What's up everyone? Name is Dan I'm 39 years old from Massachusetts .. Been in the electrical construction/service field since I was 20, it's all I know and honestly it's quite boring to me. I've always enjoyed being behind the wheel and am seriously considering getting into the cargo van freight delivery business .. Problem is I know NOTHING about it and am hoping to be pointed in the right direction, thanks in advance! ..
19 year electrician considering career change ..
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I'm hearing you guys, appreciate the honest replies .. Another thought is going into business for myself mixing in expediting with my electrical work, that might keep me from going stir crazy and broke at the same time, it's only a thought not trying to disrespect or minimize the demands of the driving profession, is doing it part time even feasible? I'll likely be hanging out in the newbie section asking newbie questions for awhile, did I mention I don't know what the hellim doing?
Part time is feasible, but it'll likely be more akin to courier work, locally, more than expediting. With expediting, you may pick up a load in Boston that goes to Mobile, AL. Next load may go to Denver. After that Milwaukee, then Nashville, Detroit, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Little Rock, then Charlotte. Are you, and your daughter, prepared for something like that? To be gone weeks or months at a time?
I did my part with my daughter was there for all her softball, gymnastics, cheerleading everything...she's 18 now finished with school living with mom and doing her own thing, far as I go when the time comes i have no problem with the thought of being on the road for extended periods, whether or not I'd be happy doing it remains to be seen but certainly willing to try ..
may go that route too just to get my feet wet, thanks!
noneya
Active Expediter
No problem! Craigslist is a good place to find local work.
SENT FROM YA MAMA'S HOUSE
I would think long and hard before any move. Your going to pay way more for heath insurance and be responsible for all your as tax an immediate 8% increase. The way premiums are skyrocketing it is something that really needs talked about with your better half.
Sent from my Fisher Price ABC-123.
Sent from my Fisher Price ABC-123.
OK. Not knowing how old she is or where she was living, it was a concern. Expediting isn't a job for people with minor children at home.
Been poking around the board reading lots of interesting posts & would like to ask this question .. Will an eventual return to a "normal" economy or even dare I say good economy help make the overall negative sentiment about expediting go away? Or is it always more negative than posative?
Trucking in general is always more negative than positive, and expediting is no exception. In fact, because of the nature of expediting, it may be worse than general trucking. 20 years ago and longer, when expediting was still relatively new, there were far more emergency shipments than there were vehicles to carry them. Expedite trucks were in high demand. Shippers didn't care what it cost to get it there, because the cost of not getting it there was much higher. As a result, the drivers called the shots and got paid big bucks for the loads they carried. It didn't take long for people to draw the conclusion that expediting was a way to make easy money, and lots of it. The increased competition from all those conclusion-drawers have made it so that making lots of easy money is no longer the case.
Now, because there are more expedite trucks than there are expedite loads, it's the shippers who are calling the shots, and they have the luxury of shopping around and bidding out the loads to the lowest bidder instead of giving the load to whoever they can find to take it.
If and when the economy picks up, and the rates and the number of available loads rise, even more people will conclude that expediting is an easy way to make lots of money. They'll be wrong, but that won't stop them from entering the business. They'll be wrong because by entering the business they will be adding to the available expedite vehicles which will quickly surpass the number of available loads, which will cause rates to fall right back down. And so it goes.
Expediting is no longer the brain-dead "have van - make money" opportunity that it once was, and it won't ever be again. You can succeed out here, but you have to educate yourself about the industry, how it works, and be committed to running smart. Those who can't do that don't make it in this business. The shelf life of a van expediter is about a year. Many don't even last 6 months. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of those who think they can make it.
Now, because there are more expedite trucks than there are expedite loads, it's the shippers who are calling the shots, and they have the luxury of shopping around and bidding out the loads to the lowest bidder instead of giving the load to whoever they can find to take it.
If and when the economy picks up, and the rates and the number of available loads rise, even more people will conclude that expediting is an easy way to make lots of money. They'll be wrong, but that won't stop them from entering the business. They'll be wrong because by entering the business they will be adding to the available expedite vehicles which will quickly surpass the number of available loads, which will cause rates to fall right back down. And so it goes.
Expediting is no longer the brain-dead "have van - make money" opportunity that it once was, and it won't ever be again. You can succeed out here, but you have to educate yourself about the industry, how it works, and be committed to running smart. Those who can't do that don't make it in this business. The shelf life of a van expediter is about a year. Many don't even last 6 months. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of those who think they can make it.