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Home time?

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urbsk8er

Seasoned Expediter
Hey everyone, quick question, and I know it will varie on a number of things....but I'm looking for a basic answer.

I live in Canton, OH. Litterally can hear I-77 when its quiet outside. A lot of expedite companys seem to be in NE Ohio, MI, etc. I also see that a lot of guys stay out 3 weeks at a time. Living where I do, do you think freight would be coming near Canton much, that I'd be able to make it home more often without DHing WAY out of my way to get home?

Like I said, I know everyone is different, different freight, different areas, etc. Just wondering if a lot moves past here.


Also, I see a lot of guys stay in Walmart parking lots. Do those tend to be safer than rest areas, truck stops for van/sprinter drivers?

Thanks!
 
chefdennis

chefdennis

Veteran Expediter
You may get a load that will take you home once a week or matbe once a month...or not for months....some companies will make the effort to get you home time, but there is never a sure thing....

Not to be rude at all, but if home time on a regular basis is your highest priority, you'd be better off staying away from expediting and maybe look at a local cartiage company....
 
Turtle

Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
Where companies are located, and where people live, is irrelevant. It's where the freight goes that matters. The reason you see people staying out three weeks at a time is because three weeks is generally the minimum amount of time that needs to be spent on the road to make this venture profitable. The longer you stay out, the more load opportunities you will have, the more money you can make. Expediting is the same as over-the-road (OTR) trucking, where you stay out for extended periods. Two to three months at a time is not uncommon, with quite a few staying out much longer than that. Someone wanting to get into expediting who is asking about how often they will get home is a red flag most of the time. So be sure of why you need to get home, and how often.

Now, having said that, yeah, you live in a place where you can go home often. I have a friend (who is also here on EO) who lives in Canton and he can get home quite a bit. Sure, he may have to deadhead home from Dayton or Columbus, maybe Indianapolis once in a while, but that's not that big a deal. Expedited freight shipments have destinations all over Ohio, western NY and PA, as well as Michigan and Indiana and Kentucky. Getting home to NE Ohio shouldn't be a problem, unless you make it a weekend thing. But you'll also need to be prepared to have a load take you to Texas, then the next one to Iowa, then the next one to MS, and so on, an the next thing you know you're 8 weeks out and sitting in Tuscon, never having been anywhere near the Midwest since you came back out.
 
ebsprintin

ebsprintin

Veteran Expediter
Another thing that helps are loads going out when you are ready to go back in service. If I'm out of service in Dallas, I can count on sitting a couple days after returning to service to get a load. So I try to avoid returning to Dallas. In the heavy freight areas you'll probably get loaded quicker.

The one thing you can count on is that when you really want to go home the load offers will be high milers in the wrong direction.

eb
 
ATeam

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
urbsk8er said:
Like I said, I know everyone is different, different freight, different areas, etc. Just wondering if a lot moves past here.
Click to expand...

You can see how often we moved through and stopped in Ohio by viewing our monthly trip maps. Each dot represents a pick up, delivery or layover stop. We are a team in a CR-unit, leased to FedEx Custom Critical.
 
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urbsk8er

Seasoned Expediter
I'd love to get into it, but I don't think I ever would. I was just curious about it, and was wondering. I love reading about you guys being on the road. I read some trucking(semi) forums also. I've always had a thing for the open road. I guess I get my fix this way.
 
skyraider

skyraider

Veteran Expediter
US Navy
out for 3 weeks at a time, then go somewhere for 3 days up to a week, then back for more fun. works for me.:D
 
nightcreacher

nightcreacher

Veteran Expediter
I live near Canton Oh too.In the beginning of my expedite life,I was leased to Roberts Express in a semi truck.THe way dispatch worked,trucks from foreign area had first choice on loads in a 1st in 1st out system.When I would go home it would take almost a week to get a load out again,so I made a game plan od staying out 3 weeks and going home for 1 week.With the high mileage pay it let me dead head more miles,so any load with in 300 miles of home was close enough to go home,In the regular shipping business,loads may take you thru home for a Monday delivery,so it would let you sit at home over the weekend,but in expediting,that load you pick up on Friday,will most likely deliver Sat,and still put you 500 miles from home.In the 29 years I've been an owner opp,actually having a load delivering in my home area has happened,but not very often
 
RLENT

RLENT

Veteran Expediter
nightcreacher said:
I live near Canton Oh too ....... When I would go home it would take almost a week to get a load out again.......
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I live between Akron and Canton .... and my experience with my carrier is that I rarely have to wait very long to get loaded when I'm at home and go back into service ....

It would be extremely rare to wait more than 24 hours .... most of the time I get the call within a few hours after I have returned to service,, and not infrequently it is within minutes (less than an hour)

nightcreacher said:
In the 29 years I've been an owner opp,actually having a load delivering in my home area has happened,but not very often
Click to expand...
Same here .... although I think to a large extent that may be due to Dispatch knowing better than to hook me up with something going near the house ...... :rolleyes: ;)
 
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urbsk8er

Seasoned Expediter
Fastrod, so you deadhead back home after everuy delivery? or do you take a load somewhat in the direction of home, THEN dh home?
 
bikerpaul

bikerpaul

Expert Expediter
I take a load, deliver it, and if there isn't a load coming back, I will dead head. However, I do have a State of Ohio pension and a V. A. payment coming in the first of every month. Without that, I could not afford to do this type of work. Good luck on your future endeavors:D.
 
CharlesD

CharlesD

Expert Expediter
fastrod said:
I go back home after every delivery. I have found that it works best for me to do it this way.
Click to expand...

And you get a pretty good rate on those outbound loads too.

That shows you that there is not a one size fits all strategy to working this business. When I was on the road I used to just look for stuff to New England and then when I got up there I'd wait for something long coming out of there. I could often get something back to within a couple hundred miles of the house and then come back home and start the process over again. I found a nice little niche where I could get consistent runs (and eat good seafood) and still get home a good bit.

Which is why I finally made the jump and decided to build my company up and come off the road. The road was a blast but there was a lot I was missing out on and it's been kind of nice catching up with people and events I used to be involved in before I started driving. Before jumping into this business, it would be good to evaluate your whole situation and take a good look at your life to see how much of a tolerance you have for being away from home. Do you have a spouse or significant other who will not be going on the road with you? How often does that person want to see you? Are you going to be on the road missing those things you like to do when you're home: church, social life, etc.? There is a trade off. You get to see all sorts of interesting places and what not, but you miss out on a lot of "normal people" kind of stuff. You have to count the costs, and not just the financial costs, before you go on the road. You can make money and get home often, but that requires a lot of flexibility and a good amount of research to come up with a profitable business model that allows that home time.
 
F

fastrod

Expert Expediter
urbsk8er said:
Fastrod, so you deadhead back home after everuy delivery? or do you take a load somewhat in the direction of home, THEN dh home?
Click to expand...

I deadhead home after every delivery. All my customers are within a 75 mile radius of my home so I get home as fast as I can to be ready for another run.
 
CharlesD

CharlesD

Expert Expediter
fastrod said:
It is truly amazing how much shippers will pay to get their freight moved in a van.
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Shippers are always paying that. It's just when you put a broker and a carrier between you and the shipper that you see the lower amounts most drivers are used to.
 
Bruno

Bruno

Veteran Expediter
Fleet Owner
US Marines
We have been lucky for the most part at getting our drivers home every other weekend. Our carrier is really good at getting our guys home. I know another carrier (Load1) likes to get their tractor drivers home every weekend.
 
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