Monday morning me and my wife go to orientation with Express 1. We are leaving Nations Express after more than a year with them. I was just curious about them and hope we aren't making a mistake by switching over to them. We have a D-unit class-8 tandom and I have heard that Express 1 favors solo's over teams. Couple days ago my wife talked to an Express 1 van driver who told her he had been driving for them for 2 years and we were making a big mistake. but you hear good and bad about every company no matter what. I was just hoping someone could give me the facts and not make a sales pitch or be biased about Express 1 and give it to me staight.
Express 1
- Thread starter HotShot
- Start date
greg334
Veteran Expediter
>Monday morning me and my wife go to orientation with Express
>1. We are leaving Nations Express after more than a year
>with them. I was just curious about them and hope we aren't
>making a mistake by switching over to them. We have a D-unit
>class-8 tandom and I have heard that Express 1 favors solo's
>over teams. Couple days ago my wife talked to an Express 1
>van driver who told her he had been driving for them for 2
>years and we were making a big mistake. but you hear good
>and bad about every company no matter what. I was just
>hoping someone could give me the facts and not make a sales
>pitch or be biased about Express 1 and give it to me
>staight.
I drive for Express-1, have been for three months. I drive a cargo van.
The skinny is that it is a good company, pays on time – no BS.
You will sit, maybe two days or three if it gets slow but it all works out. There is a lot (at least what I hauled) automotive freight.
One thing that I still am trying to get is the repositioning stuff. The tools I would expect to be in place for any company larger than 100 trucks they don’t have but maybe I am too techie thinking.
I would also ask a lot of questions, don’t be afraid to ask questions. It is a short orientation and a few in mine fellow contractors were still confused after the class (I don’t remember what the questions were).
>1. We are leaving Nations Express after more than a year
>with them. I was just curious about them and hope we aren't
>making a mistake by switching over to them. We have a D-unit
>class-8 tandom and I have heard that Express 1 favors solo's
>over teams. Couple days ago my wife talked to an Express 1
>van driver who told her he had been driving for them for 2
>years and we were making a big mistake. but you hear good
>and bad about every company no matter what. I was just
>hoping someone could give me the facts and not make a sales
>pitch or be biased about Express 1 and give it to me
>staight.
I drive for Express-1, have been for three months. I drive a cargo van.
The skinny is that it is a good company, pays on time – no BS.
You will sit, maybe two days or three if it gets slow but it all works out. There is a lot (at least what I hauled) automotive freight.
One thing that I still am trying to get is the repositioning stuff. The tools I would expect to be in place for any company larger than 100 trucks they don’t have but maybe I am too techie thinking.
I would also ask a lot of questions, don’t be afraid to ask questions. It is a short orientation and a few in mine fellow contractors were still confused after the class (I don’t remember what the questions were).
TheGoodGuy
Expert Expediter
Just curious as to why you are leaving Nations Express? We have been with Nations since May of this year, and did very well.
We sold our "D" unit this month due to the new HOS, and intend to sign back on with Nations as a team van with a Sprinter.
Wish you the best of luck with Express-1. We had considered them in May, but too many people advised us that it was more of a solo company verses team.
Keep us posted....
We sold our "D" unit this month due to the new HOS, and intend to sign back on with Nations as a team van with a Sprinter.
Wish you the best of luck with Express-1. We had considered them in May, but too many people advised us that it was more of a solo company verses team.
Keep us posted....
They are a very personable company. You will be a name and not a number there. I ran solo and can't comment on teams. As mentioned, there can be longer wait times between jobs and you have to learn where to wait and where not to. Pay attention to the deadhead zones as well. Unless something has changed you only get paid d/h miles in certain zones. Good luck.
Leo Bricker
OOIDA 677319
truck 4958
73's K5LDB
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.
Leo Bricker
OOIDA 677319
truck 4958
73's K5LDB
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.
Tennesseahawk
Veteran Expediter
I drove with Express-1 as a team and single. We got more miles as a team; but with having to pay my co-driver 20%, I did better as a solo driver.
The bad: When they got us longer loads, we deadheaded back to the freight zone more than half the time. Personally, I believe they rely too much on NLM to get their trucks back into the zone. They frown upon finding your own freight, and take 38% of the take on that. No time to research the load(how much dh, where in the state the pu or drop is, figuring out if the load is worth it).
The good: Their dispatchers are the best. Their safety staff isn't smothering. Their garage ppl are the best. The atmosphere is outstanding. They do their best to make us feel like family. They'll hook you up if you go out of the way.
I don't know if they've gotten better with dispatching teams or not, but I have a soft spot in my heart for the folks there. They are a class act, and would be with them again if I had to choose a company where I ran solo.
The bad: When they got us longer loads, we deadheaded back to the freight zone more than half the time. Personally, I believe they rely too much on NLM to get their trucks back into the zone. They frown upon finding your own freight, and take 38% of the take on that. No time to research the load(how much dh, where in the state the pu or drop is, figuring out if the load is worth it).
The good: Their dispatchers are the best. Their safety staff isn't smothering. Their garage ppl are the best. The atmosphere is outstanding. They do their best to make us feel like family. They'll hook you up if you go out of the way.
I don't know if they've gotten better with dispatching teams or not, but I have a soft spot in my heart for the folks there. They are a class act, and would be with them again if I had to choose a company where I ran solo.
S.O.S. (same old story): nice folks (if you are a loyal-like a co. driver); no freight out side the "zone" (i.e. west MI. & N. Indiana); no safety dept. to speak of (can run as illegal as you please); and yes- if you want to take NLM runs at a cheap rate: go for it. SAY NO TO CHEAP FREIGHT! Take it from a D' unit solo driver- no B.S.
