I am an Independent Reporter covering the expedite trucking world

This blog and all articles and posts I make are my property and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Expedite Insight .com I am an Independent Reporter covering the expedite trucking world

Thursday, March 15, 2012

SO YOU WANT TO BE AN EXPEDITER....

You will need a class B CDL, and a DOT physical. A clean criminal and BMV background. Most carriers require 6 months to 1 year experience. Sometimes you can find a carrier willing to take you on with no experience, but those are few and far between due to insurance regs..

This is definitely a life style change. You are going to be living on a truck for the most part. This is ideal for a husband and wife team experiencing "empty nest syndrome", or for a young couple just starting out in life. This career is traveling and camping out. You never know where you are going until you get your dispatch. It's like living in an RV.

Pack lightly. 2-3 changes of clothes appropriate for the weather. Microwave, crock-pot and mini fridge or cooler. Disposable dishes and utensils. Some drivers take along portable grills.

Tools: Cell phone, GPS, Tool box, gloves, steal toe boots, safety vests, hard hats, safety glasses and ear plugs are a must. An atlas and magnifying glass. A brief case. First aid kit. Laptop w/internet access (you can purchase internet time from the truck stops for a reasonable fee). A printer/copier. A book to record your loads, miles and pay.

DVD player, dvd's and reading materials, puzzle books etc. to pass the time. You may wish to carry a digital camera or camcorder. You will be seeing some amazing sights. Do you play a musical instrument? Take it along.

THE CARRIER: WARNING: IT IS ADVISED YOU CHECK OUT THE PROSPECTIVE CARRIERS PRIOR TO SIGNING ON WITH ANY. TALK TO DRIVERS WHO ARE CURRENTLY SIGNED ON. ALSO CHECK OUT THE RIPOFF REPORTS ON THE INTERNET. DO YOUR HOMEWORK!! If you are not a company driver, you are an independent. First step: find a carrier. The carrier is the company you will be hauling for. The carrier will qualify you as a driver and if you own your own truck or need a truck, the carrier will handle the details and get you set up. The carrier will inspect your truck and let you know what it needs to qualify to haul freight. The carrier will handle all the permits you will need to haul for them. A carrier can also set you up with a truck owner who needs a driver if you do not have a truck. Your carrier will get the loads and dispatch you on those loads. Your carrier is your life line in this business.

Are you still interested? There is a lot of red tape to get started, however if you are determined and patient through the beginning processes this can be a very rewarding choice. There are ups and downs, good loads and bad. Trucks break down, traffic jams, weather, construction, long hauls and seemingly endless hours of driving. Loads get cancelled, freight gets slow. Some months you will be so busy time will fly, and other months it will be so slow you will want to just go home. Learn to adjust your time and budget. December through March are usually the slowest months.

This is a business. Your business.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

CHAIN REACTION

Customer vs Carrier vs O/O

Your carrier hires you to run an expedited coast to coast load 2800 miles, for a very good customer.

Your truck breaks down @ 1800 miles (due to a fuel injection issue), under load.

Customers expedited load remains on your truck and is 24 hrs overdue. Mainly due to incompetence of the repair shop. The truck could have been repaired in 4-5 hrs and the load could have only been delayed for that same amount of time. The truck was 3 days delayed in the end.

After 24 hrs. Customer requests load to roll.

Carrier hires another truck from another carrier (due to no other trucks in the area) to run the load the remaining 1000 miles.

Due to the Customers contract with your carrier, because of the breakdown under load, the customer now only pays 1/2 of the original cost of the expedited load (can be viewed as compensation for the delay) which covers the cost of the second truck.

Customer compensates original drivers for the fuel from the shipper to the breakdown point, but nothing for the 1800 mile haul.

Carrier makes $0 from the load, O/O make $0 from the load.

Who made $$ on the load? Pilot Travel Center for the fuel, and the fuel company. The repair shop. The hotel.

WHO ARE THE INJURED PARTIES??

1. THE CUSTOMER...load delayed...work on project delayed.....workers delayed...putting project into overtime
costing the customer more $$.

2. THE CARRIER...no profit made...unable to book truck for another load. In some cases: loss of the customer
can and does occur. Tension between the Carrier and the O/O. Word of mouth and misunderstanding of the
situation could also ruin the reputation of the carrier among drivers, which can have a chain reaction........
as well as word of mouth advertising among potential customers.

3. THE TRUCK OWNER..is out the $$ for the repairs, and hotel room for 3 nights for the drivers,
as well as wear and tare on the truck for the 1800 mile haul. With absolutely no compensation from
the load.

4. THE DRIVERS....the hours tied up on the load, and the stress and fatigue of the 1800 mile haul. 3 days with
no work. The cost of food for 3 days. Stress and fatigue of dealing with the repair shop and being down,
not to mention the stress of not being compensated on the line haul.

THE WINNERS AND PROFIT MAKERS OF THIS SCENARIO:

1. The repair shop
2. The hotel industry
3. The fueling station
4. The fuel companies.."Big Oil" industry.
5. The other trucking company.

