This is a combined reply to each of the folks who posted in this thread so far. It is my sincere hope that the EO members will read Weave's and Teacel's apologies in the spirit in which they were given. It is also my hope that this thread will die as quickly as the thread that started the problem in the first place.
As far as I'm concerned, the moderators may remove the thread at any time. I see little good accruing to the EO community by stirring things up around issues that have already been quietly resolved by professional people of good will.
Regarding Xpediter's comment that, "If you have a beef with the boys (weave tony larence richm) .........you have beef with us all." Relax Xpediter. There is no fight here. As Teacel said, things got ugly for a period of time, but it's now resolved. There are no hard feelings.
Regarding Dave Johnson's statement that, "You can't sue someone for a comment made on a PUBLIC forum stating their opinion, that's called freedom of speech.", that is not entirely true. You may have freedom of speech but that does not entitle you to yell FIRE! in a crowded theater when there is no fire. Freedom of speech does not provide blanket immunity. Laws exist in every state to protect people from harmful speech. However, Mr. Johnson is right on the money when he talks about the right to post one's opinions and disagree with or argue against others.
Regarding RichM's comments that there have been "difficulties with the ATeam," Rich, you (or anyone else) are welcome to communicate any concerns you may have about us at any time. You can reach us through our EO e-mail link. I'd be willing to chat with you by telephone on my nickel or visit in person if we are in the same area. Perhaps if you had spoken to me about the difficulties you perceived, your concerns could have been addressed long ago. If anything is still bugging you, talk to me. Don't let it simmer.
I trust that you now know I am exactly who I say I am. If that is not good enough for you, talk to Weave. He pleasantly surprised me the other day by showing up on my doorstep. Weave has been in our home, seen my office, met my wife, seen where she works, and dined with us. He can tell you we are exactly who we say we are; that is, a white-collar, happily-married couple making a career change into expedited trucking.
Few people reveal their real names in the EO forums for many good reasons. My wife and I have our reasons for keeping our real names and detailed background info private at this time. I trust EO members will respect our choice.
In response to Paperback1's request for additional info on us, suffice it to say that my wife and I are a white-collar couple that want to become expediters. We plan to start driving this August. We have the EO Expo on our calendar and hope to attend, but that may also be the time our fleet owner gets us into a truck and sends us to our carrier's orientation. We'll be at the Expo if we can.
Regarding Paperback1's statement that I "...brought up court action against EO....," We have not taken court action against EO or anyone else in the EO community. Yes, there were some issues that arose. They have been resolved to the satisfaction of all concerned. There is no fight. There are no hard feelings.
As newbies researching the industry, my wife and I have read every post in every EO forum archived for the last two years. Because of what we've learned here, we've been able to ask informed questions of fleet owners and recruiters. We met them through the EO classifieds. These folks have been surprisingly generous and informative with their time. Two hour telephone visits with them were not unusual. We had in-depth conversations with about two dozen of them.
In closing, let me share here what I've shared with Lawrence privately more than once. EO has changed our lives for the better. It was through EO that we learned of expediting as a career. Until we met the EO people at the 2003 Louisville truck show, we didn't even know this industry sector existed. By the end of that day, my wife and I both knew expediting was what we wanted to do. Once that decision was made, EO continued to be an invaluable resource. EO made it possible for us to instantly identify the companies in this sector, contact their recruiters, contact fleet owners, and learn a great deal from the newbies and experienced drivers that post here.
We are grateful beyond words for the resources EO has made available. In our posts, we hope we are giving something back to the community that has been so helpful to us. We hope to be positive and contributing members of the EO community for years to come.
