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This cost per mile worksheet is a good resource, and it helps make my point that gross revenue is not meaningless. Two owner-operators can complete the same sheet and arrive at two different CPM numbers. Which one is financially better off? It is impossible to say without looking at the gross...

While I agree with DaveKC that the most important income number is your bottom-line, net revenue number, I do not agree that gross revenue number means nothing. A carrier will look more favorably on a truck that grosses say $200,000 a year than on a similar truck that grosses $100,000. That's...

First, go get that HAZMAT endorsement. Many expedite carriers require it. Having it will open more doors for you. As you said, it's not a big deal to get, but it will take a little time to go through the process. As you have no doubt figured out, teams are in high demand. I don't know any fleet...

Whether general economic conditions are good or bad, it is always in an expediter's best interests to minimize fuel consumption. Doing so saves money that would otherwise be spent. By default, burning less fuel is also a green behavior. Green behavior is also imposed on us as vehcile emissions...

If a courrier wants a bed for a longer, multi-night or overnight straight-through trip, it would be best for the courrier to rent an RV to be used as an escort vehicle and hire people to drive it. Truck sleeper space belongs to and is needed by the driver and co-driver. The courrier's place is...

You are a good writer, Aviator. Have you introduced yourself and your writing skills to Lawrence?

I concur. About one gallon per hour. Actual varies by truck and conditions, but that is a good figure to work with. I recently asked my sleeper manufacturer how much it would cost today to install the generator we have now (Onan). Answer: "About $9,000."

I have heard this don't fuel while the tanker is unloading advice before, but would not the filters between the underground tank and the fuel that comes out the nozzle keep dirt out of your tank? At Flying J, you can see the filters on the pump. I've seen people changing these filters from time...

Are you saying Panther does not pay extra for HAZMAT loads? What about Landstar? I thought, perhaps wrongly so, that all the major carriers pay extra for HAZMAT. As I think about his, I have no basis to believe it, it was just an assumption I made. Is the assumption wrong? Panther, Landstar...

Also note that time spent sitting can be some of your most enjoyable time on the road. While expediters must often wait for freight, they are not obligated to spend that time looking out their truck window while doing so.

I am really enjoying this thread. Expediters are talking about the things that matter most to them regarding home, and what home means. Home is where your heart is? Home is where you hang your hat? Home is where your garden is? Home is where you go to do all the things mentioned above? It seems...

That depends on the arrangement you have with your carrier. I know for a fact that we have been paid more for HAZMAT loads than non HAZMAT. One recent example made that crystal clear. We arrived at a pickup to discover that a load that was not booked HAZMAT actually was HAZMAT. Whenb we notified...

Good replies, all! Reasons cited for going home include: To check on your property To watch your big screen TV To keep your wife happy To see the grandchildren To spend time with family To complete chores (honey-do list) To goof off To get out of the truck to maintain sanity To continue...

Wow! Thanks for sharing this, Moot. Here's the link to the 2006 Roberts thread. It seems that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Specifics?

I'm glad this topic is being discussed because it is inspiring me to research these containers a bit more. As I do, I am finding that there is a WHOLE BUNCH of stuff I don't know about the logistics industry, especially the packaging and shipping part. Google searches are taking me into trade...

Why do you go home? I'm asking the question here in hopes that the answers will help expedite wannabees understand the draw. Anyone researching the industry for just a few minutes will quickly see that home time is a very, very important consideration for truck drivers of all kinds. But why is...

The answer to your deadhead question will vary from team to team and driver to driver. We stay out more than most. We have one planned trip per year home, for Christmas. If the freight takes us close, we may stay a few days or keep running, depending on how we feel. When the time to go home at...

Phil and Diane Madsen (that's us) became financially well off running someone else's truck. We drove fleet owner trucks for three years before buying a truck of our own. With the exception of a few slow periods that all expediters have from time to time, and two months when we had no fleet...

Maybe something has changed. When Diane and I looked for companies to rent us an air brake equipped straight truck, the easy part was finding the companies. The challenge was finding a company that would rent us a truck when neither of us had a CDL, but only permits. In Minnesota, truck driver...