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Another new cargo van guy..

W

WDMIII

Active Expediter
Ok, First off I have lurked here off and on for three years. I have read many threads and searched many topics. With that said or despite that I am thinking about getting a cargo van and making a go at it.

I know I will make at least 1000 dollars a week because I will be smarter than all of the other guys here!! Ok I'm kidding.. I bet you thought this was going be just another cargo van wanna be.

Seriously, I had three contracts with FedEx. I will never have anything good to say about that company. Their model for me (Home delivery) was to drive em till they bankrupt out and replace them.

I did manage to keep my fleet of two E550 Cubes and one cargo van on the road and in the green. In lies my question. What are ya'lls thoughts on running the E550 or E450 cubes? It seems like I would have much more space on all levels be it cargo and/or self. Either way I would not be "dock high" but it seems that I would be a little more flexible with load size.


I have some idea in the difference in operational cost. And I'm pretty sure they fly under DOT rgs in the same category as the one ton cargo, but this may be where I am wrong. HOS?

Thanks to OVM and Turtle and all of the rest of you for the plethora of information here. dave
 
W

WDMIII

Active Expediter
Thanks. We went HOS nearing the end of my tenure with Fedex but since they did it to cargos as well as cubes i wasn't sure. Not why they did it to cargos at all. I know I don't see them in the expedite field. dave
 
chefdennis

chefdennis

Veteran Expediter
Hos, scales and logs are in your future..and depending on the carrier, they maybe require the new EOBR's.....

I do know a few people with the E450's that came from ST's and they like them, but they also are not getting the loads that they were and thought they would because they are not dock high...i believe Landstar calls them Super "B's"....For me, they just aren't worth the all that they requirer to be a "t'weener" you know, not a ST and not a CV/Sprinter type van / 10,000 gvw Cube Van....

but that fact that you already have them and aren't looking to pay one, makes a difference...
 
W

WDMIII

Active Expediter
Thanks for the reply. I'm really thinking about just going with the E350 1 ton. I'm kinda shocked, after looking at some of the sleeper set ups in the picture area here, about how much room these guys are making into a personal area.

I think I can add a a small, by comparison, sleeper area and still maybe get two skids on board. Although i lurked here for several years i should have joined sooner in that I could have seen some of these pics.

I'm going to try to go out 2-3 weeks at a time and can't see making any money in hotel rooms but then agin don't know how long I will last in a sleeper that size. That's going to be one of the many unknowns that only ones self can determine.
 
B

blizzard2014

Veteran Expediter
Driver
chefdennis said:
Hos, scales and logs are in your future..and depending on the carrier, they maybe require the new EOBR's.....

I do know a few people with the E450's that came from ST's and they like them, but they also are not getting the loads that they were and thought they would because they are not dock high...i believe Landstar calls them Super "B's"....For me, they just aren't worth the all that they requirer to be a "t'weener" you know, not a ST and not a CV/Sprinter type van / 10,000 gvw Cube Van....

but that fact that you already have them and aren't looking to pay one, makes a difference...
Click to expand...

I'm gonna bust this tip wide open and get some flack for it, but what the heck. All you gotta do to be dock level is to get you a set of ramps from autozone. You simply back up to the dock onto the ramps and make your truck high enough to get the dock plate down on the floor. Then you have the fork truck driver place each individual pallet onto the plate and you take a pallet jack and maneuver the pallet off of the dock plate and into the truck. It's a simple solution if you can figure out how to get it done.
 
W

WDMIII

Active Expediter
LOL.. I like creativity. I can see the getting in part as a sinch might even use a small super winch (that i already own) to tug it on board. May have a friend build me some ramps as I would hate to have the ones from autozone fail. But getting the cargo out, backing it up the hill, might be a problem. Sure I could throw a strap around it and ask the forklift driver to tug it to the dock plate.

As I've spent the day visiting with several recruiters I would have to say most of them didn't want to talk to me about the E550s. Of course some of them didn't even want to talk to me about "cargo vans" as opposed to sprinters.

Panther seems to be at the forefront although the hunt is young. Load 1 dismissed me post haste. "Don't need any cargo vans". I do have my Class A and current experience in a straight trk so I guess I could look at the Ds but not really where I wanted to start.

Any direction here or PM for a good midsize co. to start out in a CV would be appreciated. Is it considered Highjacking if it's my own thread? Thx, dave
 
Monty

Monty

Expert Expediter
As I understand your unit, it is NOT a cargo van ... it is a cube van.

When you speak to recuriters, market it as such.
 
W

WDMIII

Active Expediter
Sorry if I mislead anyone. My units are in the hands of the person who purchased my contracts. iI have an option to get them back if I want as the leases are still in my name and the contractor is ready to get out.

I have told the recruiters that I have access to either an E550 cube van or a cargo van. They have replied we don't take the cube van and some have said that they are not taking cargo vans at this point.

