my wife and i are thinking on becoming expediters and do not know where to begin. we need help. what company to go with. to buy a truck off the bat or go with an owner? if we buy a truck what is a good truck to start out with and with what options to have. like i said we need help. we currently work for fedex national ltl(use to be watkins motor lines) and in dec or jan they are to going to cut out team freight and go with all relays. we want to stay working as a team but do not want to start all over as company drivers and go back to 1 or 2 weeks of vacation after 1 year and stuff like that. please someone send me some information. i would appreciate it very much
i am an expediter wannabe
- Thread starter johnodell
- Start date
Slo-Ride
Veteran Expediter
Nobody properly knows where to begin,,but after ya start its where ya let it take ya, makes or breaks ya...Running as a team will properly help ya allot?????
There is months of reading here about the industry almost everyday I find something new,,,just work your way backwards..
Working as O/O or company driver,,,only you know that answer right now,,ya just said ya didnt want to go back as a company drivers,,leaves one option,,,off to the truck dealers ya go
Lots of trucks to chose from right now both used and new..Look for a clean well maintained truck,,,,(Buy something made on the North American cont.)look for creature comforts in what ever route ya go these trucks can get small in a hurry after sitting a day or so.Before ya buy used,,,check with company's,,some dont want older trucks..
Since I have only been with one company so far I cant refer ya but ya said your with FedEx now,,,why not stay with em???
G/luck,, I applaud you and all the hubby wife teams out here,,Your lucky ppl to be with each other out here...
There is months of reading here about the industry almost everyday I find something new,,,just work your way backwards..
Working as O/O or company driver,,,only you know that answer right now,,ya just said ya didnt want to go back as a company drivers,,leaves one option,,,off to the truck dealers ya go
Lots of trucks to chose from right now both used and new..Look for a clean well maintained truck,,,,(Buy something made on the North American cont.)look for creature comforts in what ever route ya go these trucks can get small in a hurry after sitting a day or so.Before ya buy used,,,check with company's,,some dont want older trucks..
Since I have only been with one company so far I cant refer ya but ya said your with FedEx now,,,why not stay with em???
G/luck,, I applaud you and all the hubby wife teams out here,,Your lucky ppl to be with each other out here...
I think you found where to begin. E.O. is a great place to start your research. I would recommend attending the Expedite Expo, but it is too late for that.
If you already have a tractor, why not use it for expediting? Expediting is different than running terminal to terminal. More down time between loads. You may want a larger sleeper.
Or you could go the straight truck route. Is your current tractor worth the money it would cost to stretch the frame and add a box?
Just some things to think about. Keep reading and asking more specific questions.
If you contract with a fleet owner you will still be an independent contractor and pick your own loads and choose your vacation time . 75% availability is acceptable and many husband and wife teams normally run 3 weeks then take a week off . But lately things aren't quite normal . Freight is slow and you may not want to take a week off after 3 slow weeks . At least start out with a fleet owner for a few months to see how revenue is and determine if purchasing a truck is a better option .
greg334
Veteran Expediter
Sorry, I had to rearrange the order these were in.
I understand what is going on there, but I may be wrong, are you not employees?
If you are not, have you thought of FedEx Ground?
As an employee, isn't FedEx allowing you to move to another division that has teams like Freight?
If you have tractor experience, I would seriously consider mainstream trucking right now, times are tough and good drivers are hard to find. The are changes on the horizon for all of us with the shakiness of the economy and may be the best place is somewhere that has regular work.
All of this depends on your finances, your goals and your abilities.
The first thing that I recommend before taking any advice from those questions is find out where you are financially and where you want to be realistically. THE biggest obstacle in this business is finances, nothing more can ruin your day. The second biggest is not knowing where you want to go with this, it is a paid vacation unless you have a company that coddles you or you have some hidden wealth.
You will find differeing opinions because everyone's situation is different. Take it all in, listen to the "discussions" and base your decisions on hard facts, leave out emotions.
I understand what is going on there, but I may be wrong, are you not employees?
If you are not, have you thought of FedEx Ground?
