Confessions of A Newbie - Introduction

[w8tamin]

The archives here at EO contain a plethora of important and useful info to help potential newbies to expediting make informed decisions on whether or not a job in this field would be a good career move.

Unfortunately, EO has done such a good job at developing this site that currently there are volumes of info. that have been complied over a few years and it's very time consuming to review although I personally believe it's worth the effort.

I went through this process recently and I though it might be helpful if I contributed my experiences, as they are very recent. My thought process and experiences are only one example of one persons journey and aren't even necessarily typical but hopefully some will find useful.

Let me say in advance that I hope you all will accept this info in the spirit it's offered as hopefully an attempt at being helpful and a document that contributes to the overall well being of this expediting field.

I'll do this in several posts so I don't bore some and overwhelm the EO servers.

Introduction:

I'm a 55-year-old married father of five with three kids still at home and in Middle School. I live in on the Seacoast of New Hampshire and have no formal education. I served my country in Vietnam and I've worked at everything from being a farmhand to a VP in a small community hospital. I mention all this because I feel I fit the profile of a typical baby boomer and bring a diverse background in life’s experiences to this process.

I earned a CDL - A with all endorsements in 1993 after attending a formal tractor-trailer school. I went out OTR in a trainer truck with a major carrier right after graduation. A month into my OJT my wife decided that she couldn't handle things at home alone (3 kids under 5) and I terminated my commercial driving career.

The kids are all teenagers now and well on their way to becoming independently functioning units so my love of driving once again rose to the surface.

I started researching trucking careers again and found that because I hadn’t driven under my CDL recently (most companies require schooling or experience within the last 60 days) that either I wasn’t qualified to be hired or I would need to first redo my training.

My first CDL School had cost around 5k and most trucking companies required you to sign a contract of indebted servitude for a minimum of one year after training to qualify for their re-training programs. If you quit, cannot pass their training course, or get fired, you owe the entire fee for training which in most cases is a minimum of $3500. I did find one company Millis Transfer that only charges $500 but the other major carriers were 3500 plus!

Well, I didn’t want to burden my family with another debt like that so even though I had been accepted by Schneider [http://www.schneider.com/] and CR England [http://www.crengland.com/home/index.jsp] nd had training start dates I started looking around on the Internet for other opportunities in trucking.

 

[w8tamin]

. Everywhere the theme was the same “needs experience”.

One of the areas that looked like it might be interesting was delivering RV’s and Utility Vehicles for manufacturers. I looked around on the Internet for RV chat rooms and found several. I started asking RV owners if they new anything about how their RV got from where it was manufactured to them? One of the replies I got was from a guy in Canada who used to run expediting vans. He took the time to do the math for me on delivering RV’s and between him and many others that responded who had actually done this kind of work.

I decided it wasn’t for me and in my opinion after thorough research, RV delivery is for two types of people…those who have enough money to live on and just want to travel or those who want to live on the road permanently and don’t have a mortgage or family who require them to be home routinely.

Anyone interested in this division of the trucking/transportation industry should visit [http://www.horizontransport.com/opportunities.htm] or [http://www.qualitydriveaway.com/recruiting.htm] I found these companies to be typical and Horizon has a function on their website that allows you to calculate earnings.

The former van expediter from Canada also told me about EO and expediting. Expediting was something I had never heard about until then. He explained to me a little of the history especially about how expediting apparently got started within the auto industry and the need for critical deliveries in other industries.

Basically my understanding is this, in the old days either an auto manufacturer made some or all of the parts required to make a vehicle as well as doing the assembly, or at least they warehoused and inventoried most of the parts well in advance of a production run.

Over the years it became more economical to contract out most if not all of the parts manufacturing. Because of the high cost of real estate to warehouse and the labor costs involved with inventorying, both the manufacturers and the assembly plants associated with the auto industry decided they would try having the parts made a few days before the assembly date and then delivered from the manufacturer to the assembly plant literally on the day they were needed in the car that as it was being built.

As is the case with most manufacturing sometimes there are shortages of raw materials or a malfunction with equipment, something that results in some parts not being available the day the scheduled delivery truck backs up to collect the parts for delivery to the assembly plant. Of course without the parts, some body’s car is not going to get finished and that’s just not acceptable in an assembly line environment.

So the manufacturers need to get whatever parts didn’t make the first scheduled pick up to the assembly plant ASAP and at whatever the cost, because there are extreme penalties including cancellation of a contract if you fail to provide whatever parts are needed.

