Credibility

[mrgoodtude]

Don't know about the rest of you but wanted it known that we gave up a $240,000 house (3200 sq foot and contemporary in style), A paid for van, A paid for car, sold our furniture, rented 3 storage units for our artwork and personals not to mention time it took to be worthy of hauling the special freight that we haul.
Our accountability from our carrier is through the roof.
We still can't seem to make it make sense.
Not whining but this is my experience, we are never late...EVER
We just wanted to do our job and benefit from our efforts...To date it hasn't happened.
If you should decide to follow our trail I advise you to go back up the hill and seek another path, "not because of our carrier" but because of the industry.
Mike and Cyn

 

[guest]

Mike

How long have you been at Expediting? You just can't jump right into this business and make tons of money. You have to learn the business. What Express Center's to go too during the different times of the year.

It takes some time to learn the system no matter what company you go with. My 1st year I only made $46,000.00 running team for only two months back then. My 2nd year only made $69,000.00 only running team for about 5 months. My 3rd year I ran team for 9 months and made $93,000.00.

Once I learned the system and did the things I needed to do that worked for me I made very good money. The way I run as a team has been very business smart and great for me and all of our drivers over the years. There is no reason Cyn and you shouldn't be making over $200,000.00 a year with the company your with.



Drive Safe
David Mayfield

 

[letzrockexpress]

It seems your post does not reflect what your screen name might indicate.;-)

 

[mrgoodtude]

Dave that was then this is now.....
Letzrock I guess you had to be around in 3/2005
}>

 

[letzrockexpress]

Yeah, I've heard.....In a way I guess it is a good thing that I wasn't. I have only experienced expediting in it's current state
so I am not able to compare it to another point in time. I am however familiar with how the climate of a business can change to the point where you are putting in more time and earning less money. I experienced that with my previous sales career. The new guys who came along behind me didn't understand when us "old guys" tried to tell them about how it used to be. I think maybe it is better, or at least less agravating when you don't have a reference point to go back to.
This probably isn't much help but maybe it is something to think about.Try not to focus on how it used to be. There is still money to make out here.

 

[guest]

Mike

Our trucks are still doing very well at FedEx. I'm not happy about the FSC program but you can't have everything perfect. The runs are still there for the taking. Isn't your truck a White Glove truck Mike?

Our non White Glove truck did over $161,000.00 last year and was only in service 64% last year with a non husband and wife team. It's on pace to beat that this year. So the money is still there. We got this truck in May of 2005. Hear are the stats for the 1st full year in service.


Drive SafeVehicle Stats
Truck Number D
Start Date MAY / 1 / 2005
End Date APR / 30 / 2006


Division Runs Refusal
Surface Expedite 143 100
White Glove 2 1
Total 145 101




Category Runs Refusal
Dry Run 7
< 75 miles 4 5
< 300 miles 8 23
> 300 miles 126 73
1 size down 62 54
2+size down 8 8
InterUS/CAN 10 17


Service
Pickup 98.64
Delivery 98.67
Loaded Mileage 68.83
In Service 64.84
Agree to Layover 54.76
Load Acceptance 58.94




Approximate Mileage
Total 150,666
Loaded 103,703
Avg per Run 751




Revenue
Total $161,419.28
Avg per Loaded Mile $ 1.56
Avg all Miles $ 1.07

--------------------------------------------------------------------




David Mayfield

 

[TeamCaffee]

We have not been here as long as you have but we still feel our carrier is trying to do their best for us and keep our wheels rolling. Our loads since the beginning of the new lease have been on a roller coaster some good runs and some bad runs. Feel like in the long run they will even out. We feel like our carrier will continue to do their best to keep driver retention and will do what is needed to improve everyday just give them time. Know your bottom line and except loads based on that.

 

[dieselphreak2K]

If I tried to make sense of this life, I'd go crazier than I am now. I walked away from everything I knew to live in a truck, and and have thousands in toys that I now never use, gave up a loving relationship, my sanity, every hobby I had, and any sign of a normal life.

I never expected to acquire wealth in this job. Hell, I was surprised when I was still able to make my payments after 3 months. I'm just now getting out of the debt I had put myself in previously. I guess I'm doing okay now. I guess I can still say I'm happy.



I do this because I love the job. If I was looking for a job where the effort put in is rewarded equally, trucking is a bad spot to start. We are a forgotten people that work an industry that is largely forgotten about by the general public. We are remembered only when we make a mistake.

