Is this normal?

[GearHead600]

I am a complete newbie here, to both the site and expediting... I am wondering if what I just experienced is normal, or not! So, a little background first. I've always loved to drive, so much so that I have never flown! I have always tossed the idea around of becoming a 'professional' driver! So I recently talked my other half into trying expedite driving together. I responded to a few advertisements and it did not take long at all to find a company and fleet owner that responded to us! We filled out some applications and before we knew it they wanted us out for orientation...

Sadly, that's about where the "awesomeness" stopped... So we make the trek out to the fleet owners yard, and everything at first seemed pretty good. Until of course we started reading the contract..! This is (of course) where my question(s) to everyone here comes in. The first thing we were leery about was that it was coined a "lease", we weren't very sure about that but continued on... One of the main points of concern were that it seemed like WE had to literally pay for, seemingly, everything... Except maintenance (and the vehicle payment itself)..! We were offered a 60/40 split, but it looked as though we would be "responsible" for the vehicles insurance, eld/tracking/etc, something about workers comp/ins (weekly), fuel ofc (60/40), AND tolls... We were almost waiting/expecting to see that we'd be making the vehicle payment too (half serious / half joking)..! ALSO, there was to be NO DEADHEAD pay either..! We also noticed a "NO PETS" clause, and while we don't have a dog or any other "big" animal, we do have a small caged pet that would have been accompanying us... We brought this up and the fleet owner said it would be alright... BUT was also unwilling to modify the contract in ANY way... So long story short, we never even finished reading the contract before "things just fell apart" and we left... (which also left me wondering what else was in there - especially that we wouldn't have agreed to/with)!

So while this experience surely left a sour taste in my mouth, I am hoping to hear that (all of) this is NOT normal... Maybe I'm wrong but it seems like this "opportunity" would have pretty much carried the costs and/or responsibilities of being an O/O, but just being a driver for a fleet owner! Honestly, I think this fleet owner is passing a lot of what SHOULD be his "overhead" onto his drivers! Like the vehicle insurance? I would think that would be part of your overhead of being a fleet owner! I would put it akin to an office job "charging" it's employees (or contractors) for the electricity to turn on the lights! Or am I wrong? Are "things" different in this industry?

I definitely couldn't see actually making a good living/earnings like that! Heck, I think we make more money doing Uber, Lyft, Doordash, Grubhub, ETC..! That's what we've been doing full time for a good 4 years now! Both of us doing that we pull in $1400-$2800/wk combined (avg. $200-400/day).! There's no way I could see making that much, after having to pay for as much as it looked like that contract would have had us paying!

So I guess if this is "normal", then driving for a fleet owner will surely not be "for us"...! But if there are any "fair" fleet owners that happen across this: feel free to contact me/us! We are two people (team) with spotless criminal and MVR backgrounds! Well over 25 years of age. No experience in expediting (but plenty of driving) seeking (non CDL) sprinter/van/straight truck! We are not "tethered" to our house - we can stay out pretty much as long as we want to (especially if you have a nice sleeper)! [Probably the (current) biggest downfall is] (non CDL) Class D licensed...

And / or, if anyone "out there" has any company, fleet owner, or any other recommendations - please - by all means, we're "all ears"..!

 

[Turtle]

Lease is the correct term. The vehicle owner leases his equipment to the carrier, you lease your services as independent contractors to the owner.

The 60/40 revenue split is the industry standard, with whoever gets the 60 paying for fuel and tolls (although most carriers will either reimburse you for tools or they just use a transponder and pay them directly).

Fuel costs roughly 20% of the revenue, but if you're mindful and don't idle much, and don't do unnecessary deadhead trying to chase down freight, you can come out a little better with the 60 than the 40. But basically that 60/40 means the drivers and the owner are splitting things 50/50 after fuel.

As a self employed independent contractor, you will have to carry workers compensation insurance or occupational accident insurance (depending on the state). You can obtain that on your own, but you'll get much better group rates through the carrier and just pay for it as weekly deductions from your settlement pay.

Vehicle liability insurance is generally going to be paid for by the vehicle owner.

You may have separate non-trucking liability day covers you as the driver when you're not dispatched on a load. Not sure how fleet owners do that, but my guess is that's on you.