Tadah...the birth of a formal expediting trucking industry or at least the rapid growth of expediting because I'm told that since the beginning of trucking there has always been some requirement for and companies that provided rapid emergency delivery services. But because of the success of inventory less manufacturing in the auto industry the shift of this concept to other major industries has created the rapid growth and the opportunity for new companies and personnel in expediting

 

[w8tamin]

After learning a little about this industry and thinking that because this was a relatively young industry. The opportunities were endless and it looked like there were even entry-level opportunities where that dreaded "E" (experience) word didn't mean I was disqualified before I even applied.

One very important note should be made here and observed by all regarding qualifying for and working in over the road trucking, expediting, or virtually any other driving job especially one regulated by the CDL laws.

B E H O N E S T

Be honest on the applications, be honest in the interviews and be honest with yourself. I don't know how many horror stories could have been avoided. But too many get attributed to our industry unfairly because of the untruthfulness of people involved in this industry.

It's also not just applicants, newbies, or experienced drivers who should heed this warning. Owners, recruiter, dispatchers, even law enforcement contribute to the perception that trucking and the people in it are second-class citizens. We all need to understand that to gain respect, to improve the public’s perception of our industry it has to begin internally and with ourselves. I think one area we can all contribute is in the honesty department. It's not only dishonest to lie on an application in many cases it's a felony especially where a CDL is involved.

Applicants and newbies please understand now especially after 911 you might think you can fool some one by trying to minimize or hide some transgression involving either your driving record or your criminal background but sooner or later these past incidents are going to surface and you have nobody to blame but yourself if it causes you distress.

No matter how bad you want to drive, the rule is simple, find out what the regulations and requirements are, not only the companies requirements but also state and federal law as well! You might meet the companies minimum requirements as far as your driving record but you might not qualify because of other things like your credit history if you need to be bonded, or domestic problems like child custody or support. You might even meet federal and state regs but find the companies are even stricter. Things you might not think are a big deal but could bite you in the butt down the road. There are several requirements that most people aren’t even aware of and you need to be thorough, ask questions and check out everything carefully!

There’s no need to be paranoid but a little time spent in the beginning can you save you a ton of money and aggravation down the road. Another area where too many people get burnt is this truck purchase and/or lease arrangement, the contract for training or the contract for leasing on with a company or owner operator. If your teaming I would even suggest a contract between co-drivers.

Caveat Emptor..

That means by all means unless you’re already a lawyer and accountant…. spend the money to have everything reviewed by both before signing anything… but more on the specifics down the road!

 

[w8tamin]

First, I will say, that I while I understand the need for it, I really hate one practice utilized by almost every trucking company/carrier, especially by their recruiters.

Telling people they are approved and to come on down before they have actually done anything more than the preliminary review of an applicants qualifications.

Because of the high turnover rate in this business they all need bodies. It’s a numbers game, the more bodies you put through the system, the better the chance you’ll get a few qualified out the other end.

Having said that, applicants need to be wary; there are carriers and owners who will sign you up before they have actually qualified you. One reason is because there are hundreds of people who apply and commit to the process and then just don’t show up.

These carriers usually don’t get very far into the qualifying process until you actually show up at their door even though you might have been led to believe your good to go from the get go!

It costs them money to process all these background checks and in their defense it doesn’t make sense to do it before a body actually shows up. I just with they would state that in advance.

In 1993 when I when I was in CDL school, and again this February going thru orientation with a carrier, there were people who got washed out because there records weren’t clean enough.

It does happen so again find out what’s expected and qualify yourself. Also make sure when you go to any orientation bring a copy of every piece of paper that has anything to do with your ability to corroborate your past.

When I went to orientation with a major carrier in February, their recruiter, on the phone, told me they are only concerned with the last three years of my life which he reviewed and told me I was “all set”.

When I actually got to their orientation they wanted to know the details on everything I had ever done since I turned 18….I’m 55…fortunately I brought my life’s history with me and I wasn’t worried but there were a few who couldn’t document or remember where they were or what they were doing or worse either faked it or lied out right needless to say some of those people I didn’t see again.

I’ve seen situations where a driver got hired and has driven for months and then the company finds something and they are terminated. Most not all but most expediting companies do a lot of deliveries back and forth into Canada. So you need to be qualified to enter Canada. Canadian laws are different from American; something in Canada might be a felony while in the US it’s only a misdemeanor or vice-versa.

