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Point taken. When it comes time to discuss indicators of business health in my Business Planning for Successful Expediters series, it will be apporpriate to include ROI. But do not expect my definition and use of it to match yours. You are of course free to promote your definition and use of...

That is true in some cases and untrue in others. I know of C units in the FedEx Custom Critical fleet that outperform comparably equipped D units. There is more to the revenue equation than truck size alone. Just one example would be a C unit with a bigger sleeper that enables a team to stay...

Life itself is a terminal condition. Before long, every one of us will be dead as a door nail. Live like you mean it.

As I said, Dave, we live in two different worlds. ROI is important in yours. It is not in mine. 'Nuff said.

RichM, you are absolutely correct. Your comparison of a $5 million dollar hotel business to a one-truck expediting business is especially informative. Diane and I are headed to the poor house for sure. Specialized units are the kiss of death.

A dealership is one of the last places I would choose to park a truck for a week or more. Most dealerships I have been in have signs posted about not being responsible for the contents of your truck while it is parked on the property. I have asked about the signs and have told about truck...

Well, according to some here in the Open Forum, we are left with no profit whatsoever with a $255,000 CR-unit. We are living in a world of self delusion, happy and comfortable in our full-featured truck, which we do not realize is taking us on a ride straight to financial ruin. The truth is...

I too will be brief. ROI is a figure that can be twisted to mean pretty much anything anyone wants it to mean, depending how it is spun. Therefore, in and of itself, ROI is a meanless number. It is only meaningful when taken in the context of other business health indicators and the assumptions...

Dave, You frequently mention "return on investment." For those of us (including me, it seems) who do not understand why this is important, would you be kind enough to explain just what ROI is, why it is important, and what an acceptable ROI number is to you? For people contemplating a...

Free donuts?

Our health has improved since we got out of our white collar careers and into expediting. We know this because we are sick less often. We miss nowhere near the time from work due to colds and flu that we used to. Stress levels are lower too. Compared to what we used to do, every day still feels...

I am not as familiar with FedEx Custom Critical dispatch procedures as you are. If White Glove trucks bubble up different than Surface Expedite (Express) trucks, that is news to me. White Glove trucks will of course bubble up for White Glove loads that Surface Expedite trucks do not, because of...

In a previous post in this thread, you said, "No way would we ever run anything but a D truck in Express." I agree. We would do the same if we were running a dry-box surface expdite truck. Regarding the "once again" comment, very few members disclose their truck type and history with their...

I did all that - stayed off drugs, got the free education (GI Bill) - and look at me now. I'm a truck driver!

While wind chill temps have been much colder, the coldest actual temps we have been in this winter have been in the -10F range. We have had no troubles with fuel gelling with the truck main engine, reefer engine or generator engine. The only thing we have done different from running in less...

That is interesting information, but when considering whether to invest in a C or D truck, it is not something to assign heavy weight to (My opinion based on our numbers). We have driven both CR, D and DR trucks, and have seen no difference in the number of so-called B loads that are offered...

InIdaho, I think you have it essentially figured out, especially with non-elite trucks (no liftgate, no reefer, no special freight handling equipment). That said, there are exceptions to your theory. Our big-sleeper truck operating costs are higher than most because the truck itself cost more...

This response from Pilot management concerns me more than it puts me at ease. We all know that truck stop janitors are kept very busy and attention to detail may not always be present. While I appreciate the intent and understand the logic, it frightens me to learn that Pilot uses towels to...

It's good to hear you are feeling better. On the road, most drivers worry about an unexpected visit to the ER. It is a risk we all face and should be prepared for. Good support from dispatch is good to hear about. The more help drivers have out there in a crisis situation, the better it is.

Using your thumb-twittling time (dwell time) as an objective indicator has some merit, but it can also be poorly used by drivers who are looking for a way to justify bad relocation decisions. For example, consider a driver who lives a hundred miles away from a good freight center, and goes home...