Best company for a B
- Thread starter bret
- Start date
hello
im charles owner of r-express tansportation services
ive been expediting for about 3 years now and out of every truck
i ran a,b,d the b unit was the most profitable if you desire a profit.but keep this in mind i ran for pantherII unit#3266
for over a year in the b unit my pay was a flat $1.25
if you can find one of the b units that have the cargo van cabs
and a 12 ft box with a gvw under 10,000 you can get b unit pay and still be unregulated but then the trick is to catch a company who needs st.trucks in a bad way because they want a certain customer in an area you live and thats about the only way to get one signed on because of the fact most are not dock high and nlm dont like trucks that are not dock high so if they haul ford they dont want to send you there and get calls about why they have a hard time unloading them type trucks.but if you get lucky at the right time of year you can bust $3,500.00 a week
with less than a g in cost if you eat steak.i had fun there at panther but things got bad and things got real bad now i dont put all my eggs in one basket i run trucks under company names
with every expeditor they all have good and bad for ie express 1
they got good pay and 65% deadhead nice people small service area
if you live in northern indiana or southern mi the got the best
mini pay for st.trucks and you can get 2 or 3 a day sometimes
panther II the company that after i ran a van for a year and made good money so i decided to invest a little more money in them and got a new van.they in order to show their thanks to me
cut my pay .05 per mile.i give them the middle finger for that one and say fungu pantherii it is now my goal to take every truck they have.i got 5 this week alone and after i take their trucks im giving them to shippers near you.direct and dedicated
con-way is still to new to me so i cant say for sure but they
have a 1-1 record with me cause test #1 was i had a breakdown
that put me out for a month when the bill came it was 4,300.00
and just for a laugh i called and asked if i could get a com-check to help pay the bill so i could get back in service well
the answer was no.they explained they done that once and the owner got the truck out and quit.if thats true then i could understand.but test #2 they said yes and we will both make money
so you might want to check out conway now but like i say every company is different for different people
good luck
im charles owner of r-express tansportation services
ive been expediting for about 3 years now and out of every truck
i ran a,b,d the b unit was the most profitable if you desire a profit.but keep this in mind i ran for pantherII unit#3266
for over a year in the b unit my pay was a flat $1.25
if you can find one of the b units that have the cargo van cabs
and a 12 ft box with a gvw under 10,000 you can get b unit pay and still be unregulated but then the trick is to catch a company who needs st.trucks in a bad way because they want a certain customer in an area you live and thats about the only way to get one signed on because of the fact most are not dock high and nlm dont like trucks that are not dock high so if they haul ford they dont want to send you there and get calls about why they have a hard time unloading them type trucks.but if you get lucky at the right time of year you can bust $3,500.00 a week
with less than a g in cost if you eat steak.i had fun there at panther but things got bad and things got real bad now i dont put all my eggs in one basket i run trucks under company names
with every expeditor they all have good and bad for ie express 1
they got good pay and 65% deadhead nice people small service area
if you live in northern indiana or southern mi the got the best
mini pay for st.trucks and you can get 2 or 3 a day sometimes
panther II the company that after i ran a van for a year and made good money so i decided to invest a little more money in them and got a new van.they in order to show their thanks to me
cut my pay .05 per mile.i give them the middle finger for that one and say fungu pantherii it is now my goal to take every truck they have.i got 5 this week alone and after i take their trucks im giving them to shippers near you.direct and dedicated
con-way is still to new to me so i cant say for sure but they
have a 1-1 record with me cause test #1 was i had a breakdown
that put me out for a month when the bill came it was 4,300.00
and just for a laugh i called and asked if i could get a com-check to help pay the bill so i could get back in service well
the answer was no.they explained they done that once and the owner got the truck out and quit.if thats true then i could understand.but test #2 they said yes and we will both make money
so you might want to check out conway now but like i say every company is different for different people
good luck
Hi Bret,
We can understand why you are going from E unit to B unit. My hubby spent 18 years driving tractor trailer and got out of it for a while. The frustration factor just got to him, as he would say it was time to park the rig, he was contemplating making speed bumps out of 4 wheelers. When we started looking at expedited we opted for a b unit, we actually wanted to go a D unit but our credit wouldn't support the purchase of a $60,000 truck. But we could get financing for a $26,000 truck, we looked at it as a start and our foot in the door, and if this didn't work out for us we could convert the little truck to a motor home and not be beyond our means.
