Interest in Expediting Expressed on the Street

[ATeam]

When Diane and I first became expediters in 2003, it was common for people to approach us on the street to ask about the life and work. People at the loading docks, Walmart parking lots, church and other places regularly approached us and asked the usual questions expediter wannabees ask.

The trucks we drove made little difference. People approached as often when we drove fleet owner trucks as when we got into the more distinctive truck we drive now.

That all but stopped when the Great Recession took hold, which is understandable. Very few people take new risks when they see and hear about trucking companies closing and thousands of owner-operators going broke.

The Great Recession is said to have officially ended in June, 2009. The economy (GDP) has been in a slow growth mode since then (very slow, some say stall speed). It now happens every once in a while that an expediter wannabee will approach us with questions but nowhere near as often as it did before the Great Recession.

I'm curious to know if other expediters who have been out here for a while have noticed the same thing. How often does it happen that you get approached on the street by people wanting to know about the expediting opportunity? How often did it happen before?

 

[geo]

now most of the ones that ask are people in military who are getting ready to retire and are looking at what are they going to do next

 

[Falligator]

Yeah, I used to get asked a lot before the recession hit. I haven't had anyone inquire about it in at least a few months. Guess it's not a fad anymore. But I still love my job (when I'm busy at least)! Lol

 

[moose]

Last one was the Nashville's TA's lot lizard.

 

[Turtle]

It may have stopped for you when the Great Recession took hold, but it didn't stop for this Sprinter driver. The questions were certainly more frequent five years ago when Sprinters were truly a unique North American novelty, especially those questions from other truck drivers, but because the Sprinter can go to more places a straight truck cannot, we run across more people who aren't familiar with the vehicle and what we do. I stopped at Walgreens twice in the last three days, and I got questions from people that ranged from, "What is that?", to "What do you haul in that?" Unless I'm parked at a truckstop over the weekend, barely a day goes by when I'm not asked something about the Sprinter or expediting.

 

[Moot]

When I first became an expediter in 1997 it was common for people to approach me on the street to ask about the life and work. People at the loading docks, under bridges, in soup lines and other places regularly approached me and asked the usual questions expediter wannabees ask. But mostly they wanted to know that dome thingy on my roof was.

The vans I drove made little difference. People approached as often when I drove my Plain Jane van with the painted bumpers as when I got into the more distinctive van with chrome bumpers and chicken lights I own and drive now.

This got even more common when the Great Recession took hold, which is understandable. Every unemployed person and truck stop attendant with a driver's license would ask how they too could make tons of money just like me!

The Great Recession is said to have officially ended in June, 2009. Expediter wannabees still approach me with questions with the same frequency as they did before the Great Recession. All want to get rich and see the country.

 

[paullud]

I get asked by truck drivers that want to get out of the TT because they are sick of dealing with regulation, they seem kind of familiar with what banners do. When I get asked what I do by complete outsiders most seem interested until they realize they need to sleep in the van and not hotels. I get asked by both quite a bit.

Posted with my Droid EO Forum App

 

[chefdennis]

I still get approached and more so with the new van, its not the norm...And as Paul said, I get alot of TT drivers asking for the same reasons Paul stated, but they aren't as put off as they are with the normal vans because of the extra room I have...dock workers ask all the time about the new van because they haven't seen them and they know its not a Sprinter, then the conversation goes to them speaking to the fact that they have thought about expediting...

So from the freight industry, i still get questions, but yea the inquiries from the "guy on the street" certainly has slowed down yea....

 

[cheri1122]

People [established drivers, rookies and wannabes] used to ask me whether they could make money driving a S/T - the last couple years they mostly just ask me to give them money instead.