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Old 02-06-2016, 11:22 PM
 
28,107 posts, read 63,410,741 times
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Only relating what I've heard...

It's too many people going to Idaho with few leaving.

I had a friend moving from the Bay Area to Idaho two years age and they rented a Penske Truck... the rate was VERY high but competitive...

Around the same time someone I later met moved from Idaho to the Bay Area... they rented the same size truck...

The rental from Idaho to California was 40% of what it cost one way California to Idaho...

Heard similar for California-Seattle.
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Old 02-06-2016, 11:37 PM
 
Location: Somewhere in America
15,479 posts, read 15,515,918 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ultrarunner View Post
Only relating what I've heard...

It's too many people going to Idaho with few leaving.

I had a friend moving from the Bay Area to Idaho two years age and they rented a Penske Truck... the rate was VERY high but competitive...

Around the same time someone I later met moved from Idaho to the Bay Area... they rented the same size truck...

The rental from Idaho to California was 40% of what it cost one way California to Idaho...

Heard similar for California-Seattle.
When I moved from NY to SC, the trucks were pricey. When I moved from SC to NY, the trucks were less than a quarter of the previous move. They needed trucks back up north....too many were stuck south.
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Old 02-07-2016, 08:55 AM
 
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
10,931 posts, read 11,663,805 times
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Yes, you are facing what looks like a cartel.
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Old 02-07-2016, 11:49 AM
 
16,235 posts, read 25,087,331 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cnynrat View Post
That's not an option for us. We have some very high quality furniture, and it doesn't make any sense to sell and buy it again. I have a full woodworking shop, and it as much as it will cost to move, it would cost more to buy all those machines again. And at 60 years old I'm not playing the load everything in a UHaul truck game again.

I know it costs more to use a full service mover, but the two estimates we have are both within the amount we have budgeted for the move.

I am still curious whether anyone else has had a full service mover decline their business.

Dave
They already explained...not sure why this is bugging you...seems you're taking a company decision personally. Why?


re; your question...this is as closely related as my experience came.
I once worked for 3 weeks sorting and packing for an Auction company who was to give us an estimate to auction our things, as we had a long distance move pending.

The auctioneer told us we didn't have enough stuff and refused to auction.
I had to laugh, I put an add in our local paper for a rummage sale with the heading.."should have been an auction. We literally had dirt cheap to free...and still made 2500.00.

Spend your time on your pending move, this company's decision should be the last thing you worry about.
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Old 02-07-2016, 04:08 PM
 
9,891 posts, read 11,682,649 times
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Quote:
He sounds pretty picky, i don't think I would want him handling my shipment anyway. As soon as a carrier started listing all the things they "won't" do, the call would be over. Maybe trucking isn't for him?
You don't understand the trucking business. People contract with a company to handle the shipment. They then put out the runs to their drivers. Like my son, the owner/operators can be choosy which runs they take, and which they will not take. The company owned trucks go where ever they are told to go, but the drivers make a lot less money than the owner/operators.

When you own your own truck, you will be picky on the runs you make, as it can mean taking a load that will make $200 or $2,000 for the same time and distance expenditure. When you consider for a quality sleeper semi truck, it will cost $125,000 to $150,000 plus the cost for the trailer. A flat bed starts at about $25,000 and goes up from there depending on the type cargo you will be hauling, with the higher ones being the refrigerated/freezer trucks.

My son bought a brand new truck this last year, to replace a 5 year old truck. Reasons--5 years warranty, that saves him truck maintenance. Fuel mileage is almost double due to great improvements in the truck. This savings on fuel, pays the truck payments, so he really comes out ahead.

With that type of investment, and the cost to keep your truck on the road, you truck payments, insurance, etc., you cannot afford not to be choosy when accepting loads from your dispatcher.

And yes trucking has been his life for 20 years, and is a good high income job if you can stand being away from home for a few days at a time. But as owner operators can be choosy about the loads they take, they can make a lot more money than if they took just anything. Only a fool, would accept a load that was not profitable.
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Old 02-08-2016, 08:28 AM
 
Location: LEAVING CD
22,974 posts, read 26,874,403 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by oldtrader View Post
You don't understand the trucking business. People contract with a company to handle the shipment. They then put out the runs to their drivers. Like my son, the owner/operators can be choosy which runs they take, and which they will not take. The company owned trucks go where ever they are told to go, but the drivers make a lot less money than the owner/operators.

When you own your own truck, you will be picky on the runs you make, as it can mean taking a load that will make $200 or $2,000 for the same time and distance expenditure. When you consider for a quality sleeper semi truck, it will cost $125,000 to $150,000 plus the cost for the trailer. A flat bed starts at about $25,000 and goes up from there depending on the type cargo you will be hauling, with the higher ones being the refrigerated/freezer trucks.

My son bought a brand new truck this last year, to replace a 5 year old truck. Reasons--5 years warranty, that saves him truck maintenance. Fuel mileage is almost double due to great improvements in the truck. This savings on fuel, pays the truck payments, so he really comes out ahead.

