Extra Money Expediting
- Thread starter carpunky
- Start date
Based on your definition of expediting, I don't think you do.
"I have a class A, just FYI and expediting does not mean that you have to stay out for months, it is what you have been led to believe because there is no other alternative for you at this time."
No one has been led to believe anything. Local expediting jobs are few and far between, and in most cities will consist primarily of airport runs. Except for air freight, there is more envelopes and small boxes to deliver than there will be pallets of freight, mainly stuff that FedEx or UPS would deliver next day, but a courier can deliver in an hour or two. As for no other alternatives, there are plenty. Some expediters are home every night, some are gone for months at a time. We choose the alternatives that suit us.
"Expediting simply means getting a product to a specific location by a preset time. That is all, no more."
Some expedited freight does, indeed, mean just that, where it's time-critical, or at least ASAP, but an awful lot of the time, maybe most of the time, of it is more of an "exclusive use of the truck" thing. Many expedited shipments don't necessarily have to be there at, say, 7AM Monday, even though that's your delivery time, but they at least need it to be there before Wednesday, and they don't want the freight beat up on LTL terminal docks in the meantime. Still, there are some shipments that go longer distances on LTL carriers, only to be picked up by an expediter for the last few hundred, or dozen, miles.
I have carried a lot of shipments, some very high dollar, where they want the freight in a van specifically because we're in there with the freight and will take better care of it than if it were in a sealed box on a truck where the driver can't get to it, anyway. Most FedEx White Glove, Panther Elite Services, etc., shipments are far more about exclusive use of the truck and special care of the freight than they are about time-certain delivery, although many times it is both.
"If you are driving a product 500 miles, is that expediting, obviously it is not that important or it would be flown to major airport then picked up by a expediter ( courier or whatever you would like to call them at this point )."
Again, exclusive use of the truck, but also it can be time-certain. Besides, with very few exceptions, any air miles of less than 1000 miles, it's quicker to drive it than it is to fly it. That's actually the reasoning behind why expediting was invented in the first place. Not only is it quicker, it can be as much as 70% to 80% cheaper than standard air freight.
But, a 500 mile run, for example, is about an 8 hour trip (for a van, 10 hours for a truck), plus getting loaded and unloaded, plus the time it takes to book the load. Let's call it 12 hours from the customer calling to the delivery. It's very difficult to pick up the phone and book freight space on a cargo plane on short notice, get the load picked up and delivered to the airport, get the plane to the destination and then have the freight picked up and delivered, all in that same 12-hour time frame. More likely you'll be making cargo space reservations for pickup tomorrow, delivery the next day after that.
The only way to do it quicker is with air charter expedite, i.e., exclusive use of the plane, and now yer talkin' serious money. But, some freight is so hot that air expedite happens a lot more than people think. Usually for distances farther than 500 miles, tho. Basically, unless you charter a jumbo jet, which will be cost prohibitive, air charter expedite will be limited to the distance the plane can fly without refueling. Like, from the east cost, anything west of the Mississippi River will require refueling stops, and with every stop the price of the air charter doubles.
A surface (truck or van) expedited run of 500 miles will cost the shipper somewhere between $1000 and $1500. Standard air freight for the same weight and distance will be in the $2500 to $4000 range, and an exclusive use of the plane air charter expedite for the same freight will run you somewhere between $14,000 and $20,000. Longer distances or more weight for air expedite, and you start doubling or tripling the cost.
I once picked up a skid from a place in Cleveland, going 1600 miles to Del Rio, TX. They were initially going to ship 4 skids, 2500 pounds, expedited air. When they found out it was going to be $65,000, they then looked at standard air freight, then decided to put one skid on an expedited cargo van, and the other three on a regular truck.
"You simply drive to point A to B in a timely fashion, there is no expediting involved unless you hang out at the terminals and wait for the product to arrive. You simply drive over the road in a small vehicle ( hauling 1 skid or a few packages ) which enables you to make better time than a CDL A driver could do because of dot regulations."
Seems that way, I guess, but, uhm, no. The above paragraph describes an "exclusive use of the truck" scenario only, but it does not describe expedited freight very well at all. It also assumes there are no CDL-A drivers in expediting. There are a lot of them. CDL-B drivers, too. Both of which have DOT regulations to contend with.
Other than exclusive use of the truck situations, expedited freight is, by and large, emergency freight. With auto freight, a lot of it is just-in-time freight that must be both picked up and delivered at a specific time, and will go directly onto the assembly line as soon as it is unloaded. This is for tractors, straights and vans. It's not a matter of making better time, it's a matter of -- if it's not there precisely on time, an entire shift gets shut down. That can cost millions per hour. But if it's there too soon, they have no place to put it. That's why it's called JIT, Just-In-Time Inventory.
Sometimes it's an emergency part that's being built to replace a broken part at a manufacturing facility, or at a nuclear power plant like I delivered to recently, where they're still building the part when you arrive at the shipper. I recently delivered an International Truck year 2012 prototype engine to the place where they do the software for the engine's computer. That was both an exclusive use of the truck, as well as emergency freight, since that engine was needed to replace the one they blew up 2 days earlier.
There are people who have been in traditional trucking who come into expediting and find themselves totally clueless. Expediting is that different. And courier work is different still. Keeping the meter running like a cab driver sounds good, but it's not like you're gonna find emergency freight, or even courier work, that will flag you down as you drive by.
Good luck, though.
"Thanks"
You're welcome.
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No one could have said it better than Turtle's explaination of the definition of the nature of expediting.
I have noticed many cargo vans and cube trucks that take lost or delayed luggage from the airports to the owners at hotels and airports. They often make many stops in an evening, sometimes traveling great distances from the airport to catch up with the bags' owners. These folks refer to themselves as couriers, even tho they are working in an expeditious fashion.
