Hiring a Transporter and Scammers!!!

What are the norms when finding a transporter to haul machinery?
When they quote you a price and you both agree, and then he says that he needs $100 up front, that seems kind of fishy!

I don’t want to be scammed out of my money, and not have my load picked up, especially when time is a factor.

I have read that never pay for anything up front.

Who are the so called scammers that frequent the hauling schedule?

Here’s one:

I goggled the number 224-531-3002 and it turns out this guy is a scammer! He calls himself Shawn, and says that he hauls 7 days a week, 365 days a year. With all that hauling, it makes you wonder how he finds the time to call so often and quote you prices!

Beware of this Nut!!!!!!!!

I am glad that I did some research on this buy, before sending him any money on a haul that I need done.

Thanks For the replies!
From Denton, Nebraska.
Andrew Kean

As a buisness owner, I pay for alot of things up front to do jobs for customers. Why would I also not want some (part) of the total due to me for job upfront to help cover my costs? Normally when a person will prepay some, the will pay the rest. I dont blame the hauler, get a signed contract, and get er done!

If you and customer are both local, that's one thing (and by your name, I suspect you're an electrician, and "local" is the nature of your business)- but hauler is probably from a different state (or clear across the country), which means you essentially have no recourse if he takes your C-note and you never hear from him again. I'd be reluctant, too- especially if the only contact info you have is a cell phone no, from which your calls will not be returned unless he feels like it.

I can understand looking at both sides of the coin, maybe when people do not know each other or don't have an established business relationship, creating concerns about timely payment for services provided.

However, I have always been hesitant to pay anyone up front. If I hire you, I have the money to pay, do the job, you get paid, its that simple. I'm not talking about other situations, for examples contracting jobs where sometimes arrangements are made for materials to be paid up front, or some similar arrangement.

You are a customer, we are not talking about a heavy rigging load requiring all kinds of resources, risk etc., you would think that a person offering hauling services, is set up with an appropriate rig, insured, and has enough cash flow to cover fuel, breakdowns, tires etc. You hire that person, they get paid, when delivery is accepted.

On a side note, there are still some honest folks around, maybe harder to find, but out there none the same. In 2002, on a phone call to Target Transport, whom was hauling for the old equipment and tractor crowd, they picked up an old caterpillar D7, in Illinois, overwidth with the blade on, and hauled it 1200 miles to my house. I've never worked with them before, but was kind of in a "Jam" as commercial haulers were as much as what I bought, he gave me a good price on the job, I paid him via a personal check, and gave $100 tip, complete strangers here.

With what you seem to be doing, fairly often, you ought to negotiate with a reputable hauler, and build a business relationship, so when you need jobs done, they are capable of providing what you need, and the billing is agreed upon, without any odd details.

I find that reputable people in business, when they know the money is good, will always be available and or helpful when you need them. Over the years in high rise construction, my own jobs in addition, I can still make a phone call, have a piece of equipment delivered, material delivered, or something hauled without hesitation because the people I do business with know the money is good, or I would not be involved with the job or whatever it is I'm doing. Having a reputation like this pays off when you need something in a hurry or an emergency, which I've had happen more than once.

I was at a farm auction once where a guy was hanging around the tractors and implements and talking to guys looking at them. He handed out a business card that looked to be homemade with little information on it. A guy came over and was looking for him. Said he scammed him out of $50 somewhere else. Guy paid him to haul a tractor and never saw him again. Don't know if he ever caught up to him, but what are you going to do for $50? Shoot the guy? Funny thing was, the hauler just seemed "off" if you know what I mean. Didn't seem like a trustworthy kind of guy, at least one I would do business with. Sometimes you just have to trust your gut.

He called me a couple of times trying to get a haul.Thankfully I saw bad comments about him on Buyer/seller feedback board.He called again and I asked him if he wanted a deposit.He said yes and I said no haul for you.If you can't afford to pay your own way here with my property on your trailer you won't be getting my work.Found a professional who was a joy to work with.


HTH

Vito

I've had several tractors hauled over the years and haven't had many problems.The trouble with paying up front,your locked in but not the hauler.He has your money so he can make you wait a month or two till he gets around to it.Also there was a guy in nebraska that took money up front and never showed up.Most legit haulers have a web site ,dot and mcc carries numbers and are insured.I might have talked to the guy you mentioned that hauled 365 days a year. I couldn't get him to answer any question straight out.I tried to get his address,he said he lived in his truck.Sometimes i ask questions even when i know the answer just to hear there reply.You can usually tell who to pass on.

As a businesses owner I never asked for money up front and I won't pay any one up front either. I may do partial billing as the job progressed. My parts supplier never asked me to pay when I picked up the parts.

Check out the haulers insurance. I had my custom pickup hauled and the hauler did 4600.00 damage just loading it on the trailer. He had insurance thru 'Canals' and I had to get my insurance to pay for the damages, and then they went after the haulers (canals) company.

If they want money up front, keep looking. If they need money up front, its one of two things. They're either one paycheck away from bankruptcy or intend to rip you off. Either way, you're screwed...

As a retired over the road truck driver, as soon as your load is on my trailer you owe me 1/3 of the freight bill. That will put fuel in the tank and at least I have that much money if you stiff me on the other end. Standard freight broker practice. It once took me a year to collect my pay not anymore.

When I had my own truck, I did like 504, but I had to have 1/4th of the total. I got stung once, by not getting anything, and never again

And I guess if you emailed me a cell phone pic of my tractor on your trailer in Bug Tussle, Oklahoma, I'd send you the 1/3!

What I'm concerned about are the "operators" who have no intention of putting my tractor on their trailer- just in getting part of the money, and I never hear from them again.

You have a good honest hauler not too far from you that I have used before.

Email me and I will give you his contact info. He is up towards Omaha. DOUG

I just came up with a worse scenario. He loads your tractor on the truck, takes your money, then delivers your tractor to a scrapyard, never to see the trucker or tractor again.