Not really sure about who normally pays for the Qualcomm. I know some fleet owners who pay it, and some who have their drivers pay for it.

Pets can be an issue with the vehicle owner not wanting pets in the truck, as well as an issue with many shippers and receivers that don't allow pets. If you own the truck that's strictly up to you. But pets in the truck will cost you a few loads.

Not many expedite carriers pay deadhead pay. The ones that do, it's minimal, maybe covers some of the fuel. Some fleet owners will split that with the driver, but some don't. There's an out of pocket Cost Per Mile well beyond just fuel that headheading costs the owner.

As for how much you can make, others here can give you a better idea. I've never been a fleet owner or driven for one. But I know a lot of people who drive straight truck teams for fleet owners and they do quite well. You won't make jack squat trying to split cargo van revenue with a fleet owner.

You are correct about your biggest downfall. Whether you're driving your own truck or driving for a fleet owner, you are an independent contractor operating a small business. If you want to be successful you have to take it seriously, and that means a Class B CDL in order to operate the kinds if trucks that will produce the most revenue. Non-CDL trucks ain't it.

 

[GearHead600]

That completely makes sense, about the terminology. Thank you for that!

I wasn't concerned about the 60/40 split itself, as I had found this awesome video by TheCraftyTrucker - that explained that clear as day (literally anyone should be able to understand it after watching the vid!), and set me at ease about that part of the offer/contract.

Tolls are an entirely different beast in my own mind, but that's because I am a super cheapo, and NEVER use tolls if/when personally traveling! I suppose depending on the/any time sensitivity - I'd just avoid using tolls for "work" too, if I had the chance (especially if I HAD to pay for them)! If they are paid/reimbursed then I wouldn't care or mind either way! But yes, the ONLY way I'd use them is if I wasn't paying for them myself (one way or another)!

I'm already a self employed IC, and do not have/carry workers comp ins... or Occupational Accident ins... But my current situation is very not-complex... I am actually exempt from having to despite it being otherwise legally mandated in my state (just now looking into this stuff)... "Sole proprietors, business partners, corporate officers, and members of limited liability companies may exempt themselves." I also see "You may be exempt from Illinois workers’ compensation requirements in Illinois if you are: A sole proprietor who doesn’t work in construction or another hazardous industry" - So I wonder that "Trucking" wouldn't also be considered a "hazardous industry" (legally)... Or if and where they have an all inclusive list of the "hazardous industries", that HAVE to get this insurance "whether we like it or not"... But this is exactly where another question arises..! Am I going to HAVE to get it, or decide that I don't want to (if I don't have to) based on WHICH STATE!? My home/(drivers) licensed state (ILLINOIS), the state of the fleet owner? The state of the carrier? Regardless, is this something the fleet owner can FORCE, shouldn't it be up to me whether I want it or not (legalities aside)!?!? I would think it's not his "job" to make sure I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. Just like it's not his job to make sure I file/pay my taxes! At any rate, I think it was supposed to be $35/week that was going to be removed for this purpose (when I didn't/don't even want it)... I guess the most pertinent question to help me make future decisions (as already asked) would be WHICH STATE should I be concerned about "following law"; Home state, Fleet owner state, or Carrier state !?!?!?!?

I could be incorrect in my recollection that we'd also be paying vehicle insurance, I do hope that's something the fleet owner would be taking care of, since it's THEIR vehicle... If I am correct, then yea, I'd never drive "for" them based on this one alone... But if I'm wrong, sorry for the poor memory...

I'm not even sure how it works (all the insurance crap) with Uber, Lyft, Doordash, Grubhub, ETC - but I'm either not paying for it, or I'm "silently" paying for it... All I know is most of those "gig econ" services verify you have personal insurance (for when you're not working), but when you're "online" or "ON a trip", you are then covered under their/commercial insurance! Pretty sure it's for at LEAST $1,000,000... But despite having been doing that F/T for over 4 years now I've never seen any charges for anything insurance related... So just another reason I didn't expect to see that I'd have to pay for anything insurance related! So I assume either Uber (etc) are paying for the insurance from "their side" or "their cut", or we're "silently" paying for it (or something like that)... And even Uber and these other gig econ "jobs" aren't cut and dry, like 60/40... I till this day cannot figure out what algorithm Uber uses because I've literally seen trips where it's like "customer pays $100, you make $90, uber gets $10", others where it's like "customer pays $100, you make $10, uber gets $90", and even plenty to the tune of "customer pays $100, you make $120, uber gets ($20)"...!!! (and I have seen trips where it reports uber takes as much as (-$50)!!!) It's gotten to the point where I no longer scrutinize individual trips, just hoping to believe that "it will all balance out in the end"! And as long as I keep making the same kind of money or better, I feel, who am I to complain!

