Allow me to combine your two posts into one and answer your questions in turn:
OK, so the wife has started to lean toward letting us do this. But, of course, we have questions. So, heres goes: How hard is it to do expediting when your home is in Florida?
Specifically Tampabay. I am 30 minutes from the main highway in Florida.
Reply: You'll deadhead to get home more often than the freight will take you there. That's not a problem if you plan and budget for it. Estimate the number of times you wish to go home in a year and build that expense into your business plan. It is also helpful to know how far is too far from home to make the trip worth the trouble, and how far home is from anywhere in case an emergency return is necessary. For example, my wife and I know that if we are east of the Rockies and not in Maine or Florida, we can be home in 24 hours or less if we drive in shifts.
I realize that with no major industries in Florida, it is probably difficult. But, with a 1000 new people moving into the state a day. We must be moving up the food chain some??}>
Reply: That depends on your carrier and truck configuration. Some carriers do a lot of automotive freight. Not much of that n Florida. Other carriers do a lot of medical freight. We've hauled a lot of that to and within Florida. Medical freight sometimes is temperature controlled. If you have a reefer truck, you'll likely get some of that. If not, you won't. Hospital loads often require a liftgate. If you have one, you'll likely get some of those loads. If you don't, you won't.
For example, my wife and I just did a nice run from Raleigh, NC to Miami on Thursday. Being in stranded in Miami on a Friday and possibly over the weekend worried us a bit but we took the load anyway. The money TO Miami was well worth it. But would we get out? Not on Friday. It's Saturday as I write this and we're still in Miami. But Friday was a great day anyway. We did two short runs, the total pay of which was well above our daily average. One run was a single skid of magazines from the airport to a hotel. The other was a lift gate load with inside pickup and delivery - a piece of medical equipment moved from one hospital to another. That load would not have come to us had our carrier not had a contract with the medical company and our truck not had a liftgate.
What are the dead times of the year? In other words, when is the time to hop into the business?
Reply: Word from the recruiters I've talked to is August or September are good months to start. Those months thru December tend to be busier. That gets you off to a good start.
Are there any major companies located in Florida that do expediting?
Reply: None located in FL that I know of, though the location of your carrier's headquarters has little to do with the freight you will haul. Most expedited carriers are located in the rust belt states.
If I obtain my class B liscence, but have no experience behind the wheel, will that hurt my chances?
Reply: Probably not. My wife and I entered the industry with Class B licenses and no prior truck driving experience. We interviewed about two dozen fleet owners before we chose one. Every one of them was willing to take us on.
Do any of the major companies have health benefits or a way to obtain health benefits?
Reply: My wife and I joke about the FedEx diet and exercise program when we have a busy day with a hard working load. There is little time to eat and we work up a good sweat loading and unloading freight. Other than that, most - if not all - expediters are on their own to provide their own health care plans. You'll likely need to create a relationship with a GOOD insurance agent for that. Look for a 20 year man or woman that specializes in the field.
I am sure I will ask many more questions in the next few months as I move towards this area of work. So, please bear with me. Thanks in advance for your help...
(Sawbones' posts merged here)
appreciate the responses so far. I live in northern Tampabay, and Ocala is about a slow 90 minute drive for me. So it would not be a problem. Orlando is about 2 hours, again not a problem. So as long as I can trip in and out there on a semi regular basis, like every 5 - 6 weeks, this would be great.
Reply: Expediting is a great opportunity if you don't care where you go from load to load. But when you try to find freight that will take you home - especially to a home that lies outside the freight lanes - additional stresses can arise. There's no telling where the freight will take you or when. For example, a few months ago, we were joking that if it was Friday, we must be in Atlanta. We found ourselves in Atlanta five Fridays in a row. But now -a few months later - we have not been in Atlanta since. Our home express center is Minneapolis. February was the last time the freight took us there. People that live in Ohio, New Jersey, and other freight-busy states have it easier in that regard.
So, the next question how does one go about getting prequalified with someone like Fed-Ex, so that when I contact a owner, I can tell them I am prequalified. Or is that an impossibility?
If you are going to start with a FedEx CC fleet owner, the fleet owner will assist you in becoming qualified with FedEx.
Do I have to have the truck arraigned to get them to talk to me?
Reply: Most FedEx CC recruiters return calls these days. They didn't used to but there have been some positive changes made in that department. Since you don't own a truck of your own, the recruiters will likely advise you to contact fleet owners. Some recruiters may be able to refer you to fleet owners in the areas they cover. That is not an endorsement. You will do well to seek out and interview fleet owners on your own too.
I know that I will qualified, after 21 years in healthcare, I don't have a smudge on my record short of one suspension for failure to provide proof of insurance. (I had moved recently and a lady hit my parked car. Why do I need to provide proof????? That was my question.) But that is long since resolved and I don't have even a nonmoving violation. Again I appreciate your help in this matter.
Reply: Sounds like you are off to a good start researching the industry. Want to try something interesting to get a taste of the life? Take a day or two off and drive to Atlanta. Go to the Petro truck stop there. Expediters often lay over there. Sit in the common area and watch the people come and go. Strike up conversations with the expediters you see there. You'll need to spot most of them getting out of their trucks since most don't wear uniforms (Some FedEx CC drivers do). Eat a meal at the truck stop. Buy a shower at the shower desk (separate ones for each of you, or one to share - either way is fine). Watch a movie in the little theater they have there. Use the public rest rooms. Maybe even bring your laundry along and do it there. Walk down to the fuel islands (being very careful to not get run over by a truck). Watch what the truckers do there.
Through it all, ask yourself if you would be comfortable living on the road like this. As a straight-truck expediter you will by no means be doomed to spend your layover time in truck stops, but you'll find them to be convenient at times.
"Treating" yourselves to a day at a truck stop counts as industry research too.
Oh yea. At that Petro, be sure to check the free magazine racks for the info available there - especially the latest copy of Expedite Now magazine which is published by your friends at EO.
