Expediters: What Does This Mean to You?

[davekc]

I believe the Fed seen this coming a year ago. That is why they revamped their FSC to keep a portion of it, changed their dispatch policy to "the cheapest truck willing to do a run", to flat rating their vans.
With that said, I along with many others were critical of Phil for many of the posts he put up a year or so ago. At that time, I think it was clear you had the "rose colored glasses" on, or the posts were tailored in a fashion that someone new wouldn't know the difference.
I think that was clear as one can review old threads.
To be fair, long gone are the "I always make $3.00 a mile, I am always pre-dispatched, I am soon to be a millionaire and if your new you can to" and the list goes on.
These were some of the themes at that time.
Some folks, myself included, were looking way past those high profitable days as to what we seen coming down the pike. The only advantage we had was experience and had endured that type of situation in the past. Some took it personal, but looking back, it was the right call as many that listened didn't spend on the high dollar wagon, mortgage their house, or give up a good career for a flowery tourist story.
Nothing wrong with someone getting into the field IF they really know what they are getting into.

 

[greg334]

Dave,
Let me ask you this, do you think that FedEx can adapt to the changes within the niche market of expediting by starting to fill the trucks with multiple LTL?

 

[davekc]

They certainly could and have the freight base to do it. But, they won't. Or, at least not for the foreseeable future.
I don't see CC doing multiple loads.

 

[hdxpedx]

Expediting WAS fun- that call and that RATE -o'baby let's rock!! BUT now I see the glass half empty when you FLAT RATE your services and NAME to compete at the bottom . When you are #1-negotiate your services upon market conditions to profit- IF you could up grade to 1st class for a couple bucks more - SOLD!!! If you hire a fleet to sit around truck stops waiting for ANYTHING just to move-BOTTOM FEEDERS always competing for CHEAP FRT. Always the wrong direction..Lowers the bar..for ALL!

 

[ATeam]

To be fair, long gone are the "I always make $3.00 a mile, I am always pre-dispatched, I am soon to be a millionaire and if your new you can to" and the list goes on.
These were some of the themes at that time.

You are not being fair at all. Not even close. If you expect anyone to belive any of the above is true, put up links to the posts that prove it. I have never said I always make $3.00 a mile. I have never said I am always pre-dispatched. I have never said I am soon to be a millionaire.

The list goes on? What list?

If you believe any of what you wrote in the above quote, it is no wonder Phil Madsen bothers you. The Phil Madsen that exists in your mind is something you made up and has little resemblence to the real Phil Madsen who lives and works out here in the real world.

 

[davekc]

The Phil Madsen that exists in your mind is something you made up and has little resemblence to the real Phil Madsen who lives and works out here in the real world.
__________________

Hey......I am a optimist. I hope your right.

 

[pjjjjj]

...... then shippers "going elsewhere" will put the "elsewhere" out of business sooner or later because operating below costs cannot be sustained in the long run, no matter how deep the corporate pockets. On the other hand, the carriers who did not play along and demonstrate a willingness to run at a loss also lost because the shippers went "elsewhere," and will not survive because they are sitting idle waiting for the "elsewhere" to go broke first....

.... Though a driver can be selective about taking only profitable or "break even" loads, the intervals between them seem to be getting longer, and downtime while waiting for an acceptable load actually drives up the cost which that load must cover (fixed costs are related to time, not distance moved). Since FDCC has no trucks of its own, if they hit a point where there are not enough experienced o/o's willing to continue nor enough suckers... I mean, newbies... coming in the front door to sustain the operation, it will collapse .....

..... It is an assessment of how things could very well play out as long as carriers feel compelled to run at a loss just to keep vehicles moving and cash flowing. I've never seen a company survive that mode before, and I don't expect to see it in the future either.

That was an awesome, insightful post, nevermind speaking about any one carrier in particular. The cash flowing can only be tricked for so long before it meets head on with the P&L and net worth train. Same can be said for the expediters who 'can't afford to leave their current carrier'. Sometimes we are forced into continuing down a slippery path, wanting to change direction, but cash flow is blocking the way.

Seems to me, and I very well might be gravely mistaken because I don't see enough to really know for sure,.. but 'seems' to me that many appear to be waiting for the other guy to fold out of the game, and it's not happening as quickly, or as hard, as some may have thought it might by now. How often are we hearing how one person or another will be in a good position once the others drop off? Thing is, a LOT of people seem to be saying that.

Someone mentioned in another post that perhaps the vacationers amongst us are being given the squeeze. I'm thinking perhaps it's the other way around, and the vacationers will end up being what's left, since time and profitability don't seem to be issues for them. Maybe the expedite industry is evolving into a way for shippers to get their freight hauled at a reasonable cost to their bottom line, while the carriers make enough profit to keep themselves viable, and the vacationers get to see the world, happy to have their fuel costs reimbursed.