One example I think is domestic abuse in the US some forms are just a misdemeanor while in Canada it’s much worse. Some of the carriers that go to Canada will expect you to get “FAST PASS” qualified. This means a background check, by both the FBI and the Canadian Mounties. It can take 6 months to complete so know who you are and what’s in your past and ask questions, get things out of the way right away.

Helpful Sites for Pre-Qualifying yourself

Federal Motor Carrier Rules & Regs. for CDL Drivers

[http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rulesregs/fmcsrhome.htm]



Bonding Issues

[http://www.michigan.gov/emi/0,1303,7-102-115_18416_18420-21154--CI,00.html]

Reports on the Trucking Industry (old but still useful)

[http://eres.bus.umich.edu/docs/workpap/wp01-016.pdf]

[http://www.ilir.umich.edu/sweatshopsonwheels/LetItBePalletized.pdf]

Dreaded DAC (driving records)

[http://www.usis.com/commercialservices/transportation/ContactUs.htm]

Credit Reports

[http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/money/fair-credit/fair-crd.htm]

Joint USA/Canada FAST PASS

[http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/E/pub/cp/rc4317/rc4317-e.html]

[http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/E/pub/cp/rc4317/]

[http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/E/pbg/cf/e673/]

[

 

[w8tamin]

For you new folks these are some of your options….

You can buy your own vehicle and get your own authority, which means you, become a mini-trucking company. I won’t go into the details here because I’ve never done it and other people on this forum have and have discussed it in great detail. But once you’re all set-up with all the permit’s, licenses, insurance etc. you can go out on the road and try to get work yourself either by going thru brokers, contacting companies directly or you can lease onto a major carrier like one of those listed here on EO. Or if you really have a death wish, some combination of all of these

You can also find some one who owns a truck and is looking for drivers. Some truck owners don’t even have a driver’s license. They will just buy trucks as an investment and hire drivers and then lease the truck and the drivers onto one of the major carriers. Some truck owners drive one of their own trucks and lease others or any combination of the above.

A typical scenario is where a truck owner will tell you where to pick up their truck and then where to drop it off when your contract ends. Some truck owners and drivers never meet in person; everything is communicated electronically by phone, fax, and email etc. You have to pass the owners hiring criteria plus the carriers. Then the carrier finds and assigns the work to the truck.

Be sure you understand that in most of these scenarios which are very typical, drivers, who are not owners themselves, have the responsibility for communicating with the carrier for the loads, making the pick ups and deliveries and doing all the necessary paperwork and submitting it, getting the truck maintenance, buying fuel, paying fines, etc; but the owner is the one who will get paid by the carrier, for everything the truck earns. Then depending on the terms of your contract with the trucks owner they distributes the money that’s owed back to you.

Many new drivers don’t understand that in some cases you won’t get your first check from the trucks owner until weeks after you’ve done the work. In this case, which again is probably typical, you need enough cash to pay for fuel, tolls, living expenses etc. for at least a few weeks if not more.

In my opinion the 4 biggest pitfalls for newbies in this business are

1. Buying a truck before you have actually worked in the business for at least 6 months.

2. Leasing a truck before you have actually worked in the business for at least 6 months. (not the same as leasing onto a carrier)

3. Getting your own authority before you have actually worked in the business for at least 6 months.

4. Using your Comcard to take cash advances. (The carrier will issue you a company comcard, for all intents and purposes it a credit card, which the owner can authorize the carrier to put money on. You can then use the money on the comcard as cash advances at a truck stop to purchase stuff.

The problem is…its credit…..your spending money in most cases before you’ve even made it. Most drivers who fall into this trap never recover, because, whenever you finally receive a check, all the previous weeks cash advances will be taken out of it and if there is anything left it’s minimal, which makes it necessary to start borrowing against it all over again and it’s a vicious cycle that never ends.

I compare it to loan sharking…...the interest is so high you never get to pay down the principal, which causes the debt to escalate out of control. Do not be fooled by this trap…..comcards and cash advances when used properly in say only emergencies are a useful tool….but using it too offset a lack of cash flow initially or every week is a sure way to fail! Some truck owners use the Comcard as a routine way for their drivers to pay for fuel.....in my opinion unless the owner is re-embursing you for fuel it's a mistake for a driver to do this.....if you are responsible for paying for fuel by the terms of the contract you negotiated...... use a regular credit card in your own name....try to budget things so you can pay off the charges for fuel on your credit card before you get billed any interest...in this way it's a interest free loan and you can keep on trucking.....

