Expediting Sucks

[UGOTME]

Yes, that's what I said. I did my homework, I thought. I researched several companies online. I talked to a couple of recruiters. They said, "We are turning down as much freight as we are hauling." I told them I was thinking about getting a Sprinter van. Finally, one of them checked out my DMV record and said, "If you get a van we will put you to work." NOT!!! I got a van, but so far they have not put me to work; at least not what I would call "work." In my first three weeks I got four loads for a total of 2,543 paid miles. For you mathematically challenged folks that's an average of 1.3 loads and 847 miles per week. That is not what I call being "put to work." After six weeks I have had 10 loads for a total of 6,147 paid miles. That is an average of 1.6 loads and 1,024 miles per week. A little improvement but not enough. I expected to be running at least
2,000 miles per week--minimum. Is that unrealistic? I don't think so. On two different occasions I have sat for over four days waiting for my next load. When I inquire about moving I am told, "There is usually lots of freight within a 100 mile radius of where you are at. We don't understand why we are not getting any right now.
All of the loads seem to be for the larger straight trucks and tractor-trailers."

My point is this: Why can't the recruiters be honest and up front. They have to know what is going on. Why can't they say, "Well, things
are not very good right now for cargo vans. You might want to consider a bigger truck or a different line of work." But, no, they just keep signing on more cargo vans without any regard to whether there is any work for them or not. I guess they have their quotas to meet. I have done everything they told me to do: I have stayed
"in service," I haven't turned down any loads, and I didn't go home until I had three weeks out on the road.

Oh! Wait! I get it. This is a test, right? They just want to see if the newby is going to stick it out for a while before they really put him to work, right? That's got to be what is going on.

Somebody please enlighten me.

 

[RichM]

Care to tell us who you are leased to??

 

[Broompilot]

You have helped a good many people by your post I for one THANK YOU. I know it does not help, and yes I believe you are exactly right on about % of loads going to us straight truck drivers and even we can find ourselves sitting.

Its just my believe but you have helped a point I try to tell others when they start talking Vans. It is Straight Trucks that are moving the majority of freight we are much more diversified, and if I choose not to take a Van Rate and if there are no vans in the area than the customer must choose to pay or not to. Depends how bad he needs it there tommorow.

I wish you luck, hope that you can find another carrier that will work out better. We have many on here to choose from.

 

[UGOTME]

Rich M.

No. If I wanted to do that I would have done so in my original post. I don't want to put any particular recruiter on the spot. They are all on the same sheet of music. I have had an opportunity to talk to van drivers from several different companies during my extended waits: Panther II, Tri-State, Express-1, Fedex CC, etc. It is the same story with all of them. Too much waiting, not enough loads.

 

[Tennesseahawk]

Apparently you didn't do your homework. You would've seen many threads on the topic of van freight being slow. I'm sorry that it didn't work out for you, but it something that could've been avoided.

 

[greg334]

Ugotme

I hope you read this.

Look you have to understand that you got to look at the bigger picture, not a week by week thing but month by month. Yea I sat, yea I felt lied to at times but the recruiter said a 1000 miles a week average for the year and he was honest. Their job is not to be your friend but to fill a quota and some do this by lying.

But with that said, look at my signature line, I am now with FedEx CC leaving another company because of a number of reasons, one is that people may matter to them but it is not a business like atmosphere – or at least to me and they are an automotive centered company which I know what is going on with GM and Ford first hand so I don’t want to limit my money making potential. I will explain the big reasons later.

OK I admit, I sat too long with the other company, we all do. To expect not to is lying to yourself. I knew there was freight, I saw their stats at one of the boards when my wife got sick and I went off the road but I had faith they would do the right thing and returned on the road only to sit four days. But and I mean BUT you have to understand that this is a business of freelance companies competing for the same piece of freight and most of the freight is bid on and not given to a specific company (with one exception), which also means that the freight is customer driven, not company driven and if a customer has no freight, well fill in the blanks. Many companies think they have monopolies on freight from certain companies but as one person said it at GM, “some of them thinkâ€.

