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A while back, Diane and I were near Spokane getting the truck washed when a neighboring business owner approached us to ask about the truck. "What do 'ya haul in that thing? I've never seen a FedEx truck like that before." You know the questions. We all get them. Anyway, as we visited, he...

Diane and I set expediting goals before we entered the business and pursue them to this day. These goals are stated in writing. They are end results we intend to enjoy today and achieve in the future. Our goals guide our actions. If we find ourselves off track as we sometimes do, we modify our...

I have to hand it to you about health and fitness, and even more so about the committment required to achieve what you have achieved.

Glad to hear you landed on your feet and the wheels are rolling.

A new topic that will be very much on drivers' minds in July 2010 and beyond is CSA 2010. Of particular interest to drivers will be their CSA score as it is coming to be informally known. As you plan your exhibit, think about tapping into that interest to draw the qualified people you seek...

Everyone talks about the cost per mile and cost per day (week, month, year) of operating a truck. Why is talk about profit per mile and profit per day (week, month, year) so infrequent? For whom exactly are expediters in business to make a profit for?

While Diane and I were stopped at a rest area today (E I-40/N-I-85, M139) a truck rolled in with a bad Michelin super single tire. A few minutes later a road service truck pulled in and changed the bad one with a new, re-capped super single. The original tire was bought new, it was not a re-cap...

Link: An Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking

It is very helpful. Thank you again for the good work you are doing with this and for the interesting and informative information.

Reconsidering Super Singles

Thank you, Doug. I appreciate the good work you are doing. I'm sure others do too. :)

That is an interesting point about personal conveyance ("accountance") and you are right. There is more than one liability issue in play here. A carrier that restricts how an independent contractor legally uses his or her truck when that truck is not under dispatch is a carrier that may create...

My concern is broader than 0.7 or 30 minutes or whatever the number may be. My concern is that the number is arbitrary. It is becoming clear from the FMCSA rules and publications posted here in EO, and from the contractors who have had serious visits with FMCSA officials about this, that...

Well, at least there is a sign someone is listening and he admits to not knowing the whole story. That 0.7 rule is looking more and more arbitrary all the time, and unecessary. As our carrier office people get more educated about the rules the paper trail issue should go away. As I read the...

I believe DOT truck inspections are required once a year by the law. Some carriers impose the same requirement on its contractors. Our carrier requires DOT truck inspections twice a year. I know of at least one carrier that requires them every three months. Just because a carrier has the right...

Please see this item in the FedEx forum. Panther has been on electronic logs for some time. My questions to Panther drivers are: 1. Have you had similar encounters with the DOT? If so, what were the results? 2. What does Panther say about off-duty driving and using your truck as a personal...

As you may have heard, Panelite, a supplier of truck lights, recently suspended operations. Having 96 Panelite marker lights (a/k/a chicken lights) on our truck, this was not good news. I found a replacement as described in my blog entry today. I am asking readers here for any additional...

The blank line thing is important but easily resolved. Find out what the number should be and fill it in yourself before sending both copies in. That way, the copy they sign and return to you will include no surprises.

I'll ask the same question here that I asked in the FedEx forum, asking it about Panther's 30 minutes instead of FedEx's 7/10 of a mile. I see no benefit whatsoever to the company in saddling its drivers with mobility disincentives that have no safety impact, undermine driver freedom and...

The company answers questions all the time. I have asked many over the years. No one at FedEx Custom Critical has ever said they cannot respond because it would open them up to questions of legal liability. Our corporate critters of choice may wish to check with their in-house legal department...