Overdrive

July 2017 | Overdrive | 43 BROKER RATINGS tors to talk about rates, lanes and busi- ness strategy. Scullin says DAT's review system gets all the facts of a situation out on the table. "Can I see if a bad review was a heat-of-the-moment response, or is something fundamentally wrong with how a certain broker conducts busi- ness?" he asks. "The reviews help car- riers determine if something just went wrong or if there is a pattern." Boblett says reviews have saved him more than once from a bad load. He once read that the broker had not paid a driver for sitting at the shipper for six hours on the same load Boblett was considering. "I had almost finalized the load, but I immediately called [the broker] back to ask about detention," Boblett says. "For me, if you don't pay detention, I'm out. My time isn't free. If I see several reviews that say 'did not pay detention,' I make sure to call the broker to ask about it." In Truckstop.com's load board, owner-operators can see brokers graded on an A-to-F scale, along with average days to pay and more. Nate Rowlan, training manager for Truckstop.com, says the grading and information provided to drivers comes from driver feedback and factoring companies. As for concerns about new brokerages, Truckstop.com rates them "N" until they have been in business for a year. "Every 90 days, brokers come up in a queue for us to do a manual review," Rowlan says. "A lot of payment infor- mation comes in almost daily." In cases where there isn't enough information for the review, Truckstop. com will call on carriers that have hauled freight recently for the brokers. Also, if brokers have five unresolved disputes or $10,000 worth of complaints from carriers, they are removed from Truckstop.com's load board until they resolve the complaints, Rowlan says. Merrill Heim, independent and owner of seven-truck fleet Alumni • Go online to www.iowa80.com and request your FREE CATALOG of the finest selection in Chrome and Professional Trucking Accessories! • Or Call Toll Free – 866-4-IOWA80 (866-446-9280) • Shop online today! www.iowa80.com • w a F t C P A • 8 (8 • Sh Truck Accessories For The Professional Driver Tr Tr T u ru r ck Accessori ri r e ie i s Fo Fo F r Th Th T e Pr Pr P o ro r fe fe f ssio io i nal Dri ri r ve ve v r GET YOUR FREE CATALOG! OD 2017 IA80com OD 062317.qxp_Layout 1 6/26/17 9:17 AM Page 1 Logistics, uses Truckstop.com's grading system to help determine which brokers to contact. "If I see a broker has a low score, I tell them it has to be cash on delivery, or I won't haul it," Heim says. "I tend to look for brokers that pay within 15 days or less and have a better reputa- tion. Usually, when you call a broker, you can tell if they're trying to take advantage of you. They'll start to play a numbers game with you."

• Cover
• COVER STORY: Jump start The electrified truck concept has taken on a real life, with players large and small vying for future shares of the Class 8 market. It’s not only large fleets that are placing orders.
• Presenting logs at roadside Running with an e-logs device is one thing. Communicating e-log data to an inspector is quite another. With five months to go, states’ data transfer plans vary widely, and an ambitious federal program remains untested.
• Broker ratings Not only have the internet and mobile technology made finding loads quicker and easier than ever, those same resources also can provide more in-depth, current information on broker performance.
• Drive Test: Best of both worlds Volvo’s regional workhorse tractor, the VNM, having been on the market for more than two decades, was overdue for a refresh. But Volvo designers did much more than modernize its body lines in producing th
• Options few after ELD challenge stalls.
• Pulse: “The real problem” with ELDs.
• Another reason shippers should deal direct.
• Reader majority opposes hair-sample testing.
• Obama-era contractor status memo rescinded.
• Trucker Talent Search finalists headed for Dallas.
• FMCSA study to assess split sleeper options.
• GATS to showcase free music and famous trucks.
• “Service and sacrifice” ’88 Freightliner COE.
• Owner-operator’s self-built “RisslerBilt” 379.
• “88 Mike” Morgan earns first Bandit Series win.
• Reader Rigs: ’13 T800 a stainless dream; ’90 K100 a farming COE; salute “The General” ’17 W900L Icon; ’96 W900L pretty in pink; respect “Big Tex” ’15 122SD; ’02 W900L goes by “Black Betty.”
• BUSINESS Log data might not cover IFTA, IRP.
• Gear Guide All-position tire, mudflap, locks, more.
• FLEET NEWS Decker’s Driver of the Year gets Harley.
• 5 APPS FOR THAT Podcast players for on-the-road listening.
• TWO-BUCK TRUCKERS Wendy Parker backs a driver’s plan to highlight trucking issues and show the general public how much the industry contributes to the economy.