Going Trucking

A typical scenario is as follows: you negotiate a contract over the phone with a truck owner. You send signed copies back and forth thru the mail. You pre-qualify over the phone with the carrier.

The owner tells you where to pick up the truck. You pick up the truck and then drive to whatever carrier the truck owner has leased the truck to. You attend the carrier’s orientation usually two to three days. You successfully complete orientation and jump in your truck and wait for your first load offer that comes over the computer in the truck that you’ve been trained on how to use in orientation, normally you’ll get a follow- up phone call and possibly do a little negotiating back and forth as to rate per mile, deadhead pay, layover pay, board position after delivery, fuel surcharge rate, etc.

You accept the load and it’s conditions and you set out to pick up the load and then deliver it following all the carriers, truck owners, shippers, consignees, state and federal rules and regulations.

Once the load is delivered you complete the necessary paperwork, put the paperwork in a pre-addressed carriers envelope keeping a copy for yourself and sending one to the truck owner. ASAP, you deposit the carrier’s envelope into a trip-box at a truck stop and you mail the truck owners paperwork to them at a post office or fax it to them at a truck stop.

Most carriers have a cut-off for paperwork. In other words, you have to get the paperwork for the current week into a trip-box by Thursday so the carrier receives it by Monday. The carrier normally takes a week to process the paperwork so the truck owner gets paid the following Friday. The truck owner has the ability to monitor the trucks physical location, the carriers processing of any paperwork generated by that truck and any activity between his drivers and the carriers. The truck owner can do this either by phone or by computer. All the drivers can access is any recent communication between themselves and the carrier that has been done over the in-truck computer.

As in most situations in life your level of success depends a lot on the your understanding of the process, (pay close attention at orientation) your own personal skills in developing relationships with in-house carrier personnel and the truck owner. Positive grooming of these relationships goes a long way in determining how much additional information

Many of the carriers you lease onto will not own any trucks themselves they just provide truck owners with the work through contracts they develop with companies or by bidding on business they find on the load boards. The simple explanation for load boards is they are like EBAY….. companies themselves or brokers representing companies that need freight moved, post the load online, then carriers and truck owners bid on moving it.

Coming Soon

Once you feel you’re qualified, its time to get serious, choose which carrier and which owner you'd like to work for, negotiate a contract and apply.

This is the actual story of how I did it............

 

[Numero_uno]

w8tamin,
You are absolutely correct. The big push in expediting did come from the auto industry, and the main reason was the Japanese were cleaning their clocks. They were able to produce complete auto assemblies in Japan and pay the cost to ship them to the USA and still make a huge profit. That was the Genesis of Expediting! The Japanese were utilizing an American manufacturing phylosphy called J.I.T. "Just in Time manufacturing", which didn't require the significant cost of stocking large inventories. Kind of embarrassing that they beat us at our own game, isn't it?

However, one thing the good ole USA doe's not lack is people with an entrepreneurial mindset. Take this Forum we are on right now for instance. Lawrence found a need, gave it considerable thought and found a way to satisfy it!

God, I love this contry, and good ole capitalism!!!!

Oh yeah! Keep up the good work Lawrence!!!!!!!!!

 

[pelicn]

w8tamin....

EXCELLENT EXCELLENT EXCELLENT!!!

This posting has taken you considerable time and energy to put together and as one of the "newbies" It is definately appreciated! I'm axiously awaiting the "rest of the story"

Thanks so much!:7 :7

 

[Tony]

WOW!!!!! You will succeed at not only expediting but anything you decide to try. That is an excellant post!

 

[w8tamin]

After very carefully reviewing how my own personal history seemed to favorably compare to the requirements at most of the carriers. I set out to see if I could locate an owner who would be willing to work with me on my lack of Experience issue.

My first stop was at the EO Classifieds where I looked around but I was hesitant to actually put out any feelers. I can’t say why, I guess I just didn’t want any bad news. To actually post a resume or answer an ad and then get shot down would have been devastating at that point.

In retrospect that was stupid. I’ve answered several ads since and found most correspondence even when it didn’t lead to job to be part of the learning process. So to anyone who feels hesitant….jump in and browse these EO classifieds and who knows what you will find.

One other area I would suggest everyone consider is the recruiter at each carrier. They have lists of truck owners looking for drivers and know a little about each one and get be a good resource to check with. In my case I got real lucky because there was a truck owner who had posted on an EO forum that he was having trouble finding a co-driver. I sent him a message and explained my situation, we emailed back and forth and both felt that while the situation wasn’t ideal we were both willing to make some concessions and we agreed to give it a try.

