A pleasant difference between our former and present carriers

Updated Apr 23, 2012

I learned today about an area in Greater Los Angeles that is new to us. Learned by finding a parking place there last night and walking around and driving around the neighborhood to check it out.

Diane and I woke up this morning in this area. We are here because today’s pick up is nearby. The freight was supposed to pick up at 10:00 a.m. but that got bumped to 3:00 p.m.

We learned that when we called the shipper to verify pick up details. Calling ahead like that is different than it was with our former carrier. At our former carrier drivers were discouraged from calling shippers and consignees. Agents and dispatchers communicated with customers and drivers went where they were told when they were told.

Had we been with our former carrier today, we would have arrived at the shipper at 10:00 a.m. in a tight area where there was no safe place to park. We would have been told then that the pick up time was bumped to 3:00 and sent away. With our present carrier, we called ahead, stayed put in a good parking place and got paid detention time for the delay.

With a 10:00 a.m. pick up, there was a good chance that we could get to the Oklahoma delivery in time to get the freight off the truck late Wednesday afternoon. When the pick up bumped to 3:00 p.m. the delivery bumped to Thursday morning. That was not significant. It is highly unlikely that we would be dispatched out of Oklahoma that time of day. The pick up bump means a good night’s sleep awaits in Oklahoma.