"Nobody notices what I do, until I don't do it."

 

[ATeam]

>Don't know about the rest of you but wanted it known that we
>gave up a $240,000 house (3200 sq foot and contemporary in
>style), A paid for van, A paid for car, sold our furniture,
>rented 3 storage units for our artwork and personals not to
>mention time it took to be worthy of hauling the special
>freight that we haul.
>Our accountability from our carrier is through the roof.
>We still can't seem to make it make sense.

Can you elaborate so I can better understand your point? What do you mean by, "We still can't seem to make it make sense."?

 

[dhalltoyo]

I am not sure about every aspect of Mike and Cyn's situation, but hopefully they will continue to post information that will help the rest of us to be on guard for what may be lurking just around the next bend.

One statement that was made in a reply to Mike's post really disturbs me and it should cause your ears to perk up every time you hear it uttered!!!

It was said, "...we still feel our carrier is trying to do their best for us and keep our wheels rolling."

That is the prevailing response of carriers who continue the practice of acquiring business that forces them to pay less per mile than what they advertise to potential O/O’s as their loaded mile rate.

You can keep the wheels rolling all day long, but that does not guarantee that the settlement garnered from reduced rate freight will be able to cover your financial obligations.

What adds insult to injury is the practice of a carrier advertising that O/O's will receive a particular loaded rate and then after they come on board then offering them loads at a substantially lower rate.

I can understand many O/O's frustrations when it comes to such practices. Look, just tell up front if the vast majority of my loads will be at a reduced rate. Then I can go and find a carrier that pays the same rate on EVERY loaded mile.

Personally, I don't want to hear, "We try to keep you rolling so you have to take a 10 to 16 percent cut in the loaded mile rate." If you don't having the proper marketing reps in the front office who can effectively perform their duties, then you absorb the shortfall...not the owner/operator, because the O/O didn't negotiate with the shipper…you did!

When they pass out those paychecks in the corporate office how would they feel if theirs was reduced by 10 or 16 percent?

Thank God I am a business partner with folks who have lived up to every aspect of our agreement.

 

[RichM]

Mr Hall very good post. I can remember saying to dispatchers when they wanted me to take a TPS load(remember them) at a huge discounted rate,"Would you come to work if your supervisor said,Today we want you to do the same job as you did yesterday but at half your hourly rate". They would laugh and say"Of course not", so my reply would be "Well why do you expect me to" No answer to that.

 

[davekc]

Interesting post. It all goes to expectations. The comment "that it is different now" speaks volumes. Folks that came in just a year or so ago, came in when freight outnumbered the trucks. Today, that isn't the case. It is the other way around. Yes, carriers are cutting overall rates to remain competitive. It isn't necessarily a favor to keep you rolling, it is to keep their doors open.
No revenue equals no business.
Couple different ways of looking at that. But, it is a cycle like many other years.
The expectations are too great in many instances. You gave up a total lifestyle for another as many have. As the efforts increase for the same income, the longing for the past life have increased as well.
Very good point in that people have to understand that this is a business as well as a lifestyle.
What I find interesting at times is some that are very good from a business prospective, can't adapt to the lifestyle, and some that love the lifestyle, but can't adapt to the business part.









Davekc
owner
22 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[ATeam]

>What I find interesting at times is some that are very good
>from a business prospective, can't adapt to the lifestyle,
>and some that love the lifestyle, but can't adapt to the
>business part.

Now THERE'S some EXCELLENT food for thought! That will keep my mind going for several night shifts behind the wheel.

 

[dhalltoyo]

And that is why they should shut their doors.

In a free market economy the cream rises to the top.

Some folks who may have been unprepared for the rigors of the profession will leave the industry.

I am more concern about those who continue to watch their loaded mile rates decline and do nothing about finding a more professional organization with whom to form a more lucrative business partnership. When they finally wake up and smell the coffee, before its too late, there will be a mass exodus of O/O's away from carriers who continue to lose market share and then place that burden on the O/O's back.

Hopefully, that will nail shut the doors on those carriers who are ill prepared for the rigors of the profession.

If a cow could get her nose in the barn door it wouldn't be very long before she was inside the barn.

How do you think companies like Toyota, Honda, Suzuki, etc. grew at such rapid rates? They looked at their competiton, they saw a lack of leadership and then they simply continued to adhere to a proven business module that was effective.

