I am new to trucking and I'd like to have someone who I can call every now and then
and get advice on:
How to buy a good-running long lasting expedite truck. (Which trucks are best)...
Which companies pays the best, which to avoid.
How the expedite trucking industry works so I'll know how to make the most of it.
And anything else I should know.
I'll pay you per-30 minute call. Send me a PM if you're interested and we'll discuss details.
But you need to really really know expedite trucking. I want someone who
is really experienced.... and who has patience when it comes to explaining things to a new
driver. Because I know almost nothing about it.
Looking for someone who knows expedite trucking... (I want to pay for advice)
Discussion in 'Expediter and Hot Shot Trucking Forum' started by Blake King, Jan 31, 2014.
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The first advice is this - ask yourself what you want to get out of it and I don't mean money. Do you have goals you want to meet (like down payment for a house or business) and are they divided up between short and long term goals?
The second bit of advice is this is a luxuriating business that is solely dependent on the customer and their needs. So be prepared to sit for a bit (sometimes two days) and not make money.
The thrid bit of advice is never ever ever use money from retirement accounts (borrowing from 401k/403b) or mortgage your house to get into this business. If you have money sitting in the bank, borrow money to get started and leave that money in the bank.
The fourth bit of advice is that you have to explain more than just what you have. I mean are you going on the road as a solo driver or as a team?
As for which one to buy, it all depends on your preference to what truck you like. I would look for a class 8 truck because they seem to last a bit longer but I know a bunch of class 7s which have a million miles on them and still going. I would stay away from Izuzu unless you buy new and maybe some internationals. There was a Volvo up for sale a little bit ago that may be sold but the owner was a world renown famous expediter and kept his truck in such great condition that I would have bought it without hesitation. So back to what you like is what you should look for. I would also look for at least a 72 inch sleeper, do not bother with anything smaller.
ANOTHER THING is that expedite freight isn't what it used to be, it was freight needed for automotive companies for production (a simplified version) which was part of the Just-In-Time (JIT) production practices used in many companies. that's pretty much gone now so you may or may not get a "hot load" from a shipper but most of the time the company you are leased to will put the time limits on the freight to attract customers. The other thing that goes with this is that many many many companies do not get their freight directly from the customer or even the customer's broker but from a load board and a lot of that freight is just "spill over' or even one pallet that needs to be off the dock (imagine sending a full size 24 foot truck with three axles to pick up a single pallet that weights 100 pounds total).
Learn how to manage your money and account for every penny.
Don't be like those weekend or part time retired people who just do this for something to do and take any load no matter what the rates are.
comoes3, d o g, rollin coal and 1 other person Thank this. -
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Thanks so much man!
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Great post Ridgeline. I'm assuming op is going the company driver route so this advice may not apply. I'd say get on with an expedite company that has class 8 tractor trailers. For me as an o/o this allows a lot of flexibility jumping back and forth from expedited time sensitive freight over to general or seasonal freight - wherever I can get the best rates. Might find an expedite hotspot, a customer who's behind and over a barrel, and work that for a while (days or weeks) until the rates start going down from normal competition or they get caught up. Move on to the next gig. Perhaps someone with a general freight load is desperately looking to move their freight, score, jump on it. With the smaller trucks you just do not have that flexibility. You're going to be trapped in a limited segment that is oversaturated with trucks. Sometimes it is good but if it's not you will sit and wait. I don't know if any of the big expedite companies with TT operate how I do but I assume they do. Some do it better than others. I know of several small companies with 20-50 TT's around me who operate generally as I do. Mix it up and follow the money. Expedite is very competitive. It can be great in spurts but the good ol days are long gone.
comoes3 Thanks this.
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