We checked out many companies befor we choose Panther and we are quite happy with our choice and have been with them for over 2 years. Like Charles said in his posting not every company is good for everyone, my best advice is check them all out visit truck stops where you see vans and straight trucks parked, meet the drivers listen to their stories good and bad, but remember to keep an objuctive opinion, you are hearing only one side of the story. Visit company locations if possible meet the dispatchers and other people in the company you will have regular contact with, get a feel for what kind of people they are. Remember a recurters job is to get your truck flying their company logo and they like to sugar coat things, so verify all the promices a recurter makes to you with drivers and other people within the company. Remember people can tell you anything but what is actually in that lease contract and company handbook if they have one is the true rules of the game.
To correct a statement Charles made, I can't comment on other companies, but Panther requires B units be able to carry 5,000 pounds of freight, a 10,000 van chasis will not leaglly do that. We have a Chevy 3500 Box Van, we have the 12,000 lb chasis. Our truck is just under 7,000 lbs empty. The 10,000 lb chasis would be about the same weight. There is also that fact that we are not dock high that does create some problems with customers. We have looked into getting a new b unit but this time building it on the 16,000 lb dually pickup chasis with a cabover sleeper and a 14 foot box. We can build this truck for about $38,000. By ordering the truck with the larger tires and wheels the box will be dock high. One problem you will have is finding a dealer who has the knowlege to put the deal together. We did a lot of research and educated out sales person at our dealership.
The down side of the larger chasis is log books and DOT inspections. But remember if you kep your log book up and your truck up you will not have problems with DOT. DOT inspection for our truck is basically just a walk around making sure everything works. They don't use the creeper and go under our truck. They don't mess with the brakes because they are hydrolic and not air. Most of the time when you cross the scale they are looking at you like get out of the way so I can get one of these big boys with a big ticket. I did have a KY DOT officer tell me the only reason he pulled me in for inspection was he had done 12 big trucks that day and was tired and he knew my truck would be an easy inspection. Last year every quarter we were pulled around back and checked out, but so far this year we haven't been hit once, we still have last years sticker on the winshield.
If you have any questions or would like a referal to a dealer who could help you with your options on a B unit e-mail me at [email protected].
Good luck
Sierra
We can understand why you are going from E unit to B unit. My hubby spent 18 years driving tractor trailer and got out of it for a while. The frustration factor just got to him, as he would say it was time to park the rig, he was contemplating making speed bumps out of 4 wheelers. When we started looking at expedited we opted for a b unit, we actually wanted to go a D unit but our credit wouldn't support the purchase of a $60,000 truck. But we could get financing for a $26,000 truck, we looked at it as a start and our foot in the door, and if this didn't work out for us we could convert the little truck to a motor home and not be beyond our means.
We checked out many companies befor we choose Panther and we are quite happy with our choice and have been with them for over 2 years. Like Charles said in his posting not every company is good for everyone, my best advice is check them all out visit truck stops where you see vans and straight trucks parked, meet the drivers listen to their stories good and bad, but remember to keep an objuctive opinion, you are hearing only one side of the story. Visit company locations if possible meet the dispatchers and other people in the company you will have regular contact with, get a feel for what kind of people they are. Remember a recurters job is to get your truck flying their company logo and they like to sugar coat things, so verify all the promices a recurter makes to you with drivers and other people within the company. Remember people can tell you anything but what is actually in that lease contract and company handbook if they have one is the true rules of the game.
To correct a statement Charles made, I can't comment on other companies, but Panther requires B units be able to carry 5,000 pounds of freight, a 10,000 van chasis will not leaglly do that. We have a Chevy 3500 Box Van, we have the 12,000 lb chasis. Our truck is just under 7,000 lbs empty. The 10,000 lb chasis would be about the same weight. There is also that fact that we are not dock high that does create some problems with customers. We have looked into getting a new b unit but this time building it on the 16,000 lb dually pickup chasis with a cabover sleeper and a 14 foot box. We can build this truck for about $38,000. By ordering the truck with the larger tires and wheels the box will be dock high. One problem you will have is finding a dealer who has the knowlege to put the deal together. We did a lot of research and educated out sales person at our dealership.
The down side of the larger chasis is log books and DOT inspections. But remember if you kep your log book up and your truck up you will not have problems with DOT. DOT inspection for our truck is basically just a walk around making sure everything works. They don't use the creeper and go under our truck. They don't mess with the brakes because they are hydrolic and not air. Most of the time when you cross the scale they are looking at you like get out of the way so I can get one of these big boys with a big ticket. I did have a KY DOT officer tell me the only reason he pulled me in for inspection was he had done 12 big trucks that day and was tired and he knew my truck would be an easy inspection. Last year every quarter we were pulled around back and checked out, but so far this year we haven't been hit once, we still have last years sticker on the winshield.