In my corporate experience as a VP; companies that experience moderate growth, and marginal success, want to rest on their laurels and they get lazy. They deviate from the original business practices that made them successful and instead of standing firm by selling value, they waffle. They yield to the tactics of those with whom they are doing business.

If you can't retain the same profit margin due to a lack of leadership, then you take the hit and keep your hand out of my pocket.

 

[davekc]

We found that over the years we loved to be out on the road, and then had a calling for whatever reason to return to the homefront.
Sometimes it was other businesses we were involved in, or a personal family reason. Either way, we feel we have always made the right call, and did it without effecting any of the people that have worked or continue to work for us.
I have found through trail and error that a Searay and a Fleetwood will help with redrawal.








Davekc
owner
22 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[Dreamer]

dieselphreak,

In my opinion you're in this, and making a go of it, because you've got the addiction! I remember when you first came on here, driving a van.. then that Freightliner with the day bed. You kept on plugging til you got your KW, and started fixing it up. Now I see you have the 'chrome bug' LOL. Some people just gotta drive. I think you're gonna be with us a while



Dave..

wow, what a statement, and so true. You have to be a business man AND driver to succeed in this business. It makes no difference how good a businessman you are if you can't get the driving down, and get the love (or like..) for driving. And, on the other side, the best driver, who loves "The Road", and loves being 'A Trucker", will fail horribly if he can't manage the cash flow. ..(My favorite example, 'the truck stop cowboys playing video games for hours!"

Well put. I have quoted you many times on the statement you made in your seminar... "Businessman first, driver second"



Dreamer
Forums Administrator


--------------

"If you don't have the time to do something right,
where are you going to find the time to fix it?"

-Stephen King

 

[ATeam]

>>What I find interesting at times is some that are very good
>>from a business prospective, can't adapt to the lifestyle,
>>and some that love the lifestyle, but can't adapt to the
>>business part.
>
>Now THERE'S some EXCELLENT food for thought! That will keep
>my mind going for several night shifts behind the wheel.

I guess I don't have to wait for my next night shift to start thinking about what DaveKC observed (see quote above).

He names two groups; those who can handle the business side of expediting and those who can handle the lifestyle. There is, of course, a third group; those who can handle both.

Diane and I enjoyed lunch today with a seasoned industry veteran and EO participant, Jack Dixon.

His career dates back to the Roberts Express days. We talked some about the year 2000, which by all accounts was a harsh year for expediters. In FedEx Custom Critical, hundreds of expediters left the fleet and the business. Hundreds of others were left standing when conditions improved.

When I consider fluctuating industry conditions and the number of expediters who left and stayed, I wonder what the successful expediters did to succeed. Of the expediters who made it through the year 2000 in one piece, what traits and practices do they have in common? Why did they make it when others did not?

 

[davekc]

Thanks.

That is one of the great things about the workshops & expos that Lawrence puts on. Having realistic expectations and really understanding what the business and lifestyle are all about are paramount for someone entering this industry.
One doesn't want to jump in and realize the are only looking at part of it, rather than ALL of it.








Davekc
owner
22 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[guest]

Phil (Ateam)

Jack Dixon has been in the business for many years and knows the business very well. Jack just tells it like it is. I have the ute most respect for Jack.

Mike, I don't know what's going on with you and Cyn but I hope things get better for you folks. I think this year is going to be a great year for this business due to the up coming winter they are saying we are going to have. Weather makes this business take off and things get behind due to bad weather. Lets all pray for a bad winter.


Drive Safe
David Mayfield
O/O since 1/27/95

 

[dieselphreak2K]

Dreamer, I will be out here until the last dime runs out. That's because I've been driving various deliveries for 7 years. I love what I do, and I earn a decent living at it. I've hated every other job.

But most people on here aren't so lucky. They are either losing money, and staying out here because they love the job, Or This isn't fun for them, but they stay running because it's profitable.

If you hate the job, and aren't making any money, then I advise you to exit.

Changes will come and go, much like a wave. Those who can survive through the low valley, will be high on the peak. We may look back and say that 10/15/06 was one of our best times. We may look back and wonder how we scraped by then.

The point is, no matter what we say, or try to change, there will be constant changing and fluxuation in this industry. I guess one must decide how much Expediting means to them, and if it is that one thing you've been looking for, then attack it 110% and do it to the best of your ability. Only those who give it their all will get to see another chance(year) to give it their all.