Cargo Van vs. Local Company Driver

winemaker3279 · May 22, 2003

I recently found this site and have read alot of past and current posts. I am currently driving tractor/trailer for a local company 6 nights a week and home every day. I live 30 minutes from Chicago. I am 32 and have a family at home. In 3 months my job is history. I have been thinking about becoming a cargo van driver running expedite freight. I want to get away from the "big truck" headaches. But, I need to know if this business is for me. So, here goes. Nobody fall out of their chair laughing! I would like to get home throughout the week and be home weekends. I don't mind running non-stop 2 or 3 days in a row. Does anyone know how many miles a cargo van driver can get running this way? I hear about "good" and "bad" weeks. What exactly are these for cargo van drivers? 500 miles? 2,000 miles? Also, what range of pay am I looking at. I have been talking with cargo van drivers on the road. Most of them say they go home whenever they want and make good money. Most are retired folks who don't want to run hard. I am young (sort of) and don't mind hard work. But I don't want to live in my van either. I want a family life as well. I am trying to figure out if I should get the van and try it, or, find another local company to run for. We get paid very well here and I really cannot find a local job that comes close to what we make. Knowledge is power and I have been trying to get as much info as possible before jumping into this profession. I am EXTREMELY thankful for this site and the people who post here!

M A WEBSTER · May 22, 2003

I would say to stay with a local company unless you have another source of income. I'm retired doing this just to keep busy. Some weeks are good other's not so good.There are just to many vans out there and not enough freight for a steady pay weekly pay check.Probley a lot of other driver would disagree with me, but i dont B.S any one just tell the truth.

winemaker3279 · May 22, 2003

Thanks for the reply. What do you consider a good week and a bad week to be for mileage?

KandS2 · May 22, 2003

I agree. If you have a decent paying local job, stay with it. I've had one good week this year (last week) and made $2156.00. I've had 5 weeks with no freight at all (so no pay at all). The rest of the weeks have been <$1000/week (sometimes much less). Now is definately not the time to get a cargo van, in my opinion.

Stay safe out there!

winemaker3279 · May 23, 2003

If most of your weeks are under $1000, why do you stay in it? It seems that of all the comments I have read on this site, 95% are negative concerning expedite freight. I can't understand why in my area (Chicago to Michigan), I see alot of expedite vehicles. Most of these are pretty new cargo vans. If people are not making money in this industry, why do they stay in it? The reason I'm looking for a change is that in 3 months my pay will most likely be cut in half. I would rather be my own boss making the same amount I am now, than to have to deal with managerial retards! I know the people on this site have been doing this awhile, and I value everyone's opinion. I'm just a little confused as to what is considered a decent week mileage-wise for a cargo van. I understand that needs vary from person to person, and that alot of cargo van drivers seem to be retired folks. What is considered an average year's gross income for cargo van owners? $40,000, $60,000, $80,000? If I can't meet my minimum money requirements in this field I have no choice but to stay running tractor/trailer as a company driver.

x06col · May 23, 2003

Winemaker:
The problem with not being able to get an answer for the questions
"How many miles a week will I get, how much can I gross a week?" is,
that they are impossible questions to answer. There are way too many variables. Seems to me your need, or want to be on the home front will be a definate disadvantage. As an example, most companys
cannot poop freight, just because you are ready to run. What will happen if you sit from monday to thursday with out a load offer and,
on thursday you are offered a load, say from the windy to Las vegas.
Ain't no way you're gonna be home for that ballgame on Saturday. As far as "running non stop for 2-3 days" most likely it won't happen,
because, there are checks and balances for the freight when you are in the mix with numerous other drivers. You cannot plan this job around you're life.

winemaker3279 · May 23, 2003

Ok, x06col, I see what you mean. I guess I just figured that when you went back on the board after the weekend, enough loads were present to take off each Monday. I have been told by Panther II and Express One, that, Chicago was a good place to live by beacuse of the amount of freight for cargo vans. I know how recruiters tell you everything you want to hear just to get you into the door. Here is another question. Why do these companies keep putting on more and more vehicles if the freight is not out there? So far, the only exception has been Conway Now. They told me that they were not going to add any cargo vans until MAYBE the end of July. They said they don't want too many vehicles and no freight to move them.

catfish · May 24, 2003

i used to drive for con-way now and was generally happy with them. i left the business a year ago for family reasons, but if i were to ever go back on the road i would probably give them a call. anyway, i never had any problem getting freight out of chicago since that was about our best area. but if you are going to make money, you will have to forget the "home every weekend" idea. with freight rates being what they are now, you must maximize loaded miles and minimize deadhead miles. for example, if you take a load 600 miles at 80 cents a mile and end up driving home empty, you just made 40 cents a mile. figure your deadhead miles to the pickup and you have even less. if you figure all expenses, it costs between 30-40 cents per mile to operate. so you just drove 1200 miles for free. i used to stay out 2,3,4 weeks at a time if i didn't end up within a reasonable distance from the house when the weekend came around. remember, a cargo van generally has a service life of 500-600,000 miles, and if you borrow for 5 years like many do, you better run 100k max per year or you will be making payments on a used-up machine while spending a fortune to make repairs on the road. maybe i was fortunate that i got out when i did, i hear a lot of doom and gloom lately. i made good money when i did it, but it sounds like that is a thing of the past. i will say this though, i have never loved a job like i did when i was an expediter. i've seen a lot of places and met a lot of great people. you have to love expediting to deal with the downfalls, or you'll want to shoot yourself. think it over wisely, and talk to as many expediters as you can before you make the jump. best of luck to you, catfish

winemaker3279 · May 24, 2003

Thanks catfish! Alot of valuable info I'm getting here. My entering this industry is hinged on one thing. Will I be able to get my minimum mileage per week or not. I have been doing ALOT of research and number crunching. Expenses, maintainence, and other fiscal variables have I looked at. I have somewhat of an idea as to how many miles I need each week. But this is all based on running for a company that pay by the mile. Maybe Express One that pays .85 per mile. That is great...if I get my mileage minimum. As far as other companies that pay percentage go, I don't believe I want to get started that way. There seems to be way too much flex in the rates for me to be comfortable with.

