Anyone know about moving Medical freight?

[UnderTheArch]

Long time listener, first time caller...

Not exactly. I was an expediter until about 10 years ago, o/o and driver for TNT, Tri-State, as well as local hot shot companies out of the STL area for many years. Recently lost my job, now looking to get back into this...Doing research on what the current market is right now, as well as sprinter or box truck window shopping...I ran FL70's and Chevy stretch vans back in the day, the Sprinters weren't around back then.

Anyway, I recently saw an ad placed by a company that uses sprinters and such to move medical supplies. (mdsic.com). Wondering if anyone has any useful knowledge about them or something similar? I read where they're expanding into the STL market as well as other areas. Any info would be appreciated.

 

[greg334]

They also say they were expanding into the Detroit area but no one seems to know where.

There is another thread somewhere about this company, sorry I didn't post a link, but do a search for it under Medical Delivery Supply and it should pop up.

 

[ATeam]

I have not heard of this company until you mentioned it, UnderTheArch. As someone who is already qualified to transport radioactive freight, I found its web site to be quite interesting.

I see no Qualcomm units on the trucks shown, and if I contracted with them it looks like I could use one of those cool bar code thingies, just like real delivery people do.

I'd be interested to learn more to compare this opportunity with our present opportunity. Please share what you learn as you research this company. We recently purchased a house in Florida and they seem to have a lot going on down there.

 

[UnderTheArch]

Will do, ATeam. I'll be in contact with them this week.

I'm more interested in something more local or regional, home time is more important now than in the past. I don't know if this the answer or not...Obviously revenue will drive (no pun intended) my decision, hoping to make contact with some that have had dealings with this and similar companies...

 

[greg334]

Phil, you have heard of them before.

Looking for advice on job offer
http://www.expeditersonline.com/forum/general-expediter-forum/44263-looking-advice-job-offer.html

 

[LDB]

I was going to mention that thread. It doesn't seem like too good a deal unless it's improved since that last discussion.

 

[UnderTheArch]

They'd have to offer a much better cpm, especially for a larger vehicle such as a sprinter. Wondering if they have different rates/commissions for larger vehicles, that the $.46/mile was for a car. That rate would cause nothing more than a slow death spiral. With maintenance, vehicle replacement costs and the like, it wouldn't be enough to survive. We'll see...

 

[cheri1122]

Arch: the thread referred to is titled 'Bad Companies', you can [and should!] find it by clicking on the General forum, then on page 2 [located above the threads].
It's quite an eye opener.
I think there are a lot of small, fly by night places that take advantage of honest people who are looking for work. They stay in business as long as there are replacements ready to take the place of the disillusioned - and these days, replacements are plentiful.

 

[DannyD]

I know a bit about em. In the Detroit area, they always seem to be advertising for jobs. This one route is 6 hours a day, 900 miles per week, & pays $575 week. You need a mini van to deliver.

Those numbers would have ya thinking you'd make about $400/week after gas for 30 hours of work. Mini van gets about 20MPG, 45 gallons at $3.50 = about $160 in fuel. Yet they're always advertising for new drivers. Something tells me the advertised numbers aren't accurate. Even in this economy, they can't keep their workers. Go figure.

Right behind all those ads are comments by the Kernal, from this very board, screaming about how all drivers are lazy & these companies are awesome.

While the company you are thinking about might actually be a good one, my first thought though was I can't see where buying a Sprinter for a job like that would be a wise decision. If they're providing the Sprinter, that might be a different story. They'd probably pay ya around $10/hour. Then it would be up to you if it was worth it.

Good luck to ya

 

[UnderTheArch]

Thanks for the feedback...

I'm looking into this, but not purchasing a Sprinter unless it was cost effective. By the responses it appears that the company mentioned has done some pretty shady things. I wouldn't sign on with any entity without doing some seroius research, and I would get as much in writing up front as possible. I have no intention of getting myself into a situation where I don't stand a reasonable chance of being successful.

 

[x06col]

I know a bit about em. In the Detroit area, they always seem to be advertising for jobs. This one route is 6 hours a day, 900 miles per week, & pays $575 week. You need a mini van to deliver.

Those numbers would have ya thinking you'd make about $400/week after gas for 30 hours of work. Mini van gets about 20MPG, 45 gallons at $3.50 = about $160 in fuel. Yet they're always advertising for new drivers. Something tells me the advertised numbers aren't accurate. Even in this economy, they can't keep their workers. Go figure.

Right behind all those ads are comments by the Kernal, from this very board, screaming about how all drivers are lazy & these companies are awesome.

While the company you are thinking about might actually be a good one, my first thought though was I can't see where buying a Sprinter for a job like that would be a wise decision. If they're providing the Sprinter, that might be a different story. They'd probably pay ya around $10/hour. Then it would be up to you if it was worth it.

Good luck to ya

Not sure where I typed "ALL driver are lazy" but ya gotta admit many have an agenda that really puts a burden on their dispatch, and, their personal ability to be successful in this business. I kinda wonder WHY, if, one has a home run part-time job, don't they go find anuther home run part-time job and quit burdening their Company and dispatch with "their" agenda. It'll prolly happen tho....there is just so many companys to jump around to.

 

[fastman_1]

I worked with them in 2000 out of there Oakwood Village Ohio Office, and if you got nothing good to say,then say Nothing at all,..........Nothing at all.

 

[Pianoguy]

Really the only thing that pays well medical wise is the equipment the hospitals and upscale doctors offices are on waiting lists to receive. Sterilization machines and MRIs used to pay the best but you need a lift gate or crane to deliver them, Big Electron microscopes pay well too but it's not an everyday item.

