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Let's assume, DaveKC, that I am among those you refer to, since I have made posts about becoming a millionaire expediter, and written "flowery tourist stories" (see my Stories From the Road on my web site). I have not said Diane and I are predispatched all the time. I have said we are...

As an indicator in any year, Black Friday sales have more to do with media hype than economic reality. Same-store sales of a given month compared to the same month a year ago is a far more meaningful indicator. Black Friday sales reveal revenue numbers for a given day or weekend but they do...

Fair enough, ebsprintin. You posted your words on 9/7/07, presumably in response to my words in this post of 9/2/07: "No one knows when it will come or how severe it will be. My own best guess (and it is nothing more than that, one man's best guess), is the recession will begin in late 2007 or...

Makes sense to us. The anticipated resale value of our truck when we move into the next one is $2.95. Maybe a bit more if the fuel tanks are full. ;) We plan to run this puppy past its useful life and into the ground. We hope to have 1.5 million miles on it before even having to think about...

While the automotive companies and UAW are not winning much praise in this thread, other unions may be getting the message. From MarketWatch.com, 11/28/08: "Facing the worst economy since the 1930s, the Teamsters Union and the freight companies of YRC Worldwide Inc. (YRCW) have reached an...

Back at you, Jefferson3000. Thank you for understanding our schedule and need to keep rolling.

It was worth it.

Among the things I am thankful for is the connection to expediters EO and especially the Open Forum provides. Thank you, Dale for the good work you do keeping the Open Forum on the up and up. Expediting continues to be a great life and work for many. The EO community makes it more so.

As planned, we remained in service and available to haul freight. We are now dispatched on a good load that picks up Monday. By driving 150 miles out of route to the pickup, we can spend Thanksgiving with relatives in Texas. They insist that we don't need to bring a thing and a bountiful feast...

Thinking of Thanksgiving, parents and sacrafices, I am mindful today of the parents who will celebrate Thanksgiving with an empty chair at the table and grieve the loss of their son or daughter who was killed in a war. Parents who lost their kids in Viet Nam do so to this day, as do those who...

Interesting timing on this post. This morning we delivered to a non-automotive plant where the shipping/receiving guy was plain awful. In several years we have not met the likes of him but from what we read here in the Open Fourm this kind of treatment is common at U.S. automotive plants. (We...

CNBC.com has a slideshow that provides historical perspective on U.S. government bailout activity. CNBC reports, "Thus far, only one item surpasses the $700 billion allocated to the government's main rescue fund, what's known as the Treasury Dept.'s TARP program. Other expenses and/or...

Recessions are part of the business cycle. They are the flip side of expansions. While difficult to go through, recessions have the benefit of wringing excess speculation, debt and obsolete products and practices out of the economy and setting the stage for new growth. Recessions vary in...

Even if a bailout (or bridge loan as the automotive CEOs called it) somehow saved the American automotive industry, there will be no pickup in automotive freight until people start buying more cars than they are buying now. With the recession now in progress, that may be a while.

A while ago, Broompilot ripped me pretty good for saying Schneider drivers get paid reasonably well. Now he is there. Odd, is it not? How many happy niches does this make for him now? He changes carriers more often than I change tires. Each time it is a step up. Each time he is happy. And each...

Yes, cabover trucks can be used as expediter trucks. The attached photo shows one. Most expedite companies require sleepers but exceptions are sometimes made for regional work. I know our carrier (FedEx Custom Critical) has certain trucks that work certain regions to do short runs in the...

Expediters are at the same time competitors and colleagues. As the business ebbs and flows and business decisions are made, some do well, others do fair, some fail. When someone washes out of the business it is something to be concerned about, not from a competitive level but a collegiate one...

Diane and I plan to make it through the recession and freight slowdown. While we have marketable skills and other career options, we have no backup plans beyond expediting. That is because plans earlier made and actions earlier taken ensure that we will stay. We always knew freight could slow...

Once upon a time, when I was a young boy, it was Christmas Eve. My grandparent's house was decorated inside and out. Brightly wrapped presents spilled out from under the tree. Santa's upcoming visit meant even more would be there when my younger brother and I awoke in the morning. My parents...

It depends on how you define boss. If you take a broad definition to include laws you must comply with, like the requirement to keep a log book, sure, I have a boss in the federal governemnt that sets and enforces rules that govern trucking. And I have a boss in local governments that set speed...