Personally I'm thinking more along the lines of purchasing a used E350 cargo van as mine is a an E250(3/4 ton). Thx, dave
 
OntarioVanMan

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
Well , well, well....another CV wanna be...LOL

Welcome Dave....this E350...gas or diesel?

and It struck me you've avoided that certain 4 letter word...BOLT....

As Bolt and Panther seem better suited to serve CV's IMO...

Keep in mind at all times you will be the bottom of the food chain at most carriers and treated as such...You will be considered a throw away....iF you can deal with that and know your place..it'll be far easier to deal with, mentally...
When you finally chose a carrier....learn their system and WORK the system....the dispatchers are YOUR money people, your bread and butter, nothing is fair out here anything goes, do what ya have to do, Just don't whiz off the dispatchers--- forget management they go home at 5pm...LOL

Good Luck...Ken aka OVM ..The Legacy Corporation..:D
 
W

WDMIII

Active Expediter
Thanks for the reply Ken. Yeah.. just not feeling it with Bolt. May be my readings here or the rapore with the recruiter. I remember thinking that I can’t pass on a carrier just cuz.. so I did ask them to send/email me a pkg outlining their pay scale etc.. Still waiting.

I'm diesel all the way. All of my trucks in the past have been diesel. I have been happy with the results of course not the fuel price difference but the long term maintenance and MPG. Can't say that I'm that impressed with the 6.0. All of mine were the 7.3.

Thanks for the advice. I will and do understand my place in the world of expediting, LOL thus far. I hope this forum will help with the learning curve. The little that I know tells me it is about being at the right place at the right time and positioning yourself, when possible, as such. That was another reason I started leaning toward panther in that the recruiter said that they had just won a contract in my area. I'm close to Laredo and that seemed to be a buzz word for him too..

Thx, dave
 
OntarioVanMan

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
WDMIII said:
Thanks for the reply Ken. Yeah.. just not feeling it with Bolt. May be my readings here or the rapore with the recruiter. I remember thinking that I can’t pass on a carrier just cuz.. so I did ask them to send/email me a pkg outlining their pay scale etc.. Still waiting.

I'm diesel all the way. All of my trucks in the past have been diesel. I have been happy with the results of course not the fuel price difference but the long term maintenance and MPG. Can't say that I'm that impressed with the 6.0. All of mine were the 7.3.

Thanks for the advice. I will and do understand my place in the world of expediting, LOL thus far. I hope this forum will help with the learning curve. The little that I know tells me it is about being at the right place at the right time and positioning yourself, when possible, as such. That was another reason I started leaning toward panther in that the recruiter said that they had just won a contract in my area. I'm close to Laredo and that seemed to be a buzz word for him too..

Thx, dave
Click to expand...

The 7.3 is a great engine but too heavy for this application...leaves no load capacity...guys have had too many front end problems because of it...
 
W

WDMIII

Active Expediter
Makes sense, yes the 7.3 is a beast of burden. Looks like I am destine to the 6.0 just because of the truck age requirements. Now I'm wondering about the use of chips and whether they are bennificial or detrimentel. Also, as was brought to my attention in a PM, need to consider my sleeper set up. Thx, dave
 
OntarioVanMan

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
WDMIII said:
Makes sense, yes the 7.3 is a beast of burden. Looks like I am destine to the 6.0 just because of the truck age requirements. Now I'm wondering about the use of chips and whether they are bennificial or detrimentel. Also, as was brought to my attention in a PM, need to consider my sleeper set up. Thx, dave
Click to expand...

Torque not Horsepower...;)
 
Monty

Monty

Expert Expediter
My time with Landstar does not find me at the "bottom of the food chain" with a Sprinter, matter of fact, they are rather desired.

As for "cube", I can only haul 8' of floor space, because of my sleeper conversion. That has been a bit of a sticky point. As for weight, my loads are usually under 1,000 anyway.

And somehow I manage to stay as busy as I would wish to be, (unless I am dumb enough to go to Laredo!)
 
Moot

Moot

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
WDMIII said:
Their model for me (Home delivery) was to drive em till they bankrupt out and replace them.
Click to expand...
That model is also quite popular in the expedite industry, especially with vans. Vans are a dime a dozen and carriers have no problem finding fresh meat to replace the ones that fall by the wayside.

WDMIII said:
I think I can add a a small, by comparison, sleeper area and still maybe get two skids on board.
Click to expand...

In my opinion there is no maybe about getting two skids in a van. If you can't give your carrier at least 100", you will definitely be limited. A 100" will give you a little wiggle room for those shipments that tend to overhang a pallet, odd size pallets and to compensate for shippers that think a foot is 14 inches.

If you have the right mindset, attitude, discipline, start-up money and reserve funds, expediting in a van can be fun and profitable.
 
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