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Cargo Vans - What is your straight through limit?

Heather Jones

Heather Jones

Rookie Expediter
I was just going to drive out and then enjoy whatever attractions they had there. However, my inverter went out so, my dad said to come on in since dispatch said I could anyways. Without it gets too hot for me to even sleep in the back of the van.
 
Windsor

Windsor

Veteran Expediter
Would have been cheaper to idle the truck while you slept with the AC on then running all those extra miles.
 
QuickPUD

QuickPUD

Active Expediter
Researching
xiggi said:
I would never drive for a company that sets van driving limits. Been there and not going back.

Sent from my Fisher Price ABC-123.
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Please explain why driving for a carrier with van driving limits is not a good idea. Thanks.
 
QuickPUD

QuickPUD

Active Expediter
Researching
JohnMueller said:
Great comments. Thanks for helping me research to determine if our company policies needed ammending. Another goal of this question was to see if any drivers would acknowledge that they could be held liable for negligence as a result of an accident which occurred while doing a long, long straight-through run.

D Team Brothers came the close by stating that you still have to worry about DOT and that they would not want to be in your shoes if.... Nice work D Team Brothers.

The idea is really simple. At some point, whether it be by a set amount of miles, or a set amount of time, companies, dispatchers and drivers can and will be determined to be negligent in an accident. This is not about a policy being a safety showpiece, nor is it about limiting a cargo van owner's income. This is all about operating safely and avoiding any exposure to liability from negligence. In the event of a catastrophic accident the deep pocket theory would apply - the driver of the van will most likely walk away with little damages and jail time (and a lifetime of guilt). Keeping in mind that insurance does not pay for punitative damages, the carrier company will be left to bear the brunt of the financial punitative damages. The dispatcher could also see jail time.

I think that a jury would look at what is standard allowable driving time within the trucking industry and apply that to a cargo van accident to determine negligence.

Upcoming blogs of Look Both Way will be addressing some of these issues to help everyone better understand liability from all points of view.
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John,

Thanks for the post. That gives me plenty to consider.

I am looking to operate within a 300 - 500 mile radius of South Bend, IN. I would be driving solo with a Sprinter/ProMaster/Transit vehicle (nonCDL). That way, I would basically stay in the major freight zones and thus cutting down on potential wait time. OTR seems risky because after a delivery, one might have to deadhead to another city and wait for another load for who knows how long.

In light of your post, having such a radius could allow for good rest before driving straight through could cut down on negligence issues. Does that make sense?

I did OTR/CDL B as a hiker but I was basically done around 500 - 550 miles. I needed to rest. I can't see myself driving straight through for 1000+ miles alone with the ambulance nature of expediting, for example. I would have to learn how to do that.

I talked with one carrier representative and he stated that on long runs, drivers would meet at various locations on the run and "handoff" the freight to another driver who continues the run versus one driver doing the entire run.
 
T

Treadmill

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
QuickPUD said:
John,

Thanks for the post. That gives me plenty to consider.

I am looking to operate within a 300 - 500 mile radius of South Bend, IN. I would be driving solo with a Sprinter/ProMaster/Transit vehicle (nonCDL). That way, I would basically stay in the major freight zones and thus cutting down on potential wait time. OTR seems risky because after a delivery, one might have to deadhead to another city and wait for another load for who knows how long.

In light of your post, having such a radius could allow for good rest before driving straight through could cut down on negligence issues. Does that make sense?

I did OTR/CDL B as a hiker but I was basically done around 500 - 550 miles. I needed to rest. I can't see myself driving straight through for 1000+ miles alone with the ambulance nature of expediting, for example. I would have to learn how to do that.

I talked with one carrier representative and he stated that on long runs, drivers would meet at various locations on the run and "handoff" the freight to another driver who continues the run versus one driver doing the entire run.
Click to expand...
Sounds like you talked with Panther.
 
Turtle

Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
Treadmill said:
Sounds like you talked with Panther.
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Who has like nine million vans in a 300-500 mile radius of South Bend, which dramatically increases the potential wait time.

You run a load from Chicago to Indy, sit 2 days, run one from Indy to Dayton, sit 2 days, then get a big weekend load from Dayton to Ft Wayne.

If you wanna make money with Panther, stay on the outer fringes of that radius, where nobody is, and stay out of Midwest Hell as much as possible.
 
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OntarioVanMan

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
Turtle said:
Who has like nine million vans in a 300-500 mile radius of South Bend, which dramatically increases the potential wait time.

You run a load from Chicago to Indy, sit 2 days, run one from Indy to Dayton, sit 2 days, then get a big weekend load from Dayton to Ft Wayne.

If you wanna make money with Panther, stay on the outer fringes of that radius, where nobody is, and stay out of Midwest Hell as much as possible.
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dang most carriers are like that these days....sit. sit, sit.....
 
Turtle

Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
OntarioVanMan said:
dang most carriers are like that these days....sit. sit, sit.....
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True. But I well remember with Panther that if you're on the fringes, you'll sit, but you're still more likely to get those 3 loads that week and end up with 1500 miles or more for the week. Sitting in that Midwest hell Bullseye and you can end up with 500 miles for the week on those three loads.

Every carrier is different, of course, and my comments here about Panther are only about Panther. At Load One, it's darn near the opposite of Panther. Sitting on the fringes with Load One and the fringes will get tangled with the roots you've sprouted.

Wichita, Kansas City, Lincoln - good places to even deadhead to if you're with Panther. If you're with Load One, uhm, no. With many carriers, drivers go to New England and the East Coast to sit and rot, but with Panther or Load One, you need to go OOS after you deliver if you want some sleep, 'cause they'll have you rolling raaaht now.

Speaking of raaaht now, you ever hear those commercials for truckers, especially the ones for Ryder (Raaaader) where the guy speaking lays on the good ol' trucker Southern drawl so thick you can use it to mortar bricks, but in other commercials on other stations the guy speaks in a normal non-accent accent? Patronizing twit. hrmph

Different guy, but same patronizing drawl on some of the new Load One training videos. "Laaahf lessyons, golly shucks ol' pardner, ya wouldn't have gottuhn hurt if ya didn't lay down undah the drahv tarrs when yor co-drahver was backin' into the dock." <spitooey>
 
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