The broker who called me out on my own quote sheet
Had a dispatcher in Phoenix tell me my prices were too clean, said real transport quotes always have a cushion for weather or driver no-shows. He pointed to my 4th of July booking that sat for 3 extra days, and honestly he was right. Anyone else started adding a buffer after a similar talk, or do you keep it tight and eat the risk?
Man, I've been there. That Phoenix dispatcher did you a favor honestly. I used to quote razor thin on purpose to win loads and then ate it hard when a driver's ELD went sideways outside Amarillo. Now I add 6 to 8 percent on anything touching a holiday or a Monday pickup, and I bake in a flat 50 bucks for "weather flex" on cross country runs. It costs me some jobs but the ones I get actually stick. The trick is to not show your whole math on the sheet, just leave a line that says "contingency" so they know it's not fluff.