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I wrote the following deep in another thread. To give it status as a topic of its own, I am re-posting it here. I trust the Open Forum moderators will allow this duplicate post given its value to newbies. If not, I ask that the one buried deep be deleted and that this one be allowed to stand...

Interesting news about OnStar. Echoes some of the talk here in the Open Forum about Qualcomm use and abuse. Technology marches on.

Excerpt from my blog today: Drivers in a truck stop TV lounge generally chat about the game and cheer the exciting plays, but you have to be careful about what you say. Most if not all of the people in the room drive for a living. Until the game is well underway and people have tipped their...

My truck is my man cave. And because it's on wheels, I get to take it with me wherever I go. :)

Which is better, flat-rate pay or percentage of the load pay? It is a common question, increasingly so since large expedite carrier FedEx Custom Critical now offers both options. Below is a simplified table that compares two trucks. Note the word simplified. Over-simplified may be the better...

When team drivers talk about expediting to would-be solo drivers, what are we blind to? What do we miss? What do we get wrong?

Five Questions Prospective Expediters Should Ask Diane and I will be leading a workshop on this topic on Thursday in Monroe Michigan. It is part of the EO workshop series, Preparing YOU for the Long Haul (details here). We are prepared but also know that, being human, we might overlook...

When Diane and I first became expediters in 2003, it was common for people to approach us on the street to ask about the life and work. People at the loading docks, Walmart parking lots, church and other places regularly approached us and asked the usual questions expediter wannabees ask. The...

Some trucks are being inspected in New York City as the tenth anniversary of 911 approaches and police respond to "specific, credible but unconfirmed information." Story here Expediters going in and out of NYC in the next couple of days should stay informed and be prepared for more than the...

The next ExpeditersOnline Workshop is scheduled for Thursday, September 15 in Monroe, Michigan (details here). Diane and I will be there to speak on the topic: Five Questions Every Prospective Expediter Should Ask. We are looking forward to the event and especially to mixing thoughts with the...

Expediters are part of the larger trucking and logistics industries. Terms like freight broker and freight forwarder are often heard by expediters but not easily grasped by those who have not gone to the trouble of studying such topics. I stumbled across a web site this morning that is...

As happens routinely to many expediters, Diane and I were parked in a lot and a man approached to ask about the truck and the work we do. It turned out that he is going to Swift CDL school soon. He asked the usual questions and then offered that his committment to the company for training was...

I shared breakfast this morning with a former FedEx Custom Critical team who Diane and I got to know when we and they leased our trucks to that carrier. We went to one carrier. They went to another. It was nice to visit, talk shop, compare notes, exchange information, etc. As former FDCC...

Tomorrow (Sept. 1) will be a big day in the history of Express-1 (NYSE Amex: XPO). Shareholders will meet and are expected to approve the deal that will make Bradley Jacobs CEO of the company, and his company -- Jacobs Private Equity -- majority shareholder. Shareholders are also expected to...

OOIDA scores another one for drivers. This will not be the end of the story but it is an encouraging development, methinks. Report here

For expediter wannabees researching the industry, blogs written by expediters can be a good source of information; especially those that describe day-to-day experiences and observations on the road. This post was prompted by a new blog, written by Jim and Judy Beck, that I stumbled upon today...

This arrived in my e-mail box this morning via EO's The Wire newsletter. It is especially interesting that the bonus is paid not after a year or six months, but when orientation is completed. ------------------------------ Serve your country AND grow your business Every day, our fleet...

This is an encouraging trend. TA put in a few fitness rooms some months ago. They must have been well received. Truckstop Chains Upping Fitness Options

How's it Going at Landstar? That is a question Diane and I have been asked many times since we made the move in late June from FedEx Custom Critical (FDCC) to Landstar Express America (LEAM). I rarely share our financial results in public but given the amount of interest, I am making an...

Regular readers know that Diane and I moved our truck lease from FedEx Custom Critical to Landstar Express America in late June. No longer needing them and not feeling it appropriate to wear them any more, our FedEx shirts went into the dumpster. We would have happily given them to the first...