How Did You Discover Expediting ?

[hedgehog]

In lieu of all the posts about an overly abundant supply of cargo vans, I got to wondering how it went from too few to way too many.

How and when did you discover the world of expediting ??

I was fortunate enough to be able to take an early buyout from my newspaper union job in 1997.

One day, while visiting with my neighbor, I mentioned how I wanted to see all 50 states.

My neighbor worked at the Delphi plant in Warren, Oh. at the time and told me about the vans that he saw at the docks there.

He claimed the drivers made good money and buying a used van would be a great way to see the country and make a few dollars as well. (Not to mention a very inexpensive way to start a business)

How about you ?? And who did you tell ??

 

[Moot]

I was working for Con-Way Central Express. I got hired in their first nine months of existence. I enjoyed working with a start up company that had a well thought out plan for future growth. It was a heady time early on. Rules were stretched and sometimes ignored.

13 years later it became a drag. Rules were no longer ignored but strictly enforced. Ridiculously enforced by terminal managers and supervisors who lacking experience and knowledge relied on the old standby, enforce ridiculous rules to save face.

One day two representatives of the yet to open Con-Way Now visited our terminal. They plied us with free coffee and doughnuts in exchange for the names of people who might be interested in a part time job driving a company van in the new and vastly expanding world of expedited freight.

This opportunity had my name written all over it. Part time, I liked that! Start up company, count me in! This was in the summer of 1996. I contacted them away from my terminal and said "sign me up". I had to wait until the end of 1996 to quit CCX and join Con-Way Now because I wanted to make sure I qualified for my profit sharing for the full year.

The very first work day of 1997 I resigned from CCX and became an employee of Con-Way Now. That lasted about 14 months as they phased out employees for O/Os. In May of 1998 I bought my first van. I'm on my 3rd van and still hanging in there with Panther who bought Con-Way Now in July of 2006.

 

[ATeam]

Diane and I had been researching a career change into trucking for some time but never made the leap because the big-rig world involved training that would separate us and put us with strangers (trainers) in separate trucks. Continuing our research, we took vacation time to attend MATS. We happened upon the EO booth there and learned of straight trucks. The the decision to become expediters was essentially made that day. A few months later, with fresh Class B CDLs, we were on the road.

 

[davekc]

Might have posted this before but was a operations and finance director for a large vending company that had a large installation of vending machines for ToysRus and Kmart. The company equipment at that time consisted of 10 tractor trailers and it was deemed that the installation couldn't be completed in the prescribed time. Our transportation manager made some calls and suggested I call Roberts Express. And with that call, I hired Roberts and as I learned more of their operation, the more intrigued I became. And the rest is history.

 

[Ragman]

While driving for a same day delivery company, I noticed more and more straight trucks with a sleeper. I just used Google for some research and Wah-Lah.....

 

[DollarSign]

I was 18 to 20 years old and haven't been out of high school very long. I was working for a LTL trucking company and my dad knew alot of people and told me that one of the city drivers at the LTL company that I work for was running expidte loads to ATL on the weekends making good money.

I told my dad at the time, dad I'm happy loading and unloading trailers and also putting and pulling trailers from the dock. He said son you should look into that. I sad no thanks dad. This was late 90's to early 2000.

Well fast forward to Sept 25 2006 my dad of the age 51 died of a heart attack. I was 26 years ago. Around 07 I started seeing expediters coming to the LTL company and the feeling and burning desire just grew and took off. I started and trying load every expedited cargo van and str8 I could just to ask questions.

After four years of reading on the EO and talking to cargo van drivers at the truck stops and going to the expo show in OH I finally quit my job and bought my Sprinter. It's been a rough 2 1/2 years but now I'm with a great company and a owner that cares about there O/O. I enjoy it and hope it gets better for all of us.

 

[Moot]

While driving for a same day delivery company, I noticed more and more straight trucks with a sleeper. I just used Google for some research and Wah-Lah.....

Ahh, the power of Google.

