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That is correct. I would add that the turnovers happened during the recession when a lot of senior dispatchers were laid off and new people were brought in. For a while we were explaining things to dispatchers that we could not believe we had to point out. However, as time passed and these new...

Seven trucks in 25 years averages out to one new truck every 3.5 years and an end result of a truck that is too old to fix that has a modest salvage value that will be collected when the truck is sold. Yours is not an uncommon approach. I know of many owner-operators who buy a new truck every...

Before we can answer your question, we need to know what you were promised. What were you promised exactly?

I was surprised to see at TVAL training last week a brand new BR-unit sitting in the lot and its team in the classroom. Or it may have been a van owner with a driver, I am not sure as I did not get the chance to chat with them.

jaminjim makes a good point and it applies to many contractors and drivers, not just a few. At our carrier's headquarters last week, Diane and I sat in classrooms with a number of contractors and drivers. Many of them had been with the company for years. Some went all the way back to the...

Regarding dispatcher training, you are correct. An experienced driver who has the other basic skills the company looks for in entry level dispatchers will be easier to train. Drivers know what a bill of lading is. They understand very well how a log book works. People with no trucking experience...

I'm not going to say anything to iceroadtrucker his Volvo rant. I will instead offer to readers that Diane and I have been driving a Volvo truck since July, 2006. We bought it new and now have 570,000 miles on the odometer. The new Qualcomm unit was installed in January. None of the mechanical...

It is big of you and kind to share for others the circumstances that took you out of expediting and owner-operating. Most people who get wiped out don't rise to admit it but fade quietly away. Diane and I wish you well as you get back on your feet. It's good news that you found a new driving gig...

Could you elaborate? Why exactly do you think the best plact to get dispatchers is from the driver pool? A fair number of drivers have said they would never want to be a dispatcher.

One way to make it easier for dispatchers is to make the effort to understand their jobs, just as we would like them to make an effort to understand ours. That will vary from company to company. For example, in the last few days I learned that at one expedite carrier, the dispatcher turnover...

You and your wife may enjoy reading my daily blog. I have been writing it since July, 2007. Many readers in your shoes seem to enjoy the window into life on the road that this blog provides.

Different carriers have different policies, procedures and practices with dispatch. The way to make things easier for dispatchers, and for yourself, is to learn how exactly your dispatchers and dispatch system works and adapt to it. And if that particular dispatch environment does not work for...

Expediting is not one of anything. It is some of many things. Sometimes it is trucking. Sometimes it is mechanics. Sometimes it is customer service. And, yes, sometimes it is camping. Diane and I built our truck with the totality of life on the road in mind. By design, the front half of our...

See this thread for more about the FedEx Custom Critical reefer cargo vans: How Are the BR-units Working Out?

I'm not sure our carrier would want to put this in a newsletter, at least not until they are absolutely, positively certain that this is a permitted thing to do. I was nervous because the last I heard, the DOT does not like it very much when a driver is found with two log books in the truck...

We still need to carry log books, even with the new Qualcomm units. Example: Still getting used to the new unit, I made an entry error the other night that could not be corrected except by the HOS team at our carrier. The trouble was, that team does not work 24/7. So I was left with a...

Could Terry O'Connell have been there and left you with supplies?

It's your call, of course, Joe. I was just thinking that an empty battery box might be the ideal place to store a couple of duck decoys.

Have you thought about going without hotel (house power) batteries? I don't know your truck but might you be able to set yours up like ours? We have no house batteries at all. The truck came new from the factory with four batteries that powered everything electrical on the chassis. When the...

I agree with highway star. Diane and I regularly stay out more than 30 days a month. We are often out for months at a time without going home and have been doing that for years. Our tax CPA specializes in owner-operators and has always instructed us to take the deduction and we always have...