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Wrong Pick-Up Carrier

ISSUE

Copper Run told you the name of the carrier who would be picking up your load.

The truck has arrived for loading, but

  • The name on the door of the truck is different from the name Copper Run gave you.

ACTION

  1. STOP: Do not load the truck.
    CAUTION: Do not load your freight on ABC’s truck if we have told you we are sending in XYZ’s truck – you may never see it again.
    ABC is probably legitimate, but it might not be. We can find out if it is.
    We can also get you the name of the driver who should be picking up the load – you are entitled to ask for photo ID – , and the fleet numbers painted on the truck and trailer. .
  2. Write down, or take a picture of:
    • The carrier name that is painted on the truck, either on or just behind the driver’s door; and if possible, the “MC-xxx xxx” or “DOT” number also.
  3. Call us and tell us your concerns.
  4. We will speak with the carrier to determine whether
    • This is a pick-up driver legitimately sub-contracted by the carrier we sourced for the shipment;
    • This is a highway owner-operator under long-term contract to the carrier we sourced for the shipment;
    • Without permission or notice, the carrier we sourced for the shipment has double-brokered the shipment to a different carrier; or,
    • A rogue carrier or broker has learned of the shipment, and is fraudulently attempting to scoop either the shipment itself, or the freight charges.
  5. In case (a) or (b), everything is OK, and we will tell you to load the truck.
    In case (c), the carrier at your dock has accepted the load in good faith, but it was offered to him in bad faith. There is no risk (except that we do need to obtain a copy of the carrier’s insurance before you load the truck) and no crime, just very poor ethics.
    We will expedite verification the new carrier’s bona fides, including proof of cargo insurance and, if everything checks out, we will formally cancel the original carrier, and re-issue your shipment to the new carrier. This process should take about 20 minutes: once it has been completed, we will tell you to load the truck.
    If we cannot verify that everything is in order with the new carrier, particularly its insurance, we tell you to reject the truck. If you wish to proceed with loading an un-verified truck, Copper Run will respectfully bow out of the transaction.In case (d), DO NOT LOAD THE TRUCK. Your decision t call us has probably interrupted an attempted fraud and/or theft in progress.

Unfortunately, these situations are rarely prosecuted, as they involve multiple players, multiple jurisdictions, different legislation in the various jurisdictions, weak legislation, and sometimes no actual specific crime has occurred until somebody gets on a plane to South America. So our approach is to ensure the freight is secure, intact and delivered where and when planned, and no one is double-billed.

EXPLANATION

Cases (a) and (b) are the result of efficient operations, but poor communications. When a carrier choose to inter-line a shipment, they are best to advise Copper Run so that we can alert our shipper.

Case (c) is the result of poor ethics – the original carrier is trying to make a fast buck at everyone else’s expense. You will rarely hear of Copper Run’s operations staff yelling on the phone, but they will yell when this happens.

Case (d) is a pure scam, the product of criminal greed. It is our responsibility to protect our customers from this type of activity to the maximum extent possible.

IMPACT & TYPICAL RESOLUTION

If the truck that has arrived at your dock is legitimate, or can be quickly made to be legitimate, there is very little delay or other impact. If the truck cannot be verified or the circumstances reconciled, then a new truck must be sourced, which may or may not delay the shipment by one day.

Almost always, the strange truck that has shown up at your dock is a legitimately contracted pick-up, and there is no delay or need for a different truck. Even when your shipment has been double-brokered, we are usually able to verify and use the new carrier.

Fraud / theft instances are very rare, but they do happen, so it is wise to be vigilant.