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Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said yesterday that "California's day of reckoning is here." and "Our wallet is empty. Our bank is closed. Our credit is dried up." Like everyone else potentially affected by his proposed massive cuts, I immediately looked to see how Diane and I might be hit. Will...

Interesting article about how large trucking companies are running at a loss to keep hauling freight, thereby forcing smaller companies out of business. "This downturn has lasted so long most of us are in survival mode." Also of interest is this piece: How Much More Capacity Needs to Exit...

You have to read deep into the article to reach where the author lists the five stages of business decline, and the piece does not relate directly to expediting. It does provide some interesting reading and food for thought for expediters who strive to see themselves, their businesses and the...

Excerpt from my blog today: I spent a good part of today reading articles and blog posts by various trucking company consultants and executives. These pieces read like a broken record. As with transportation company annual reports, so too with the literature. Everyone is talking about the same...

I just received a private inquiry from a blog reader asking for my thoughts about entering the business as a solo straight-truck driver today. I have nothing different to say in response than what has been said by solo drivers here in recent weeks and months. But the question got me to...

While this statistic does not apply directly to expediting, it is the case that trends in the larger transportation industry affect us too. It appears we are not out of the woods yet and that if a bottom has been reached or soon will be, we may well stay there for a while before anything...

TA reported quarterly losses for Q1, 2009. The losses are no surprise and, on the good news side, the losses are less than they were a year ago. More interesting is what they said about fuel volume; down 16.4% from a year ago. "The company said it believes that its fuel volume declines are...

This from the Purchasing.com web site: "According to a quarterly report from market analyst Donald Broughton at Avondale Partners, 480 trucking companies in the U.S. went out of business in the first-quarter of this year. That’s roughly 1% of the capacity exiting the market in a three-month...

Some expediters instinctively go to truck stops between loads and spend time there. While that works, there are other options, especially if you are in a straight truck or cargo van. See this.

Master List of Free Online College Courses

In the last few weeks I have, online, made and interacted with a number of transportation industry contacts and supply chain professionals beyond expediting. As I do, it becomes crystal clear how very important it is that we -- the truck drivers who physically pick up, transport and deliver the...

The status of expediters as employees or independent contractors is a popular topic here in the Open Forum. While FedEx Ground is not FedEx Custom Critical, the ongoing debate and court challenges of a driver's status with FedEx Ground is of some interest to some if not all FDCC contractors...

I recently got active on Twitter and am finding it to be a wonderful resource. If you have not done so already, I invite readers to check it out. Some EO members now have Twitter profiles. Lawrence McCord is one. Check out his Twitter page photo in which he impersonates an expediter getting a...

There are some for whom participation in the EO Open Forum resembles an addiction. I am among them. From time to time, it is healthy to pull the needle out of the arm and live free of the Open Forum for a while. This is one of those times. I will not be reading or posting in the Open Forum until...

Out of simple curiosity, I'd like to ask, do you expediters track every penny you make and spend, or do you not? I'm not looking for a right or wrong answer here. Good cases can be made for both answers. For example, why track food costs since food falls under per-diem and little value comes...

The Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) starts tomorrow in Louisville, KY. Diane and I won't be there as we are nowhere close. This is a different kind of year for the truck show with the recession and all. Peterbilt and Kenworth will not be exhibiting this year. Other important exhibitors...

If you are about to buy a new or used truck, or plan to in the future, please know that for just $25 you can have your lease or loan agreement reviewed and explained to you by a driver-friendly source; namely the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association. If you are about to spend a pile...

By "we," I don't mean Diane and me alone. I mean anyone inclined to help or knows someone that may have a solution. We met this solo D-unit expediter today at a truck stop in a typical drivers-talk-shop chat. He has been sitting a while. He paid off his house in November. He leases his truck...

Wow! What a surprise! I open the latest edition of the Weekly Fleet Bulletin to find a link to a list of FDCC approved freight brokers. Of the hundreds listed nationwide, 23 are near our home. Sweet! Diane and I have only used the Home Run program once, and then as an experiment as much as...