I'm pretty sure the Qualcomm was one of the lower cost "things", but it just seemed like there was an overload of what we were expected to pay... I guess I still feel that's an overhead of being an owner... I suppose if this was the ONLY "extra" I was paying for, I wouldn't have bi***ed moaned and complained... And actually may have already signed the contract and been out on the road... Who knows...

I could definitely understand how larger and "more traditional" pets (IE dogs or cats) could be a downfall, for not only owners but also shippers/receivers... But TBH, our small "caged" pet could have and be easily "hidden" anyway... I definitely didn't want to "hide" it from the vehicle owner, but if we had to, the small cage it's kept in could just be stowed in a storage area or the sleeping area while making a pick/drop... And according to the owner, when we told him not only that we had it but WHAT it was, he seemed ok with it. The only problem with that was that he was only "ok" with it VERBALLY. I would have 100% wanted the contract modified so that I could NOT be LEGALLY found in breech of contract... If I'm not mistaken a simple cross out and signature/initials (or even an addendum) could have addressed this... But since he didn't want to change it, that was a HUGE thing to me, because signing it and continuing, even though verbally discussed; well I know verbal (usually) doesn't mean S**t in court/legally! I would have "NEEDED" that changed =\

I knew it wasn't unheard of to not get deadhead pay, but to not pay deadhead on top of all the other un-expected's - was a massive turn off... But I found an awesome video on deadhead and loaded miles from TheCraftyTrucker - here -

I guess, similar to the Qualcomm, if it wasn't "ALL these things" combined - I may not have bi***ed moaned and complained if no DH pay was the ONLY thing I didn't like about the whole situation... But again, to HAVE to pay for various insurance, AND pay qualcomm, AND no DH, it just all seemed to stack up, and NOT in my favor... It was all these factors combined that was leading me to think this was a very one sided contract... And who knows, since I am a virgin maybe what I "thought" would've been fair, would have actually been one sided, to me... And that's not what I want either..! I just wanted and want to make sure it's an equally mutually beneficial "deal" here..!

I do hope someone can chime in about how much can be made for various vehicle types... I'm not 100% about the money but, I would think and expect that going OTR (in any vehicle) that we could make at least as much as we do with crap like Uber and Lyft! Especially being a team, we can keep the wheels turning! I also understand that, very similar to Uber and Lyft, there's NO set amounts and you can't really expect to always get the same amounts... That you will have bad, good, and better weeks - and the income from such types of work really shouldn't be scrutinized on the individual day, or even week always... To get a better picture of how much you can make doing anything of "the like" you need to look at (primarily) the months and years! You're *going* to have bad days and even bad weeks, but then you're also going to have phenomenal days and weeks to make up for the bad ones! But if you can make $52,000 a year doing something; does it really matter whether you make $1,000/week, or whether you have 26 weeks of $400 and 26 weeks of $1600... I say, no... Because either way, you're making $52,000..! That being said, "we" normally gross $72,800/annually doing Uber etc... So I would hope (OTR) expediting could be the same or greater... Also, as an added note, we're not specifically looking to "leave" uber etc... Or it's not that we're unhappy with them or the work itself, we just figured we'd like to try OTR... Rather than driving people and food all around town, and never really leaving town; that we'd try hauling stuff all over the place... Try taking fewer longer trips, than many short trips... Change of pace is all... Which is kind of why we figured we'd start non CDL, to assure/verify that we like OTR before "upgrading" to a CDL... Because even though we like love to drive, who knows, maybe we actually wouldn't like OTR... I've also been skeptical to get a CDL because I do dislike how they're held to a higher standard even when in their POV... I currently have a spotless MVR but that's also because I've taken supervision on ALL previous infractions (usually incurred on my motorcycle)! I know that having a CDL also stops you from taking supervision (at least in my state)... Although, the older I get, the more I'm starting to finally mellow out on that thing (my bike)... >.> But yes, in my state, if you have a CDL you have to either plead guilty or fight it, there's no "in between" (like supervision, which also allows it to 'fall off' your record at the end of said 'supervision')... I completely "get it", CDL holders should be held to a higher standard, at least while actually driving commercially... But in a POV, c'mon now, really! Two different worlds! Last thing I need is to "lose my job" because I got another ticket for "lane splitting"...