Another thing to keep in mind about the medical field is NO ONE is doing elective surgeries right now due to the recession or very little, my friend who does medical transcription was saying there has been a 70 % decline in that business. With health care spiraling downward I don't think that will improve.

Another thing to keep in mind is that its a health hazard to haul used medical equipment, Transformers full of leaky oil from X ray machines and anything used from any hospitals I wouldnt touch.

 

[ATeam]

Another thing to keep in mind is that its a health hazard to haul used medical equipment, Transformers full of leaky oil from X ray machines and anything used from any hospitals I wouldnt touch.

Not to put too fine of a point on this, but may I ask, why would you not touch the items you listed?

The leaky transformers I understand. Our dispatch would not let us haul them if the leaks were reported on the departure call and common sense would lead us to question the shipment before loading it in the first place.

But used medical equipment is something Diane and I sometimes haul. It is not uncommon at all for us to go into a hospital, even all the way into an operating room, to pick up equipment and transport it to another hosptial or location. It's not like these devices are dripping with blood and guts. Why would you not touch them?

 

[jpalmer]

Just don't use Texmaster Express out of Dallas...

They are currently being prosecuted by the State of Texas for writing me a bad check that bounced....

Texmaster Express

They claim they have offices in Denver, San Antonio, Houston and Austin, but they don't. They do everything out of their Arlington Texas office.

 

[jpalmer]

I can only speak for the **** company I worked for. But, I don't see how you could sustain a good profit margin doing medical freight full time. 95% of my work was pharmacy runs. Those were going to nursing homes and residences. The good paying runs were the biohazard runs. Which consisted of dead babies and other organs. How do they expect a sprinter to sustain that? You won't be transporting 100 dead babies to a lab in one load...

Not to mention the majority of the stuff is on demand. Not scheduled. if I had a sprinter with a bunch of overhead costs to deal with. I wouldn't be doing anything but scheduled/route work (in the courier industry). You couldn't survive on anything less then a full load every day. No way you could do that with on demand stuff. You'd be running your *** off all day chasing money...

 

[DannyD]

Almost every one of your sorry posts dogs the driver & gets on your knees in favor the company. You're like a politican. Doesn't matter what party- the other side is the one responsible for all the ills of the country.

And then you assume I'm a burden to a company that's raised my rates twice w/out me even asking em, has called me a few times to tell me I'm doing a good job w/out prompting, & discussed everything w/ the owner that I'm bringing up this board.

As for jumping around, the last company I was w/ I made $7800 gross in 8 months. I left w/ no hard feelings & they said I was welcome back, though it would probably be a good idea to move closer to Detroit. A couple of companies were similar in that I got 3 runs in 4 months or whatever.

The why is pretty simple, though probably tough for your limited mind to grasp. I like both jobs. I enjoy driving more, but the other one pays a lot more when I get the work.

One thing I'll concede is that I'm aware of the types of drivers you so often refer too. I've been told some stories on some of those calls saying I was doing a good job about how some of these other drivers almost sank the company.

Still, most of the drivers on this board aren't those types. For that matter that seems to apply to the other information boards I go too. The people on the board at my other job are generally pretty savvy. The poker players who go to those boards are generally pretty good players. People come to these types of boards to improve upon what they're doing.

Yet on all 3 types of boards, there's always the flea bag like you who's got to put everyone down, who doesn't understand where someone else might be coming from, who doesn't grasp the simplest of concepts.

Not sure where I typed "ALL driver are lazy" but ya gotta admit many have an agenda that really puts a burden on their dispatch, and, their personal ability to be successful in this business. I kinda wonder WHY, if, one has a home run part-time job, don't they go find anuther home run part-time job and quit burdening their Company and dispatch with "their" agenda. It'll prolly happen tho....there is just so many companys to jump around to.

 

[jpalmer]

You're an owner of a company and you pay your drivers low wages. Why would you expect anything less then high turnover?

That is extremely ignorant to blame drivers for that. I guess you could almost say the same about a dispatcher. That is like a soldier taking orders by a commander to gas civilians. He may know its wrong. But he's doing it for a job. But, In in the end the commander blames the civilian and the soldiers follow lockstep......

That is kind of a harsh example. but it stands true. its better to blame the trucker instead of taking personal responsibility....

The truth is. its not better.....Companies who survive decades do it through trust and loyalty through their entire operation...

Common Sense anyone?

 

[2ligit]

I was actually a manager for Medical Delivery when they were just in NY and NJ back in the 90's. It was a small outfit owned by a gentleman name George Phillips. It was ok back then because you were only traveling 50 miles a day tops. The guys were making around 450 a week. Mr Phillips retired and sold out to these guys.

If you do try this,get a Geiger counter.The medicine is transported in old .50 cal cans and you have to take the "empties" back to the lab. Guys were constantly getting there cars "hot" from the empties.

 

[ATeam]

Companies who survive decades do it through trust and loyalty through their entire operation...

That's a nice concept but there are thousands of drivers out there who would not agree. One example is FedEx Freight. The company has been around a long time but the former Watkins drivers who got first taken over and then laid off would have a hard time calling their former company loyal.

On the other hand, there were places within the larger FedEx family where during the Great Recession, hours were cut for everyone so everyone could keep their jobs, instead of laying off some so others could keep their jobs.

It's a mixed bag out there but the streets are littered with drivers that got dumped or underpaid while their companies continue on.