Hi My name is Brendan. I'm around the Chicago land area, and I Would like to know from some trucking professionals good questins to ask. If aybody could give me a few ideas I would apreciate it. Like as far as who to use, or things that I need to know about the trucking industry as a customer.

Thank you for your help

Trucking is such a cut throat business. Go to the Better Business Burea to check out any one that you are going to do business with. Iam a dispatcher for a small courier / trucking company and It amaze's me at some of the back handed ways of some of the people in this business. Good luck

I know that it is a cut throat industry but I need to find the right questions to ask so I don't get screwed over.

First what do you need trucked? How far and how often

Once to 3 time per week to 5 different locations one being in mexico

But all over the us south and east

Will the pick up be in chicago

Yes

If you can find a small company that is dedicated to you that would be great, as long as they can keep your prices low... these large companies sometimes offer you the moon as far as delivery times and hire my company to do the driving when they can't handle it and try and pass off the charges to you rather than loose their 'es. We do work for G E and they have many, many companies that they call to do their jobs for they just do not use 1 company. A lot of these big truckers are closed on the weekends I would try and findsomeone that is open all week long

Ask them for references, as said above a lot of companies will tell you they pick up and deliver on time, but really, from working in freight forwarding truckers will lie and say anything to get you to book with them. Once problems begin they will lie also, we have a few truckers that we used to use that would tell you they are ready to deliver when they are hours away.

Thank you very much for your help. But I still need to know good questions to ask sales reps for trucking co.

By the way what company do you work for and where are you based out of

Also you could go the route of finding someone in the south to pick up in north or whichever and take it back... we do that dead head and come back with a full load. You have many options to work with... also it makes a difference if you have hazmat material, and how quick you need your freight dropped, Do you want a company that offers 2 men teams. And the border of mexico... that will require for port of authority... Not many people are willing to go to mexico... Your best bet is for a large company like dhl... or egl also do not let anyone enter you in a contract... leave yourself open to use different carriers and also call different companies and get their mileage rate, size of trucks, fuel surcharge, and what hours and day they are available

I don't know, ask them if they're licensed, what their insurance coverage is. But again, they will say anything to get the business, there are too many truckers out there, they can't afford to lose a client. My best advice is to ask for a reference, someone that uses them a lot and ask them how often they are on time and how many damaged shipments they have received.

I work for Kirsch Forwarders out of Montreal, Canada