If you have any questions or would like a referal to a dealer who could help you with your options on a B unit e-mail me at [email protected].
Good luck
Sierra
Maybe I'm looking at this wrong, but wouldnt doing all that negate the very reason you go with a B unit?
My personal reason for wanting to run a B is for simplicity of operation, less regulations, such as log books, scales, etc., while still making a decent amount of money. If you were going to invest that kind of money, why not just go with a good used C or D unit? Is there some benefit to the kind of setup you're describing that I'm missing? If I am, just tell me, I'm still very new at this, always looking for ideas.
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"...the only foolish dream, is one never attempted.." J. T. Stone
My personal reason for wanting to run a B is for simplicity of operation, less regulations, such as log books, scales, etc., while still making a decent amount of money. If you were going to invest that kind of money, why not just go with a good used C or D unit? Is there some benefit to the kind of setup you're describing that I'm missing? If I am, just tell me, I'm still very new at this, always looking for ideas.
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"...the only foolish dream, is one never attempted.." J. T. Stone
Thank you for your informative reply. I drive an E unit for Panther, and am completely sick of the headaches with a tractor trailer. Dont get me wrong, I like driving a T/T, but driving one in expediting is pure hell.
The biggest pain and stress comes from trying to find your way in an E unit. Every time you happen to miss a street your looking for, it takes god knows how long to find a place to turn it around. Many times, I have driven for 20 minutes , just to find a place to turn around! Then when you find that street, the same thing happens again! If it were a cargo van of st. truck, it would be easy. Keep in mind that I'm driving a long nose Peterbuilt, pulling a 53' trailer. ( and being that its Panther, you can usually count out directions, since most dispatchers think that routing IS the directions )
The other problem with T/T's is the incredible amount of tolls you encounter. I completed 4 runs this week and had $275 in toll receipts. Hell, it was $59, just to run the PA pike from Ohio to Philly with 42,000 in the box. Then you go to New York, where the double dip you for pulling a 53' and $18 to 25 for every bridge you cross around NYC.
If it were general freight and most runs were drop and hook, I could deal with it, but its just not profitable enough to justify the BS with a T/T in expediting.
I've done alot of research, and found that a cargo van is the best way to go. 1)minimal investment 2) easy to sell 3) DOT EXEMPT! 4) cheap tolls 5) easy to manuver 6) good gas mileage.
People just dont realize the costs associated with a class 8 truck. 1) $1600 registration 2) $3600 for a set of tires 3) 6 MPG ( takes $400 to fill the tanks ) ECT. ECT.
The biggest pain and stress comes from trying to find your way in an E unit. Every time you happen to miss a street your looking for, it takes god knows how long to find a place to turn it around. Many times, I have driven for 20 minutes , just to find a place to turn around! Then when you find that street, the same thing happens again! If it were a cargo van of st. truck, it would be easy. Keep in mind that I'm driving a long nose Peterbuilt, pulling a 53' trailer. ( and being that its Panther, you can usually count out directions, since most dispatchers think that routing IS the directions )
The other problem with T/T's is the incredible amount of tolls you encounter. I completed 4 runs this week and had $275 in toll receipts. Hell, it was $59, just to run the PA pike from Ohio to Philly with 42,000 in the box. Then you go to New York, where the double dip you for pulling a 53' and $18 to 25 for every bridge you cross around NYC.
If it were general freight and most runs were drop and hook, I could deal with it, but its just not profitable enough to justify the BS with a T/T in expediting.
I've done alot of research, and found that a cargo van is the best way to go. 1)minimal investment 2) easy to sell 3) DOT EXEMPT! 4) cheap tolls 5) easy to manuver 6) good gas mileage.
People just dont realize the costs associated with a class 8 truck. 1) $1600 registration 2) $3600 for a set of tires 3) 6 MPG ( takes $400 to fill the tanks ) ECT. ECT.
I like you hate the directions. But I have only one question? Did you ever think of getting directions on your own? Do the drivers out there know how to pick up a phone? I suggest a driver not happy with the directions that dispatch supplies for them, please get off their butt, pick up a phone and get them on your own. We are all adults here and I dont feel dispatch should have to hold the drivers hand from point A to B. If you have a suggestions that would simplify the whole process, Im all ears!!!
