How foolish some members are....

[Tennesseahawk]

I wanna be a hero too! Where do I sign up?

Nevermind. Every time I walk thru my front door, my kids give me a hero's welcome. Now you know why I go home for so long. Yes, I regret it; but the trade off is worth it, I think.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

I wanna be a hero too! Where do I sign up?

Nevermind. Every time I walk thru my front door, my kids give me a hero's welcome. Now you know why I go home for so long. Yes, I regret it; but the trade off is worth it, I think.

Hawk...that hug from the kids is "priceless"..One does what one needs to do...

 

[ATeam]

I wanna be a hero too! Where do I sign up?

Nevermind. Every time I walk thru my front door, my kids give me a hero's welcome. Now you know why I go home for so long. Yes, I regret it; but the trade off is worth it, I think.

Please understand that I intend no disrespect or criticism when I invite you to think about the trade off you are making. It is a trade off gives you the worst of both worlds. Time out on the road takes you away from the kids. Time with the kids takes you out of the revenue stream. If it's about being a hero to your kids, is the road the best place to be?

 

[Streakn1]

As a watcher of our industry and having a lot of contacts I can observe somes business activities and draw opinions that are mine and mine alone...


Fact is , most carriers are suffering the same problem...30-35% out of service rate....

I see people running 3-4 runs and running home OOS for 2-3 days over and over...

Oh BTW..It is a work truck..the idea is to run the wheels off..it is NOT a luxury RV...work truck!

Ours is both, including lawn chairs and a dog! We do use our tractor as our RV when we are OOS and even when we are availible.

Seriously speaking, our carrier is considering more leases based on increased freight availibilty, not OOS trucks. They are extremely careful so as not to lease on more trucks than there is to keep the entire fleet moving on a daily basis, unlike some other carriers. Since our area of special needs expedited freight is such a nitch market, we (as all that haul this type freight) realize that the more we are OOS, the better chance that our customers will go to our competitor(s). Worse yet it opens the door for new carriers to get a foot in the door and haul our customer's freight.

So, unlike when we were leased to FECC, we stay in service a minimum of two months before going home for 4-5 days. If we do go OOS while we are out, its solely for emergency repairs. We have stayed out as much as four months. There are teams here that we know that stay in service 8-9 months. Then they go home the remainder of the year during the slower period. For us being in service during that time actually is good as we not only get our regular share of freight, we prosper from theirs!

 

[Streakn1]

Sadly, when customers fall for that sales pitch many quickly learn the hard way: its not the size of your .... (fleet), its how much experience your drivers are at.... (handling your special needs freight), especially when it comes to multi-million dollar moves. Its unbelievable how many times we hear " wished we had waited a day for one of your trucks to be availible".

 

[Streakn1]

I've been one of those lately to be home more than I'm use to,but it's purely that I've had truck issues that couldn't be delayed any longer.I'm home this week,co-driver is on long needed vacation,and I'm having dental work done.oh ya,State farm ins is fixing my truck from a fender bender that accrued couple weeks ago.Girl said she didn't see me,made a right hand turn to get off exit ramp,from center lane,problem was ,I was on her right side,in fact, right next to her.Wander if she was texting,lol

Steve, they say things happen in threes! What next? That really sucks especially since it wasn't long ago on the other repair. Hope she wasn't having phone sex when she hit you. Not the climax she was hoping for!

 

[layoutshooter]

We will just stay in the middle and be safe! LOL

That's funny and yet interesting. Staying in that "Sweet Spot" between too small and too big is the most difficult task for a business to pull off. The trick is knowing when you have reached that point, and then, keeping you edge without backsliding OR continuing to grow.

It is going to be fun to watch your company.

 

[Streakn1]

Keep in mind that 30 percent out of service is not all that bad in some carriers' eyes. FedEx Custom Critical sets 70 percent as the in-service minimum for Four Star award eligibility. If you are out of service 30 percent or less and meet the other Four Star criteria, you are a hero!

I'm sorry Phil but I gotta thank you for the chuckle of the day!

Being a "hero" in this business is not about how much your truck (or mine) is out of service and meeting "Four Star" criteria. Its about getting much needed Tamaflu delivered in record time during a flu epidemic, or that oversized load of a fuselage section delivered from NM to FL in record time for a damaged passenger jet that cannot fly, or an engine or critical part needed to get a bird back in flight or keep a production line running to avoid shutdown.

Thats the heroism in what we all do out here, not earning "Four Star" bragging rights amongst our peers. No matter how much or little one is in service, they are a hero in the customer's ( and should be carrier's) eye when their efforts to go that extra mile and get it there as quickly and safely as possible saves the customer thousands or tens of thousands (and even more at times) in lost revenue. That means much more to me than an award. Sometimes our customers even show the driver(s) their appreciation in $$$$!

 

[jelliott]

That's funny and yet interesting. Staying in that "Sweet Spot" between too small and too big is the most difficult task for a business to pull off. The trick is knowing when you have reached that point, and then, keeping you edge without backsliding OR continuing to grow.

It is going to be fun to watch your company.

It is a tricky balance. You have to keep moving forward to a certain extent in any business as a rule. We have continued to grow, but alot of it has been done through diversification. We have grown 20-30% in some years, but when you divide that down among 5 divisions it becomes much more manageable. I hope we make for good viewing!

