Can you make a decent living with a cargo van?

**C5BILL** · 11-12-2004, 10:00 AM

For those making it with a cargo van..... Who are you with? What is your secret to success?

**Glen Rice** · 11-12-2004, 10:00 AM

Hang on and wait till you hear what the laid out van operators will tell you. From the discussions I've had with our friends that are van operators they make a solid living and love what there doing with minimal hassle. They are hard working and besides what you may have heard they don't run home after every load. I've talked to operators that stay out usually 2 to 3 weeks before heading home and depending where you live some make it home once or twice a week. Sounds like a pretty cool gig! You really need to see how some of these operators ingeniusly outfit there units. Simply amazing what they squeeze into there units! I haven't heard of any one company being substantially better than another. Just what feels right for you. Good luck and have fun. Life is short, it's not what you acquire while your hear, but the experiences you have!

**jimbo van** · 11-12-2004, 04:12 PM

Hello,I'm new to this also.Go to the General Expediter Forum,and check out the posts - Expediting 101 - and - Expectations - I found these to be full of info..Look at all the old posts on this site.LOTS on info. has been put-up to be read.Trust me it will time well spent!Good luck

**terryandrene** · 11-13-2004, 11:03 AM

C5Bill: Didn't we talk at the Expedite Expo? I think so. Welcome back.

You gotta define a good living in a van. What are your goals and aspirations? Do you need to provide for a family with growing kids? Are your health care needs taken care of? Do you have fixed expenses, i.e. mortage, car payments, school tuition, overwhelming credit card payments? Can you afford one, two three weeks off, without pay? Can you mentally afford one, two three weeks away from family and friends while on the road?

I might have gotten a little carried away there, but these are just some of the questions you, or any prospective van operator, has to answer for yourselves. A van is not where the large money is in expediting. Many folks do well for themselves and manage to cover their expenses, many do not.

Take Jimbo vans advise and scour through the archives for the past couple of months. Lot's of answers from lots of van operators. Then come on back with some of your specific concerns...We're here to help.

Terry

**pellgrn** · 11-13-2004, 07:35 PM

Well said,hope for the best plan for the worsted.It's gotten tough,when i started in 1999 i had a gas van at the time and was paying between 74-89 cents a gallon depending what state i was in.I mention this because for me,you have to move to were the freight is alot more with a van.The sur charges help,however when your empty your pretty much on your own,if your carrier pays you to move it's at 8 or 10 cents a mile and then you gotta hope you don't sit a day and get offered a load that isn't very profitable for you or putting you in a area that's even worse than where you were to start,having to drive to a freight lane anyway and now you've invested 2 days for 100$ gross,if you do this long enough you will go broke.