Let's see, Get loaded and on the road at 1600 on the North side of Chicago with a load going to Buffalo. Some dispatcher that doesn't have 2 brain cells to rub together thinks because it is a HOT load you can make it with a 50 mph average. Just when do you stop to call for directions. Get off your fat butt and spend some time on the road, then get back to your desk job and support the drivers who really earn your paycheck.
In case you haven't noticed, the name of this business is Expediting, which usually means get to the Pick Up 10 minutes ago, and go from Point A to Point B as fast as possible. It seems to me, that under these circumstances the dispatchers MUST be there to support the trucks moving the freight in any way they are needed to get the freight there when it is supposed to be there. Maybe you should get out of the expedited freight business and go work for a regular truckload company, or better yet go get a job doing something else.
And by the way, our companies dispatchers rarely hear from me, except for at the time I'm offered a load, with P/U information and POD, but I know if I need them, they will be there for me.
In case you haven't noticed, the name of this business is Expediting, which usually means get to the Pick Up 10 minutes ago, and go from Point A to Point B as fast as possible. It seems to me, that under these circumstances the dispatchers MUST be there to support the trucks moving the freight in any way they are needed to get the freight there when it is supposed to be there. Maybe you should get out of the expedited freight business and go work for a regular truckload company, or better yet go get a job doing something else.
And by the way, our companies dispatchers rarely hear from me, except for at the time I'm offered a load, with P/U information and POD, but I know if I need them, they will be there for me.
I agree with the previous commentor. When we are timed to get to a delivery in a certain amount of time, we don't have time to stop and try to figure out directions. The time spent finding a place to pull over, call, write down directions, check the maps to see how it looks on paper, would make us late. We don't have the extra time like regular trucking companies. Every minute counts when you're under load. Accurate, dependable directions are essential to us.
DispatchPointofView,
Question for you: Is it true that the dispatchers in many of the major expediting companies actually have the plastic overlays on their keyboards like the fast food places; only instead of pictures of hamburgers, shakes, etc., they have pictures of vans, straight trucks and tractor/trailers?
I have a number of years in this business and I've never yet met or talked to any dispatcher or corporate type that had a minutes's worth of experience in a truck. Most often it's amusing, but at times it can be infuriating when a dispatcher tries to tell a contractor or driver the rules of the game. For all of you dispatchers and company types out there: You have ZERO credibility in regards to matters of the road. You don't have the faintest clue about how we manage to get from point A to B through traffic, weather, bad directions, sleep deprivation and all the other impediments we face on a regular basis and still deliver on time, every time. This is not an across-the-board condemnation of all dispatchers; many are sympathetic to our situation, but there are just as many who would be well advised to lose some of that company brainwashing and arrogant, haughty attitude, and remember that these expediting companies simply would not exist(along with their job) without these men and women out here who make the investment in their own equipment and businesses.
As far as calling for directions, the previous posts answered that very well, we don't have time. With a couple of my old companies, they wouldn't give out the number of the consignee anyway, they insisted that they make a conference call for locals. Besides, the expediting company is taking enough money off the top, it's only right that they put forth a bare minimum amount of effort to help get the load delivered in a timely fashion.
We eagerly await your response, Mr./Ms. Dispatcher.
Question for you: Is it true that the dispatchers in many of the major expediting companies actually have the plastic overlays on their keyboards like the fast food places; only instead of pictures of hamburgers, shakes, etc., they have pictures of vans, straight trucks and tractor/trailers?
I have a number of years in this business and I've never yet met or talked to any dispatcher or corporate type that had a minutes's worth of experience in a truck. Most often it's amusing, but at times it can be infuriating when a dispatcher tries to tell a contractor or driver the rules of the game. For all of you dispatchers and company types out there: You have ZERO credibility in regards to matters of the road. You don't have the faintest clue about how we manage to get from point A to B through traffic, weather, bad directions, sleep deprivation and all the other impediments we face on a regular basis and still deliver on time, every time. This is not an across-the-board condemnation of all dispatchers; many are sympathetic to our situation, but there are just as many who would be well advised to lose some of that company brainwashing and arrogant, haughty attitude, and remember that these expediting companies simply would not exist(along with their job) without these men and women out here who make the investment in their own equipment and businesses.
As far as calling for directions, the previous posts answered that very well, we don't have time. With a couple of my old companies, they wouldn't give out the number of the consignee anyway, they insisted that they make a conference call for locals. Besides, the expediting company is taking enough money off the top, it's only right that they put forth a bare minimum amount of effort to help get the load delivered in a timely fashion.
We eagerly await your response, Mr./Ms. Dispatcher.