My only remaining question is: are drivers privy to all of the pertinent documents so they know they're not getting 'cheated' at all? IE: a fleet owner wouldn't be able to claim a load only made $1500, when it actually made $3000? IE: only pay you 60% of $1500, instead of the 60% of $3000 you're actually due? Just curious since I know it's the fleet owner that pays their driver contractors... And trying to imagine the absolute worst case scenarios (I suppose the absolute worst case scenario would be a unscrupulous fleet owner providing "doctored" documents to get away with paying you less)... So, all that being said; do/can drivers get documents from the carrier (rather than from/through the fleet owner)? Or how does all that work!? That being said, are there any known carriers that aren't trustworthy :S

I do think for the most part I may finally (almost) have all my T's dotted and my I's crossed... Guessing we've already burned the bridge on that first opportunity =( But I guess if we're going to seriously pursue this maybe we'll just go straight for the kill, our Class A CDL's... Though I still think starting non CDL would be best for us, to find out if we even like OTR work in the first place... Then if it turns out we do, I feel, we can "upgrade" our license... (again, it's not ALL about the money, though of course it would be nice to make equal to or greater than what we're already making [as self employed independent contractors])...

Thank you very much for all of your insight..! I appreciate it a HEAP!

 

[Turtle]

Biggest mistake you can make is developing expectations in the trucking industry based on your experience in gig economy delivery. Independent contractor is where the similarities begin and end. Heavy trucks are highly regulated by the FMCSA for the safety of the public, the environment, and you. If you try and fight any of those regulations you'll lose. The motor carrier's insurance carrier will have their own requirements to limit their own liability (such as requiring independent contractors driving vehicles under the motor carrier's operating authority to have OAC or worker's comp).

As for one-sided contracts, the fleet owner is handing you the keys to a high dollar piece of equipment and taking on significant legal liability himself, so do keep that in mind.

Generally, the line hauls and the paperwork are available and transparent, and available for inspection anytime you want (reasonable hours, if course). The exception to that is going to be if you are paid a flat rate per mile, as the line haul at that point doesn't matter, as long as as you get what you are contracted to get.

In the eyes of the FMCSA and in the eyes of the insurance company who insures the carrier, driving commercially and driving your personal vehicle are not at all two different worlds. If you violate traffic laws in your personal vehicle you're likely to have the same habits when driving a regulated vehicle. Insurance companies don't want anything to do with you in that case. And it's why the FMCSA hammers not only you and your personal license, but also hammers the carrier for your infractions. Carriers don't want anyone driving for them who will cause them to be penalized and have their safety rating dragged down.

There are a lot of unscrupulous carriers, and fleet owners out there who will screw you over. Stick with the major carriers until you learn what's what.

 

[LDB]

Well, I'll admit up front to not reading everything but skimming. Turtle does the best job of anyone with answers though. I'll toss in a short bit, until my flea attention span is consumed. It's been a decade since I ran trucks so some things may have changed. When I had a team driving for me I considered all revenue coming in as "load pay", "truck/time pay" or "people pay".

Load pay was the basic x,xxx miles at $1.55 a mile. That was split 60/40, the usual split system. FSC of $0.xx per mile was paid 100% to the 60 side since that side paid for the fuel.

Truck/time pay was anything like layover pay or deadhead pay or similar. That money was to offset some of the expense of sitting or moving or otherwise costing the truck and team money. That was split 50/50 because it was my time/expense paying for the truck and their time/expense sitting/moving rather than hauling a paying load.

