Mobile Communication on the Truck - Another Justification
Posted by Chuck Melton on Wed, Oct 12, 2011 @ 04:27 PM
Will collections of detention charges and fuel surcharges increase in 2012? More than two thirds of truckload carriers plan to be more aggressive with accessorial charges in 2012 particularly with detention charges and fuel surcharges. This is according to the transportation consulting firm, Transport Capital Partners. Click here to see the discussion on their study.
The detention issue has been a particularly troubling issue for carriers and drivers alike ever since I have been involved with the trucking industry. When the economy is tough and loads are hard to find, both carriers and drivers often suffer. The carrier doesn’t want to risk losing the customer. The driver spends too much time at the shipper or receiver’s dock inflating his on-duty but non-driving hours and may not be fully compensated. The Owner Operator and Independent Driver Association (OOIDA) in its opposition to the EOBR mandate have long held that HOS issues are more a result of this factor than anything else.
When talking to carriers, even when times are good, these charges often go unbilled and uncollected, because 1) the carrier doesn’t want to surprise the customer with an unexpected fee and 2) they often don’t have sufficient documentation that will compel the customer to pay. The screen below is an example of a simple back office integration with the truck’s mobile communication to solve both problems. It triggers an email that notifies the customer before the charges occur and it documents the time. Either the customer speeds up the process or the carrier gets paid for it and the driver should be compensated as well.
Mobile Com generated email
I plan to be at The First AnnualTruck Driver Social Media Convention on Saturday October 15th. I am really looking forward to this event. According to the organizers, Allen and Donna Smith, detention pay is one of the issues that is near and dear to the heart of the driver. One of my goals Saturday is to listen to drivers and identify their hot buttons and and attempt to develop a strategy where our technology benefits the carriers AND the drivers. In fact, with the looming driver shortage, I think its a critical strategy for the carrier as well.