As an employee, isn't FedEx allowing you to move to another division that has teams like Freight?
If you have tractor experience, I would seriously consider mainstream trucking right now, times are tough and good drivers are hard to find. The are changes on the horizon for all of us with the shakiness of the economy and may be the best place is somewhere that has regular work.
All of this depends on your finances, your goals and your abilities.
The first thing that I recommend before taking any advice from those questions is find out where you are financially and where you want to be realistically. THE biggest obstacle in this business is finances, nothing more can ruin your day. The second biggest is not knowing where you want to go with this, it is a paid vacation unless you have a company that coddles you or you have some hidden wealth.
You will find differeing opinions because everyone's situation is different. Take it all in, listen to the "discussions" and base your decisions on hard facts, leave out emotions.
The latest reports state freight is at a 12 year low . There is a huge surplus of applicants mainly because thousands of people run to truck driving schools when they lose jobs in other careers . Carriers take full advantage of this and have reduced wages and benefits . There are tens of thousands of good drivers looking for jobs . The good paying carriers now only select drivers with a clean MVR and no criminal record . The bottom feeder companies are almost as picky . Some won't hire a driver on medication that can only get a 1 year medical card . Read the quarterly financial reports of all the major carriers and you will see they are all reducing fleet size because there is too little freight and still too many trucks . Companies are hiring because drivers keep quitting due to not getting enough miles .
If an experienced driver has been out of work more than a few months many carriers will tell him he must pay for a refresher course or go out with a trainer to be hired .
If It's Expediting you want to do, Keep in Mind That Freight is Slow Right Now and No One Knows when it will start to pick up.
Read and Take Into Account as to what the Other Guys above My Post Has to Say as They are Giving Some Real Good Advice. But if you are still considering Getting Into it then Do Like I Didn't Do, And That's Start with a Good Experienced Fleet Owner Who Knows the Ins and Outs and Can Give you some Good Knowledge whenever you decide to Buy your Own Truck. Watch what you accept on loads because if you don't it Just Might Come Back to Bite Ya, And be Open as to where you will go. There are Only a Couple of Places I Won't go even though the Pay is Good But I do go Most Other Places. I Started out in 2000 and Bought my Truck, I Thought I Knew it all about trucking and Found Out the Hard Way that I Didn't! I Finally Changed the way I was Doing things and Listened to Other Drivers and have been Able to keep in the Black Mostly. I Will Never Know It All and You won't Either, But Listen to what Others Have to say and Make your Changes if necessary. Good Luck to you and your Wife in your next Move..
Read and Take Into Account as to what the Other Guys above My Post Has to Say as They are Giving Some Real Good Advice. But if you are still considering Getting Into it then Do Like I Didn't Do, And That's Start with a Good Experienced Fleet Owner Who Knows the Ins and Outs and Can Give you some Good Knowledge whenever you decide to Buy your Own Truck. Watch what you accept on loads because if you don't it Just Might Come Back to Bite Ya, And be Open as to where you will go. There are Only a Couple of Places I Won't go even though the Pay is Good But I do go Most Other Places. I Started out in 2000 and Bought my Truck, I Thought I Knew it all about trucking and Found Out the Hard Way that I Didn't! I Finally Changed the way I was Doing things and Listened to Other Drivers and have been Able to keep in the Black Mostly. I Will Never Know It All and You won't Either, But Listen to what Others Have to say and Make your Changes if necessary. Good Luck to you and your Wife in your next Move..
Hello, Me and my wife just started in june I recommend that you go with an owener that has been out here before being an owener they know whats going on. We got very lucky with our owener he been in the biss. 25 years and him and his wife drove out here before becoming oweners. In these times right now do your home work I took 6 months of gethering info before doing this. You can make it through these times. But you need some one knowledgeable on your side. There is alot of frieght out here you can't make money on so be careful do the math before pressing y on your QC. Be safe out there goodluck.
There will be good and bad days let the bad pass and enjoy the good!!!!!!!
Rick and Ida
panther truck #5227
There will be good and bad days let the bad pass and enjoy the good!!!!!!!
Rick and Ida
panther truck #5227