Dedicated Routes (???)

roadrunner · Dec 29, 2003

Does anyone know if the Expedite Companies hire for dedicated routes where I can be home nightly? I'm not in this for the money, but because I love the work it involves and I prefer to be an indendependent worker. I live in Louisville.
Thanks for the advice.

teacel · Dec 29, 2003

Hi RR!

If you’re not in this for the money, are you saying you will work for free? “I don't understand what people mean when they say there not in it for the money. How do they pay their bills?” If you love to drive and get abused by shippers, receivers, and all the whack-oh drivers on the road, I will give you a van, give you a credit card for fuel, and you will get home every night. You can even use the van on your days off (the weekends). I will fire the driver I have and put you on ASAP if you love it that much. Pick up in Indy, deliver to Dayton, Cincinnati, Lexington, and end up in Louisville. When do you want to start?

If you don’t mean you will work for free!!! Maybe you shouldn’t make those kinds of statements. To answer the rest of your question:

Yes expedite companies have or do dedicated routes where the driver can get home daily, nightly or sometimes every other day. It is very unlikely a new driver leasing on to a company will start off getting the cream of the crop. Most drivers work all their lives looking the get that dream run. “Some could care less.” In most cases when a company acquires a dedicated route, management will start asking their pets, then on down the line. Now don’t get me wrong! I’m not saying you can’t fall into one of these dream runs, but it is unlikely.

Sounds to me like expediting won’t fit into your daily routine. Did you ever consider driving for a local company in your home town? There has to be 2-3- or 4 courier companies around you. Courier work is the same type of work, only you carry small packages (some times large) and work in or within the city and surrounding area. I know “geo” a member on this forum, is doing that type of driving for a company. That company isn’t a sponsor on EO so I won’t put their name out there, but if you email geo, he may be able to help you out. I also think there are some old posts from him on the subject. Look in the archives! You may find them.

roadrunner · Dec 30, 2003

Hello Teacel,
Again, I'm not in this for the money, but that doesn't mean I'm saying I'll work for free, but for a decent salary (like 35K). When recruiters tell wannebees we can make around $50-60K a year, why would anyone not work in expediting for the money? And of course no one will be home every night making 60K a year. As far as the local courier, the companies I checked out require contractors to lift heavy items ( which I will not do for personal reasons.), and the pay average is around $25K a year. My efforts is worth more than that......
But you have given great advice. Thanks.

woobergoober · Dec 30, 2003

Speaking from experience, I worked for a quite large Corporation which has many branches now (need I say anymore) and I had a dedicated route. I grossed 81 thousand the last year I worked there. Was not bad work, but did about 115 deliveries a day. You had to hustle, but the money was there. They would not let you work more than 12 hours a day and you were indeed home every night. Why did I quit? Many reasons, but if I had to sum it up....... we were contractors, but treated like employees. The claims system against drivers left alot to be desired as well. Check around, they were advertising in the local paper when I happened to stumble upon it. Drop me an email if you want any specifics.

Weave · Dec 30, 2003

"we were contractors, but treated like employees."
Hummm.. I don't have a CLUE what corporation THAT might be?? Please enlighten me...no wait, just kidding!
-Weave-

Brandy · Jan 1, 2004

Be home every weekend and a couple of times during the week??? Do you want to be an expediter or or a family man? Cause if you want to learn and do good in the world of expediting your gonna have to work for a living. Sure you won't be able to get your wife pregnant every year like some people, but you'd be out on the road making all sorts of money, meeting people, and seeing the country like it was ment to be seen. But if you want to be a family man and be home for dinner and you really don't care about getting paid, maybe you should go work for Enron or AMC Motors.

geo · Jan 1, 2004

there are a lot of dedicated routes you have to look in the right places. go out to airport cargo area if you live in a city or close
to one that has air port there and ask airline cargo people for
a list of companies that bring freight to them in hampton roads area
of virginia there 31 companies that come in to airport cargo area
and they are always looking for drivers and truck
only thing you have to watch for is how money is

RichM · Jan 1, 2004

The word Expediting tells you that shipments must usually be picked up and delivered ASAP. Dedicated routes are for routine shipments. There maybe some companies that for a month or so will run a trip at the same time every day but once their obligations are fulfilled they will go back to routine shipments.Expediting shipments are expensive and other than not wanting the freight to be offloaded and reloaded at at terminal somewhere,there is no reason for a company to pay preminm rates.
There are local carriers that will give you some type of daily route ,but you won1t make the $ that yo get from expediting. But there is no free lunch,if you have a personal agenda that requires you to be home every night plus weekends off,expediting is not for you.
On a personal level I could not handle a dedicated daily trip. I like the iregular trips and hours that you put in. I complain like everyone else when the phone rings at 0 dark hundred or on Saturday afternoon but thats what this business is all about.

geo · Jan 3, 2004

also what weave has said is way it is
but once in awhile you get lucky i have the same run twice aday an
it's only hot military freight
and it's 1,000 miles a week that include's miles into pickup and home
to so i'm driving 650 miles aweek and making more money and
than when i was with fedexcc and once in awhile run out of town
you just have to work at finding what you what todo
everybody has given you there two cents worth

jmead · Jan 12, 2004

We have many opportunities for Dedicated routes. Existing opportunities range from 270 round trip miles to 1500.

Call our recruiting department if you're interested in daily work that will start and stop at home!

Jenn
Director, Sales & Marketing
Tri-State