Mistakes you have made?

Hyperdrive

Seasoned Expediter
Owner/Operator
I have been reading the posts from all of you experienced expediters with great interest and am amazed at the amount of great information you provide.
I would like to know what your biggest mistake was upon beginning your expedite careers?
I also would find it informative if you could tell us what the best thing you did when you started your expedite careers?
Thank you again for all you do for the newbies that choose to listen to what you have to say.

Hyperdrive
 

dhalltoyo

Veteran Expediter
Started out with the wrong truck.

Twice!

I tried to go cheap...but it made life on the road very difficult.

If you can not sleep comfortably...the 600 mile run you get the next morning will stress you to the max.

Good rest makes for a much better day of driving.

Buy a wireless card too!

I still learn from expediters when we are parked at my favorite motel (Walmart) or at a truck stop. Go to a truck stop, offer to buy an expediter a coke or a cup of coffee. They will probably want to show you the inside of their truck. See how it is laid out. Look at the living space. Take note of the storage areas. Ask how it is insulated. Peek in the cargo box. View the load securement system. Do they use a CB or GPS? Ask if they can demonstrate their equipment.

I'd spend some time with at least 10 expediters over the course of a weeks. Take some notes.

The pros that post on here always give great info, but seeing what they are talking about with your own eyes will add another dimension to your quest. I believe it to be one of the most important.
 

davekc

Senior Moderator
Staff member
Fleet Owner
I have been reading the posts from all of you experienced expediters with great interest and am amazed at the amount of great information you provide.
I would like to know what your biggest mistake was upon beginning your expedite careers?
I also would find it informative if you could tell us what the best thing you did when you started your expedite careers?
Thank you again for all you do for the newbies that choose to listen to what you have to say.

Hyperdrive

Tough question? Biggest mistake was starting as a fleet owner while involved with another career at the same time.
Lots of mistakes from not keeping my eye on the eight ball.

Best thing that i did at that time? Held on to that other career.

Would have done things somewhat differently if EO had been around at that time. Very little was really known about expediting at that time. A whole lot of trial and error.
EO is such a great resource, that making the transition into this industry is so much easier than times past.
Welcome aboard, and BTW, many folks appreciate your kind comments.
 

terryandrene

Veteran Expediter
Safety & Compliance
US Coast Guard
What they said.

Undercapitalization is a big mistake made by many who come into this business and then leave prematurely because they ran out of operating funds before they learned the business and the expenses necessary to become successful.
Do the best you can by forecasting the operating expenses of the vehicle you expect to operate. If you plan to drive for someone, know the expenses expected of you; ask for documentation.

Remove the rose colored glasses that other drivers may have shown you as a vision of this business. We each tend to promote the good parts of this business moreso than the difficult things that could lead to failure or dicontent.
 

TeamCaffee

Administrator
Staff member
Owner/Operator
We did a lot of research before we started, talked to a lot of drivers, read EO every day, attended the Expo, and were actually over capitalized as I was so scared and paranoid about our new adventure. I will never ever forget after orientation Bob telling me oh do not worry too much about driving I will probably do it all! Wow did neither one of us really understand team loads! That idea lasted the entire first short load and the next load was mine! Well we went into this as a team and that mind set got us over a lot of the initial humps and there were sure a few; what loads to accept; where to park; when to go home; how to load our freight; took awhile to work all that out.
The best thing we did for ourselves was buy our GPS as I was and still am a timid driver, where there is a detour panic would set in, when I was in a new city and not sure of my exits I would panic. The GPS allows Bob to sleep a lot easier.
Now we both pretty much have what we do best figured out, what loads we like and do not like, and where we like to park.
 

bigjoep89

Expert Expediter
The worst was probably not paying enough attention to detail. You MUST pay attention to detail. I could go on and on with this.
Best thing was I met a seasoned couple that really accelerated our time table for success. Again I thank you D and K. (you know who you are). I would post there names but I would want permission from them first. Best investment was the GPS system. I will not leave without the GPS. Along the journey we have now met many people that will share ideas and success. This makes this venture fun, interesting and profitable.
 

Tennesseahawk

Veteran Expediter
Relying on myself for routing, rather than checking the miles. I added 200 miles onto a 650 mile trip.

Make sure dispatch understands and agrees to all charges, meaning layover, hand unload, etc, BEFORE you do it. You don't have an argument after the fact.
 

fastman_1

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
I didn't make Big Mistakes, I made a ton of Small Ones, That I learned from. When I started we didn't have the Brotherhood that there is Today, I agree with the Rev on this, Talk to people and Take Notes.
 

arkjarhead

Veteran Expediter
My biggest mistake would have to be going to work for my first owner without having a contract. You can search here and find out everything you should find in a good contract.