Now many may have wonder why I left my last company (while other could care less), one of the biggest reasons was I heard too much that the dispatcher did not have time for my questions about trucks around me and fright for the area. Without that information, I was stuck, hence four days of sitting. I needed to make business decisions, not play games, be someone’s friend or do this as a hobby. My tolerance for people telling me they don’t have time when my business needs information to make money is very little. Another reason is that almost everyone, new drivers and the veteran drivers of that company could not stop complaining about the company everything from certain dispatchers playing games to the fleet manager having x number of trucks on with the company and takes loads to keep them moving (no I am not accusing anyone of this, it was a complaint). This actually got me depressed a few times. The last big reason is that they don’t us technology and act like everything is a secret. I didn’t know if my pro bills got to them, what my earnings were and where the trucks were on the board. All things that are available for every company to use but they were, well … cheap. Oh yea the other thing was I was told a couple times I was to abbreviate my messages when I sent anything over the QC because of the cost (it is funny when I sent in “moving to home QTH†and I get “what is QTH?†as a reply). CHEAP.

I am with FedEx CC, why? Because I know two things; I am in control of where I want to go to get freight and that they are not like the others – meaning they don’t bid on much freight, they are a long established company and they use technology to give me the tools to do the job as I see fit.

The last thing I have to say is this is not for everyone. Going into it with an attitude that you will be able to buy a house or pay off your truck in a year is the wrong attitude. You have to first know your expectations with the work, set realistic goals and run it like a business, nothing less. Anything else will cause you to fail.

 

[UGOTME]

Thanks for the analysis, Tennesseahawk, you're very perceptive. Unfortunately I didn't discover this forum until after I had taken the plunge. Even if I had I am not sure how much influence it would have had on my decision because I sense a very significant BS factor in a lot of the posts I read here.

Greg, I read it. You see, I am basically an honest person, I don't lie to people and, until they prove otherwise, I expect that other people are not going to lie to me. At the time I was looking at expediting companies two or three of the websites (I remember Fedex CC in particular) said they were not hiring cargo vans. I took that to mean that they had enough vans under contract for their present hauling needs. Conversely, when a company says they ARE hiring vans and if I lease on they will, "put me to work," I assume that means they have some assurance of loads to haul.

I previously worked in another segment of the transportation industry involving small trucks and the companies I dealt with there were much more honest up front. If they didn't have work they would tell you, "this is not a good time to come on board. Check back in a couple of months." Of course they were smaller companies and did not have dedicated recruiters either.

Oh, well. They're not running me off yet; I'm still sticking it out for a while at least.

Thanks for all the responses.

 

[Tennesseahawk]

I apologize if I came across a bit crass. Alot of ppl come here looking for advice, then ignore the ones who know the industry.

Recruiters are alot like used car salesmen, and I take their pitch with a grain of salt without proof. But the real proof is with those who are on the road. If you're determined to stay in a van, get out there and talk to van drivers from all different companies. I'm sure there are some small expedite companies where the vans are running like bandits.

 

[dukesadog]

What you need to do is go back to the city which you are based out of and put an ad in the paper or yellow pages offering deliveries within the city for 75.00 flat rate, city only.

you'll make about 600 bucks a day hauling stuff around and be home every night..We got off the road and now do a variety of things including a flat rate delivery service with a 14 ft ex ryder cube van, the best thing to do is hook up with your local estate sale people and wait at the sales. you cant get a steamer trunk or grandfather clock in a 600SL.

We did one of these last week and made 1300 dollars in 9 hrs bringing pieces here and there..no stress no mis-informed recruiters just green cash.

It now costs the average joe around 100 dollars per 6 hours (with insurance) to rent a U-haul so take advantage of it...people would rather you delivered the watzit than them spending all day to do it.

good luck

Dukesadog