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Some readers may read what you wrote and hear the common and cynical phrase "It's not what you know, it's who you know." That would be a mistake. To a person, the chiefs of the small carriers I talked to at the Sylectus conference (whose fleets combined number about 10,000 trucks) stressed the...

My intent was a little bit of both. Yes, I wanted to broaden the discussion, but I also wanted to broaden my own knowledge. I have never heard the term "structured fuel surcharge" before. I wondered, is there also something called an unstructured fuel surcharge, and if so, how does it differ...

Below is text from an Nov. 29, 2011, XPO investor presentation script in which Express-1 is discussed. My question to Express-1 contractors is, what, if anything, do you see happening on the ground? What real-world changes have you seen in the company in the last 12 months? ------------------...

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Various people have talked in the Open Forum about being outside carriers (partner carriers) to the big-brand expedite carriers but have provided little detail. Is that a business model that can work? How does one become a partner carrier and bid on those loads?

What a refreshing story to hear! So many drivers and driver wannabees just assume that truck payments are necessary and even desirable for tax purposes. Consider the alternative. Consider the notion that debt free is the way to be. What might your business look like if debt service was not...

For those of us who do not know, what is a structured fuel surcharge?

XPO Logistics Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2011 Results Excerpt: The Express-1 business generated total revenue of $20.3 million, a 10.1% improvement from the same period in 2010. The increase in revenue primarily reflects growth in cross-border-Mexico and...

Not with PrePass but with technology that photographs license plates, at least one state, Washington, is issuing speeding tickets by marking the truck at two locations and doing the math to determine the speed at which the truck was traveling between the two points.

Thank you, CharlesD. Do you or anyone else have the 411 on the bords the major expedite carriers post their freight on?

Yes, idtrans, I know that loads depend on commodity, delivery location, weight and urgency. What I hope to learn is more about the load boards themselves, the kinds of freight and rates that are typically found on them, and the business operations of the people who use them. I am asking my...

Many readers, including Diane and me, do not get loads off "the boards." Could you enlighten us? What kinds of loads do these boards feature, at what rates, for what kinds of trucks? Say I am sitting in Chicago with a dry box D-unit (10 skids, 13,000 lbs.) and am looking for something that...

Yes, it is OK to ask a fleet owner for references. Note that most drivers who are with a fleet owner are happy enough with him or her to stay. The unhappy ones leave. The only difference between a happy driver of a fleet owner's truck and an unhappy one is that the fleet owner may not have...

The problem with fame of any kind is that it is fleeting. This is especially true with trucks because their lifespans are short. The great trucks of yesterday have been bumped out of mind by today's great trucks, just as today's greats will be bumped out of mind by tomorrow's. What makes a...

I don't understand the photoshop quip or your reply to it. If FedEx Custom Critical is paying a shop to put the logos on a truck, they would know the logos are on. No one running with that carrier is going to take the logos off after going to the trouble to have them put on. Why would they? If...

Something that I am not at liberty to talk about.

Yes. Absolutely. It comes down to the individual. Our thinking was a little different when we built our truck. We did not think about maximizing load potential. We thought about maximizing revenue. The two are not the same. Nor are the circumstances the same when carriers make changes or when...

It seems reasonable to me too, which comes as a surprise. In the eight years Diane and I were with FedEx Custom Critical, their graphics policy seemed strange. They'd pay you to have the FedEx branding on the truck but charge you for the graphics. They'd allow you to put the company graphics on...

If that's the case, why don't you drive a big rig with a coffin sleeper?

Great post!