With that type of investment, and the cost to keep your truck on the road, you truck payments, insurance, etc., you cannot afford not to be choosy when accepting loads from your dispatcher.

And yes trucking has been his life for 20 years, and is a good high income job if you can stand being away from home for a few days at a time. But as owner operators can be choosy about the loads they take, they can make a lot more money than if they took just anything. Only a fool, would accept a load that was not profitable.
As a former O/O you are right for the most part. BIG kudos to your son for lasting so long as an O/O, especially through the fuel raping! That has put many,many people out of business.

There are loads (unfortunately) that you get forced to take from time to time but those situations are smaller when you pull a "flat" and aren't contracted to a moving company.

I had a brief contract with a major moving company and learned one thing people should know, Moving companies pay the O/O whenever the tires are turning, even when rolling empty to go get a load. It's called Dead Head Miles.
They will also pay when you are sitting but it's really nothing to speak of and happens rarely.

The thing is NOBODY likes getting D/H miles as it barely pays costs of rolling down the road for the truck. The O/O makes zippo on 'em but you are forced to do so by the dispatcher. Just ask a mover if he would want to take a load into Miami some time. NOBODY likes going to Miami, even with freight as nothing comes OUT of Miami so you're stuck there unless you can grab a load of fruit or pull a bunch of D/H miles.
Moving companies fight each other for jobs, they don't turn 'em down lightly ESPECIALLY when fuel is as cheap as it is now (they make more $$$) so for a moving company to turn down a job it's got nothing to do with going into Idaho, I don't care what they said.

So, as someone who's been on both sides of the load I can pretty much guarantee that the ones that turned down the OP did so for reasons other than what they said.
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Old 02-08-2016, 09:53 AM
 
Location: North Idaho
2,392 posts, read 2,990,031 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JanND View Post
They already explained...not sure why this is bugging you...seems you're taking a company decision personally. Why?
Not bugging me at all, I was just trying to understand something about a business that I have never really bought from before. I moved from the east coast to CA right out of college, and the company paid for moving my meager possessions at the time. I made a short move about 38 years ago when we bought our first house, and we did that one ourselves with a uHaul truck. I was 23 years old at the time, and we didn't have that much stuff to move. We made another local move 21 years ago, all of 6 miles with a bit more stuff by then. I happened across the receipt for that in the process of cleaning out old paperwork the other day - it was $548.

I asked the question, and I think I got my answer: The local franchisees of a national moving company will not compete with each other. Fine, I've got two other companies coming to give us estimates this week.

Dave

Last edited by Cnynrat; 02-08-2016 at 10:03 AM..
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Old 02-12-2016, 03:48 PM
 
Location: North Idaho
2,392 posts, read 2,990,031 times
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Just to tie this thread off: I got estimates from Atlas and Bekins. All were similar, with the differences in weight estimates being the biggest difference. I like the original United Van Lines the best - The guy who came to do the estimate was the most thorough, had the best follow up, and answered all my questions in the most straightforward way. Unfortunately, he was the highest weight and price. I asked him if he could get closer to the low bidder, and he responded to essentially match the other quote in the likely weight range.

Now we just need to finalize the date (likely mid-May) and get ready to move.

Thanks for those with the insight into how these businesses work.

Dave
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Old 02-12-2016, 08:01 PM
 
Location: LEAVING CD
22,974 posts, read 26,874,403 times
Reputation: 15643
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cnynrat View Post
Just to tie this thread off: I got estimates from Atlas and Bekins. All were similar, with the differences in weight estimates being the biggest difference. I like the original United Van Lines the best - The guy who came to do the estimate was the most thorough, had the best follow up, and answered all my questions in the most straightforward way. Unfortunately, he was the highest weight and price. I asked him if he could get closer to the low bidder, and he responded to essentially match the other quote in the likely weight range.

Now we just need to finalize the date (likely mid-May) and get ready to move.

Thanks for those with the insight into how these businesses work.

Dave
When you go to finalize make sure it's a BINDING estimate. That means it can be no more than what he's quoted but could be less.
I'd also highly suggest going to the weigh in/out. I had one driver fuel up after tare weight then loaded us so we got to pay for the weight of his fill up.
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Old 02-12-2016, 10:16 PM
 
Location: North Idaho
2,392 posts, read 2,990,031 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jimj View Post
When you go to finalize make sure it's a BINDING estimate. That means it can be no more than what he's quoted but could be less.
I'd also highly suggest going to the weigh in/out. I had one driver fuel up after tare weight then loaded us so we got to pay for the weight of his fill up.
Thanks - it is a binding estimate, and we do get a reduction if the actual weight is less than the estimated amount. I suspect the formula they use to calculate the reduction is based on a cost that is less than their actual cost, but so be it.

Good point about being there for the weight in/weight out.

Dave
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