How do you manage Haulage companies?

[Phil P]

I’ve pretty much had a wagon in the yard every day last week for various things such as grain/straw collections etc.
The problem I have is that I sometimes struggle to be around the yard all day waiting due to other business commitments, and some hauliers struggle to even say if it will be morning or afternoon when they’ll be there let alone an exact time!

So I’m wondering how others arrange what day/time haulage company’s can come for collections and how you get on pining them down to a time of day to be in the yard. Also what do you do if they’re not there when they’re ment to be!
Delivery’s aren’t as bad unless they insist on a signature.

 

[M-J-G]

Let them sit for half a day.
They soon learn to make a call.

I've never allowed anyone to just pop in, they make an appointment, call back when there is time or expect to be disappointed.

 

[solo]

I receive the bookings via text and email with the haulier details. The good hauliers arrange approximate time of day the day before and then the driver rings a hour away as arranged. Cherwell Valley Transport have been the best this last month. Frontiers harvest movement osr was dire service, just couldn’t get lorries at all. I generally load at anytime within reason, but I do refuse to load every lorry at 5am or after 9pm. Loading this time of year suits my system best.
I haven’t voted as I am flexible on the designated day so long as the driver gives me 1 hours notice.

 

[Chae1]

Could you not just ask them to call an hour before they plan to be at your farm? I appreciate if they are tipping at mills close by this wouldn't be possible. This would allow you to leave job your at and get home to load.

 

[Phil P]

Let them sit for half a day.
They soon learn to make a call.

I've never allowed anyone to just pop in, they make an appointment, call back when there is time or expect to be disappointed.

I had one company call me at half eleven in the morning and ask if I could load after dinner! I was like, errrm NO .

I receive the bookings via text and email with the haulier details. The good hauliers arrange approximate time of day the day before and then the driver rings a hour away as arranged. Cherwell Valley Transport have been the best this last month. Frontiers harvest movement osr was dire service, just couldn’t get lorries at all. I generally load at anytime within reason, but I do refuse to load every lorry at 5am or after 9pm. Loading this time of year suits my system best.

Is 24h notice acceptable though? I usually know what I’ll be doing most days best part of a week in advance. Do hauliers operate day to day and hope work comes in! Or is it the end users don’t give enough notice to the haulier?

 

[Phil P]

Could you not just ask them to call an hour before they plan to be at your farm? I appreciate if they are tipping at mills close by this wouldn't be possible. This would allow you to leave job your at and get home to load.

That’s ok if I’m working locally, but not knowing a time really restricts what other jobs I can be doing.

I’m wondering if I’m been a little soft with these companies, but how flexible are they on collections?

 

[M-J-G]

I had one company call me at half eleven in the morning and ask if I could load after dinner! I was like, errrm NO .



Is 24h notice acceptable though? I usually know what I’ll be doing most days best part of a week in advance. Do hauliers operate day to day and hope work comes in! Or is it the end users don’t give enough notice to the haulier?

It's bad enough getting a call after 10:00 and having to change plans, but an hour is no use, you're trying to run a business.

Calling the evening before isn't difficult.

Harvest time isn't easy for haulers, but most can at least tell you the day before if you'll be getting lorries to load the next day.

 

[solo]

The email and text are sent about a week in advance. Haulier phone call is the day before movement unless I phone him to arrange. Occasionally the merchant will ring to see if I will load a contract early and it is sorted by mutual agreement. The only time I get issues is when the mill breaks down and contracts get cancelled but I don’t seem to be informed. They just rebook and you don’t know whether they have rebooked tuesdays loads or Fridays. Usually requires me to chase the haulier up then. This time of year suits as I’m not miles away from the yard and doing maintenance work. About 700t of cereals has been loaded over the last 6 weeks with about half of that in one week.

 

[7610 super q]

It was better before the invention of the mobile phone. A call from the office the day before arranging a time was pretty standard. Now it's either a running commentary from the last 100 miles , or turn up unannounced. Trouble with unannounced visits is buckets have to be washed ( and dried ) , trailers of grain brought down from the official Red Tractor store, and tipped in a taller shed, passports hastily printed off, 3/4 hour trying to get the Manipoo started.......

Always glad to see my produce shifted though. I don't buy into this dictating to hauliers what to do idea.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

I’ve pretty much had a wagon in the yard every day last week for various things such as grain/straw collections etc.
The problem I have is that I sometimes struggle to be around the yard all day waiting due to other business commitments, and some hauliers struggle to even say if it will be morning or afternoon when they’ll be there let alone an exact time!

