A Little Help?

[ATeam]

I received the following e-mail from an EO reader today.

"I am an expediter wannabe. When you and everyone speaks of research, what exactly do you mean? I am currently finding the cost of health and insurance for a cargo/sprinter van, but what else do I need to know? What do I need to research?"

The man makes an excellent point. Like a broken record we say here in the Open Forum, "do your research." But what exatcly do we mean by that? The e-mail gives me an idea to write a piece entitled, "How To Research The Expediting Industry." It won't be coming out any time soon as I'm working on other projects at the moment, but come it will.

In the meantime, to help this man and others like him, perhaps folks here can post their answers to his questions.

Expediting wannabees and newbies especially, I'm asking you to post. Your right-now, real-time, on-the-ground experience in researching today's expediting opportunities is especially valid. This is a case where your experience in being inexperienced can be of great value to others.

For wannabees and newbies, what's working for you as you research the industry and chart your course?

For the veterans, how would you respond to the gentleman's questions?

Thank you in advance for your posts.

Phil Madsen, Senior Field Editor
ExpeidtersOnline

 

[TDIdriver]

Since I fall into expediter wannabe, here are something I'm need researching.

How much starting captial do I need?
Van Vs. Straight struck? Pro and cons?
Where is the best place to be base at?
Taxes??
family life?
Rate per mile?
How long I'm away from home?
Average loaded mile per month?
Driver's licence you needed?
Average income Net income per month? (since everybody alway talk about goss incomce)
Beside the truck what other equipment is needed?(hand dollies, comfort stuff etc..)
Road life?
Which company to work for?

I'm sure I'm have forgot a lot things, but this what I started aking myself.

 

[Crazynuff]

If you contact a FedEX Custom Critical recruiter they will mail you charts that will answer many of the income questions and average amount of miles driven . Many more can be found in the archives here . Income and time away from home varies a lot . You do not need a CDL for cargo amd cube vans under 10,000 lbs, gvw unless you haul hazmat . For "C" and "D" units you need a CDL . Most carriers require hazmat and now you need a background check which will take around a month to get results on and cost you close to $100 . Buying used used cargo van to get started isn't too much of a risk but if you want to move to a larger unit start with a fleet owner rather than buying . Fleet owners run ads in the free classifieds here and they can answer many of your questions with answers applicable to their operation .

 

[Tennesee Trash]

This is posted in response to A Teams "newbie /research question"

I am so new the ink is barely dry on my CDL's ,so "newbie" I am. I was encouraged from the start to talk with drivers who owned the type vehicle I wanted to drive, look into how well others did in the type truck I was interested in. That was how it started, this is how it went.
I went online and ask every conceivable question I could think of(RESEARCH). I in return received replies saying check into pay per mile versus pay per loaded mile , big difference, have you ask about when you get paid , how?, if you miss a draw? How is that corrected?. How much deadhead involved ,where you plan to stay if not deadheading home, truckstop, motel , big difference in price per day. I got a general feel for things and began to go to truckstops and started asking drivers their opinions about expediting and what I could probably expect.
I then began licensing research ,I called DMV to see what I needed to obtain a CDL license, what endorsement I could get. I found out I needed to get a manual, research what endorsement I needed and then looked up those sections and studied. I then called several recruiters and ask what was the minimum requirement for me to hire on with that particular carrier. I found out what most O/O / recruiters advertising on this site needed called several and determined I needed no less than a "B" class CDL w/Hazmat endorsement . I studied and was going to take the test when low and behold I found out I needed a DOT physical. I went and made an appointment , got it done and then returned to DMV with my DOT medical card. I took three test, general knowledge, air brake, and hazmat. I received my learner's permit and drove for about 3 months or so with it. I then decided to take the road test, made an appointment and found out it would be 2 months to get tested ( backlog in N.C.). I then had go to a third party test site, pay $195.00 to be tested. I was informed I would need a truck of which I rented for $207.00 for the day, insurance, fuel, and mileage figured into this. I went to the test site and passed the test and then went to DMV where they took my old "B" permit and my class "C" license. ALL of this has been done by merely talking to other drivers, and reading postings on EO and similar sites.
I have researched price of new trucks compared to old, van vs. straight truck, insurance needed (minimum in NC is $750K commercial insurance). Where to buy it , if it can be offered by the carrier , will the O/O I drive for pay insurance on me (workman's comp)? I have called drivers at home, emailed them, been online with others. I ask every question I could think of and they brought up things I did not even think about.
I had to research whether driving for someone was better or buy a truck and risk all my money on a hope of making it.
I checked into van drivers, solo, and teams . I realized I needed to learn from someone experienced and saw team driving as being right for me.
There are a hundred questions I haven't covered and a hundred more you need to ask. You should ask as many as necessary so to "learn,obtain knowledge,or become more informed" . The need to know what will work for you is personal, what will help with that decision is good old homework !!
I have been hired by an O/O and will be going to orientation soon, with most orientations ,I have heard about ,last two days.I have still not completed my research, I will fax off the contract today I received to a very experienced driver to let him look over it and see if it is a good deal for me or not. So you see you need to know more than insurance, but that was a good start in right direction. Ask one question at a time, then another, and hopefully get an understanding as to what is right for you. Listen to EVERYONE but decide from what you hear and make your own determination from all the info you get. There has never been a time I have not been helped when I was sincere in the asking.
Research, homework , and checking into are all the same. The drivers on this or any other site are only trying to help by saying "learn from others","..do your research". So find out where you want to go and pursue that idea to a conclusion.
I sure hope this helps in what you are asking.
Good Luck , Larry Tn/Trash