The best thing I did when I first entered was when my owner started cheating me out of pay I didn't abandon or trash his truck. I returned clean. I also acted in a professional manner while at his home. Even though he got an attitude and yelled at me for quitting. I just calmly told him I had a plane ticket and could he give me a ride to the airport. It was only 15 minutes away so he did. No matter how wrong a fleet owner does you, you still don't have the right to trash their equipment or leave it in a truck stop somewhere.
 

theoldprof

Veteran Expediter
My biggest mistakes were accepting loads over the phone and not getting all the info. After a few goofs I told dispatch to run it through the QC. That way I could read and carefully study the load offer.
 

Hyperdrive

Seasoned Expediter
Owner/Operator
Thank you for all of the excellent advice. Interesting how many times GPS came up. Would make be believe that a GPS would be a must have. I have been researching them and found the Garmin 760 to be the unit I think I will buy.

Thanks agin for all of the posts and the rose colored glasses have been discarded.

Hyperdrive

The faster I go the behinder I get.
 

dhalltoyo

Veteran Expediter
Ditto on what the oldprof said.

Take the phone call, listen to the offer, ask if they have sent it over to the QC and then politely say, "OK, let me just take a quick look at the maps and I'll respond in a couple of minutes, and thank you for the offer."

You might want to consider a Garmin 350. Large screen, audible turn info by street names, night mode, etc. $246.00 at Amazon.com with free shipping.

Whatever model you get, I strongly suggest the "Bean Bag" dash holder. This allows you to easily set it on the floor when you stop for fuel or food. "Out of sight, out of mind." Criminals actually look for the suction cups, and even the tell-tale ring on the glass if you remove the suction cup. You could come back to a broken window...many have.

I have turned pretty hard on an Exit Ramp while braking, and the "Bean Bag" stayed put. It is the best accessory you can buy for a GPS.
 

TeamCaffee

Administrator
Staff member
Owner/Operator
Not all can use the bean bag solution. We have a Lowrance 500C that we have ran almost 400,000 miles with and if it breaks we will break I think. "Lori" is hard wired to our dash with a vent pointed at her behind to keep her cool in the summer and hot in the winter. When reading our manual one of the hardest things on her is heat and the windshield was cooking her. We take very good care of our GPS and have had no problems with her.
 

geo

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
Retired Expediter
US Navy
it's like a boat so proud of the boat or the truck and
then letting it go
buying the truck, should have listen to a friend who wanted me to come work for him as a gs
 

Suds43

Seasoned Expediter
BEFORE signing a contract with an owner, ask questions, ask questions, ask questions!!! To late after you've signed your name. Remember, the only 'dumb' question is the one NOT asked.
Treat the dispatchers with respect, no matter what. Makes things alot smoother most of the time.
Drive and take care of whatever vehicle your driving as if it's your own.
Biggest mistake we made when first starting out is not knowing how to say 'no' to a load offer. Looking back, we probably took some loads we shouldn't of taken.
Best thing about expediting is we learned patience. Sometimes the 'sit and wait' game can be pretty tough. When waiting for that next big run, take the time to stop, relax, and smell the roses :)
Good luck!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person

CharlesD

Expert Expediter
Assuming that any load is better than no load. I would often just accept any load offer because any load is better than sitting. Sometimes, sitting is better than a load, if that load is putting you in a bad freight area where you will have to spend a lot to deadhead out of there. Patience can be your best friend in this business. The biggest mistake I made starting out was not talking to enough other drivers about the important things. I would look at the toys people had in their vans or how people had their sleepers laid out, but some of the best information you can get is what areas are good to go to and what areas whould you avoid unless you get a lot of money going in there.

Starting out, if I sat somewhere more than a day, I would get to where I would take any load offer out of there, and sometimes I ended up doing loads that actually put me in a worse position than if I had stayed where I was and waited for something better. You don't want to get into the habit of turning down a lot of loads, but there's nothing wrong with not doing a load because in the long run it's going to cost you more than it's worth.

By all means talk to the experienced people and also take note of everything you notice when you're on the road. If the area you're in is a good freight area, you can afford to be picky and wait for the great load, but if you're in an area that isn't that good for freight and you have an offer, you might want to take it just to get out, provided that it's getting you into a better area. After a while you will get an idea of what areas are good freight areas and which ones aren't, but the more information you can get from experienced people, the better. You can learn from your mistakes, but if you can learn from someone else's mistake and maybe avoid making the same one yourself, then that's even better.
 
Top