Bolt Express not so express

Qwaurk · Oct 4, 2015

I purchased a cargo van and signed on with Bolt Express after talking with recruiter and getting the line of 1,500-2,000 miles a week, and $5k-8k gross a month. Well, finished orientation Tuesday Sept. 29 and put myself in service and it's now five days later in Texas and nothing about a load. Already thinking of the best way to get rid of the van and get out. No money can be made sitting like that.

As a heads up for anyone doing research on them and coming across this post, here's information I was not privy to until after jumping in. Their map shows their busiest areas only being NC, SC, TN, WI, MI, IL, IN, KY or so. Also, most of their cargo van driving is night driving. I wasn't given that info previous. At orientation I was told that they lose 5-6 cargo vans a month and I suspect that it's due to no freight to make money.

Why advertise you need cargo vans and don't have enough freight to keep them moving?

Turtle · Oct 4, 2015

Anyone doing proper research on expediting, before jumping in, will have talked to a really large number of expediters, and will have read just a snotload of posts here in these forums over the last 2 or 3 years. Anyone who has read a lot of these forums would know that the primary lanes of expedited freight are, not coincidentally, in the same areas where most of the nation's manufacturing plants are located, which is east of the Mississippi River, north of I-40, and west of I-95. After reading, they will also know that because cargo vans represent low cost and little risk, it dramatically lowers the barrier for entry into the expediting industry, and as such there are way way way more cargo vans out there than there are loads. During their research, they will also discover that many expediters, especially those in cargo vans, will simply refuse to take loads to Texas, because Texas is the Expedite Cargo Van Graveyard, where cargo vans go to sit and rot, for a week or 10 days, before they can get a load out of there. Those who do take loads to Texas will deliver their loads, then immediately deadhead out to Memphis or some other place where loads are far more frequent.

Remo · Oct 4, 2015

Sounds like maybe you just caught a bad first load. I would hang in there and do a couple loads with them and it should get better, just my .02 though. I have never driven a cargo van before but, from what I have read on here they do tend to sit a lot at times... But just remember, the transportation industry in general involves a lot of "hurry up and wait"

vandriver2 · Oct 4, 2015

Qwaurk said:
I purchased a cargo van and signed on with Bolt Express after talking with recruiter and getting the line of 1,500-2,000 miles a week, and $5k-8k gross a month. Well, finished orientation Tuesday Sept. 29 and put myself in service and it's now five days later in Texas and nothing about a load. Already thinking of the best way to get rid of the van and get out. No money can be made sitting like that.

As a heads up for anyone doing research on them and coming across this post, here's information I was not privy to until after jumping in. Their map shows their busiest areas only being NC, SC, TN, WI, MI, IL, IN, KY or so. Also, most of their cargo van driving is night driving. I wasn't given that info previous. At orientation I was told that they lose 5-6 cargo vans a month and I suspect that it's due to no freight to make money.

Why advertise you need cargo vans and don't have enough freight to keep them moving?

Hi Qwaurk, I see that you're 41 and from San Antonio. Welcome to EO!
Hey, I signed on with Bolt March 2011. Have driven for them ever since. But, I didn't purchase my own vehicle right away and did ALOT of Research.
I was told about the same thing you were by the Recruiter and having driven TT prior and told by that recruiter I'd be earning 40K to Start and ended up only bringing home $550 per week at .25cpm. So, right there I took that to the bank as my schooling. Their job, with any Carrier, is to get you to Sign On. I understand that. They use AVERAGE numbers in the BEST scenario. They weren't willing to raise my cpm after 6 months of solo TT driving, so I left. I knew I had to find out things for myself next go round. Not solely through what I was told. So...at first with Bolt I team drove a Straight Truck for an Owner, then secondly I drove an Owner's Sprinter Van letting the Owner know up front of my future intentions of purchasing my own. I didn't purchase anything until I could see for myself after SEVERAL Months what my earnings would AVERAGE out to be as an Owner Operator. I quickly learned that I shouldn't look at what I earned in a week or a Month, but more like what I averaged over 3-6 months. Because the frequency and length of loads varied GREATLY in Expediting. It wasn't like in my Big Truck, 3 loads Preplanned at a time. In Expediting I learned that I could get 2 to 3 short, 150 to 200 mile loads in one day, or have a Michigan to Laredo Load and back and earn $2900, or sit for 2 Days anywhere OR choose to move on my own $ to a Larger, more Northern City. I could have a week where I only had 2 Loads total or 9 loads in 7 days....or only 4 loads in a slower month per week. I can have a week where I only earn $450 or a week where I earn $3200. So, I learned to AVERAGE out my Pay and then I saw it was adequate for my Personal Expenses and Sprinter Maintenance. At the most, over my 4 1/2 years with Bolt in a 3 Skid Sprinter that I've sat empty in Laredo is 4 days, 2 of those being Saturday and Sunday. That's pretty much the norm down there. I don't believe everything I'm told, never have. I listen, I retain the info, but I gather more info (talked to other Drivers and read and asked questions for hourssss for weeks on here, Expeditors Online prior to purchasing my Sprinter) and find out for myself. This site, if you read MANNNY of the Posts will offer a prosepective new driver Van Loads of information and Drivers are very willing to Share their knowledge and experience in Expediting. Like what Turtle and I AND many others share on Expeditors Online. Knowledge, Gut Instinct and Patience are your best friends in Expediting. If you expect or need consistency in pay, expediting may not be a good fit for you. I see that San Antonio is where you Live, so you're not far from Home! I hope this is helpful to you. - Lisa