In a state of confusion...

newthead · May 25, 2003

Hey winemaker,
Just a question, what kind of headaches are you referring to about big rigs. I am considering OTR trucking as a start before going expediting. I am single with no kids or anything so I know I can be out for a while regardless of if its in a van or KW T-600. I know it's definately more of a challenge in an 18 wheeler(I have driven one with 53' van for a trial afternoon)so I want to get some input from those who have done it. BTW- I live in Oregon and would drive mostly in the West(if that helps at all)Anyone at all, not just Winemaker please offer up a response.

thanks,
Sean

Marty · May 26, 2003

Hi Winemaker,
You asked " if most weeks are under $1,000, why do you stay with it?". I can't speak for others but I can tell you why I have not quit yet.
Before starting expediting 6 years ago I drove an eighteen wheeler. All I have ever done to make a living is to drive. For me to start a new career in my fifties whould be very hard.
Last year I had to replace my aging van with a new one. I chose a Freightliner Sprinter. My payments are around $800 a month. Business has deminished sharply in the last year to where I am in trouble financially. I basically have two choices now. I can leave expediting and go back to driving an eighteen wheeler but it would be very hard to find a decent job doing that. The economy has also hurt the trucking industry and since I haven't driven an eighteen wheeler in 6 years many companies regards this as if I have had no experience. If I did take a job driving an eighteen wheeler(or any other job, for that matter) I would still have to pay over $800 a month for my van payment plus any additional expences such as insurance,etc. If I would take home after taxes $500 a week, after deducting nearly $250 a week for van expenses, where would that leave me?
My other choice is to try to hold on, hoping that things get better in the expediting industry to the point where I can once again make a decent living doing it.

captain · May 26, 2003

Hi Winemaker, Chicago area would be a good place to get loads, I always get loads when I deliver to that area. I run a van out of the Detroit area, which is another hub area. This year has not been real
busy for me, I'm down about 20% from what I did last year. Last year I
ran 98,000 miles and grossed just over $50,000. I took off a total of six weeks for vacation during the year, so as far as I'm concerned, it was a good year. There are good and bad weeks, and good and bad months in this business, with January and July usually being the slowest. Usually the second and the last weeks of the month are the busiest. The best thing is to save some bucks when things are busy, then you can coast through the slow times. Also, keep your expenses down, if you eat in resturants and go to motels every night, you can cut into the profits real fast. I have a good heater and a folding bed with a good sleeping bag and that works well in the winter. If it really gets cold, I go to a motel, but not very often. I only stayed
about 3 or 4 nights in motels last winter. I keep a cooler with a weeks worth of meals and I use one of those 12 volt heaters to warm them up, so about the only thing I buy on the road is coffee.
Good luck,
Captain

x06col · May 26, 2003

Winemaker:
C'mon let us know what your minimum mileage is!! Do you need
1000, or 2000, or, 3000 loaded miles??? (loaded) Per what?? week,
month?? Throw some numbers out here, I'm sure the van operators will
be able to "enlighten" you.

winemaker3279 · May 27, 2003

Sorry...I have been away for a few days. Here are all of my replies. To newthead: "big truck" headaches for me are 1. Running a log book. I just got a ticket 2 weeks ago because the D.O.T. officer didn't like the fact that my home terminal address was not on one of the carbon copies. Even though I run from the same address EVERY night. 2. SCALES!! I needn't say more. 3. Speed laws. I run MI. 70 for cars, 55 for big trucks. Like most drivers, the faster I can turn a load, the more money I make. 4. Much more difficult to move a truck through traffic. These are some of my complaints. Everyone has there own way of looking at things. This is mine. Plain and simple...I'm tired of it. To captain: Thanks for the reply. You have given me an indicator to work with. What type of heater do you run? To x06col: Sorry, I failed to state that before. If I have figured out most of my expenses correctly, I would need to run about 1700 miles per week. But I'm not sure if I have all of the expenses that I will incur. One question I have is about insurance. What types do you need on a cargo van? As for the rest, I think I have them covered.

In a state of confusion...

captain · May 29, 2003

I use one of those old Coleman catalytic heaters that I've had for years, it burns the liquid camp fuel. It will raise the temperature in the van 25 or 30 degrees higher than what is is outside and you have to open the windows a little to let in some fresh air. I don't think they make those heaters anymore, but I'm sure you can find used ones around. I've seen heaters in marine stores that use an alcohol fuel and put out 5000 btu's so those would work just as well. West Marine, or Boat U/S stores would carry them.

Captain

winemaker3279 · May 30, 2003

I have not seen any such heater that takes the coleman fual. I do have a heater that uses a propane bottle that is used for camping. I'm just a little concerned about using it inside a van. What about summers? I know it has to be very expensive to run a van with air conditioning all night. Are there any alternatives?

The best defense is a good offense...thank GOD I'm offensive!!!