He was willing to train me if I was willing to commute the 750 miles from NH to Detroit. Now this isn’t really as bad as it sounds because my plan was to stay out on the road for 6 weeks at a time and then drive home for a 10-day stay. He would stay out 3 weeks and then go home for a long weekend during which time I would run the truck solo.

Now trying to follow my own god advice I asked the owner if he would send me a copy of his contract. His response was, why don’t we wait until after you qualify with the carrier and then you and I will negotiate a special contract because of the special circumstances. Now I wanted this to work real bad and he sounded like a great guy so I agreed. My bad, number one, but more on that later.

Anyway the next step was for me to contact the carrier my new truck owner friend had leased his truck with and see if they would accept me. I sent their recruiter an email detailing my history and my tentative agreement with one of their owners and that contact started the ball rolling. They asked me for three years history and I sent them ten. A few days later they called and said I was all set and that I could go through orientation on February 1 2004.

One thing I should mention here is the checklist of things I went over before leaving for orientation. One thing to keep in mind for CDL driving jobs is that you must provide a record of at least the last ten years of you life. There can be no gaps. If you were on unemployment you need the exact dates and a notarized letter stating these facts is required.

Although I brought my own letter the carrier also would have provided this notary service for me. If you have gaps where you weren’t working and not on unemployment it’s very mandatory to have notarized letters or contact information for anyone who can verify this. Neighbors, friends, lawyers, bankers, community leaders etc.

Copies of your tax returns are one of the best ways to document your work history. If you had periods of self employment bring copies of letters from your lawyer and accountant verifying this. I also bring copies of any advertisements, bank statements, and invoices from places I did business with and also a representative list of customers you provided services for, including names, addresses and phone numbers. Better to have all this stuff with you and not need it then to be asked to verify something 500 miles from home and being unable to do so very easily.

Another area of concern especially for us older folks is your medical history. Check out the link for the FMCSA above for current eligibility minimums for blood pressure, eyesight, hearing, etc. One guy at my orientation showed up with his wife as a co-driver with a beautiful truck he had leased from a truck owner and he failed the BP test twice! I never heard what happened but he was told to he would have to drive the 1000 miles back home and get treated by his physician and lower his BP before he could return and redo orientation.

Anyway, make sure you have all your supporting documentation with you when you show up at orientation.

Another thing you should negotiate with the truck owner is who pays for expenses associated with orientation. Remember every penny counts. Most truck owners will pay at least a portion of your hotel expenses in addition to physical and orientation charges. Each carrier’s policy is different but the carrier I went with charged hundreds of dollars, it wasn’t free.

In my case the truck owner and I shared the costs for the hotel and training and if I stayed with him a certain period of time, he would cover 100%. Get it in writing and into your negotiated contract. After all the truck owner has a vested interest in you successfully completing this portion of the process as well. Again, you don’t want to work a few weeks and expect a check and then find that orientation expenses offset all your earnings.

Orientation is similar with every carrier regardless of which one you chose. It’s basically an introduction into the policies and procedures to ensure everyone gets paid and each party understands what their responsibility is. Again, some of it’s boring, the days are long, but your level of success at least initially will be determined by how much you learn in these first two or three days. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, remember the dumbest question is the one you never got answered or something like that.

My orientation involved getting up at 5am each day, getting some breakfast at the hotel and waiting for a shuttle bus to transfer you from the hotel to the carriers training facility.
Once there I received an initial doctrinarian into why they felt they were the best company in the business and why you were the best drivers on the planet.

A typical scenario is: report to the carriers facility, have coffee, meet the first sessions instructor and start filling out all the paperwork. These carriers need to get each applicants information as quickly as possible and corroborate all of it during the few days you are at orientation. Then you sit through hour after hour of policy and procedure presentations. Log books, carrier paperwork, carrier philosophy, etc. etc. My carrier provided coffee and donuts in the AM and a fairly decent lunch everyday.

One note on filling out the paperwork. The quicker you get it filled out and turned in that first day the quicker you get all your paperwork and out on the road the last day. It’s first in first out and the last people to turn in their paperwork in my class had to come back an extra morning because the secretaries hadn’t gotten all there stuff checked out.