TJ959
Veteran Expediter
I ran solo in a "D" truck and had a fairly good experience with them. I honestly felt that I would have done better with them as a team. As far as the last post. They do have a safety department that does their job and they aren't just Same old stuff. I did leave them though. At the time I was there, they were going through a reorganization and I feel they had too many trucks for their customer base. I'm told that has changed. Either way they will treat you well and they are worth a try.
Tennesseahawk
Veteran Expediter
Simon... I didn't say their safety department was non-existant, I said they weren't constrictive. They aren't going to nitpick you to death over a toll booth reciept that shows you driving at 9:50 when your log says you stopped at 9:45. They won't let you run over hours (at least they wouldn't let me). But they believe you when you tell them you need 4 hours sleep to get a fresh 10. In other words, qualcomm is for dispatching and communications, not for finding logbook violations.
I didn't have any nlm freight that paid less than a c-unit. Though I think they would've been better off finding loads from their competitors than relying soley on nlm.
Do you have a grudge with Express-1, Simon?
TJ... you would not have done better as a team... believe me.
I didn't have any nlm freight that paid less than a c-unit. Though I think they would've been better off finding loads from their competitors than relying soley on nlm.
Do you have a grudge with Express-1, Simon?
TJ... you would not have done better as a team... believe me.
X1 does have a safety department and you will not run illegal for them for very long if at all. They tell you up front log it like you run it and run it legal. You won't get a daily missive from safety but that's a good thing in my opinion. You will get a call if you fail to log something, run over your hours, or do anything else the DOT could/would call you on.
They do use NLM quite a bit. Out of a half dozen runs probably one will be C rate to a D unit. Sometimes it would pay C+ or D- as in split the difference. They do try to take care of their drivers and keep them running.
What a lot of people don't fully acknowledge, at least it seems to me, is that every company is going to try to keep every driver rolling for every hour the driver legally has available to run. You hear plenty about sitting and making no money but the news flash is the company isn't making any money while you sit either. Granted, they have the advantage of other trucks rolling and producing but I guarantee you they would have every truck running if they could.
Anyway, back to X1, if you like a first name, family type atmosphere you will like them. They are genuinely good people and if they can keep you busy enough to meet your requirement for revenue you'll like being there.
Leo Bricker
OOIDA 677319
truck 4958
73's K5LDB
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.
They do use NLM quite a bit. Out of a half dozen runs probably one will be C rate to a D unit. Sometimes it would pay C+ or D- as in split the difference. They do try to take care of their drivers and keep them running.
What a lot of people don't fully acknowledge, at least it seems to me, is that every company is going to try to keep every driver rolling for every hour the driver legally has available to run. You hear plenty about sitting and making no money but the news flash is the company isn't making any money while you sit either. Granted, they have the advantage of other trucks rolling and producing but I guarantee you they would have every truck running if they could.
Anyway, back to X1, if you like a first name, family type atmosphere you will like them. They are genuinely good people and if they can keep you busy enough to meet your requirement for revenue you'll like being there.
Leo Bricker
OOIDA 677319
truck 4958
73's K5LDB
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.
No- don't have a grudge: before it all changed around 2001, I made good money. You can(or could) do whatever you wanted- use your imagination. I have a problem with co's that go through O/O's like a blade through hay. We can all see the trucks with 2-3 shadows (usually include 2 big blobs) or up for sale around some country road. I wish some of these outfits would bite the dust and quit destroying people Based ON FALSE PRETENSES. Some co's have the frt. and others are wannabees. Some here on this site forget that bankruptcy hurts...
Those who live off NLM runs on the cheap for backhauls to the Zone, are mainly what I'm talking about. I have also worked for another one who only got you back to the "zone" out of metro Detroit. If you like to be home every other night & weekends, then work for one of those with your beat-up Freightshaker. First time I worked for a real co. who had freight coming & going in all directions- I thought I was in Nirvana.
P.S. Have done only about 10 NLM runs now in 2.5 years and none in the last 6 months...& doing o.k. Still get home usually every two weeks...
Those who live off NLM runs on the cheap for backhauls to the Zone, are mainly what I'm talking about. I have also worked for another one who only got you back to the "zone" out of metro Detroit. If you like to be home every other night & weekends, then work for one of those with your beat-up Freightshaker. First time I worked for a real co. who had freight coming & going in all directions- I thought I was in Nirvana.
P.S. Have done only about 10 NLM runs now in 2.5 years and none in the last 6 months...& doing o.k. Still get home usually every two weeks...
UpNorth_10
Expert Expediter
Express-1 is all good IMHO. This will be my third winter with them. If you are willing to work (take the loads they offer, and don't complain) you will make money. In other words run like a professional. I listen to, and read post's from so many drivers that do nothing but complain. It's like everything in life..you treat somebody well they will treat you well back.
And yes they do have a safety department, you will run legal. They run NLM freight, just like everyone else. They also run non-nlm freight.
Ditto on them having the best dispatchers around. I have been driving truck for 20 years and no one compares.
UpNorth
D-Unit #663
Express-1
And yes they do have a safety department, you will run legal. They run NLM freight, just like everyone else. They also run non-nlm freight.
Ditto on them having the best dispatchers around. I have been driving truck for 20 years and no one compares.
UpNorth
D-Unit #663
Express-1
I Leased on in may 05 to Express-1 and have no promblem with them at all, they are the best. I have been driving a truck for seven years before getting my owne and signing with them. I take nlm loads and all kinds. They will take care of you and make sure you get the miles just call them every day until they get to know you.