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The January, 2008 issue of Overdrive cover story is Breaking loose. It discusses the characteristics of debt-free owner-operators. It is a worthy read for expediters in all financial situations. Some people believe they will never be out of debt and thus never try to be. They think more about...

This morning, we read this story in The Herald Mail (Hagerstown, MD newspaper). It made me wonder, is Bobbie Myers on to something? Excerpt: "Going one step further was junior Bobbie Myers' project, Water 4 Fuel, which can double fuel mileage in a vehicle using water to supplement gasoline or...

State moves to ban fake testicles on vehicles.

No special points made here, just thinking out loud. An acquaintance recently told me he replaced the ring gear in one of his trucks to change his rear axle ratio. The change was intended to improve the truck's fuel economy. This was a recent change and he had no new mpg numbers to report. He...

This is a question not about the economy or the industry. It is a question about the personal experience (emotional, mental) of buying fuel at today's prices. Compared to a year or two ago, when fuel was less expensive, how does it feel to buy fuel today? When you return the nozzle to the...

Bigger companies serving the expedite market is not a new development, but my guess is people in the Roberts days did not have to keep their eye on competitors like those shown below. As time marches on, I wonder if the only thing left for expediters like us to differentiate ourselves from the...

If it has been mentioned here in the Open Forum before, I missed it. Big Rig, the movie. Looks like it would be fun to watch.

E-unit makes the news in New York.

With talk of the trucker strike, fuel prices, owner-operator failures and increased media attention on the trucking industry, the words "cheap freight" have been bantered about quite a lot. In the interests of clear thinking and intelligent discussion, can someone share with readers here just...

Diane and I chose to run this year instead of attend the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, but as the show went on and we listened to radio broadcasts from it, we were sorry to be missing it. We have heard about Ripoff Parking at MATS and the MATS Miracle. Are there any other reports...

We received a letter in the mail saying, "On 2/28/08, your truck was observed on I-80 West in Gary, IN. The average speed of the truck was 53 mph in a 55 mph zone, with an average following distance of 9 seconds." The letter came from our carrier, FedEx Custom Critical. The information was...

There is sometimes talk about hobby expediters here in the Open Forum. They sometimes get blammed for driving freight prices down. They get criticized for not being "real" expediters who are in the business to make money. They get criticized for taking loads away from other expediters who...

There are more toll roads, bridges and other toll authorities than are listed here. Perhaps others can add some helpful toll calculation links. If there is a comprehensive list out there, I'd love to know about it. Does anyone know of such a list? Indiana toll rates by vehicle class Illinois...

In the last few days, Diane and I have visited with more than the usual number of expediters on the road. The visits happened mostly by chance as we stopped at truck stops in the Southwest and stumbled upon expediters from a variety of carriers who were waiting for freight. Some of the visits...

dabluzman1, In another thread, that has now gone off topic, you offered to share your "'fresh' point of view about going into expediting" and offered to answer questions. Kyreax is considering the expedite opportunity and asked, in part, "So...what's different than what you expected?" I am...

According to some, Return on Investment or ROI is an important indicator in running an expedite business and an important concept to grasp. Personally, I am not so sure of that, but there are others who are very sure. Perhaps some helpful people who understand ROI better than I can use this...

When considering a new business opportunity, like expediting, wise people gauge, as best they can, general economic conditions, general industry conditions, and their own financial health. At present, general economic conditions are poor and may well grow worse before improving. The economy...

For people brand new to trucking and expediting, one of the first things to do is obtain the information your state provides for getting your Commercial Driver's License. Minnesota's is available free online. Here is the link. I presume other states have their manuals online too.

This is not late breaking news, but it was news to me to learn that IdleAire is now struggling to survive. I have never been much impressed with the IdleAire concept or company's prospects. As expediters who wait for freight, sometimes for days at a time, we have a stake in this story and in...

An expediter wannabee does not have to go any further than the EO Open Forum to quickly discover that recruiters get a bad rap from a fair number of drivers. Accusations of lying and warrnings to never trust a recruiter are common. Personally, I don't agree. I think a lot of the bad rap drivers...