Well, just got off the truck. What a fiasco!
Let me start by giving abit of background information.
I have been researching the expediting field for some time now and decided to take the plunge. As most experienced expeditors suggest, I decided to sign on with a O/O to test the waters and see what this life is all about. I was fortunate to find an O/O that was local to me (late model D unit) that was looking for a co-driver. I received all the paper work from the company, filled out all the forms and did the necessary tests and was quickly approved.
After speaking with the O/O at length over a period of several weeks, I felt good about this working out, eventhough by his own addmission, he has had 5 co drivers over a 6 month period (with me being the 6th). That should have been the first warning sign, but I took it as a sign of one searching for good help (as a former business owner that requires employees, I could relate).
We agreed on a start date and proceded to head out. One of my first posts here, I asked about the chances of getting a load out of Florida in order to cut down on the DH and recieved some good advice. I passed this along to the O/O and he was adamant about dead heading to ATL. So off we went. 400 miles later, we arrived at ATL and parked 48 miles (south) outside of ATL at a truck stop. I asked him why so far out when all reccomendations had been to be 25 miles within the freight center. He, as he told me, "was the one with the expierence. I know what am doing. I have been doing this for 18 months." OK what do I know, he's the boss. 34 hours of dwell time later and no load. Hmmm. Atlanta is suppose to be hot for freight. He decides to get out of ATL and head for Ohio.
As we head out, a load offer comes in to pick-up 47 miles away and deliver in PA. GREAT! My first expediting load. We make our pick-up and deliver the next day 3 hours early. Time to park the truck, and get some rest (BTW, I have never slept so much in my life than that during the past 2 weeks...tells you something huh?). Through out the day we get several load offers that were refused......74 miles DH, 350 paid miles.......102 miles DH, 475 paid miles.........12 miles DH, 535 paid miles........and a few Canada bound loads that he refuses to take under any circumstances. All the load offers were calculated and they all came in at over a $1.00+ for all miles and most kept us in a pretty decent freight areas. All were refused. I'm starting to wonder about this guy, but it is his business. After waiting until the late afternoon and not accepting any of the load offers, he decideds to DH 148 miles to one of his favorite watering holes. Ok what's wrong with this picture? You refuse paying loads but are willing to DH for free to go drinking? I really begin to have major doubts about this guy as a business person and it has been only a few days. We arrive at his watering hole and he proceeds to take us out of service until mid day the next day. Next afternoon we take a short load and deliver it. The day after that, we take a nice load to Norfolk, VA that delivered on Friday. We get stuck in Norfolk over the weekend. He comments to me that had he realized that it was Friday, he would not have taken the load! OoooOOK! Some more unpaid DH out of VA and we get a load back to FL. We take it and spend the next 2 days after delivery at home.
After the preceding week, I really had my doubts about this guy, but decided to stick it out and see what came of it. After all it had only been a week. We head out again and DH to ATL once again. 24 hours later we DH to Ohio unpaid again (DUH!). We, or rather he (I had finally given up on trying to rationalize this guys behavior) turn down several load offers until one comes in taking us to Alabama. We pick -up the load and head on down. We deliver early and park the truck and get some rest. Our original plan was to head out until Thanksgiving and try to get a load going South so that we could get home by then. I explained to him that eventhough being at home with my family for Thanksgiving was important, my family was flexible enough to have Thanksgiving on any day I was home as it is a frame of mind and not just specific meal on a specific day. He really wanted to go home from Alabama (to go fishing LOL) but the truck had only 4 paying runs during the month thus far. After several refused load offers, (btw, his coordinator called him to talk to him about his acceptance rate.....17% during the past month.......52% during the last quarter; and he confessed to me earlier that when he was running as a single, he was going broke, GEE I wonder why? and that is when he decided to run teams.) we get a load to NJ that was close by. We talked about it, and decided to take the load, deliver early in the day, and try to get a load heading South to try to cut down on the DH costs. We deliver early in the AM and instead of waiting to try to get a load out, he gets a wild hair to head home from NJ now! FREE DH. Yippee!!! To put this into perspective, during the last 7 days, we had a total of 2400 unpaid DH miles, about 2000 paid miles. Par for the course.
During the last 14 days on the road I grossed just under $900.00. From this, I had to eat and pay for my own showers. Chicken feed in my opinion. I could have made this type of money staying at home delivering pizzas.
The reason I write this is to hopefully enlighten some that this is a business that one must go in with both eyes OPEN. I did, and eventhough I have had to put up (I really didnt have to put up with it, I could have gotten off the truck and taken a plane home at any given moment but wanted to give him the benefit of a doubt) with a perpetually negative person who not only had no business sense, but also had no self respect (ie he had 2 showers in 14 days, I never once saw him brush his teeth, and on occassions, urinated in a jug because he was too lazy to walk to the bathroom), I have set up an opportunity with another O/O that has been in this business for over 14 years. I'm not easily discouraged. This can be a very good lifestyle. Just make sure you are realistic in your expectations, have enough resources to carry you through the lean times, and take along a bottle of Febreze. =)
Let me start by giving abit of background information.
