looking for some answers/opinions

[tmbm]

Hi everyone, my girlfriend and have been looking at getting into the expeditor business for a while now. I've been checking out boards, company websites and expeditor sites. I have a CDL-A, she does not but can get a B. I quit driving 18's a few years ago due to health (bad back). She has been driving for a local courrier for a couple years now-no over the road. My back is doing much better now. One thought I had is to driver for a fleet owner for a year or so to see how my back does and to save some money before jumping into the expenses associated with owning a truck then finding out it's not going to work. I realize we won't make as much, but it certainly is a way to test the waters. I see that most offer 40/60 they pay fuel or 60/40 we pay fuel, any opinion on which is better. I have noticed the drivers with LEO and Fed-ex CC, seem to have more positive things to say than some of the other companies. Is this due to the pure volume of have more drivers therefor more responses, or do the larger companies just seem to offer more freight thus happier drivers. BTW, we are in our mid 40's with kids grown and can stay out for long periods, and live in central OH, where freight should be fairly good. What kind of income can a team realistically expect to make if willing to bust butt, as a driver for a owner and as a O/O. If we go with O/O would we be better off with less expenses in a cargo van or getting more freight with more expense in a truck(20-24')...tractor/trailer out of the question. Sorry so lengthy, just trying to do homework...I know recruiters will tell you what you want to hear, want to hear it from the ones doing it.
Thanks

 

[jaminjim]

Stay out of a van. That would be the first thing. Drive for a Owner to test your back and your relationship . Carefully pick your owner, there are some great ones, and some very bad ones.

If I were to drive for an owner I would want the 60% if the truck were equipped with a generator and 40% if not.

 

[greg334]

>If I were to drive for an owner I would want the 60% if the truck were >equipped with a generator and 40% if not.

What?

OK I guess what you are saying is that if you have to idle the truck, let the owner pay for the fuel - hence the 40%.


BUT if the truck has a generator and don't have to idle - you pay for the fuel - hence the 60%.

Right?

Honestly I would take your time, rsearch the business and the owners and get references and call them.

 

[DannyD]

I wouldn't go so far as to say stay out of a van. I would not buy a new one though. I would go w/ a used one. There's a major difference in this industry if you have a $300 truck payment (and the insurance that goes w/ it) or a $750 van payment. Get a new van & you're working 2 weeks every month to pay for it.

If you're going to get into a D unit, I would totally agree w/ Jim on drive for someone else first. That not only gives you the chance to see if this is something you can do as a couple, but also gives you an opputunity to see what features you like in your truck & also which ones ya might want your own truck to have.

Best of wishes to you,
Danny

 

[brentwb2]

Expediting is a funny business. Be prepared, it is not like driving an 18 wheeler hauling general freight. If you can't be punctual (i.e pick up and deliver on time or EARLY) then stay out of it. Also, there WILL be downtime so make sure you and your girlfriend can tolerate each other in confined spaces for prolonged periods of time. Definitely drive for somebody else first. I agree with the 60% with a generator rule. In fact, anymore, I wouldn't drive a truck if it didn't have a generator.

Most typical truckers think that the wheels have to be turning 24/7 to make money. Not necessarily so in expediting (although it is a mega-bonus when it does happen!). You may wait 2 days for a load. I have heard of people waiting 5 days for a load. You have to look at the big picture, I believe that it is a feast or famine scenario. When it's good, expedite companies will run your wheels off. When it's bad...you get the picture. After having run general freight and then switching to expediting...I would take expediting hands down. We had an E unit on with FDCC and did quite well. In hindsight, we probably would have gone with a D unit just because the money can be comparable with less hassle. I personally would avoid a van...

 

[LDB]

>I wouldn't go so far as to say stay out of a van. I would
>not buy a new one though. I would go w/ a used one.
>There's a major difference in this industry if you have a
>$300 truck payment (and the insurance that goes w/ it) or a
>$750 van payment. Get a new van & you're working 2 weeks
>every month to pay for it.
>

Another point on this subject is resale. If you buy the brand new van it will drop 25-30% as soon as you turn the key. If you buy a good used van it will drop maybe 10% in 6-9 months so if you decide you don't like it you recover a far larger percentage of your investment.

I'm not suggesting going into a van. Vans are probably the toughest vehicle to make a living in. There are many who do, Terry and Rene being an excellent example and an inspiration, but I believe there are more who don't make it in vans than in trucks. I agree with driving someone else's truck for a while to get the feel of things. You don't have a large investment tied up in case it isn't for you.

I don't know if van teams get significantly more miles like truck teams do. I presume they do but am not sure. If that's the case, and presuming the income is going into the same pot, then it might not be bad driving someone else's van. I don't believe a solo van can make enough on a 60/40 or 40/60 split to keep the driver afloat.

Do lots of research. Read these forums back for many months. You'll get tons of good stuff out of them. Good luck.

Leo Bricker, owner trucks 3034, 4958
OOIDA 677319
73's K5LDB
Highway Watch Participant, Truckerbuddy
EO Forum Moderator
----------
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

 

[terryandrene]

tmbm:

Try spending a week, without pay, riding around with your wife in her courier vehicle. There will be some weeks that a team in an expedite van will earn no more than a single driver. I can't imagine a person of your background being happy AND profitable in an expedite van. If a ridealong doesn't convince you, consider the following data: A team in a van will typically earn 33% more than a solo driver, compared to 69% in a small straight truck, 67% in a large straight truck, and 60% in a tractor.

I don't think there is a corelation for happyness and busyness between the larger and smaller fleeted carriers. There are many folks with Pittexpress, Foster Trucking and PTL that are just as busy, profitable and happy as their counterparts at LEA, FedEx Custom Critical and PantherII.

I expediting is your calling, you might be best served by personal contacts with drivers, owners and company representatives. When you pick the right company for the circumstances peculiar to you and your wife, you will be happy, busy and profitable.

Terry

 

[tmbm]

Thanks everyone for the input. We have decided to definately start by driving for someone else first, and to go with a truck. We contacted someone and will meet with them this weekend, we will ask if we can contact some of their drivers to get their input on the owners. We plan to start sometime around late April, so we still can contact others if we don't have a good feel for this couple. We have been together for 13 yrs and have a good relationship, so not too worried about that. We have discussed this for years and now that the kids are grown, we are excited to get started. Again thanks to all for the input and I will continue to check back.

 

[Tennesseahawk]

You seem to have a healthy dose of SMART! The way I see teams running vans is a comparison to a team running a truck with a 36" coffin sleeper. To me, that's not a long-term option. You sound like you're making the right decisions for newbies, whereas too many want to immediately know what truck they should BUY.

Freight is starting to move rather consistantly now. I would say, depending on which company you choose, you could run around 3000 miles a week when you plan on starting in April. Not to say you won't do less than that, but I think it's a good average to go by. There will be times, also, that you could easily double that number. Again, depending on who you drive for.

 

[snowbird74365]

hi there i have been with fedex custom critical since 2000 and now i have 3 trucks and will soon have 4, but was wondering is there a secret in getting drivers????? i have a tractor trailer that i need drivers for but i can find drivers for a straight truck is there something wrong with driving a tractor trailer. and finding teams is also very hard to find got any suggestions?

 

[Tennesseahawk]

Snow... Maybe you should've started another thread with this question. If you post a classified looking for an E team, you should eventually get replies. Renew it once a week or so. Straight up tho... Finding t/t teams in expediting are hard, IMO. Seems that most come from the OTR mentality, and can't hack expediting's wait time. And the ones who do want a s/t as t/ts are a lot harder. Just keep throwing the hook in, and you're bound to make a catch.