I have noticed many cargo vans and cube trucks that take lost or delayed luggage from the airports to the owners at hotels and airports. They often make many stops in an evening, sometimes traveling great distances from the airport to catch up with the bags' owners. These folks refer to themselves as couriers, even tho they are working in an expeditious fashion.
I appreciate all your responses ...
Turtle,
Thanks for that long definition and clearing me up on a few things about expediting.
I guess my main problem is the fact that I am not ready to give up my current job but I have the itch to get out there again.
I am just looking for a possible solution to quench my thirst for the road.
Thank you all and I apologize if I seemed to be argumentative about the subject
Turtle,
Thanks for that long definition and clearing me up on a few things about expediting.
I guess my main problem is the fact that I am not ready to give up my current job but I have the itch to get out there again.
I am just looking for a possible solution to quench my thirst for the road.
Thank you all and I apologize if I seemed to be argumentative about the subject
Well, Carpunky, if you find a way to combine the road thirst with the benefits of a "traditional" job, (insurance, retirement savings matched by the employer, paid holidays & vacations), please share! I'd like all of the above, too.
A "crunched nose"? I resemble that remark, lol.
A "crunched nose"? I resemble that remark, lol.
I didnt see it any of the answers, but wouldnt HOS come into play as well.
Wouldnt his daily job, including travel to and from it have to logged?
Wouldnt his daily job, including travel to and from it have to logged?
Tennesseahawk
Veteran Expediter
You can't always get what you want... unless your name is Paris Hilton.
But if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need.
You're probably going to find your 19th nervous breakdown that'll quench that thirst. Or, you'll end up being the richest man in the graveyard. Either way, I would choose one or the other.
Did you ever have to make up your mind?
Pick up on one and leave the other behind.
It's not often easy and not often kind.
Did you ever have to make up your mind?
Try stamp collecting.
Tennesseahawk
Veteran Expediter
He said he'd be doing the van thingy.
arkjarhead
Veteran Expediter
Go to work for Swift. They will put you out on the road and give you benes to. BTW, anyone heard anything about the FBI raid on them a few months ago. The news just kinda disappeared.
Maybe it's different down there, but our insurance is outrageous, and I was told (by insurance broker) it wouldn't make much of a difference in a van... same liability risk/coverage, same cargo coverage, etc.
I was thinking Carpunky would be better off applying at courier places to see if they would take him on part-time, under their policies/authorities, etc.
I was thinking Carpunky would be better off applying at courier places to see if they would take him on part-time, under their policies/authorities, etc.
Broompilot
Veteran Expediter
It would not be Expediting that you are looking at: It would be Courrier Work. Now go try the offices near that Airport as your schedule "might be" ideal for that. Basically the same thing just not the longer miles, and Courier's return to the Domical (Terminal) after the runs for another load.
Thank You,
Once again, you have exceeded my expectations in delivering answers. Appreciated.
I had the same thoughts about the courier opportunities . I did see 3 that had potential just from a quick look.
MidWest Expediting.com. Expedited freight in cargo vans and straight trucks. Nationwide network.
http://www.accesscourier.com
Welcome to JS Logistics
If I actually venture into this , I will be sure to post and let you know the outcome , good or bad
Thanks
Once again, you have exceeded my expectations in delivering answers. Appreciated.
I had the same thoughts about the courier opportunities . I did see 3 that had potential just from a quick look.
MidWest Expediting.com. Expedited freight in cargo vans and straight trucks. Nationwide network.
http://www.accesscourier.com
Welcome to JS Logistics
If I actually venture into this , I will be sure to post and let you know the outcome , good or bad
Thanks
buckeyewildman
Seasoned Expediter
mr punky if this is something you really want to do i say go for it forget all the naysayers go with your gut feeling
You might use caution with MidWest Expediting. Their website and contact info looks earily similar to All Types Expediting which does not have the best reputation according to other posts on this site.
Jefferson3000
Expert Expediter
Unfortunately, getting one's authority and part time driving don't go hand in hand, unless you independently wealthy. By the time you researched the costs of insurance alone, you'd need to change your underwear.
Your best bet is get some kind of dedicated route contract with a carrier in the evenings that would allow you to keep your present day job schedule.
Your best bet is get some kind of dedicated route contract with a carrier in the evenings that would allow you to keep your present day job schedule.
I believe he was talking about a cargo van which would require only $300,000 primary liability and $50,000 cargo. If you run an older van as I do your insurance bill should only be $200 or less a month. If you partner with another carrier they may require alot more insurance just to haul there loads. That is something I do not know about as I have my own customers and do not need to partner with other carriers.
MCBuggyCo
Seasoned Expediter
The runs you are seeking are out there. I just got back from one. Pickup in Warrenton MO and taken to the FedEx depot near the St Louis airport. Its not really a profit maker for me but it keeps the customers happy so they call back with the long runs next time.
To make your business plan work you will need to contact all the appropriate companies in the area and let them know what you have to offer. Once you start you will need to be available EVERY day and EVERY weekend. The last thing you can afford to do is turn down a run when you are making first impressions with a new company.
The suggestion to use somebody else's authority is very good if you can manage it. You should try to keep your overhead as small as possible. I am talking obsessive.
To make your business plan work you will need to contact all the appropriate companies in the area and let them know what you have to offer. Once you start you will need to be available EVERY day and EVERY weekend. The last thing you can afford to do is turn down a run when you are making first impressions with a new company.
The suggestion to use somebody else's authority is very good if you can manage it. You should try to keep your overhead as small as possible. I am talking obsessive.