[arkjarhead]

I wish I would have approached an expediter before getting in the business. Maybe it would have been an EO member and they would have pointed me here. I'm not saying I would have been an expediter, but I could have I learned I needed a contract. It might have saved me some heartache.

[OntarioVanMan]

Originally Posted by arkjarhead

I wish I would have approached an expediter before getting in the business. Maybe it would have been an EO member and they would have pointed me here. I'm not saying I would have been an expediter, but I could have I learned I needed a contract. It might have saved me some heartache.

Hindsight is 20/20....never look back Joe....always go forward....

[late4dinner]

Interesting responses. I still believe that anyone who would start a conversation by asking a perfect stranger such a personal question is rude and without manners. Asking whether a person can make a living doing what we do, or something of that nature would be a much better way to start the conversation, at least that's my opinion.

By chefdennis's post, I'll bet that he didn't offend one person and he probably got more honest information.

[butterfly610]

I agree that it may have "sounded" better for the driver to ask that way....but you have to remember, not everyone has the same social skills. Not everyone in the world talks the same way. Maybe they just don't know how to word things the right way to get their point across. I'm from Texas, and used to friendly people and good customer service, I go to other places and people talk with shorter responses, don't smile or laugh as much as I'm used to...and I could say they're all rude, but it's just how some people are. If we don't try and see the point the person is trying to make, or the real question, we could be offended by almost anything.

[LakeSide]

When I started out, I didn't know squat !!

Only thru asking questions & listening to advise have i managed to break away from expediting
and get into trucking as an O/O. Ive got like 3 spiral notebooks full of notes taken since I began driving. When drivers would tell me something I didn't know? I wrote it down !

Thank God for the openness and willingness many O/O's have while sitting around waiting. I got my "real" education thru the 100's of hours of discussion with allot of you drivers. You guys gave me the knowledge to explore alternative sources of income and i'm about to cash in on the schooling.

[are12]

What I find rude is when a driver from the same company asks how much we are making per load. To me, that is personal information and should not be discussed among O/O of the same company. That is a question for the company itself to answer.(even though we know they won't)

When someone is interested in the expediting business or running a straight truck, they usually ask, if we would mind telling them, what we make a year. Jim and I usually do not have a problem with that but we also tell them, what works for us, may not work for them.

[kangar0085]

I'm not offended by that question in any way shape or form. I love it when people come up and talk to me, this job is way to lonely for me to get offended by people questioning me. That's how I found out about this business, by friendly strangers willing to share some helpful info with me.

[butterfly610]

I agree about the people from the same company though...usually they're just looking for a reason to start bashing. People love to be negative don't they?

[Moot]

I always ask others how much money they make. Why just this morning I asked my dentist what she makes. I have asked the cashier at Walmart, the nice DOT man inspecting my van, the lot lizard at the truck stop, the loan officer at my credit union and a dispatcher at Panther how much money they make. If I suspect they are not being truthful with me I ask for documentation.

[arkjarhead]

Well the DOT officer's salary is public information. My sister is going to be starting as an elementry school teacher next semester. She said she doesn't mind when people ask how much she will be making because it is public knowledge.

Another thing have you ever thought that may be asking because a recruiter gave them a figure, and they want to find out how accurate it is? I agree it shouldn't be the intial question. Maybe ask what kind of freight and where you mainly run those types of things first.

[cheri1122]

My point was that even if I told the absolute truth, (and some drivers don't), the info would be meaningless, due to the huge number of variables involved. I feel comfortable referring them to EO, where they can learn everything they might want to know, from the whole spectrum of expediters, all at once.

[x06col]

My answer always wuz "if you take care of the customer and their freight really, really well, the money will come and lots of it". Problem is, i never minded the question, but, the vast majority, didn't like the answer. Guess it goes boff ways. Guess??

[mcclain]

To be frank, I ain't much of a desk jockey but keeping our trucks moving is making me more money than I could ever make driving on the road.

We have six trucks right now, 4-5 coming over the next two weeks, and I can't complain about the income.

Of course now being the desk jockey I have become, I don't have all that on the road expense either.

The again, like I mentioned to another recruiter from another company I use to drive with - I still miss that on the road feeling, and all those pain in the butt problems you all have to deal with..........

[Tennesseahawk]

To be frank, McClain, I doubt anyone on here is buying your sales pitch. You come back, after a self-imposed exile, and talk chips about making more than someone doing the actual dirty work. I think I speak for most on here that your rants and brags are beyond getting old.

I'll leave it at that, before I break a rule or two.

[Moot]

Originally Posted by mcclain

To be frank,

Yet another alias!