 

[layoutshooter]

It is a tricky balance. You have to keep moving forward to a certain extent in any business as a rule. We have continued to grow, but alot of it has been done through diversification. We have grown 20-30% in some years, but when you divide that down among 5 divisions it becomes much more manageable. I hope we make for good viewing!

What makes it even more interesting is that your a Michigan company to boot!! A company based in Michigan and that is doing well is very rare these days.

 

[jelliott]

What makes it even more interesting is that your a Michigan company to boot!! A company based in Michigan and that is doing well is very rare these days.

The business climate in Michigan does add to the day to day challenges that is for sure. We are pretty lucky, great people, good customers, hardwork, and a dash of good luck!

 

[Vinnie T]

It's like a travel agency out there versus an expedite operation!



Great Thread!

 

[layoutshooter]

Yep, OVM hit a homerun with this thread. Sure would like to see some more members/carriers jump in with their $.50 worth!

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Yep, OVM hit a homerun with this thread. Sure would like to see some more members/carriers jump in with their $.50 worth!

Probably would if they weren't out polishing all that chrome..

 

[cheri1122]

Agree with the Vanman that those who go home every chance they get aren't being as productive as they might, but they probably won't be around long either, so I don't waste time worrying about them.
I'm a bit puzzled by the sympathy for carriers dealing with OOS issues, though. To me, that's just the same as a driver complaining about the lack of a steady paycheck: in both cases, it's an inherent part of being [or using] independent contractors, rather than being [or hiring] employees. And the remedy is the same for both: be [or hire] employees, if the uncertainty is more than you want to deal with.
It's only those [carriers and drivers] who want to have their cake & eat it too, that complain about it.

 

[Vinnie T]

Agree with the Vanman that those who go home every chance they get aren't being as productive as they might, but they probably won't be around long either, so I don't waste time worrying about them.
I'm a bit puzzled by the sympathy for carriers dealing with OOS issues, though. To me, that's just the same as a driver complaining about the lack of a steady paycheck: in both cases, it's an inherent part of being [or using] independent contractors, rather than being [or hiring] employees. And the remedy is the same for both: be [or hire] employees, if the uncertainty is more than you want to deal with.
It's only those [carriers and drivers] who want to have their cake & eat it too, that complain about it.

It seems like the ones not making money are the one complaining and most of it is self inflicted IMO. It's feast and famine out there, and when the buffett is plentyful we must fill up with as much as we can for the slow times down the road!

 

[OntarioVanMan]

My point is..as responsible business owners we must find a balance between ourselves, our carrier and of course the customer that pays the bills...What effects our carrier eventually effects us to some degree...WE, as in all 3 parties must make this work for all to be satisfied.

 

[Tennesseahawk]

Please understand that I intend no disrespect or criticism when I invite you to think about the trade off you are making. It is a trade off gives you the worst of both worlds. Time out on the road takes you away from the kids. Time with the kids takes you out of the revenue stream. If it's about being a hero to your kids, is the road the best place to be?

No disrespect taken. I think daily about the situation I'm in. I enjoy what I do, but should think about going more regional. That option is not in the picture right now, however. The Detroit area isn't what it used to be for local freight. So, I bide my time, and will pull the trigger when the opportunity presents itself. In the meantime, it's working out ok.

 

[Vinnie T]

No disrespect taken. I think daily about the situation I'm in. I enjoy what I do, but should think about going more regional. That option is not in the picture right now, however. The Detroit area isn't what it used to be for local freight. So, I bide my time, and will pull the trigger when the opportunity presents itself. In the meantime, it's working out ok.

No such thing as local in Mi unless you want to run dedicated for dirt cheap. You can stay in the midwest and keep fairly busy and still get toward the house or within deadhead distance most weekends.

 

[blizzard2014]

I used to spend months out on the road and I have never been able to find a carrier who has rewarded me for being in service 24/7. I simply don't play that game anymore. All carriers have their favorite people and continually keep them moving whether they go home or not.

It is not always a level playing field, and I have been burned by several carriers in the past. So, why should I spend my life taking up space in the truck stop parking lot for days on end if the company is not going to use me at least every other day?

I was with E-1 from March 2008 to October 2008 "available the entire time!" Deadheaded home to California once and was available the entire three days I was there. I only made 19k in that entire amount of time. I have only been with Bolt express for little over 2 months now and have grossed 10k and I have had almost 20 days off in that period of time.

I'm not trying to bash E-1, but i'm saying; why would I want to be dedicated to a company that is not dedicated to me? For every top driver who posts their locations on this forum, there are at least 10 other drivers sitting around twiddling their thumbs. Not everyone is going to run like it's going out of style.

Just a few weeks back I had to deadhead home all the way to California in order to break a slow streak. I couldn't get more than 1k miles a week for 2 weeks and was just getting offered shorties. So, I decided to drive home and take a week off and it paid off. I ended up getting a 2380 mile load and then another 500 mile load after I dropped that one.

Should I have stayed on the roat running pond hoppers while other drivers are running in and out of Texas? I just drive home for 400 bucks and take myself out f the midwest and out of the mix and then I can usually get a really good load. I'm not going to be a slave to the road if the revenue is not there. I just want to be used every day or at least every other day that I am out on the road!