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There is your way, my way, and I am sure a host of other ways practiced by other expediters. I hope a good number of people can feel free to share their ways here without feeling the need to defend them. If they do so share, this could be a tremendously infomative thread. My post was not...

Now you are scaring me. If you are out here trying to make money as an expediter and don't have the funds to cover next week's payment, you are living dangerously. See this example. This guy gave it his best for over a year but business costs and slow freight brought him down. With the benefit...

I don't suppose anyone will ever know just how many people EO has helped in those ten years. You can be sure it is a bunch. Diane and I first learned about expediting by stumbling onto the EO booth at the Mid America Trucking Show in 2003. EO became our gold mine for researching the industry...

Good idea to start this topic. Our technique is to maintain a running spreadsheet that tells us the cost per mile to operate the truck in the last twelve months. In that number, all costs are considered; everything from oil changes, to tires, to truck depreciation (replacement cost), to...

We might take it but would do some checking first. Our first step would be to talk to dispatch and ask if we could have more than 10 minutes to evaluate the load. If the answer was no, we would decline the load and offer our best to the truck that gets it. If more time was granted, we would...

Absolutely. I don't know enough about how other people think, feel and make decisions to talk about how they operate. I share our way not as the way, but as a way others can consider. You do that a lot, talk about how we are different than everyone else. In some ways we are. But the fact that...

The techniques described above work as well today as they have anytime we have been in the business. Our actions differ because external circumstances have changed for the worse. The decision-making process with an eye on profitability remains the same. Our profits are down as the freight has...

When it comes to scoping out express centers ahead of time, there may be some fog but we are not operating in the dark either. First comes the ahead of time part. Once you get to know the system (VRU in our carrier's case), it does not take long to get a feel on a few express centers. Doing...

Our straight truck holds its alignment well so we don't check it once a year as some recommend. We will have it checked and aligned as needed if a tire wear problem develops. After buying the truck new, we went through a couple sets of steer tires and a couple of alignment checks before we...

This has been a good week for us too. For the first time in a long time, we have had three good runs, one after another. One week does not a trend make, but it feels good to be running like we did before. I spoke above about carefully considering loads going to California. Jack's post...

You make a good point. It is easy to beat your chest and crow about maintaining your price points and discipline when push does not come to shove. So far, we have been able to maintain a good acceptance rate and still accept only loads that meet our price point. But what will we do if costs...

Here is a link to a Land Line article that explains the issue in simpler terms. While we have a pretty good idea of what to expect, we are researching the rules, now that they are in place, and waiting for guidance from our carrier before forming beliefs about how exactly we will be affected...

That is true, IF you ignore the distance California is located from reliable freight lanes (to the extent that reliable freight lanes exist). I think most expediters will agree that more expedited freight is found east of the Mississippi River and north of I-20. Texas is closer to that area...

Just be careful to not put too much weight on the boot and think about surface wear between the shelf and the boot. As you know, the boot flexes some as the truck drives down the road. If you look close at the photo, you will see part of the shelf extends down past the boot. That part rests...

For people new the Open Forum and considering a career move into expediting, the above comment illustrates a hazard to avoid. That is the hazard of using past results to form future expectations. In the past, I have butted heads with people here on the Open Forum regarding taking freight to...

Another forum, more or less, would mean little to me as a reader. I only veiw a few of the ones that are available now. The more forums there are, the fewer of them I read.

I am beginning (emphasis beginning) to believe that Indiana highway management and maintenance is declining such that our safety and productivity is threatened; more so than in other states. This suspicion is based on negative experiences Diane and I have had and read about. The most recent was...

The wires are bunched up behind the passenger seat. They are the feeds for the camera system. It has been on my to-do list for a long time to wire-tie them neatly behind the shoe rack where space designed just for that exists. It is one of those projects that are easy to forget about. I hope to...

In the interests of personal safety and professional appearances, Diane and I wear black, polished, steel-toed shoes (not boots) at every pickup and delivery, and driving shoes most other times. The driving shoes are open-heel clogs that are very comfortable and easy to slip on and off. The...

Only if you believe in luck.