Again, pay attention, these sessions however boring contains most of the information required to successfully operate your truck and make money. I say most because there is a reason companies don’t like to hire inexperienced people. They make mistakes until they learn the ropes and some stuff you can only learn from trial and error or from actually doing the deed.

For example after orientation I co-drove with my trucks owner for a week and then he went home for a week for personal reasons. I was out there solo. I found I had become to dependent on him making all the decisions and some stuff I wasn’t prepared for.

Just about anybody can drive a truck form point A to point B back it up to a dock, have it loaded or unloaded and leave. Now the fun starts, lets say you just unloaded in Chicago and you’re out of hours and need your 10-hour break. Out of hours means out of hours it doesn’t mean you can drive around to get fuel, something to eat, or a place to park the truck for the night.

The toughest thing for me at first was finding a safe and legal place to park overnight. There are no truck stops in downtown Chicago or the immediate suburbs. Almost every company parking lot is posted no overnight parking that includes Wal-Mart’s, BK’s Mickey D’s etc. There are roving patrols of security guards everywhere that will throw you out and there is no parking on the side of the roads or exits. I purchased every truck-stop guide I could find and this was still a major problem in many areas until I learned one trick.

Use the books, maps, the CB etc. and have a plan ahead of time. Pay attention on the way into the shippers or consignee’s location and look for the closest truck stops, keep track of the highway and exit numbers so it’s a straight shot to fuel or overnight parking. Even if you aren’t out of hours, remember there are many factors that determine where you can park a truck overnight or get fuel. Whenever that truck is rolling it costs someone money and driving around looking for truck stops can eat up a lot of time and money. The carrier I worked for required you to be within 50 miles of where they assigned you to wait for the next load. So whether you’re out in the prairie or in the city 50 miles isn’t much leeway and if you out of hours it a real hassle finding the right place to stop.

This is just one example of the little things you never think of or at least I didn’t until I got a little E.

 

[w8tamin]

Another note: As I said in my case it was necessary for me to drive the 750 miles from NH to the truck owners home base near Detroit. He was very accommodating and provided a place for me to park my personal vehicle and we both drove to the carriers location in the his D unit. Afterwards I learned that the carrier also provided a small lot for extended stay parking for drivers as a last resort. Something to keep in mind as an option if you end up in a situation similar to mine.

I wouldn’t recommend doing things my way but I was on a mission. In case your wondering about logging the 750 miles back and forth…I asked the logging expert at my carriers and they said I’d have to log driving time in my personal vehicle coming to the truck but not the drive back home. Don’t quote me on the any legal issues in any of my story but if it was good enough for the carrier in this case it was ok for me to. After all they can get audited by the DOT as well as a driver in fact I think they do as a matter of routine so if my logs in their possession passed their review I gotta think it was ok legally.

On with the show….I passed the physical, I passed all the carriers checks, and I was good to go. Of course there were to other checks that were still in process and I wouldn’t learn the results of those for months. i.e. the Fast Pass and some other Canadian/Auto Manufacturer Border crossing pass.

I got cleared from the carrier on the last day, the truck owner picked me, we went on duty and headed for the closest truck stop to wait to be offered a load as a team which hopefully meant long miles and big bucks.

More on going on duty, my carrier had a process where you either called into dispatch and/or and sent a “canned message” over the in truck computer every time your duty status changed. A canned message is like “I’m going on vacation be back next Thursday at 6pm”. Canned messages are used for everything from vacation, to arrived at shipper, left shipper, sleeping do not disturb etc. Saves everyone a lot of time and aggravation.

Truckers have varying degrees of expertise with computers and rather then expecting each driver to type line after line of text most carriers have shorthand codes built into the system that everyone understands….another lesson you learn in orientation…..just punch in say a #6 canned message enter the date and time of your return and the carrier knows your out of service and when you are expected back.

Load offers can be wonderful things or they can be a real nightmare. Expediting means to execute promptly so the whole load offer transaction with my carrier has a time limit of 15 minutes. Lets say the dispatcher sees a load pop up on the load board going from Pawtucket RI to Laredo Texas and it weighs 10,500 pounds. It’s ready to be picked up now at Noon and needs to be in Laredo by midnight tomorrow night. The first thing he does is look at his carriers truck positioning board to see if he has a truck the right size close to Pawtucket RI. He finds his closest truck is me sitting in Portland Maine approximately 2 hours away.