People pay was hand loading/unloading, special cargo securement, anything that involved humans performing work and being paid extra on the paystub for that run. That was paid 100% to the team since they were the people doing it. One time there was an exception as I and my truck were at the same dock and I helped so I took 1/4 of the pay for my 1/3 of the work.

If you are still here, and Turtle didn't cover it already, don't go anywhere in the future unless they've sent you a copy of the contract to review in advance. If they'll send it to you and talk it over ahead of time they're likely quite reputable.

I don't know that you'll match what you're making now. And to do it you'll live in a walk in closet for a few weeks at a time rather than living in your current home with a full kitchen and bath and bedroom. Good luck with your decision.

 

[Shotcallerj]

I am a complete newbie here, to both the site and expediting... I am wondering if what I just experienced is normal, or not! So, a little background first. I've always loved to drive, so much so that I have never flown! I have always tossed the idea around of becoming a 'professional' driver! So I recently talked my other half into trying expedite driving together. I responded to a few advertisements and it did not take long at all to find a company and fleet owner that responded to us! We filled out some applications and before we knew it they wanted us out for orientation...

Sadly, that's about where the "awesomeness" stopped... So we make the trek out to the fleet owners yard, and everything at first seemed pretty good. Until of course we started reading the contract..! This is (of course) where my question(s) to everyone here comes in. The first thing we were leery about was that it was coined a "lease", we weren't very sure about that but continued on... One of the main points of concern were that it seemed like WE had to literally pay for, seemingly, everything... Except maintenance (and the vehicle payment itself)..! We were offered a 60/40 split, but it looked as though we would be "responsible" for the vehicles insurance, eld/tracking/etc, something about workers comp/ins (weekly), fuel ofc (60/40), AND tolls... We were almost waiting/expecting to see that we'd be making the vehicle payment too (half serious / half joking)..! ALSO, there was to be NO DEADHEAD pay either..! We also noticed a "NO PETS" clause, and while we don't have a dog or any other "big" animal, we do have a small caged pet that would have been accompanying us... We brought this up and the fleet owner said it would be alright... BUT was also unwilling to modify the contract in ANY way... So long story short, we never even finished reading the contract before "things just fell apart" and we left... (which also left me wondering what else was in there - especially that we wouldn't have agreed to/with)!

So while this experience surely left a sour taste in my mouth, I am hoping to hear that (all of) this is NOT normal... Maybe I'm wrong but it seems like this "opportunity" would have pretty much carried the costs and/or responsibilities of being an O/O, but just being a driver for a fleet owner! Honestly, I think this fleet owner is passing a lot of what SHOULD be his "overhead" onto his drivers! Like the vehicle insurance? I would think that would be part of your overhead of being a fleet owner! I would put it akin to an office job "charging" it's employees (or contractors) for the electricity to turn on the lights! Or am I wrong? Are "things" different in this industry?

I definitely couldn't see actually making a good living/earnings like that! Heck, I think we make more money doing Uber, Lyft, Doordash, Grubhub, ETC..! That's what we've been doing full time for a good 4 years now! Both of us doing that we pull in $1400-$2800/wk combined (avg. $200-400/day).! There's no way I could see making that much, after having to pay for as much as it looked like that contract would have had us paying!

So I guess if this is "normal", then driving for a fleet owner will surely not be "for us"...! But if there are any "fair" fleet owners that happen across this: feel free to contact me/us! We are two people (team) with spotless criminal and MVR backgrounds! Well over 25 years of age. No experience in expediting (but plenty of driving) seeking (non CDL) sprinter/van/straight truck! We are not "tethered" to our house - we can stay out pretty much as long as we want to (especially if you have a nice sleeper)! [Probably the (current) biggest downfall is] (non CDL) Class D licensed...

And / or, if anyone "out there" has any company, fleet owner, or any other recommendations - please - by all means, we're "all ears"..!

Turtle has done an excellent job explaining in depth what you need to know. The only way you make money in expedite in non-cdl trucks is to be an owner operator. There is a significant revolving door for contract drivers for fleet owners. There are a lot of reasons for that.

