This article was originally published in the December 2006 Admiral Merchants SHIP’S Log. Due to the high volume of requests, we are re-printing it.

My name is John Cegalis. My wife Cyndi and I are agents 3161. I was an owner operator for 27 years and Cyndi for 23 years before becoming agents. We’ve been out there where you are and have experienced the frustrations of the business and we hope we will not forget what life on the road is like so we can continue relating to your frustrations.

My topic is starting out with what some feel is a dirty word: “brokered” loads", and it will end with “integrity”.

Over the last two years we have heard a lot of complaints about brokered loads from the drivers. We have heard comments from drivers stating that “it's only a brokered load, who cares!” Here are a few facts we would like to share concerning this subject. Some of our best customers are brokering loads to us. They trust us to handle their freight and to get the job done in a professional manner and they use us because of an excellent service record. They use the rates that we give them and add their commission on to those rates. They do not dictate to us the amount they want us to haul it for. There are a lot of big companies using brokers, forwarding and logistics companies to handle their shipments. The shipper trusts the broker, the broker trusts the agent and the agent trusts that the driver will do the job required of them. I have heard drivers say they called a broker on a good load only to hear that they won't load Admiral Trucks because one driver messed up an account for our whole fleet of over 650 trucks and growing. There are agents that watch the broker boards all day long and find loads for drivers. They offer you a load for a certain amount and you have the choice of accepting or refusing it. It is that simple. If you don't like the rate, don't haul the load. Don't wreck it for the next guy who may want that load to get home or to some other point that you do not want to go. One driver’s bad attitude can ruin an account and Admiral's reputation.

If you ever see there is a problem with damage, loading or unloading, call the agent AND Admiral Claims department. They know what to do, how to word things on your bills, what to say, what to ask. They are there to help you and us avoid complications. They are experienced in what they do. Karen McNamara in claims helped us immensely on a load. A driver saw his crate was damaged while loading, reported it to her, and she handled it by putting our customer (a broker), the driver, and us on a conference call and discussing the whole situation calmly and professionally and the proper procedure of how to take care of it. In the end the driver was protected, Admiral was protected, and our customer (yes, the broker customer), was protected from any claims. If you mess up and damage a piece, it's going to cost you. That's part of the job. If you were responsible for the damage, you are going to pay your deductible. Remember: “A lie makes a problem part of the future, the truth makes a problem part of the past.” (Quoted from Rick Pitino, Lead to Succeed)

In the last SHIPS Log, Woody made the statement of good and bad drivers and agents and their list they may have. Here is an example and some facts we take notice of. Some drivers express their complete independence and portray a very miserable and negative attitude. It is easy to let your freedom of being an owner operator be your worst enemy when you do not think of what image you are portraying. We are all in this business together. We all need one another to make this business work. We all have frustrations, good days and bad days, but all need to practice self control in expressing this. We need to communicate closely to make it all work. A lot of our customers need to know where you are at all times. They don't want to hear, “I don't know where the driver is.” Are we checking up on you? YES! But only for what our customers require. It is a simple phone call and we like to hear your happy voices. If there is a problem loading or unloading, call the agent. It there is a delay, call the agent. If you are at the end of your rope, please don’t share your disgust with the shipper or consignee. Practice containing your anger and call the agent with your problem. We don’t always like what you have to say but better said to the agent than the customer.

There are quite a few drivers that we talk to who will do whatever it takes to get the job done. They have the positive attitude that all agents like to hear. If we say the load needs tarp, they say “no problem, that's our job.” We know if there is a problem with the load, they won't give up and drive away or say something to the customer we would all regret. As a good example, one driver cut a two-foot hole in his floor on his new trailer to accommodate our customer. That driver is one of the top revenue haulers every year. He knows what his job is and does everything it takes to get the job done. Another driver loaded a 78000-pound piece for us. When he got to the truck stop scale, the actual weight was 103,000. Not only did he have to deadhead to get another trailer, he then had to transfer the load in the pouring rain and had to wait ten days for a super load permit. Both drivers worked with our customers with a positive attitude, took care of the problem, and delivered the loads. In both cases, the customer was very happy, the agent (me) was happy, the drivers were compensated accordingly, and not once did either of them complain. I'm not saying you have to cut holes in your trailer, I just wanted to share a couple examples of those who took extreme measures to do what it takes to provide the customer with top quality service. In this competitive industry, standing out by providing top service is necessary. This is a quote from one of our customers, “You are only as good as your last load.” He said that after we messed up a load. We try to stress to the customer if there is a “problem” with a driver, we will not use them again. We as agents cannot be accountable for what we do not know about a driver's character but the customer holds us accountable, which leads me into this next topic, “Integrity.”

I have selected excerpts below from an article by Chuck Swindoll, “The Battle for Integrity,” www.oneplace.com. 

Let me define what I mean by integrity. Webster's tells us integrity means "an unimpaired condition." It means to be sound. The Hebrew word for integrity, tom, also means to be complete or solid. 
Integrity is completeness or soundness. You have integrity if you complete a job even when no one is looking. You have integrity if you keep your word even when no one checks up on you. You have integrity if you keep your promises. 
Integrity means the absence of duplicity and is the opposite of hypocrisy. If you are a person of integrity, you will do what you say. What you declare, you will do your best to be. Integrity also includes financial accountability, personal reliability, and private purity. A person with integrity does not manipulate others. He or she is not prone to arrogance or self-praise. Integrity even invites constructive and necessary criticism because it applauds accountability. It's sound. It's solid. It's complete. 
Integrity is rock-like. It won't crack when it has to stand alone, and it won’t crumble though the pressure mounts. Integrity keeps one from fearing the white light of examination or resisting the exacting demands of close scrutiny. It's honesty at all costs.                                 
The words of Louis Adamic seem fitting, "There is a certain blend of courage, integrity, character and principle which has no satisfactory dictionary name but has been called different things at different times in different countries. Our American name for it is “guts.” 
Integrity is having the guts to tell the truth, even if it may hurt to do so. Integrity is having the guts to be honest. 
One thing integrity is not. It is not sinless perfection. A person with integrity does not live a life absolutely free of sin. No one does. But one with integrity quickly acknowledges his failures and doesn’t hide the wrong.

Regardless of what profession you are in the important thing is not what work you do, but whether you do your work with integrity. Perhaps you labor behind the scenes, and your only thanks are the inner satisfaction of a job done right. 
You want to shock the world? Start here: demonstrating the guts to do what's right when no one is looking. It takes real guts to stand strong with integrity in a culture weakened by hypocrisy. Start today. 
 

John and Cyndi
Agent 3161