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When considering a new business opportunity, like expediting, wise people gauge, as best they can, general economic conditions, general industry conditions, and their own financial health. At present, general economic conditions are poor and may well grow worse before improving. The economy...

For people brand new to trucking and expediting, one of the first things to do is obtain the information your state provides for getting your Commercial Driver's License. Minnesota's is available free online. Here is the link. I presume other states have their manuals online too.

In another thread, Jefferson3000 posted these words: "If you want something you've never had, you've got to do something you've never done." These are powerful words, worthy of deep thought, and a post of their own.

It is a popular comment often made by B-unit (cargo van) drivers here in the Open Forum. If you drive a van, you do not have to keep a log or comply with DOT hours of service regulations (certain expceptions apply). While that is absolutely true, how important is that really? I ask the...

Why do you go home? I'm asking the question here in hopes that the answers will help expedite wannabees understand the draw. Anyone researching the industry for just a few minutes will quickly see that home time is a very, very important consideration for truck drivers of all kinds. But why is...

Wednesday night, I almost hit a deer. Meeting an oncoming truck on a two-lane rural Idaho highway (U.S. 20), I dimmed my lights and he dimmed his (or she). We passed each other just fine, doing 55 mph. As usual, I was looking down and to the right to avoid the glare from the oncoming truck's...

For people researching the expediting opportunity, this story will be of interest: http://www.expeditersonline.com/artman/publish/expedite--teams-drivers.html

Many expediters know about Google Maps. This is for those who don't. Click the link and take a look at your home address. Then click the sattelite or hybrid button to view your home from above. http://maps.google.com/maps This is a handy resource that can be used to clear up confusion about...

When Diane and I researched the expediting opportunity, we did not fully grasp just how much ground an expediting team can cover and the amount of nighttime driving that is involved. For people now considering expediting, here is how September looked for us. Note that this is in a straight...

RichM, At this instant, you are the only moderator online. Can you help me? In the last few moments, I have twice posted an item entitled "Covering Ground and Nighttime Driving. Both times it instantly disappeared. I am gong to try a third time. Could you please keep an eye on it to make sure...

I just got off the phone with a team that is in it's first half-year of expediting. Hearing their report, I'm sitting here wondering what Diane and I are doing wrong. I met the male half of the team by chance before they got into the business. He had the usual set of questions and I gave him a...

People researching a career move into expediting have a lot to think about; trucks, business practices, home time, carrier choice, etc. Something not often mentioned here in the Open Forum is illness. It is something to think about. You are a thousand miles from home and become too ill to...

Jeff Jensen did a nice piece entitled, "Drivers From a Fleet Owner Perspective." It can be read at: http://www.expeditersonline.com/artman/publish/expeditedtruckers-fleetowners.html For first-time drivers looking for fleet owners, this is a good piece to read. If you are a prospective driver...

A locked thread entitled "Give Up" speaks of a situation where a driver believed his fleet owner owed him money. In an attempt to recover the money, the driver retained posession of the truck but did not drive it as originally intended. See...

It is quite natural and quite common for people who first learn about expediting to immediatly start thinking of the kind of truck they want to drive; both for when they first start out and for later when they are in a position to spec the truck of their dreams. In the latest edition of...

It seems there is more than the usual drumbeat of gloom filling the forums these days. Are we now in the bad times certain forum participants have been warning us about for years? If not, what are the signs? How, will someone new in the business know? I hear talk that things are not as good as...

This is a question for fleet owners. To help aspiring expediters understand what fleet owners look for in drivers, please describe the best team you ever had, the worst team you ever had, and what made them so.

Someone recently sent me an e-mail asking, "What are some of the things you would do differently or change if you were to start expediting all over today? Also what are some of the things you do daily to make you successful?" The man asked two great questions. I thought it would be helpful to...

It's 03:30 Sunday morning. Do you know where your freight is? I sure do. Diane and I are on a weekend run where the shipper wants the freight physically checked and readings taken every three hours. That's every three hours from Friday pickup to Monday delivery. It's a reefer load too, cooled...

It has come to our attention that the Introduction to Expediting article was not opening properly when its link was clicked. That issue has been resolved. This carrier-neutral introduction to expediting has been well received. It is in .pdf format for easy printing. We know of drivers who...