Noname · Oct 4, 2015

Listen well to what those above have shared. Don't throw in the towel until you have learned more, from experience, about where to sit and wait and when to move, even on your own dime. I almost always took Laredo loads in a cargo van, but almost always got my sleep after delivery and if no load offers yet after that one day, left that same early evening for Houston or San Antonio. If no action there after a day, maybe two if area was alive, (not meaning I had to have a load, but at least have offers to know the area was alive), I headed out again toward east or northeast. Over the long averages (read Vandriver 2 again) the load to Laredo still paid well and I was getting loads in better areas while other drivers were still sitting in Laredo. Often because they thought it was a waste of their money to pay gas to move empty.........so instead they wasted several days or a week or two and couldn't understand that they would be earning money elsewhere if they sucked up the cost of moving as just part of the over all expenses of making a profit with a van.

xiggi · Oct 4, 2015

Sitting in texas for five days is typical with any company but you have to put it in perspective. One load out of there can easily get you 1500 miles and you suddenly have your miles for a week. There is no reason to leave after a day or two. In a van patience is the key to success. Many people have been successful with bolt and bailing the industry after a week is not a path you should take When did you arrive in Texas and what city are you in?

BillChaffey · Oct 21, 2015

I had two tours with Bolt. Took a load to Laredo and had a load out the next afternoon to Kentucky. If you find a recruiter who tells you the truth good luck. All in all they were fair to me, with a couple of exceptions.

Opel2010 · Nov 20, 2015

vandriver2 said:
Hi Qwaurk, I see that you're 41 and from San Antonio. Welcome to EO!
Hey, I signed on with Bolt March 2011 [....] Start and ended up only bringing home $550 per week at .25cpm.

$.25/mi in 2011??? Wow! 20 years ago I was getting 26 cpm driving a TT. Anyways, as you said, with Bolt you can make some nice bucks doing just shorties, 'cause unlike other carriers wannabe that gives you a short one per day or not even that, Bolt might get you 5 or 6 shorties in a single day. Well, I love long runs, I hate Minnie Mouse runs, but they're also a good income...

OntarioVanMan · Nov 20, 2015

That .25 maybe after all expenses what she cleared....I hope...

vandriver2 · Nov 20, 2015

Opel2010 said:
$.25/mi in 2011??? Wow! 20 years ago I was getting 26 cpm driving a TT. Anyways, as you said, with Bolt you can make some nice bucks doing just shorties, 'cause unlike other carriers wannabe that gives you a short one per day or not even that, Bolt might get you 5 or 6 shorties in a single day. Well, I love long runs, I hate Minnie Mouse runs, but they're also a good income...

Hi Opel, I was a new, just out of truck driving school driver and probably made a big mistake signing on as a Company Driver with one of the Top 5 Largest Trucking Co.'s in the US. In less than a year of being a Solo Company Driver I felt I'd proven myself and deserved much more that .25 cents. They offered .27. I said see Ya, and within 3-4 months had driven another Owners' Sprinter and then bought my own. I'm glad for all experiences and of course am retaining, renewing my Class A CDL. Never know if I might use it again in my lifetime. I let my Haz go, but kept my Dbl./Triple and Tanker's Endorsement.
The most short runs within 24 hours has been 4. Al in Michigan and gave me a Gross for that day of $600+. That works for me. Don't mind at all. Prefer a decent day of driving if I have my choice. Love to drive.