Any contract you sign with a carrier or a fleet owner is going to be stacked to benefit them. 60/40 is usually the standard for fleet owners. Every contract is different but they generally mean that the contract driver will be responsible for fuel purchases, tolls, as well as their work comp insurance if required. The 40% is supposed to go to the fleet owner for vehicle payments, insurance, maintenance, repairs, sat trac, and any other costs incurred by having a vehicle. Before you sign a contract you need to know exactly what you will be responsible for. Which is why you need to receive your contract prior to signing it so you can go over it in depth and ask any questions you may have. If a fleet owner doesn't allow that then that is a good sign to not contract with them. They should want you to be completely informed on what your responsibilities are and what cost you will have.

Generally companies will send load information to you that will include the gross of that load. So to avoid being cheated out of anything you should always keep track of every load you run including the date, pieces, load number,miles.... As well as what it grosses. Not only to make sure you're not getting taken for a ride but for tax purposes also.

This line of work is not like being a gig driver for Uber or GrubHub. There are a lot more that go into this line of work. Instead of getting numerous jobs a day that pay anywhere from 5 to $20..... You get offered jobs that pay much more than that but on a less plentiful measure. An expedite you have to be careful where you take freight. The Load May pay really good, but you might end up driving out of that area hundreds of miles to get to a city to possibly get more freight. That being said you have to be comfortable with being able to sit for a day or two with little to no load offers. But on other days you have to be prepared to drive a thousand miles one day, get a few hours of sleep and drive another 500 miles. To be successful you have to be willing to drive anytime day or night, as well as in any sort of weather conditions. You also want to make sure that you're able to be out from anywhere to 2 to 3 weeks at a time because even though there are companies that will allow you to go home every week.. you won't have the opportunities for freight to make any serious money.

Then of course we have comfort. You have to find a way to be able to sleep during the day in hot and cold weather. Meaning if you don't have a generator and AC unit in that van, or a heater.. you will be required to idle that vehicle. Which can get very expensive as your traditional gas vehicle is only going to get 2 hours per gallon. Then it comes to have to find parking. A lot of Walmarts, other chain stores.... as well as even some truck stop chains do not allow expedite overnight parking. Especially close to your major cities. I can tell you from experience there's nothing more annoying than driving 20 miles to a Walmart and finding out there's no overnight parking. Or parking in a Walmart that says no truck parking and waking up with a citation on your window.... Even though you're not a truck. You then have to figure out cheap and easier ways to stay fed than going to fast food restaurants every night. Not only will that stuff kill you but it'll kill any profit that you're getting. Be prepared to eat a lot of cold food and canned goods.

There is much more to this line of work as well as things I probably am missing. If any of this is going to be a problem for you you should not get in expedite. None of it is to discourage you but to give you full disclosure so you are not hit with total surprise.

However you are taking a good step by trying to contract with a fleet owner prior to buying equipment without any experience and jumping in.

 

[GearHead600]

Thank you to everyone for the fabulous input thusfar! Rather than reply to you all individually I will lump it all into one post...

I do understand that the fleet owner is also taking a risk handing us the keys... The fleet owner we met with shared some horror stories and showed pictures of a person who left their van just downright and disgustingly dirty/filthy! We heard a horror story of how apparently one driver also just literally left his van "somewhere" for him to have to retrieve himself... That end of it has to REALLY REALLY suck for them, and I'm legitimately sorry that even happens to them at all... Before he mentioned the stories and showed some of the pictures I would have never personally imagined someone doing that, but only because I'm personally more upstanding than that... I would NEVER let the vehicle get filthy in the first place, because I'm a neat freak. I would also never leave his vehicle "way out in the middle of nowhere" if things didn't work out, because that's just flat out RUDE... If things weren't working out, I would return the vehicle in the same if not better condition than it was given to me in! But then again I'm also used to boondocking and "pack it in pack it out" kind of mentality..! I find it very sad that there are people out there who don't respect another's property! That being said, I'd also drive it like it was my own, because I want better fuel economy (better for my "take" or income), and less on the owners costs, which in turn (in theory) helps me make money...! I guess some people out there do just lack morals and common sense!

Good to hear there is transparency in the paperwork..!

