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Once upon a time, Diane and I were white-collar professionals, living in the suburbs, happy with our lives and careers. When a friend gave us our first-ever ride in a big truck, the bug bit and we began researching trucking. When we discovered expediting the deal was sealed. A few months later...

I do not recall the specifics but sometime while Diane and I were on the road, the first FCC BR-units were introduced. Their not being dock high was not an issue when the motor carrier was promoting them and recruiting drivers to build and run them. It was not uncommon to see them, especially...

The original question remains to be answered. Is FedEx Custom Critical running BR-units any more?

Feds move to limit speeds of trucks, buses The final point in this article is interesting. Maybe truckers should all come out in favor of speed limiters if they are mandated for cars too.

Sorry to hear of your reversal but glad to hear you are back on track. Your experience is not unusual. Some people make great strides and stay there. Others make great strides and revert. It demonstrates the importance of mindset. The people who progress and remain at their new levels do not...

I should add that when Diane and I researched fleet owners in 2003, few if any large ones (10 trucks or more) existed. Back then, FedEx Custom Critical had a rule that no fleet owner could have more than five trucks on with that carrier. I believe it was a rule designed to protect all drivers...

If you are looking to drive for a fleet owner, you may already have access to the information you seek. If the fleet owner has been in the business for a while and is running a number of trucks, and he/she is reasonably competent and honest, he/she should be able to tell you exactly what the pay...

When looking at the miles number, Diane and I always regarded the "pay-per-mile, all miles" number as the most important. It did not matter how much the load paid per mile. It did not matter what the route was. It did not matter how far we would have to drive empty to the pick up. The only...

Uber is putting 100 autonomous (self-driving) vehicles (taxis) on the road in Pittsbugh THIS MONTH. Uber also just bought the self-driving truck company that was mentioned in the originating post of this thread. Details here

Another step forward. As some predicted, taxi drivers are on the way out. Ford to Offer Self-Driving Cars Without Steering Wheel by 2021

Here's the latest development in the ongoing train wreck that is Obamacare

Diane and I saw several dogs like that in our years on the road. We always thought they were strays that had been accidentally left behind, intentionally abandoned or local dogs that found their way into the truck stop. The ones we saw seemed to have an established routine, going from truck to...

Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die. Successful straight-truck expediters don't have hope, they have CDLs, meaningful goals, plans to achieve them and the work ethic to make it happen.

Diane and I never varied our service level with the price of a load. Freight on our truck was always well treated and we always did everything possible to pick up and deliver as scheduled. We never once accepted a load that we did not ourselves choose to accept. If a load was on our truck that...

What are your interests? The truck space itself is mostly the same whatever kind of truck you have. Custom sleepers offer more choices but the basic functionality remains the same among sleepers of the same class.The things that make the nights more enjoyable have less to do with what goes on...

Diane and I always filed quarterly when we were on the road. It is not difficult to do. You do not need to involve your accountant. It may be required (depending on your income level). And it's just a good idea to keep good books every day. The quarterly filing provides the discipline to take an...

Writers read, read and read some more. There is no better place to gain a sense of what Expediting is all about, and what the hot topics are, than right here at ExpeditersOnline.com. When Diane and I were brand-new to trucking and began to research this industry, I read every post in every EO...

I don't know about "the best" option but it sounds like a good option. It is widely stated by expediters to start with a fleet owner first. Don't let the experience thing bother you too much. After you have hauled your first ten loads you will know 90 percent of what you need to know to make a...

A fleet owner once moved us from one of his trucks into another. A few short months later, we happened to be in our motor carrier's parking lot with a bunch of other trucks for a multi-day meeting. The truck we left behind was also there but we did not realize it until we met the co-drivers. The...

Duwayne, when I view your photo and read the mobility limitations you wrote about, some of our gym members come to mind. Some of them weigh over 400 lbs and they come to us for help because they know, and their doctors have told them, that they will die soon if they do not lose weight and...