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I am sorry to report that this story is not likely to have a happy ending. The driver mentioned above faxed us his lease. Initial information from him led us to believe it was a loan agreement. That is what he believed. It is not. It is a lease and not a friendly one. Diane looked at it first...

When we began researching the industry, and having never driven trucks before, we were not drawn toward E-units for the following reasons: - Class A licenses are required and more difficult to obtain (though one can easily get one if you set out to do so). - Our carrier of choice requires...

I once delivered six large liquid helium dewars (stainless steel canisters on wheels) to a clinic in an old building. After liftgating them into the parking lot, I wheeled each one about a half-block to a long switchback handicap ramp and then up into the front door of the building. They were to...

That's the way we do it, look at the total pay for the load and decide to take it or not based on that number. I am not the best person to ask about what accessorial charges are broken out in load offers now or in the past. I have never paid attention to them. I just look at the total pay. A...

I got a $100 ticket in Louisiana once for lift axle controls that were mounted within the driver's reach. The light came on that directed me to the scale. The scale cop looked through his window at the truck and, seeing the lift axle, immediately came out and told me to show him the control...

If I had the need or desire to go home often, my thought would be to introduce myself to the near-home freight brokers on the approved list (23 of them in our case) and find out how to best work with them. Realistically, they would not care much about us since our volume with them would be...

No offense taken. I just want expedite newbie and wannabee readers to know that each carrier has its own system, and within that system, there are contractors and drivers that like it and hate it to one degree or another. So too with large and small carriers. Some like the large carriers, some...

I hope the backhaul team will feel sufficiently geard up to start telling contractors that we can now use self-booked freight to not only get home but get out of slow areas. I hope to hear about the details and rules from the powers that be. FedEx Custom Critical helping their contractors book...

The divorce is over. I do not know the terms. The house may be in both names because of the decree. It may be that the house proceeds get split when the house is sold. I don't know. The quit-claim deed is a good thought and something I will mention to him. He has already considerd bankruptcy but...

Two years. I know nothing more about his driving history. He is a solo driver and contractor with FDCC.

Exactly! Until we see the loan agreement, there is no way to know what is going on. I am not inclined to do a fundraiser for this guy. We are not going to bail him out. I don't know if he has a long term future in expediting. I'm not trying to be his fleet owner, lender, brother or buddy. It...

You are right about that. Expediter wannabees, I hope you are listening.

As I said, I'm just looking for ideas. His next step is to fax us a copy of his loan agreement for Diane's review. That will tell us more about what is up. It could well be that he is playing us for suckers. We have considered that possibility. We continue to believe his story and cut him some...

It began in the parking lot. Diane was on the way back from the building to our truck. His truck was in between. He was in the cab with his window open. It started as many such chats do. Diane got back to our truck and shared what she learned. We decided to lend a hand and give him some money...

As I said in the original post, Diane and I are never going to be fleet owners so the idea of us buying the truck and leasing it back to him on reasonable terms is out. We want to help but gifting $15,000 to a stranger is a bit much for us. We are not inclined to lend that amount to him either...

Were the extra two men named Art?

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...

Let me put it another way. If you want to quibble about the meaning of words, find a mirror and talk to yourself.

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...

So what? Ross Perot used to tell his sales force to dress like your customers dress. I have decided to talk like my carrier talks because it seems equally wise to do so. I could care less what the words mean. It matters more what the words do. In this case, the words let my carrier and...