Trucking companies - So. Cal. to Texas? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Skid Row Joe · #1 03-03-2011, 04:48 PM

Are there any major, national LTL trucking companies NOT unionized, where I could get better delivery service than 4 to 5 days on a 300 to 500 pound shipment?

It is agonizing frustrating waiting on trucking shipments that are quoted as "two days transit time," Los Angeles/Orange County to Texas - when in fact, they never bring the shipment(s) before 4 to 5 days time.

I am and have been repping manufacturers located in So. Cal. for 25 years - and the trucking industry has hoodwinked shippers into; "two day transit" which has never happened in 25 years.

Just wondering if there is such thing as non-union trucking firms that can do a better job?

tbomachines · #2 03-03-2011, 05:06 PM

Uship.com you can pick and choose whatever company you like, just give the bidding companies a call and ask.

roflwaffle · #3 03-03-2011, 05:29 PM

Watkins/Land Span/etc wasn't unionized when I worked for them, but I doubt they'll do any better job than anyone else. I think 2 days generally refers to terminal to terminal, not business to business, unless the businesses on both ends are willing to pick-up/drop-off within a few hour window on each end and the terminal has to personnel to accommodate that.

To get 2 days from business to business, they'll need to send a local driver out for pickup in the morning, and if your lucky the freight will start on it's trip to Texas by ~1-2pm, provided the pick-up route is short enough. My WAG is that it'll take ~30+ hours to get to Texas unless they have another driver pick up the load after the first one needs to go off the clock (fed regulations), in which case it'll take ~20+ hours and cost more. If you're lucky your freight will get offloaded in a couple hours and be on the local delivery truck that morning. That said, it's fairly easy for delays on the truck leaving CA (You would need the very nice combination of a short morning pickup run plus a lot of volume so that the truck gets sent out very quickly, which is not likely since carriers with a lot of volume that are sending trucks to their destination every couple hours tend to have longer pickup runs) or getting unloaded in TX to push delivery to 3 days, and unless the LTL switches drivers for you, 4+ days is pretty much a given.

SwampYankee · #4 03-03-2011, 05:43 PM

Freightquote.com has served us well for LTL shipments from CA, ID, OR and UT. Cross country is 4-5 days, I'd think a day off that time frame is probably more likely from LA to TX.

In a related matter, I've NEVER received anything via Consolidated Freight or Yellow that wasn't damaged in some way, shape or form.

Skid Row Joe · #5 03-03-2011, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roflwaffle

Watkins/Land Span/etc wasn't unionized when I worked for them, but I doubt they'll do any better job than anyone else. 2 days from LA/OC is pretty damn quick. They'll need to send a local driver out for pickup in the morning, and if your lucky the freight will start on it's trip to Texas by ~1-2pm, provided the pick-up route is short enough. My WAG is that it'll take ~30+ hours to get to Texas unless they have another driver pick up the load after the first one needs to go off the clock (fed regulations), in which case it'll take ~20+ hours. If you're lucky your freight will get offloaded in a couple hours and be on the local delivery truck that morning. That said, it's fairly easy for delays on the truck leaving CA (You would need the very nice combination of a short morning pickup run plus a lot of volume so that the truck gets sent up very quickly, which is not likely since carriers with a lot of volume that are sending trucks to their destination every couple days tend to have longer pickup runs) or getting unloaded in TX to push delivery to 3 days, and unless the LTL switches drivers for you, 4+ days is pretty much a given.

That's my point.....it's not "2 days from LA/OC," to Texas. It's a grand total of 4 - 5 days to the address it is shipped to. I just received a shipment that has been sitting at the Texas terminal for over 24 hours before sent out on local dispatch. It takes them that long to break down a trailer, and re-distribute it on an address that is a mere 30 minute drivie from the terminal. My shipment was delivered "after hours" into the next day actually. It was riding around since 7:00 a.m. on a local delivery truck - even though it's now been in the city for 2 days. That's just unacceptable to think it takes 48 hours to do a 30 minute dispatched drive cross town to my business location. Time is always money in my business, and misquoted (actually dishonest) time quotes cause lost time on the receiving end of cross country shipments.

roflwaffle · #6 03-03-2011, 06:04 PM

Different terminals have different people (I swear to god some of the dock workers at the smaller terminals would work while inebriated) and different capacities. If your local terminal is too small switch to a different carrier, ship at a different time, or offer to upsize it for them so that it can handle maximum capacity better.

Sometimes freight just gets pushed to the side and won't get on a truck until everything else in front of it is cleared out. Non-union dock workers making $10/hour w/o benefits aren't exactly super worried about getting stuff out as quickly and efficiently as possible.

buffa98 · #7 03-04-2011, 05:28 AM

Not trying to defend any company here, But did the quoted travel time include pick up and delivery. I was in this buisness for 15 years and we had a transit time along with a delivery time. 2 two is the TRANSIT time from Ca to Texas(most parts of Tx anyway).
We always added a minimum of 24 hours to take into account dock time at both ends(working hours so 2 days)
That being said the only way to do a door to door deivery from Ca to Tx will include a cargo plane.

My $.02

engatwork · #8 03-04-2011, 07:19 AM

Have you tried Fed Ex Freight?

SwampYankee · #9 03-04-2011, 07:23 AM

Are they loading dock to loading dock deliveries or is a liftgate required on either/both end(s)?

engatwork · #10 03-04-2011, 07:53 AM

I'm not sure about the loading dock. I had access to a forklift when I used them.

Skid Row Joe · #11 03-04-2011, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by buffa98

Not trying to defend any company here, But did the quoted travel time include pick up and delivery. I was in this buisness for 15 years and we had a transit time along with a delivery time. 2 two is the TRANSIT time from Ca to Texas(most parts of Tx anyway).
We always added a minimum of 24 hours to take into account dock time at both ends(working hours so 2 days)
That being said the only way to do a door to door deivery from Ca to Tx will include a cargo plane.

My $.02

Yes, 2 days. Dock in Riverside, CA. to door in Dallas, Texas. Therein is the lie by the trucking firm. I wised-up the shipper to the lie their trucking company SAIA told them, and apparently has been telling them for years.

Skid Row Joe · #12 03-04-2011, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SwampYankee

Are they loading dock to loading dock deliveries or is a liftgate required on either/both end(s)?

Dock to door. Liftgate was on semi trailer. Shipment was #215, nothing the truck driver and I couldn't have handled. As I understand it that gets into the union part of trucking. The union truck driver is required to only bring the shipment to the door of the trailer, or dumping off the liftgate at ground level. That's it. Any help beyond that is purely out of the goodness of the truck driver's heart, since he is breaking policy beyond that point. He might even suffer consequences if it became known that he left the rear of the trailer. I never expect the truck driver's help beyond dumping it on the street surface immediately behind the trailer - and I'll take it from there.

Shipment took 4 days in essence, since it was brought 'after business hours' to my business place on day 3. Totally acceptable. I was getting ready to leave at 4:30 pm for the day and run some errands having waited the prescribed: 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, as the trucking company called me on day 2 saying they would bring it between those hours. What isn't acceptable were the lies in delivery promise of 2 days. It didn't happen as they told the shipper; "2 days." The dispatch rep. at the company in Riverside, CA. actually believed the trucking company's "2 day" lie. I set her straight on it.