I have been researching the expediting field for some time now and decided to take the plunge. As most experienced expeditors suggest, I decided to sign on with a O/O to test the waters and see what this life is all about. I was fortunate to find an O/O that was local to me (late model D unit) that was looking for a co-driver. I received all the paper work from the company, filled out all the forms and did the necessary tests and was quickly approved.
After speaking with the O/O at length over a period of several weeks, I felt good about this working out, eventhough by his own addmission, he has had 5 co drivers over a 6 month period (with me being the 6th). That should have been the first warning sign, but I took it as a sign of one searching for good help (as a former business owner that requires employees, I could relate).
We agreed on a start date and proceded to head out. One of my first posts here, I asked about the chances of getting a load out of Florida in order to cut down on the DH and recieved some good advice. I passed this along to the O/O and he was adamant about dead heading to ATL. So off we went. 400 miles later, we arrived at ATL and parked 48 miles (south) outside of ATL at a truck stop. I asked him why so far out when all reccomendations had been to be 25 miles within the freight center. He, as he told me, "was the one with the expierence. I know what am doing. I have been doing this for 18 months." OK what do I know, he's the boss. 34 hours of dwell time later and no load. Hmmm. Atlanta is suppose to be hot for freight. He decides to get out of ATL and head for Ohio.
As we head out, a load offer comes in to pick-up 47 miles away and deliver in PA. GREAT! My first expediting load. We make our pick-up and deliver the next day 3 hours early. Time to park the truck, and get some rest (BTW, I have never slept so much in my life than that during the past 2 weeks...tells you something huh?). Through out the day we get several load offers that were refused......74 miles DH, 350 paid miles.......102 miles DH, 475 paid miles.........12 miles DH, 535 paid miles........and a few Canada bound loads that he refuses to take under any circumstances. All the load offers were calculated and they all came in at over a $1.00+ for all miles and most kept us in a pretty decent freight areas. All were refused. I'm starting to wonder about this guy, but it is his business. After waiting until the late afternoon and not accepting any of the load offers, he decideds to DH 148 miles to one of his favorite watering holes. Ok what's wrong with this picture? You refuse paying loads but are willing to DH for free to go drinking? I really begin to have major doubts about this guy as a business person and it has been only a few days. We arrive at his watering hole and he proceeds to take us out of service until mid day the next day. Next afternoon we take a short load and deliver it. The day after that, we take a nice load to Norfolk, VA that delivered on Friday. We get stuck in Norfolk over the weekend. He comments to me that had he realized that it was Friday, he would not have taken the load! OoooOOK! Some more unpaid DH out of VA and we get a load back to FL. We take it and spend the next 2 days after delivery at home.
After the preceding week, I really had my doubts about this guy, but decided to stick it out and see what came of it. After all it had only been a week. We head out again and DH to ATL once again. 24 hours later we DH to Ohio unpaid again (DUH!). We, or rather he (I had finally given up on trying to rationalize this guys behavior) turn down several load offers until one comes in taking us to Alabama. We pick -up the load and head on down. We deliver early and park the truck and get some rest. Our original plan was to head out until Thanksgiving and try to get a load going South so that we could get home by then. I explained to him that eventhough being at home with my family for Thanksgiving was important, my family was flexible enough to have Thanksgiving on any day I was home as it is a frame of mind and not just specific meal on a specific day. He really wanted to go home from Alabama (to go fishing LOL) but the truck had only 4 paying runs during the month thus far. After several refused load offers, (btw, his coordinator called him to talk to him about his acceptance rate.....17% during the past month.......52% during the last quarter; and he confessed to me earlier that when he was running as a single, he was going broke, GEE I wonder why? and that is when he decided to run teams.) we get a load to NJ that was close by. We talked about it, and decided to take the load, deliver early in the day, and try to get a load heading South to try to cut down on the DH costs. We deliver early in the AM and instead of waiting to try to get a load out, he gets a wild hair to head home from NJ now! FREE DH. Yippee!!! To put this into perspective, during the last 7 days, we had a total of 2400 unpaid DH miles, about 2000 paid miles. Par for the course.
During the last 14 days on the road I grossed just under $900.00. From this, I had to eat and pay for my own showers. Chicken feed in my opinion. I could have made this type of money staying at home delivering pizzas.
The reason I write this is to hopefully enlighten some that this is a business that one must go in with both eyes OPEN. I did, and eventhough I have had to put up (I really didnt have to put up with it, I could have gotten off the truck and taken a plane home at any given moment but wanted to give him the benefit of a doubt) with a perpetually negative person who not only had no business sense, but also had no self respect (ie he had 2 showers in 14 days, I never once saw him brush his teeth, and on occassions, urinated in a jug because he was too lazy to walk to the bathroom), I have set up an opportunity with another O/O that has been in this business for over 14 years. I'm not easily discouraged. This can be a very good lifestyle. Just make sure you are realistic in your expectations, have enough resources to carry you through the lean times, and take along a bottle of Febreze. =)
