Naming Bad Fleet Owners

[ATeam]

I've been researching this for about 6 months. Think I'm gonna pull the trigger in late Feb. Thanks for the advice.

Six months of research is a good thing. Six months of good research is even better. I'm not suggesting your research is bad but want to note for the general audience the difference between real research and wishful thinking.

For people looking at expediting from the outside in, the business can look like a wonderful opportunity with little risk because they do not see the risks. They see the trucks and the money and the travel stories and the camaraderie between expediters, etc.

It takes a little more effort to see the dark side of the business because those who crash and burn are often too embarrassed to talk about it. They tend to disappear from view saying little as they fade away.

Wishful thinking can blind expediter wannabees to the dark side of the business. Experienced expediters can post warning after warning here in the Open Forum, and wannabees can read them, but some will brush off the warnings as something that does not apply to them or is not likely to happen. Rather than prepare for the worst, they hope for the best and enter the business positioned more to fail than succeed.

It is easy to do objective research on a topic that does not directly affect you. It is not easy to do objective research on a career move that involves yourself.

Question everything you hear from every source before you accept it as true. Your sources may not be lying, but because people's circumstances and priorities differ, what they say may be true for them but not true for you. For every item you decide to accept as true for you, work first to make the alternative case and talk yourself out of the belief.

Examples:

I can gross $XXX per year as an expediter because....

I cannot gross $XXX per year as an expediter because....

XXX is a good carrier because....

XXX is not a good carrier because....

XXX is a credible source for expedite information because....

XXX is not a credible source for expedite information because....

 

[xiggi]

That's the thing... if they had never censored (or monitored) content in the forums, they would be a de facto common carrier and wouldn't have to spend a penny to resolve anything. They can do that three-monkey deal with their hands over their eyes, ears and mouth. But once they started monitoring (and censoring) content, they can't claim common carrier status. If someone posts something potentially libelous and EO doesn't delete it, they are condoning it or agreeing with it by default. So for EO, they really have no choice. There really is no upside.

Turtle you keep claiming under certain circumstances problems could be resolved without spending a penny. I am sorry but this is just not true, it is either going to cost time or money but most likely both. Proving your innocence is not free by any means. Just because a party claims to be a common carrier does not make it a fact. Time and money will still be spent proving it.

 

[greg334]

Phil, You are starting to sound a LOT like me lately.

You reading my business articles?

 

[LisaLouHoo]

Six months of research is a good thing. Six months of good research is even better.

The fleet owner I hang with did over 2 years of research, just got going, and is moving cautiously. He has also been an active expediter for over 6 years, he is very well versed in that side of the business. No expectations of setting the world on fire; just trying to hold steady as he can while the business unfolds. He did all he could to consider as many variables as possible (not all of them, for no one can do that when dealing with the human perspective). He realizes expanding too fast can be fatal to the business. From a business standpoint, he seems to have all his ducks in a row; unfortunately, no one knows what the world is really going to bring upon any of us.

He is moving cautiously.

As a side note, I stopped into a local party store recently where I know the owner; he asked what I had been up to. When I told him about this expediting gig, he said, "I am thinking getting maybe 10, 20 vans and putting them out there! That would be great money!" I almost swallowed my tongue; this guy is a complete outsider. He just sees the vans on the road and coming in and out of his business...I did tell him to pay attention to the vans that he saw...and make a mental note of how many different companies they were.

But...this party store owner? He is the common example of many wanting to get into the fleet business: no experience, too little experience, too little research.

Thinks it's "easy money".

 

[davekc]

I do believe Phil is turning the corner. Actually a post a couldn't have said better myself. Nice current prospective for folks looking at this business.

 

[greg334]

I do too but it is spooky I am reading things that he said didn't matter or wasn't the case only a couple years ago with the hundreds of times I repeated them here and another place.

Maybe he will come around and admit to that LUCK does actually exist.

 

[davekc]

I do too but it is spooky I am reading things that he said didn't matter or wasn't the case only a couple years ago with the hundreds of times I repeated them here and another place.

Maybe he will come around and admit to that LUCK does actually exist.

Not sure on that, but any step forward is better than one step back.

 

[sluggo]

Question everything you hear from every source before you accept it as true. Your sources may not be lying, but because people's circumstances and priorities differ, what they say may be true for them but not true for you. For every item you decide to accept as true for you, work first to make the alternative case and talk yourself out of the belief.

Examples:

I can gross $XXX per year as an expediter because....

I cannot gross $XXX per year as an expediter because....

XXX is a good carrier because....

XXX is not a good carrier because....

XXX is a credible source for expedite information because....

XXX is not a credible source for expedite information because....

I certainly hope to keep a good sense of objectivity when the day comes that I take my first load. Lots of good mentoring from a distance here and it's taken very seriously and is much appreciated. Maybe someone near the Flint area would like a free cup of joe to give me some real world, dark side type of things to give me a clearer perspective. OPEN INVITATION!!!

 

[Yesteryear]

Ya want ta know what I think on this matter? Well probably not, but here goes anyway.

Liability, as long as what is said is 100% true then there is no liability. If an owner knows what is said is true then the owner is not going to try to sue because they know it can be proved.

Now for ES. ES does not know what is true and what isn't true so their best bet is to stay out of it. If someone wants a name ask the poster in a private message or an e-mail. I am sure the poster will pm or e-mail the person back.

It is ok to warn other drivers or owners of potential 'bad' drivers and trk owners but if you want to blast them their are a lot of places to go and splash that persons name and business. You can actually fix it where all a driver has to do is google the name and all kinds of 'bads' will come up.

There is bad on both sides. When we were returning the truck that was a 'bad owner' for us there was a team going into one of this truck owners 5 open trucks. I had to laugh and think he is getting what he deserves. This team was disgusting. The girl kept coming over to me, and going up to others, wanting to chat but not one of us could talk to her because she smelled so bad. Bless her heart I tried to talk to her but the smell was just too over-powering. If this had been a respectful truck owner I would have called him to let him know what kind of team was going into his truck. As it is it is an embarrassment that this team is with our carrier. If a team doesn't care about themselves how can the care about the truck they are driving?
So 'bad' is a two-way street.