New wife and husband team.

[Scott180]

I'm an old new driver. 10 years in a rig and 8 years out. I was a fuel delivery driver in the SF Bay Area.
My wife has never driven a rig but drove a bus for the American red cross and then for the SLC Airport.
Both of us have our Class A license.
We would like to go OTR full time and stop renting the house we are currently in.
How do we get started in a expediters?
How much should we expect to make our first year? How much once we get into a good groove?
What companies would give relatively new drivers a shot?
What companies are the most desirable to work for. I'd love to retire from a company unless we buy our own rig.
Anyone on YouTube worth listening to?

There are good regular trucking companies like OD and R+L that pay around $12k - $15k a month for team drivers but your in a smaller cab and living space. And as I said we want to stay out making money but we don't want to get burned out.

Thanks for taking the time to answer a newbies questions.

 

[Noname]

On YouTube, you might want to view many videos published by The Crafty Truckers over many months. A lot of good information, from driving for an owner, then getting their own straight truck, changing carriers and the reasons why, money grossed in a year and expenses deducted from the gross, areas they have traveled around the country. Apparently they are now switching out of a straight truck and into a van......new adventure.

Also, Linda Caffee writes on this EO forum. She and her husband have teamed for a long time, started in a van and now in a straight truck. Lots of good info from her experiences.

As for people worth listening to, I'd suggest if they are all roses, take it with a grain of salt. Listen to those who tell the good and the bad.

I can't offer any intelligent comments on driving in a straight truck as I decided that if I couldn't access a McDonald's drive-thru, my vehicle was too big. So I'm a vanner. Whatever floats your boat is the right choice for you. Good luck.

 

[Noname]

As an added thought, you might notice from a lot of the posts on this forum that expediting is usually independent drivers, either in their own vehicles, or as independent drivers for an owner of a vehicle. Company drivers are usually not independent, do not have the freedom to drive when and where they choose, but also don't have the slow times and gaps in their pay, often have benefits that expediters don't have. Such as medical, paid holidays, and the company pays for vehicle repairs, etc.

Lots to learn, go slow, then jump in, don't look back, and enjoy.

 

[Readytago]

I'm an old new driver. 10 years in a rig and 8 years out. I was a fuel delivery driver in the SF Bay Area.
My wife has never driven a rig but drove a bus for the American red cross and then for the SLC Airport.
Both of us have our Class A license.
We would like to go OTR full time and stop renting the house we are currently in.
How do we get started in a expediters?
How much should we expect to make our first year? How much once we get into a good groove?
What companies would give relatively new drivers a shot?
What companies are the most desirable to work for. I'd love to retire from a company unless we buy our own rig.
Anyone on YouTube worth listening to?

There are good regular trucking companies like OD and R+L that pay around $12k - $15k a month for team drivers but your in a smaller cab and living space. And as I said we want to stay out making money but we don't want to get burned out.

Thanks for taking the time to answer a newbies

Just came across your post. Did you find the info you were looking for?

 

[Scott180]

Not really. My wife and I wanted to do expediters but the lack of information makes us hesitant. Where do we even look for jobs?

 

[danthewolf00]

Not really. My wife and I wanted to do expediters but the lack of information makes us hesitant. Where do we even look for jobs?

Here on expedite online there are many reputable companys to choose from.

 

[Shotcallerj]

Not really. My wife and I wanted to do expediters but the lack of information makes us hesitant. Where do we even look for job

If your intention is to eliminate your home and live on the road, you would probably be better off purchasing your own equipment. Last thing you want to do is get on with a fleet owner and something go bad where you're left homeless. That being said making such a purchase for a line of work that you have no experience in is quite a risk and unwise in my opinion.

Despite you having CDL experience, expedite is a completely different world than traditional trucking.

Your best bet starting out is to keep your home the way it is, and contract with a fleet owner who attaches their vehicles to more reputable companies until you can learn the business first and decide if it's for you. Off the top of my head, panther, bolt Express, load one,XPO and FedEx are good companies to go with. They don't own any of their trucks but they have fleet owners who are contracted to them that are always looking for teams. There are other smaller companies out there but they generally won't get priority on freight.

The other issue is your lack of recent CDL experience along with your wife's lack of CDL trucking experience in general. That's going to be a decision made on a fleet owner / company basis. But I do know teams are always in high demand.

 

[TeamCaffee]

First, you do not work for a company.... You will need to talk to fleet owners that have trucks leased to the different carriers and as a team, you pretty much have your pick of companies.
Did you mean to say you have not been driving for eight years? if that is so you will be limited on what companies will take you even with a class A. The least you both might have to do is to take a driving test at an accredited school which should not be hard to pass.
First, though you will need to find a fleet owner that will work with you and see which companies they have their trucks with. Ask to talk to drivers that drive for them.
The more questions you ask the better the outcome will be.
If you are going to be basically homeless that means you plan to stay on the road full time? ( I hope you get an address somewhere for perdiem)
Ask the owner what happens if the truck breaks down? Will they put you up in a hotel?
How do they pay? Are you prepared to get paid on a 1099 and pay your own taxes, buy your insurance, and put away for retirement?
Is there a minimum of income they want the truck to make each month?
Will you have to go to New York City or to Canada?
etc...