C/V's Dead?
- Thread starter splitload
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purgoose10
Veteran Expediter
No sense in getting all worked up cause it ain't gonna happen.
Hey All, new here to EO I run vans for 20 years and heard this for all of them we even run an AR. I run out of the north east to anywhere but focus on air freight boston to nyc and a van is priceless, thurs was dispatched to pick up 22lbs and no loading dock it was an office bldg BUT the discription was 11ftX6ft REALLY REALLY, when i made the pu the shipper had no idea were that came from, and got del to FAO SCHWARTZ in nyc thanx for having me
zero3nine
Veteran Expediter
I love this place,,,,u tell them Blizzard,,good write up IMHO Speaking of blizzards,,its real nice here in Grand Rapids, real nice,,,white stuff everywhere,,did I say snow.
Yeah.... what Blizzard said... nothing wrong with owning a Sprinter.... definitely more comfort for the driver. But the payments are bigger for sure. Maintenance is definitely more, weight capacity is less, many more cubic feet, better fuel mileage...
Just don't let a recruiter tell you what vehicle to buy. I spent 15 years dispatching air freight before I ever got in a truck. If anything, the need for cargo vans is greater now than it ever has been. Regional courier companies are struggling just to cover the daily van requests from Fedex, leaving them in short supply to cover their own customer's needs. Seems like every truck stop I pull into has a Panther van sitting there... Tons of CC vans at every airport. Plenty of them are not even extended length just like mine. I can legally haul 3516 pounds but rarely do I get that much weight. Usually its under 1500.
I guess my point is this: get the vehicle you can afford and make it work. If, after a year or two, you feel it's not big enough then evaluate your situation and make your next move. Recruiters aren't the right people to make that determination. The dispatchers are the ones who know what they need.
fired at you from my Droideka
If I did not come from SD and was like some of you guys back in the east..I could probably lose well over 200 lbs of "stuff" *L*....I'd be closer to 3,000 lbs legally...
after 6 years in a tuna can we figured we deserved some comfort....we had just sold our house in Canada and some some cash and made a good down payment, took it out over 48 mths and a 700 monthly payment..easy to handle...
the decision to go sprinter should not be taken lightly.
fortunately now there is so much more info on them out there and many more resources that makes it a bit easier to deal with....Once you've had large you can't take any less...
after 6 years in a tuna can we figured we deserved some comfort....we had just sold our house in Canada and some some cash and made a good down payment, took it out over 48 mths and a 700 monthly payment..easy to handle...
the decision to go sprinter should not be taken lightly.
fortunately now there is so much more info on them out there and many more resources that makes it a bit easier to deal with....Once you've had large you can't take any less...
I am beyond tired of being told who [or what ] I "hate" when there isn't an iota of truth to it.
I have no problem with vans or Sprinters, nor does any other straight truck o/o/driver I know. Unless you can haul 10 skids & 12k lbs, you're not competition for the loads I haul, just as I'm not competition for a t/t, or a reefer, because I can't haul their loads. So far, there's a need [and room] for all of us.
So where do you get this insight?
zero3nine
Veteran Expediter
I went from a Peterbilt to a cargo van. I don't regret it for a minute.
I know what you mean though.... when I got out of the straight truck and stepped into the Pete, I felt like I was literally living in a palace.
fired at you from my Droideka
Why September??
September is when French auto giant Peugeot unveils the Le Personnes Mouton LCV (large capacity van) in the United States. This van will not only be the death of the American slop bucket, but it will also be a Sprinter killer. With standard features like a fuel sipping 290 HP, high torque, V-6 diesel engine with an E.P.A. estimated fuel mileage of 36 mpg highway/28 mpg city, wine cooler, hand woven storage baskets, 4.876 meters of cargo space, luminous lumen, fancy faux Naugahyde seats and digital clock this new van is sure to be a hit among the expediting crowd.
Celebrity testimonials:
Claudine Longet, Actress: "I shot Spider Sabich, but I did not shoot Jean Claude Killy."
Greg Lemond, bicycle racer: "Yeah, I know my name is French sounding, but I ain't French. I hate those Frogs, but admit they make a great van. This van is perfect for peddlephiles like me. Plenty of room for all my bicycles, spare parts, spandex outfits and bedroom."
Spider Sabich, Olympic downhill racer: "I'm dead".
LOL! Leave it to zee French
Kinda like Chevy Chase's line, only different: "Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead!"
BAN THE VANhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generalíssimo_Francisco_Franco_is_still_dead#cite_note-2
I never would have bet I'd find a Spider Sabich reference in this place
LOL!!... Why would I see you as direct competition? You must talk to different drivers than I do. I hauled 20 full size skids last night. Friday I had 1 skid @ 350#. It paid my rate for all miles, deadhead and loaded. How can you be direct competition when my load opportunities are so much greater? Trust me, I don't hate you. I think those tinker toys look cute going down the road.
I don't think it is as dramatic as you suggest. I have yet to meet a driver of a straight truck who said he or she hates vans or van drivers. Nor have I met one who sees vans as direct competition. The closest I have seen was concern that developed among CR and DR-unit drivers when the BR vans first came out, but that has evaporated.
On the other hand, I have heard several van drivers voice views that straight trucks get "their" freight because carriers favor the straights. I don't believe that to be true either but a number of van drivers seem to.
When we get loads that are legitimately B or BR freight, it is not because we are favored over vans. It is because there are no vans in the area to cover the load.
Those loads don't find their way on our truck very often because we almost never run at B rates. Loads that offer good pay for B drivers are routinely declined in this CR truck. The simple fact is we would go broke fast if we ran at B rates, as would most drivers of straight trucks.
Falligator
Expert Expediter
Yup doing pretty good in my van with Exp 1 so far......
Posted with my Droid EO Forum App
Posted with my Droid EO Forum App
I suppose I should have diluted my statement with an "IMHO" which seems to be the popular thing to do lately which is a way to CYA in case a statement backfires like mine did...*L*
Every time I put 3 or 4 skids on I think of the poor straight driver that used to get this load....nope no competition..
Just one less load for a straight and multiply that by the number of 12 foot sprinters and now ya can add 16 foot sprinters as well...
You can still do the heavy lifting and multiple skids...Star....
No Problem...
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Yeah, that happens. But it could be argued that it's offset by the many times we haul small loads. I'm in Joplin after hauling 3 skids that weighed a total of 1040#. The perfect Sprinter load.
C'mon OVM, as a wise man once said, "C-C-Can't we all just get along?" Instead of promoting a devisive, combative atmosphere, let's all hold hands and sing "Cumbya" or some kind of crap like that. (Insert big, toothy smilie here.)
Looks like sprinter drivers have "dock high envy!" You can sure as heck haul 3-4 skids on your truck, but you will never measure up to the dock high status of the big boys! That being said, i'm pretty sure a start-up dock elevator company is sending sales people all throughout the country to explain the benefits of the dock elevator in regards to sprinter and cargo van loads. lol.
HATE THE STRAIGHT!!!
ALWAYS HAVE A "VAN DO" ATTITUDE!!!
HATE THE STRAIGHT!!!
ALWAYS HAVE A "VAN DO" ATTITUDE!!!
Hey Star...of course we can get along....we all know the way it works...