Five years ago this week, Diane and I, having never driven a truck before, left our white-collar professions and moved into a fleet owner's truck to begin our career as expediters. While there have been setbacks along the way — some quite serious — we have had more fun, made more money and made more new friends than we dared hope when we first began.
We began with five goals in mind: (1) increase our income, (2) spend more time together, (3) simplify our lives, (4) share a business project and (5) see the country. All have been and continue to be achieved.
Along the way, and no longer needing or wanting them, we sold our house, cars and most belongings. We became debt-free, increased our net worth, refined our expectations, and set more-specific financial goals. Today, we are owner-operators; driving a paid-for, custom-built straight truck. It runs like a top and rides like a dream. Its floor plan and features are perfect for our chosen style of life and work.
There is nothing we would rather be than the expediters we are today. We plan to drive as long as our health allows and retire into a comfortable and financially-secure lifestyle. Getting into expediting was the best career decision we ever made. We love it out here and would feel richly blessed to still be driving at age 70.
No expediter succeeds alone. Along the way, we have enjoyed support from our carrier, shippers, consignees, fleet owners, vendors, trade organizations, publishers, church, family and friends. The trucker friends we meet on the road have been especially helpful, as have supportive friends in the ExpeditersOnline community.
This support shows up in numerous ways; including the business opportunity our carrier provides, anonymous voices on the CB telling of road hazards ahead, friendly telephone conversations and meal visits with other expediters, dispatchers helping us through loads, CPAs and business service providers helping us understand the business, first responders standing ready to come to our aid if the need arises, insurance and financial companies that help us manage risk and build wealth, trade publications sharing useful information, competitive events that sharpen skills, e-mail alerts making it easy to know the issues and communicate with elected officials, mechanics keeping the truck in good repair, and EO Open Forum members sharing product information, constructive debate and meaningful conversation.
More than any carrier or organization, the EO community enables us to feel more plugged into and a part of the expediting world than we otherwise would. Wherever we may be in the country, EO means we are never more than a mouse click away from the friends and expediter colleagues we have come to know online and on the road.
Expediting has been and continues to be a great ride for Diane and me. We are grateful to and thank everyone who help make it happen.
We began with five goals in mind: (1) increase our income, (2) spend more time together, (3) simplify our lives, (4) share a business project and (5) see the country. All have been and continue to be achieved.
Along the way, and no longer needing or wanting them, we sold our house, cars and most belongings. We became debt-free, increased our net worth, refined our expectations, and set more-specific financial goals. Today, we are owner-operators; driving a paid-for, custom-built straight truck. It runs like a top and rides like a dream. Its floor plan and features are perfect for our chosen style of life and work.
There is nothing we would rather be than the expediters we are today. We plan to drive as long as our health allows and retire into a comfortable and financially-secure lifestyle. Getting into expediting was the best career decision we ever made. We love it out here and would feel richly blessed to still be driving at age 70.
No expediter succeeds alone. Along the way, we have enjoyed support from our carrier, shippers, consignees, fleet owners, vendors, trade organizations, publishers, church, family and friends. The trucker friends we meet on the road have been especially helpful, as have supportive friends in the ExpeditersOnline community.
This support shows up in numerous ways; including the business opportunity our carrier provides, anonymous voices on the CB telling of road hazards ahead, friendly telephone conversations and meal visits with other expediters, dispatchers helping us through loads, CPAs and business service providers helping us understand the business, first responders standing ready to come to our aid if the need arises, insurance and financial companies that help us manage risk and build wealth, trade publications sharing useful information, competitive events that sharpen skills, e-mail alerts making it easy to know the issues and communicate with elected officials, mechanics keeping the truck in good repair, and EO Open Forum members sharing product information, constructive debate and meaningful conversation.
More than any carrier or organization, the EO community enables us to feel more plugged into and a part of the expediting world than we otherwise would. Wherever we may be in the country, EO means we are never more than a mouse click away from the friends and expediter colleagues we have come to know online and on the road.
Expediting has been and continues to be a great ride for Diane and me. We are grateful to and thank everyone who help make it happen.