Now my truck is contracted at $1.25 per mile so he knows he can make some money if he can get me to do this load and if the shipper/broker really needs the stuff expedited he’s probably going to agree to a standard rate. He also knows that if things don’t happen quickly he might lose the load to another expediting carrier who is also bidding on the load. He calls the shipper/broker to find out how much money is in the load i.e. what are they willing to spend. Almost simultaneously he’s calling me on the phone to see if I want the load? Note: if your getting paid $1.25 per mile then don't forget the carrier is making money too and he's probably charging the shipper/broker $2.40 per mile...these are just guesstimates don't tell your disptcher you know he's getting $2.40 for that load from Pawtucket to Laredo cause w8tamin said so.....

Now here’s another place where experience comes into play and it’s not something that you can be taught in orientation. You the driver have to decide if you want to drive to Laredo. Maybe the ride down to Laredo because its high mileage is a decent run but you know getting out of there is a problem for two reasons 1. There aren’t many loads out of Laredo and 2. Most of the freight out of the south lately has been at $1.00 per mile. The other thing is getting around Boston and into Providence at noontime is a difficult because of the traffic. Other factors are what is the speed limits in each state you’ll be driving through, what’s the fuel cost in each state, what’s the weather going to be like, does the shipper and consignee get you in and out? How much deadhead is there and how many miles will be paid and at what rate. After you deliver the load will they give you a number one position on the board meaning you get first refusal on the first load coming out of Laredo. (Normally the first truck into Laredo gets offered the first load out but this isn’t always the case….sometimes people learn how to finagle the bagel so to speak. Is the shipper paying a fuel surcharge and is it .02 per mile or .11 per mile. Fuel surcharge is a fee paid above the rate per mile to help offset the difference in the fluctuation in fuel prices. The drivers should receive 100% of the fuel surcharge if they are paying for fuel….this doesn’t get split 60/40 with the truck owner like the rest of the trucks income, again depending on your negotiated contract. How many loads have you turned down recently? Are there normally better loads out of your location if you wait? What’s your position on your carriers board etc. etc.

As you gain experience you get better at factoring in all these issues but as a newbie I just look at yahoo were going to Texas

Anyway all this stuff has to be decided and negotiated in 15 minutes and sometimes less because if the dispatcher gives you the entire 15 minutes and you turn down the load now he has to waste another 15 minutes on the next truck and so on. Again as you get more experience you will learn which loads are a slam-dunk and which ones if you have a choice to stay away from.

You’ll also feel more comfortable negotiating with your dispatcher which sometimes requires demanding more then they are offering initially. Sometimes you need to take less then you want to, for doing a load because the dispatcher is asking for a favor and your grooming the relationship for future loads is just good business.


Sometimes it makes sense to accept a few mini loads under 100 miles so the dispatchers don’t peg you as a cherry picker i.e. someone who is constantly trying to massage the system to pick off the best loads and screw everyone else. This is a business it requires give and take and you’re now a businessperson and it’s not for everyone. The point is it’s more than just driving around the country seeing the sites.

One important point, please don't take everything I'm saying as the way things are everywhere with every carrier and every driver. These are all my personal opinions. Also every load offer doesn't necessarily need to be negotiated. Sometimes it's appropriate sometimes not...again it's all about E

Okay lets say you got your full rate of $1.20 per mile and you negotiated 100 deadhead miles at .50 per mile you’re getting first position on the Laredo board as soon as you drop off and you’re on the way to picking up the load.

Remember I recommended negotiating a contract with your co-driver well here is an example of why. The carrier I worked for required one driver to be listed as the lead driver. This is so they don’t have to worry about which one of you to call and who is going to make the decision on each load. Well it also means this is the driver who will get credit for the load as far as driver stats. Driver stats are important because they determine if you’re incompliance i.e. the driver is required to keep say an 80% availability and acceptance of load rating. If your co-driver is always the lead he’s getting all the credit or fault. Plus he’s the one always building relationships and a favor bank with the dispatchers. Your contract should spell out a fair rotation and what the lead and co driver’s responsibilities are including driving time, shifts, maintenance etc.

 

[w8tamin]

I think co-driver contracts are good for settling all sorts of disputes before they start. How do you buy truck supplies and food, how many days and when will you be taking off and what does the truck do when you’re off. Who does the paperwork and when. What happens if you don’t get paid for a load or for all that you expected because of paperwork problems etc etc.Who makes the decisions on load offers, who pays the tickets at the scales, or fines for faulty equipment, speeding etc. Sooner or later all this stuff comes up and it it’s agreed on ahead of time it might reduce some stress. Decide what shift and durations your going to drive. Five hours on five off. You drive nights I drive days whatever. What’s the environment like in the truck, do you need complete quiet to sleep and the other person wants to blast rock and roll while he drives? Simple things like earplugs and speaker location can stop a lot of arguments and bad feelings before they start. The time to settle all this stuff is when you’ve had plenty of sleep and not after driving 4 days of constant 5 hours driving and 5 hours sleeping without a break.