 

[acvox24]

Drove a semi for Millis for 2 years loved the lifestyle hated the all the regulations, no where to park, and forced dispatch. Always saw the the vans in the truck stops. Seemed like the logical choice.

 

[MikeDamone]

6 months ago a friend of mine mentioned something about a friend of his who did multi day runs for a local courier service as an independent contractor. Out and back kind of thing. I was very interested. I had considered getting my class A a few times, but hauling one of those bastards around a city just sounds horrible. Plus all the regs to deal with, so this sounded right up my alley. I started googling and came across EO. My wheels aren't turning yet, but im hoping the end of this year/ early next year to be rolling.

 

[Ragman]

Some past excuses....

HOW DID YOU DISCOVER EXPEDITING ???

 

[OntarioVanMan]

completely by accident....

 

[Bruno]

My family was in transportation for 80 plus years at time and my uncle Scott and my uncle John was driving for Roberts Express. My uncle Scott let me go on a small run to Columbus, Ohio delivering hot water tanks to Old Country Buffet. A few months later I bought my first truck from Dan Schultz.

 

[Tim Xpedites]

I been in/around the TRUCKING industry my entire life so hot-shot/expedite was nothing NEW to me just didnt know the inside LIFE I guess until my brother started doing it for 5yrs or better then talked me into taking the leap. And here I be!!

 

[Steady Eddie]

Some past excuses....

HOW DID YOU DISCOVER EXPEDITING ???

Post 33 in above link... What was I thinking????!!!

 

[BIGTRAIN]

Well, a friend of mine was in the expedite business driving a straight truck for someone . He was driving from Chicago to Deliver in Delaware . He needed a relief driver because he didn't think he could make it in time . I met him and rode with him there and back . After that I did some research and bought my first straight truck .

 

[xmudman]

I was working as a courier, going to NYC, when my boss hired a guy with a Sprinter. This gentleman was an expediter, trying to get a little work during the winter slowdown. He didn't last long; he hated NYC as badly after a week as I did after several years . Anyway, between talking to this fellow and Googling expediting, I found EO. It took me several years to get into it, especially because back in 2006 there were only a few companies doing it (EG, Panther, FedEx) and they all required CDLs.

Fast forward to 2011; I'm sick to death of New York, and I rediscovered EO. By that time, smaller companies had popped up that didn't require CDLs, so after a few months of work to acquire a better van, I hit the road. Now, it's a struggle as we all know, but I love it too much to quit.

 

[ntimevan]

Stopped at a Truck Stop to use bathroom about 13 years ago ...didn't realize stall was out of toilet paper ... only thing in there was a copy of Expedite Now magazine .... well the rest is History ....

 

[Dallen323]

Pulled trailers for a few years as a company driver then owner operator team with my wife.Got rid of my truck in Feb 2013. I was done with trucking. Feb 2014 we got the itch again so decided we would check into those straight trucks with the stretched out sleepers we had seen at the truck stops. Found a fleet owner that suited us. And here we are .

 

[geo]

I went to military job fair, as job I was doing was going away because ussr was breaking up and Cold War was over , working at navy supply center. Roberts express , was there , bill mc loud talk to him looked at my resume and said only thing you need is truck. Put in appy, then was approved ,gave a list of who could sale you right truck. Talk to sales men and Dan Schultz , was only one who would talk to me, so bough truck from him. Started out as working for company, than they were bought out and run went away, so work with out sleeper for 60 day's. Than add a sleeper, been doing sent 92, each truck was better than one before
Wished eo was here when I started out, could never be company driver hate taking orders and being told what to do

 

[RoadTime]

I kind of fell into expediting by chance. Back in the early 90's I was driving semi for JB Hunt. When ever I was in the Detroit area I kept seeing semi and small straights for a local company. Having a desire for better home time I finally got around to checking then out.
Close to my home at the time, hourly pay, home every night. Driving what ever was needed for the day. Straights, semi, flatbed. Turned out to be a mostly local expediting company. I didn't really know what expediting was, but local area, hourly pay, and home time was enough for me to come aboard and get my start.