 

[Dreamer]

ATeam,

Great Topic Idea.


TDI Driver, great questions!

Crazynuff, thanks for that info, I'm sures some didn't know that.

Great response Larry, that's the kind of detail people want to know about getting started.



I hope all posters, newbie, and experienced, will respond to this thread.

This is TRUELY a thread where all the different experiences we have posted will be truely appropriate.


Dreamer

 

[Broompilot]

Get a notebook, if you are serious about this industry it is going to take months to compile all of the reserach. Mail will need to be three hole punched to keep in this to refere back to your notes. The better your note keeping the happier three months from now when you need that answer that you have a place to go back to without spending all of your time looking WHERE?

Begin with a very simple question. How much do I need to make vs reality? Ask and confirm do not take my answer as the only answer. What do you anticipate (and this one will never be correct) your operating costs to be. Spare time? We expeditors could have alot of that on our hands, truck stops are not all that entertaining, Pilots wont even play football games on Sundays. So think of all of the aspects because you will expierence them ALL. I can speak from expierence because they are still teaching me things I should have asked but many I did not have a clew on. Some things cannot be tought but must be expierenced, like where is the screen for the shower #s now that my time expired because I was new.

Great Post

 

[RichM]

Senior Field Editors need to learn how to spell the word Expediters.
No offense to the author intended

 

[Dreamer]

>Senior Field Editors need to learn how to spell the word
>Expediters.
>No offense to the author intended


I read typo, don't you? LOL....



Dreamer

 

[Weave]

Maybe that's the first thing we all need to research and come up with an answer for- Is it Expediters or Expeditors? The first one seems the most popular, but if made official we might have another bazooka rage here:7

I receive e-mails similar to the one the A-Team got on occasion. My response to them is usually a simple ice-breaker to get an idea of who they are, what they have done in the past, where they live, when (or if) they plan on starting, and why they want to be an expediter. I don't even answer their initial questions for a letter that vague.

WHO-WHAT-WHERE-WHEN-WHY

Usually after that, the help and advice for their research becomes easy to share.

-Weave-

 

[davekc]

Researching the archives on here will give them a wealth of information in which to formulate their questions. Prior to that, one needs to see if it will fit them personally. Can they be away from home for extended periods, can they manage their finances ect.
In addition, go to the truck shows,expos, and workshops. You will learn a bundle at all of these events.
The more you educate yourself to everything, the easier your decision will become.
Davekc
owner
20 years