk system much like a hub and spoke. Regional carriers are more direct loading. Keep this in mind though, they schedule the appt based on the expectation that the freight will arrive at their destination terminal for delivery but often unforeseen circumstances alter that. A linehaul driver calls off sick or a truck breaks down. Maybe a dock worker at another terminal forgets to load the freight or there is simply too much freight so all of it can’t go that night. Maybe they use the rail to move freight across the country and the rail is backlogged. Many things can happen that can alter a plan. Rest assured that no freight company wants to be late and have unhappy customers but unfortunately they all do.

That said, I recently moved from one notoriously bad company to one with a great reputation and on time delivery. So there are companies that can and do deliver as promised.