I do also understand the reasoning behind the insurance and how that creates a "no difference" scenario between being in a CMV and your POV... And the ONE "crime" I'm primarily guilty of IS "lane splitting"... If you're not aware "lane splitting" also known as lane filtering is actually safer and prudent for motorcycle operators because - if you are or ever were a professional driver yourself (and even if not) you should know how prevalent of a problem "distracted driving" is, especially now-a-days with "everyone" on their cell phone. I have seen one to many "fellow riders" REAR ENDED at traffic control devices. This is the primary reason I "lane split"..! If the light is red, I will "filter" through the stopped traffic to the front of the light... This is proven (in studies) to reduce traffic congestion and of course pretty much eliminate the possibility of the motorcyclist being rear ended... Sadly, it is illegal in most of the USA... I assume crafted by some butt-hurt legislator who feels we're "cutting in line" and "should wait in line like everybody else"... That didn't take a second to look at the studies that show that if x% number of larger vehicle drivers switched to motorcycles (and lane split) - it would reduce "rush hour" congestion by x% (forgot the actual numbers)... Not to mention of course the drastic reduction in chances of being rear ended.! But anyway, if you'd like to read more on lane splitting I'll drop a few sources for that: www(.)cycleworld(.)com/2015/06/02/ama-study-finds-lane-splitting-increases-rider-saftey/ & www(.)motorcyclelegalfoundation(.)com/lane-splitting-debate/ Since now-a-days, if I am getting ANY "tickets", it's most likely to be for "lane splitting"... Fortunately, there's also "plenty of times" an officer will witness me doing the act, and just give me a verbal "hey you're not supposed to do that" (usually out their window, they usually don't even bother lighting me up)...! But, and nonetheless, I "get it"... Like you said, if you're likely do break the law in your POV, then they assume you are going to also do it in a CMV too...

That is definitely the biggest thing I actually learned after driving 12 hours, for what wound up just being a "scenic drive"... From now on, the contract will be requested prior to getting my butt out of my computer desk seat! If they cannot or will not provide it in advance then of course that's a huge red flag that would stop me from "wasting" ANY time or drive (ever again)..!

I'm completely fine with the idea of living in a tight quarters with my team-mate. I'd rather not get into the gory details, but we've basically been living together in a (much) smaller than normal space for the last year/two... We're both definitely completely fine with "roughing it"... We have often gone boon-docking for weeks at a time... And we were/are fully prepared for this aspect of "van life"... Being in a small space, having no kitchen/bath/full size bed... I guess since we've done a lot of boon-docking in a tent we also already have a "leg up" in this department... As we already have a solar shower, 6 gal water storage container, and a luggable loo ~ which I figure we'd be using all of these for this line of work as well... Now the pay, that is an entirely different matter all together... I do so realize though that we should probably almost certainly not expect to match what we're making "right off the bat" either, if anything I would expect to be able to "match or exceed" it after learning the industry/job though...

Keeping meticulous track of things isn't foreign to me/us either... I meticulously track stuff like this for Uber etc... Even not fully understanding this industry I had created an initial spreadsheet to track things like mileage... I made a spreadsheet that has 13 sheets, one for each month and one that basically tracks that entire year... It has columns for EST miles (empty loaded DH% TOTAL), and several columns that (have formulas to auto calculate) ACTUAL miles, based on 3 different odometer reading inputs, that will track and show ALL ACTUAL Empty, Loaded, DH%, and TOTAL miles... So, as basic as it is, this would track all those things for *each load *each month *each year...!

This is also where I suppose I expect it would "balance out"... Yes, with Uber etc... We get many many many trips per day, that are all $5-50 usually. As where doing this, one of the reasons we want to try it, is because we'll get a load going 1,000+ miles... But hey, if that 1,000 mile load is going to gross us $600 - that's fine! The biggest "scary" aspect is not knowing the industry, and thus, not knowing what the "good" and "bad" areas are - for lining ourselves up for another load... Not knowing what loads we should accept/decline... We are definitely okay with driving day and night, and pretty much all weather conditions too... I don't know if you heard about the recent tornado's here in IL [chicago.suntimes(.)com/2021/6/21/22543158/woodridge-tornado-chicago-damage-injuries-naperville-dupage] - in the Naperville area, but we were actually out that night, still making our Uber Eats food deliveries (yes in a dang tornado)..! Also, time out, not too much of a concern either... We were actually planning on "staying out" no less than 30-60 days when we first "get into it"...

