Journal of an Expedite Driver

[guest]

I am a newbie, and have been hired by an O/O leased to Tri-State. By using EO, and participating in all of the forums and information here, I found what I was looking for.

I begin my training on October 11th or the 18th. Tri-State hasn't finished all of the paperwork yet. Hopefully they will let me know tomorrow.

I have started a journal and will post to it on a daily basis if at all possible while I am on the road. My journal is posted on my web site. Please feel free to visit the site and read my journal. You can see for yourself what an Expedite Driver goes through on a daily basis, from a drivers point of view.

Click below to go to my site.

http://www.expeditersonline.com/web/kswish/Home.html

 

[terryandrene]

Great Idea!

Looking forward to signing your guest book. Good luck with your choice of employment and company; we trust you'll do well.

 

[davekc]

Good luck, and look forward to your journal. Over the past year it appears Tri-Stste has made alot of positive moves. It seems they have revamped about every part of the operation. Let us know how it goes.
Davekc

 

[Tennesseahawk]

Have they revamped their pay scale? I remember it as a D unit getting .80/mile a number of years back, though they had tons of loads. When fuel was 1.00/gal this could work... but not now. Also, it seems they've cut back on their trucks (either voluntarily or not) as there aren't as many sitting around truckstops as I'm used to seeing.

 

[davekc]

The latest I have heard is that they pay a D truck 1.15 on pc miler instead of the HHG they use to use. They are probably growing alittle now, but they lost a large percentage of their fleet when things went south with GM. They had alot of problems in their operations but they have fired and hired several people. I hope it turns out to be a positive experience for the people there.
Davekc

 

[ATeam]

Welcome to expediting! I'll be reading your journal with great interest as will numerous people researching the industry. You are providing a valuable service by sharing your info as you are.

One item that comes to mind already is the cost of moving into the business or among carriers in the business. You mentioned in your journal that orientation has been rescheduled to a slightly-later date. That means you can't start as early as you were prepared to. That means lost runs and lost income. The value of that lost time will become known later as your average daily income figure comes into focus.

Drivers changing from one carrier to another sometimes overlook the lost runs cost of doing so. When that cost is factored in, the grass may not be quite as green on the other side of the fence.

On the lighter side, you are already doing what expediters do...waiting for something to happen so you can make some money!