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I should have mentioned this in the original post. The monthly figures presume that the trucks are in service most if not all of the month. While that often happens, it never happens for 12 months in a row. In the first tables, out of service time is not accounted for in the one-year and...

Responses to various comments: 1. The distinction between WG and surface is not relevant here. This is a comparison of flat rate to percentage, regardless of the division within FedEx and regardless of carrier. Hypothetical Truck A runs on a flat rate. Hypothetical Truck B runs on a percentage...

See this thread: Flat Rate Pay vs. Percentage Pay

Which is better, flat-rate pay or percentage of the load pay? It is a common question, increasingly so since large expedite carrier FedEx Custom Critical now offers both options. Below is a simplified table that compares two trucks. Note the word simplified. Over-simplified may be the better...

You get out of your truck in a parking lot and an expediter wannabee stops you to ask questions. He or she wants to be a solo driver. You are a team driver. There is a lot about the business we can talk about, but when teams talk to solo wannabees, what do we not understand? What do we get wrong...

When team drivers talk about expediting to would-be solo drivers, what are we blind to? What do we miss? What do we get wrong?

That was my thought too as I read the post. I thought it was a smart move by a smart buyer to make the request, but it struck me as strange that the same smart buyer would take delivery of the truck and hit the road without getting the simple and reasonable request fulfilled.

Preferential treatment negotiated by fleet owners and granted by carriers is not uncommon these days, if it ever was.

Five Questions Prospective Expediters Should Ask Diane and I will be leading a workshop on this topic on Thursday in Monroe Michigan. It is part of the EO workshop series, Preparing YOU for the Long Haul (details here). We are prepared but also know that, being human, we might overlook...

Yes, it is allowed. Numerous expediters have shared their good experiences and the names of the shops.

I would not be too dismissive about what people think. True or not, drivers tend to act on their beliefs.

The assumption that FDCC has a number of trucks leaving has been stated by you and others but before relying on that notion as truth or as an indicator that something is wrong, it bears examination. I know for a fact that Diane and I left a couple months ago. I know a van driver who left...

I would not rely on this as an indicator at all. It makes sense on the surface but much goes on beyond a phone or e-mail response. If you did rely on this as an indicator, you might cheat yourself out of a great opportunity. When Diane and I were brand new to the industry and decided on FedEx...

OK, but I am mostly interested in things the Baltic Dry index and IATA say nothing about. I am curious about the unemployed people you mentioned who have vans parked in their yard and are putting them to work as expediters. Whats the word of those? And why would a carrier even bring someone...

I am not disagreeing with you but would be interested to know how you know what you said to be true. What data are you looking at? What information led you to form this view? I am asking because Diane and I will be speaking to expediter wannabees at an EO event on Thursday. Anticipating some...

The August, 2011 edition of Syleconomics includes information that shows rates are on the rise. If your carrier is paying you less, it might be wise to take a fresh look at the industry, current carrier practices and your role in the game.

Your friend is wise and courageous. He developed a plan and then had the courage to probe his inner self to identify the perception and judgement errors that led to the plan not working. He is well positioned to learn from his mistakes and move on better for the experience.

That same approach works today, but you have to be in a business relationship where your services are noticed and valued, and your name is remembered.