Comfort is also not much of a concern... A year or two back we went Tent Camping in the Tonto National Forest for two weeks for the fourth of July! 120 degrees almost every day, and I'm pretty sure we were the only people out there in a tent! It is however the cold that I personally cannot "deal with", so I'd need to have some really good blankets/heaters... As far as food, I was thinking of looking for a good 12V "slow cooker" (or even just using a 120v with an inverter)...

I completely appreciate all the insight that has been given so far..! So far it seems most of these "things" we are (or at least would like to think we are) "ready" for..! I still think the worst part will be not knowing what to decline/accept in terms of loads/locations... And yes, if we do give this a try, it's going to be for a fleet owner... We're not purchasing any more vehicles (we already have something like 9 vehicles between the two of us)..!

 

[danthewolf00]

Why don't you make the trip to fort Wayne and the expo this fri and sat and come ask questions.

 

[GearHead600]

I was actually already thinking about that!!

 

[Turtle]

Yeah, perfect timing for you with the Expo. That's the place to be.

After all that's been said, if you want to learn whether or not you and expedite are a good match is to drive for a fleet owner for 6 months, a year. By then you'll know, and you'll know what you want out of a carrier and a fleet owner. You'll know which loads not to accept, and you'll know that even crappy loads that pay well enough to deadhead to a place where you can get another one is still a good load to accept.

From what little information we have, depending on the carrier, that owner sounds like a decent one.

Stick with the larger carriers, then you'll know what to look for.

 

[GearHead600]

Which carrier(s) out of this list would be best to try to get in to, and which would be best to avoid?

- Bolt
- DKP
- Load1
- Panther
- Tenpoint
- Tri-State
- V3

Any others not already on my list that I should be taking into consideration?

 

[danthewolf00]

1. Load1
2. Bolt
3. Tristate
4. V3
5. Ten point

I have worked for bolt and load one....liked both of them. But if I was going back it would be load one or landstar. Or maybe v3

 

[Grumpy Grandpa]

Landstar ? I think they told me they didn't do Sprinters... maybe I'm thinking of a different company... set me straight...

Sent from my SM-N981U using Tapatalk

 

[Uedex]

Van expediting is really not for a newbie. I think most expediter are former cdl driver

 

[LDB]

If I were going back out my short list would include Load-1, Landstar, FedEx and Panther. There'd probably be a couple more but those would definitely be on the list with the L's heading the list.

 

[Shotcallerj]

Which carrier(s) out of this list would be best to try to get in to, and which would be best to avoid?

- Bolt
- DKP
- Load1
- Panther
- Tenpoint
- Tri-State
- V3

Any others not already on my list that I should be taking into consideration?

Bolt is reputable....however can be very disorganized. Meaning 3-4 dispatchers calling within a few minutes for updates or asking questions you already have answered.

Load 1. You basically have to know someone to get on the load one with a sprinter. They are probably the best.

Panther. Meh.....be prepared to run anything they tell you for any rate. If you don't do what they want, they will retaliate.

Ten Point. Jim is a great guy. Staff is for the most part good. Small company. But they just don't have the freight volume they pretend they have when you sign on. When things are slow for the entire industry you can pretty much expect to sit with them.

Can't say anything about the other companies as I have no personal experience with them. Square one out of Lansing is also another company to look into. Dean is pretty solid. But like every other company just be careful when dealing with the dispatchers as from my experience they have a knack for "misremembering" information or how a situation played out.

You definitely should go to the expedite expo. I have never been in the position to go but I think you would be able to get some good information. As well as some ideas.

That being said take everything you hear with a grain of salt. There are drivers out there that will sometimes exaggerate or blatantly lie to make them sound like they are in a better position than they really are. One rule I had an expedite whenever other drivers would come up to me want to know how I was running, I would always tell them that I was slow regardless of how good of a week I had. If you are in this business long enough you'll have that nosy driver or owner operator that's going to brag to you about how great their company is or the company that they heard about through a friend of theirs. Best you just smile and act like you believe the crap that dribbling out of their mouth.

If you're unsure definitely ask on here as for the most part people aren't going to steer you wrong. Most of us are out of expedite now.... And have no reason to lie to you.