So I’m wondering how others arrange what day/time haulage company’s can come for collections and how you get on pining them down to a time of day to be in the yard. Also what do you do if they’re not there when they’re ment to be!
Delivery’s aren’t as bad unless they insist on a signature.

Drive around the M25 and then ask the same question

 

[Bald Rick]

Better that they call than don’t and then use satnav only to get lost down narrow twisty lanes. Never knew the Dutch had such a rich swearing vocabulary until recently

 

[Bruce Almighty]

In the winter We're usually around the yard doing something so can usually load / unload at the drop of a hat

Not the same in the summer though, I expect 24 hrs notice

 

[Spud]

Blimey, some of you have no idea how haulage works!! Some mills can turn a wagon round in an hour...but there's 6 trucks in front. Traffic incredibly variable. Some jobs come in with a few hours notice, not a few days.
Some farmers can't help themselves mind, screaming for grain movement, but won't get out of bed and load it before going shooting...

We run seven trucks on agricultural haulage, mostly grain. Usually, we'll ring the day before for the first load, which if empty the night before, we'll be there earlier than promised. Too many don't roll out of the house til after 8, to then find something parked in the way, forklift needs diesel, not got the passport ready or whatever.Some forget to tell us they only have a teaspoon sized bucket or a 4" auger to load with either!
Some are brilliant and are there with the 2t bucket full ready at 7am (or before)

If we're loaded the night before and need to tip first, some mills are tip up and go. Some are an hour through the sock. Some might have a queue of half a dozen or so. We won't know til we get there - in any case, the driver will ring half an hour or so before arrival for directions and to confirm eta - assuming he doesn't get snarled up in what will be by then rush hour traffic.
Second load is often planned the night before, and prearranged with the farmers, but a rejection, traffic snarl up, mill breakdown or deadline to tip the second load might mean we have to rearrange and send a different truck to get the load where it needs to be on time.

The third load isn't usually planned beyond the transport desk the day before, because at least 80% of the time something occurs to change the schedule - a rejection, traffic delay or whatever - or more likely a merchant rings with a 'can you just pop' which jumps the queue.

As ever in life, most folk are spot on, and some folk are pillocks on purpose.

 

[Phil P]

Drive around the M25 and then ask the same question

I appreciate traffic can play a big part, but surely it’s not unreasonable to give a morning or afternoon approximation?
If I’m sat in the yard waiting around it’s costing me time and money I won’t get back! Why should hauliers get it all there own way!

 

[solo]

I appreciate traffic can play a big part, but surely it’s not unreasonable to give a morning or afternoon approximation?
If I’m sat in the yard waiting around it’s costing me time and money I won’t get back! Why should hauliers get it all there own way!

Can you not pre empt the collection by arranging for loading last thing the day before or be the early bird collection?

 

[RAF]

Said it before every farmer should be made to drive a wagon for 6 months you would understand then .

 

[Suffolk Serf]

For outgoing livestock I usually get a text first, the evening before at the latest with an approximate ETA. Then the driver rings with a more accurate time when he's on his way, unless we're first load of the day, in which case the predicted time would be spot on.
One regular weekly collection is usually the same day/time each week with the same driver so he only lets me know if he's been unavoidably held up.
Any deliveries that need unloading we can accommodate with about 30 minutes notice.

 

[Banana Bar]

In the past we have run one or two trucks on bulk work collecting from farms. Bearing in mind in 99% of my life I meet farmers as an associate. Jump on a truck for a few days and some of the farmers you think of as decent people turn into the most arrogant pricks you can imagine until they realise you’re also a farmer! It beggars belief why these people should emit such an air of self importance.

 

[Gadget]

The night before we are given a rough idea as to morning or afternoon, the drivers then ring with an approximate half hour notice. That way We can be there at the appropriate time and load and neither of us have any wasted time.
In this day and age of mobile phones there really is no excuse for anyone being messed about.

 

[A1an]

Welcome to my world.

I've tried for nearly 2 years to work WITH haulage companies but they are hard work . I've found that from the owner/driver to companies like AWJ they are all the same.... hard work.
I recently approached a large haulage company to shift chip for me, I needed 4 lorries every Thursday at 8am, no chance .

I've had them turn up out of the blue, 2 turn up when 1 is booked in and lorries that have tipped the load back in to my shed after loading, cancelled order whilst I was loading .