In the business world, the customer is always right. It is the GOLDEN RULE of business. This type of scenario happens every day in the trucking industry. We have to keep our customers happy, or we lose their business. It was no one's fault. Even preforming the pre-trip inspections could not have fore seen this breakdown. Internal damages occur.

Had this been a preventable breakdown, it could have fallen back onto the driver. The driver could be held responsible not only for the repairs, but also any loss of revenue if the Carrier were to lose the Customers business. The driver could also be held responsible for paying for the 2nd truck as well. This is a "Chain Reaction" situation. Anyone getting into this business definitely needs to understand the nature of the business, and the importance of keeping the equipment in good mechanical condition. Many do not. It is those who do not, that end up failing in this endeavor. However it is also those same people who can ruin the reputation of a good carrier.

This scenario stresses the importance of keeping your truck in good mechanical condition. Some things you are not going to be able to fore see, however you CAN do your part to keep the profits rolling into your pocket and becoming a valuable asset to your business partners ie..truck owner/carrier, by preforming your pre-trip inspections to ensure every possible thing is being done to keep your money maker in top form.

Do your pre-trip inspections, repair simple things before they become major issues. It is the simplest way to fight against being taken advantage of in this industry.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Laughter Lightens the Mood

The first year my husband and I went on the road as expediters, was the most difficult. We went from being together a few hours each day, to being together constantly. At times we were both a bit touchy to say the least.

On one occasion, my husband had been "PMS-ing", or having "mental pause" all week. Nothing I did was right, he was even telling me how to drive! I swear I could drive blind folded with him as my guide. Taking all I could at this point, I was of a mind to give my husband an attitude adjustment. I pulled into a rest area and parked. When he took his grumpy butt inside I moved the truck. The idea was to make him think I had left him there. I pulled to the opposite end of the parking lot, between two other trucks, shut the truck down and waited.

After a few minutes he came out of the building and headed right to the truck, laughing his fool head off. He got in the truck and asked, “What did you think you were doing”? Dumbstruck, I asked what he meant.

“Well, the fellow in the rest area told me the truck that I got out of was leaving, I told him you would be back. I figured you were up to something”.

I told my husband I was attempting to give him an attitude adjustment and figured if I hid the truck it might make him think about things a bit. At this, my husband laughed even harder.

I asked him what was so funny, and by the way, how did he know where the truck was? He laughed and said, “Next time you try to hide the truck, don’t park beside a flat bed! It stuck out like a sore thumb"!

I learned a good lesson that day. Next time, I will just have him get out and check that back tire.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Successful Expediting

Expediting can be a very successful venture if you follow a simple guideline.



1. THINK POSITIVE.

Think outside the box, and widen your horizons. Begin with a good start every day.



2. BE NICE, POLITE AND KIND.

Do NOT argue with dispatch, shipper or consignee. This is your customer base.



3. COMMUNICATION.

Being in constant contact with dispatch while you are under load simplifies things. Little messages via the QC like: taking a break, out of truck, even sending a message regarding delays due to weather or traffic saves time and aggravation. Dispatch can check the QC (prior to calling) to first check for any messages or updates from you, and will be better able to keep the customer well informed. Major delays such as accidents or breakdowns should be called in immediately. Even keeping dispatch informed of progress during a breakdown is extremely helpful. Communicate problems @ the shipper or consignee with your dispatcher or Customer Service Rep. Always let your dispatcher or CSR know what is going on ahead of time if you can.



4. BE EFFICIENT WITH YOUR PAPERWORK.

Complete your paperwork accurately. Place your name, truck #, and pro # on every B.O.L., this will ensure prompt payment. In addition to this, scan or send in your B.O.L. immediately after each load. Procrastinating with the paperwork will delay payment from both the customer and your carrier.



5. PREFORM PRE TRIP AND POST TRIP INSPECTIONS DAILY.

Keep your vehicle clean and in top running condition. This will enable you to find a
minor problem early, to keep it from becoming a major problem while under load.



6. BE WELL ORGANIZED AND READY.

Being ON TIME and having all pertinent information ready at a moments notice saves you time, and may even help you to pass the DOT LEVEL I inspection.



7. TRY NOT TO CHERRY PICK YOUR LOADS.

The more AGREEABLE and COMPLIANT you can be, will greatly add to your success as an expediter.



8. REMEMBER TEAMWORK.

In the transportation industry, You, your carrier, dispatch, CSR, shipper and consignee, as well as law enforcement and DOT are a TEAM. A TEAM is ONLY as STRONG as it's weakest link.



How strong is YOUR link to YOUR success as an Expediter?

Friday, December 30, 2011

The Truckers of Expediteinsight.com

"We are a certain brand of renegade. We are antagonists. We are unapologetic. We say what we think. We stand up for what we believe in. We work hard. We love our country. We have your back. Our philosophy is not for the weak minded. This is our creed".  LETZROCKEXPRESS 2011
"If "those of influence" choose to stand with a site that helps to promote hate speech by banning those who speak up against it, that is their choice. If they choose to avoid us because they view us as the bad guys, they are closing their eyes to the truth. I will stand against hate speech even if I stand alone".  DOUGTRAVELS 2011

This site is a blend of some of the most unique minds, and some of the most rediculous. The bannter is lite, but the heated discussions are at times truly extreme.   IT IS NOT A BAD THING.     In a way, this site reminds me of a mosh pit of sorts: We verbally bannter and spar...much like the physical mosh pits where they slam each other around and have an absolute great time. Have you ever experience a mosh pit? I have. It was frightening at first. It was exciting, it got HARD CORE. It was an adventure. It was all in fun.  Like the mosh pit, this site is NOT for everyone.  