Ok you’re on the road to the shipper and your driving. The other guy has to make a decision if it hasn’t already been decided about shifts. Is he going to stay up and watch the scenery or is he going to try and sleep. Either way at some point you guys are going to change and you need a plan. I think it’s helpful if possible at the start of a trip if the non-driving driver does the paperwork, map work, and lays out the next ten hours routes and stops so everybody knows the plan.

My carrier sent all the directions over the in truck computer and they were set up in two packets. One packet gives you the highway directions and the other gave you the local street directions. Although I made sure I always double checked them and I’m not sure if it was policy or not but I frequently cell phoned the location directly if I had any questions. Sometimes if the load was scheduled for an early am but I knew I could make it before closing the night before I would call to see if they would accept me at a dock other then my scheduled arrival time. I wouldn’t try this with an auto manufacturer as they usually have very strict guidelines but the smaller people usually didn’t mind a call in advance.

Ok we get to the shipper, safely park the truck and make first contact with the shipper personnel. I never backed a truck into any dock without checking first. Ya gets the ok and you back in and get loaded. All the while making sure you are safe and legal and you’ve sent whatever messages your carrier requires. I had to let them know with a canned message when I arrived at shipper and when I left.

Now for illustration purposes most delivery times are figured on say 45 MPH so if you’re going 1000 miles it’s going to take you a little over 22 hours to drive it. Course we all know the actual speed limits are more than 45 mph but that gives you time for traffic jams, food, fuel, etc. Again with a little E you know your limits but remember Murphy’s Law is in effect. Delivering an expedited load late is for all intents and purposes the end of your career so most companies realize ##### happens and they allow and even require you notify them if you’re running behind schedule. Of course that in truck computer lets them see where you are and what you’re doing but make sure you document everything you can over that computer…even the obvious because that’s your only record in case things go south. Also make sure all the terms you’ve negotiated on a load are sent to you in writing over the in truck computer.

Phone calls don’t have records of what was said. If you send a message over the in truck computer and say you're stopped I80 and the road is blocked....in most cases the carrier will call the consignee and their contract with each other allows for ligitimate adjustments in delivery time. Just realize the carrier and the consignee will be calling the state police to verify your excuse. Theres a lot of money riding on every delivery. Being late with a load of frozen french fries is a lot differnet then stopping a auto assembly line because you've got there starters on your truck somewhere.

Okay now we have a loaded truck we’ve decided whose driving and when and what roads and stops we are going to make. All the paperwork is in order and we checked the weights and state limits. Life is good.

Now one thing some newbies don’t know about is fuel tax. I’m not that knowledgeable either yet but basically my understanding is this…..every state you drive thru gets notified by usually the carrier about how many miles you drove in the state per quarter and how many gallons of fuel you bought in the same state. IF you purchased enough fuel for the miles you drove everything is cool. But if you say filed up in Ohio and then drove straight thru Illinois without purchasing any fuel….well then you paid a lot of fuel tax to Ohio so there happy but you didn’t pay any to Illinois so they feel slighted. At the end of the quarter Illinois will send you a bill and Ohio will send you a thank you note. Now it’s my understanding that some nice carriers will track all this for their truck owners and because they have so many trucks they are tracking they might borrow some of your excess in Ohio to cover another trucks bill and pay your bill from Illinois with the overage from some one else’s truck. Bottom line, it’s possible this might not all come out even in the wash and it’s usually the drivers who pay any bill. So keep this in mind when deciding where to buy fuel and try to track your purchases as best you can so you don’t get whacked by the owner with a fuel tax back charge. Another issue to get addressed in your contract with the truck owner

We arrive at the consignee do all the notifications to the carrier and paperwork find a truck stop and send off the paperwork to the carrier in the trip box and fax the owner his copies. Well, we stink and are grossing each other out so it’s shower time. We all know that when you buy the minimum amount of fuel at the truck stop they give you a coupon for a shower. Make sure if you’re team driving you let the fuel desk no you’re a team so you both get a free shower…..it’s never been a problem for me.