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I'm sorry about the hijack too. Cheri hijacked a thread of yours so you hijack a thread of mine? If someone siphons fuel out of my truck, does that give me permission to siphon fuel from someone else? Some topics are more useful and important to newbies than others. For their sake, I was...

I agree that practical miles is the best calculation to use for everyone concerned. But change comes slow with something that is so deeply rooted in the industry. See this article for a brief history of various miles calculation methods. Regarding the speed at which a load must be driven, I do...

I wrote the following deep in another thread. To give it status as a topic of its own, I am re-posting it here. I trust the Open Forum moderators will allow this duplicate post given its value to newbies. If not, I ask that the one buried deep be deleted and that this one be allowed to stand...

You are only being cheated out of money if you let yourself be. Landstar does not use practical miles and Diane and I are not cheated. We are not cheated because we base our accept/decline decision on actual miles and the money paid for the load. Note that Landstar does not pay a flat rate. They...

The American Trucking Associations sponsors each year the National Truck Driving Championships. Part of the competition is precision truck driving. Contestants maneuver trucks through a course that tests the driver's ability to position the truck EXACTLY where it should be for a given task...

Interesting news about OnStar. Echoes some of the talk here in the Open Forum about Qualcomm use and abuse. Technology marches on.

Get the book at least if not the card and the book. The cost is spread over 10 years and does not amount to much. You will need the book if you decide to take a cruise later in your expediting career. I know several expediters who enjoy that vacation option. Some have even grouped together to...

You have a point there that illustrates well something I have said before. Seasoned expediters tend to forget what it is like to not know the basics. Once the basics are mastered, you tend to take for granted that everyone knows them. I am remembering now exactly the dynamic you point out. We...

In both this thread and the "serious help" thread that you also started, you seem to be far more worried about being late than most if not all expediters. Where does that come from, exactly? It's simple. Most expediting companies put safety first. They plan loads at 45 - 50 m.p.h., and if that...

Landstar uses 45 m.p.h. I don't know what time if any is allocated for loading and unloading. Arriving a bit early for a pick up or delivery is not the mortal sin it was at FedEx Custom Critical. (Exceptioins for certain kinds of loads) Regarding chains, company guidance is to consider...

We can all talk about general economic conditions and share opinions. Closer to home, like in the driver's seat of Diane's and my expediter truck, we see good going ahead now that we are once again with a carrier whose interests are aligned with our own. We are fully engaged in and fully...

You may know it. I did not until jjorder shared what he knew. I knew calls were recorded but did not know what I said when on hold (which is a lot at FedEx) was recorded too. Had I known when Diane and I were with FedEx, I would have done what JimF51 does and used it to my advantage.

I know of one (see this). There are probably many others. I'm thinking of the smaller carriers whose owners happen to be gun owners too and believe in the right to keep and bear arms. That does not give a driver or owner-operator a free pass, as JimmyB explains is his great post on this subject.

Quote from a trucker upon his arrest (true story): "I should have known she was a cop when I saw she had all of her teeth."

It's not a silly suggestion but not realistic either. LizSmiles said in her original post that they have yet to get their CDLs. Sitting at a truck stop in a FedEx package truck is nothing like sitting in an expediter van or straight truck. Expediter trucks of any kind serve as our home away from...

Yes, Diane and I would work for a carrier that did not care for us. We did so for eight years, knowing full well that we were never more than a number to them. But for most of that time, they played fair and we made good money. It did not matter that they did not care for us. It mattered only...

As others have said, "cares about" is a broad category subject to broad interpretations. Nevertheless, it seemed to make sense to vote for Diane's and my present carrier of choice. In doing so, I am using "cares for" to mean respect, as in looking on us as business people and treating us...

Some of the most in-love couples you will ever see are crisscrossing the country in trucks.

Not in this truck. Security inspections and truck tour requests are frequent enough to prompt ongoing good housekeeping habits. Even without that incentive, the large sleeper provides plenty of space to store dirty laundry and keep the truck interior pleasant.

Man cave is not so much a place as it is the experience of being alone and undisturbed as you lose yourself in a project or activity. Diane was in the truck when the original post came to mind. I was outside, changing filters and replacing tail lights.