If you believe in the freedom of speech, and can withstand the indepth, sometimes extremely heated discussions....if you can survive comedy, tragedy, raw emotion and the sometimes off the wall oddity of a great group of people who are strong in their beliefs......if you are outspoken, outragious and totally out of your gord.....then this is the place for you.  Expedite Insight is informative, entertaining and enlightening.  All are welcome.

  Our Mission and Forum Rules
 Our mission is to provide a forum for expediters to speak freely without fear of retribution. We do not wish to be an overly sensitive forum however we do need a few rules to protect our membership.

These are the rules as of today, more may be added as they are needed, but we will try and keep them as limited as possible and still maintain a community.

1) No Hate Speech
 We will not tolerate racial or religious hate speech. Additionally we will not tolerate hate speech directed at another member.

2) No Threats Of Violence Toward Anyone This means no threat toward any member here nor any discussion of a threat toward anyone else will be posted on this forum.

3) No Pornography, or links to any kind of pornography whatsoeverThis is self explanatory

4) No Posting of anyone's personal information, member or notThis includes real names, addresses, driving records or anything which may affect their reputation and or ability to earn a living.

5) Swearing ( cursing, etc.)
We do not have the swear word filter enabled and it is our preference to not enable it. Sometimes a swear word can really make a point and we do not want to become so sensitive that your point gets stifled. We do however ask our membership to not type swear words just for the hell of it. Profanity laced posts may eventually make us re-evaluate our stance to have it disabled.

These guidelines hereby stand as the rules of this site at this time. Failure to abide by them could very possibly result in your suspension or banning from ExpediteInsight.com

Saturday, October 29, 2011

HEADING INTO OVERLOAD

Distracted Driving?

BILLBOARDS.   AIRPLANES PULLING BANNERS.   CONSTRUCTION/LAW ENFORCEMENT LIGHTS.  

 I do not have to think about taking a drink, or eating a sandwhich.  I do not have to look at what I am eating.  Turning the station on the radio is a no brainer too.   We drive more miles in a day than most people drive in a month.  Driving is all we do.  We know our trucks and we know the roads.  There is a time when we can multi task and a time not to, and we know the difference.
The 55 mph speed limit makes me drowsey....We are used to driving speed limits of 60-75 mph and to drop to 55 for an extended length of time is hazardous.  I smoke. I smoke the most doing 55 because it gives me something to do to keep me awake.  Telling me I cannot smoke while I am driving....well those are fighting words and I will step up.
Driving is not like a 9-5 desk job, or a factory job.  Expediting is even worse.  We are on time sensitive loads, we cannot pull over any time we want a smoke or something to eat.  For us to pull over for a sandwhich or a smoke takes at least 1/2 hour, it also does not stop our 14 hr clock.  Communicating with dispatch:  if I have to pull over and use the QC to communicate, that load I am on could be sitting for an hour waiting for someone to get back to me....IF they even do.
You want us to drive keeping our hands on the wheel and eyes on the road for the long hours we drive....that would turn us into road zombies.
All these rules and regulations are not going to do anything but add more stress and pressure to an industry already carrying a heavy load and you know what happens when you OVERLOAD!
New HOS??   Our hands are so tied right now we cannot stear!!  You cannot make this a 40 hr a week..9-5 job.   Trying to overhaul the trucking industry is a never ending job.  There is such a thing as overdoing something.  IF IT WORKS, DON'T MESS WITH IT!!
 There is only so much an industry can take and if they keep adding to what we already deal with, they are going to push drivers to the point of driving these trucks straight up the anal retentive cheeks of America.   " Sorry America, we were distracted by your controlling bullshit"!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Keeping Records for the IRS

Keeping records on the truck can be very simple.  A loose leaf note book and 12 clear sleeves works wonders.  Lable the sleeves January thru December.  Each month put all the receipts and your log copies for that month into the corresponding sleeve.   At the end of the month tally your recepts.  On the front of the sleeve write the # of days you were out, how many miles you drove,  list your expenses individually,  write down your revenue for the month as well.  At the end of the year you will have all the information at a glance.  Tally your totals for the year and there you have it.  Use a white sticky lable on the binder of the folder to write the year and your name and unit #.  It is ready for your accountant or tax preparer, and you can place it on a book shelf for safe keeping if it's needed in the future... an audit for example. 

Anything you purchase and put on your truck is tax deductable, so save all of your receipts.  Even movies, books, ect...for entertainment.  Motel costs, clothing, shoes, boots, office supplies, etc...

It is a good way to keep track of your receipts and yearly information.  It fits nicely into a briefcase too. :)