Harvey Roberts

logistics and shipping solutions | Fast & Secure Delivery

[Harvey Roberts @bkelogistics]

A dry van parked overnight gets as cold as the weather outside.

If your freight can freeze, that's a reefer question, not a food question.

Ask your broker before the first cold snap.

[Harvey Roberts @bkelogistics]

When the forklift sets the last piece on a flatbed, the driver's job is just starting.

How long does your dock give them to strap, chain and tarp?

A) Under 15 min
B) 15 to 30 min
C) 30 to 60 min
D) As long as it takes

[Harvey Roberts @bkelogistics]

@FTRintel @Trckstopdotcom Flatbed being the only one to tick up is worth watching heading into Q4. Steady isn't the same as soft.

[Harvey Roberts @bkelogistics]

@supertrucker Agree. A quick call to the carrier's listed number before the trailer leaves the dock stops a lot of these. Brokers should be making that check too, not just leaving it to the shipper.

[Harvey Roberts @bkelogistics]

@SONAR_FW Choosy is the right word. Shippers with quick loading, fair detention and consistent freight are the ones still getting their tenders accepted on the first try.

[Harvey Roberts @bkelogistics]

@datfreightteam Flatbed above the top of the nine-year range for mid-October is the number to watch. Steel and building material shippers who book at the last minute are going to feel that first.

[Harvey Roberts @bkelogistics]

@FreightWaves If diesel is heading up into winter, now is the time to talk fuel with shippers, not after the surcharge jumps. Nobody likes finding out about it on the invoice.

[Harvey Roberts @bkelogistics]

@FreightWaves Most of the theft stories start in the handoff, when nobody is sure who's actually backing into the dock. Shared standards between brokers and carriers would protect shippers more than any one tool can.

[Harvey Roberts @bkelogistics]

@John__Ferguson That's the job. Nobody remembers the load that went fine. They remember who called them first when it didn't, and whether that call came with a plan.

[Harvey Roberts @bkelogistics]

@John__Ferguson Good week for shippers on van and reefer, but Z9 van at 9.16 and Upper Midwest reefer at 10.03 show it's still lane by lane. The national number won't tell you what your own lanes look like.

[Harvey Roberts @bkelogistics]

An appointment the truck can't make helps nobody. One it can hit makes everybody look good.

Shippers, who sets your delivery appointments, you or your customer's receiver?

[Harvey Roberts @bkelogistics]

I drove and owned a truck before I brokered freight.

Here's how to set a delivery appointment the truck can actually make.

[Harvey Roberts @bkelogistics]

Confirm the appointment before dispatch.

If the receiver moves it, tell your broker right away. An early call gives the carrier time to replan. A late one tends to mean a missed slot and a longer wait.

[Harvey Roberts @bkelogistics]

@TP_Dispatch Good list. For flatbed we'd add one more: confirm the tarp and securement requirements on the rate con match what the shipper expects at the dock before the driver signs.

[Harvey Roberts @bkelogistics]

@Land_Line_Mag @OOIDA A fair DataQs review matters on the broker side too, since we vet carriers on those records. A violation that should have been tossed can cost a good carrier freight it earned.

[Harvey Roberts @bkelogistics]

@freightcaviar 20% more revenue for 1% more earnings is a clear signal for 2027 bids. Shippers should expect carriers to push for increases that actually cover cost instead of another round of low single digits.

[Harvey Roberts @bkelogistics]

@freightcaviar Fuel landing at No. 1 with drivers themselves says a lot about where the pressure is. When diesel eats the margin, the driver shortage and the fuel problem start being the same conversation.