Greetings once again, and a warm welcome to the August 2023 edition of Al’s Corner Notes. Let’s dive right into the latest updates and insights.
Horse Hooky Scores Big at FanDuel Park
Horse Hooky was an enormous success on July 11th at FanDuel Park in Collinsville, IL. Forty-plus people attended this zany and unpredictable event. For me, the one time I had guaranteed a huge monetary win in my July note, exactly happened on the last race. Before the race, I was a little ahead of investment wise which is good, and unusual. I pooled together three others (fools normally) so I had $40 to bet on this race. The long shot won the race, and we got back $400. Bam! Next year will be bigger, I promise, I hope!!
Counterfeit Transportation Carriers and Freight Theft
These scammers are now very prevalent across the country. Every broker and I would assume hundreds of shippers, has experienced this in unusual ways lately. Currently, the villains are ahead of the game with their methods. These thieves are extremely aggressive and even clever in how they disguise their evil game.
The scammers can have 10-20 Motor Carrier Identification numbers that were issued by the government. Or they can steal or act like an existing legitimate carrier too. Technical resources are currently providing transportation and logistics organizations with solid tools that can stop this much of the time. Double-checking the carrier info 2-3 times can illuminate this problem. Using the same ones too, works well. Checking phone numbers, email, addresses, names, and such can help in prevention. Another situation that is hard to catch is these companies act like illegitimate companies for periods of time. They lay in the weeds and take and deliver shipments regularly for months then suddenly steal a load. Then, they demand ransom payments for the load to finally get the product delivered.
Other times the actual carrier who hauled it does not receive payment for hauling the load either. In this case, the fake broker/carrier takes the load, hires a trucking company to haul it, receives payment for the shipment, then never pays the carrier. So, concisely the thieves receive payment for hauling the load and then disappear. Then the carrier who did not receive payment backtracks to the shipper, broker, manufacturing plant, or warehouse (anything) seeking payment. Sometimes the crooks steal the load, then sell the product too. Confusing and Terrible!
Our government will have to get involved in this to really slow it down.
Final Story
Over the years our company has hauled metals loads that had high value like zinc, or copper. One story my business partner Brad Reinhardt told me was about a location that required the driver’s thumbprint before loading on the truck. So, he said, “We sent in the driver, and the warehouse refused to load him because he could not give them his thumbprint.”
The reason? Because he did not have a thumb. He asked if another finger would work, and they refused even though a fingerprint is the same on any finger! A rule is a rule, I guess!
Have a great month, AL.