new to expediting
- Thread starter motort31
- Start date
The miles you run depend on what area of the country you are in. The miles are also up and down and since we are on percentage pay miles are not the numbers we really watch.
The same goes for how long do we sit. We are in an area now where we have been running during the week and sitting on the weekend. We have been pleased with how we have been running during the week so the weekend has given us a chance to regroup and get the truck and us ready for the next week.
There are loads out here and it seems as if the load count has been up especially for January.
In this field as well as real estate Location Location Location is what it is all about!
I talked to a recruiter today. I was told team drivers are driving 3,000 miles weekly on average and getting 1.11 per mile + FSC. Does this sound right? How does dispatch decide on who gets the load if there is more than 1 truck sitting in the same location waiting for a load? What size of truck is recommended, C unit or D unit?
Dakota
Veteran Expediter
you get put on a waiting list, first come first served, unless it a specialized load ie white glove, then it goes to the first white glove truck.
greg334
Veteran Expediter
At FedEx how it works is the computer decides which truck is best suited for the load. The people who do the intake have to put in so much info, it doesn't have to be accurate info but enough for the computer to route the load (a lot of times the weight is off, sometimes all the info is off, it all depends on how much the person wants to push the customer). Then if it has some special requirement, like refrigeration load or special handling, it gets flagged and goes to one of the trucks that is qualified for it. Outside of that it takes the size of the truck, the capacity of the truck, who has the time and who is the closest - which the last one doesn't always matter.
Most of the time the system works and it is a good system but with anything there are tricks built in that no one sees. Many of the "Dispatchers" have to log their reasons behind changes while others in the place don't. They also pull can loads out of the system to help others out, like getting a WG truck from NJ to Florida to pick up a load in Florida.
Like I said it is a good system.
A $1.11 average, plus FSC, that's d*mn low. What happened?
Size recommandation is the D unit, the bigger the better. Do not make a determination of what truck to get by the company you intend to drive for, always look at it as the truck is a tool and you dont want to limit yourself with your tools.
Most of the time the system works and it is a good system but with anything there are tricks built in that no one sees. Many of the "Dispatchers" have to log their reasons behind changes while others in the place don't. They also pull can loads out of the system to help others out, like getting a WG truck from NJ to Florida to pick up a load in Florida.
Like I said it is a good system.
A $1.11 average, plus FSC, that's d*mn low. What happened?
Size recommandation is the D unit, the bigger the better. Do not make a determination of what truck to get by the company you intend to drive for, always look at it as the truck is a tool and you dont want to limit yourself with your tools.
A $1.11 average, plus FSC, that's d*mn low. What happened?
As Greg points out rates are very low at this time, this amount 2 years ago was close to what most van operators could expect on most loads .
Money can be made in expediting these days but be cautious as to how much overhead you build into your fledgling operation.
Good luck!
As Greg points out rates are very low at this time, this amount 2 years ago was close to what most van operators could expect on most loads .
Money can be made in expediting these days but be cautious as to how much overhead you build into your fledgling operation.
Good luck!
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Reading the forums, asking questions of drivers, talking to recruiters and then trying make sense of all that you have heard is how you are going to make a informed decision. It appears to me that is exactly what motort31 is trying to do.
Just because you make more money somewhere else does not mean you have to stay there. The true question seems to me is if motort31 is trying to find out is if this field will work and if enough money can be made to pay the bills.
Being miserable in a better paying job is not how I would want to live my life.
Last year was a rough year for the whole industry and the PPM quoted was an average. To begin with who wants to be average?
Just because you make more money somewhere else does not mean you have to stay there. The true question seems to me is if motort31 is trying to find out is if this field will work and if enough money can be made to pay the bills.
Being miserable in a better paying job is not how I would want to live my life.
Last year was a rough year for the whole industry and the PPM quoted was an average. To begin with who wants to be average?
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greg334
Veteran Expediter
Linda from what you said I think it comes down to two things.
1- having work that is consistent instead of the "glory" of expediting seems to matter more in these times, I have yet to hear ground having 34 hour dwell times. Revenue matters as you know, but if someone is sitting there thinking about how tired of their routine they are, it may be better for them to take a vacation than to delve into something new.
2 - it doesn't matter if one is miserable at their job because making a move to improve your work life may end up causing you more misery in the long run. You give up consistent work, even though it pays well, buy a truck and then find out that it is not what you expect then the bottom drops out - with the stress of sitting on the truck payment, high dwell times and more competition within the fleet, will you be happier? We live in really uncertain times with this business and it is changing, so I think that most of the veterans today if they had to start over wouldn't bother with this work.
1- having work that is consistent instead of the "glory" of expediting seems to matter more in these times, I have yet to hear ground having 34 hour dwell times. Revenue matters as you know, but if someone is sitting there thinking about how tired of their routine they are, it may be better for them to take a vacation than to delve into something new.
2 - it doesn't matter if one is miserable at their job because making a move to improve your work life may end up causing you more misery in the long run. You give up consistent work, even though it pays well, buy a truck and then find out that it is not what you expect then the bottom drops out - with the stress of sitting on the truck payment, high dwell times and more competition within the fleet, will you be happier? We live in really uncertain times with this business and it is changing, so I think that most of the veterans today if they had to start over wouldn't bother with this work.
Greg the thing that I like to keep in mind is that the people just coming into this do not know about the "Good Old Days" so they look at this with a fresh view.
The bottom can drop out of anything at anytime. Anyone is trucking knows that we are in an iffy world and you need to be financially prepared for the peaks and valleys.
I agree that giving up a stable job right now and jumping into this is scary. It was scary 10 years ago to give up a stable job with retirement. I do not see the future getting any safer and to run scared all of your life does not sound like much fun.
The more research you can do and the more questions you ask will help you make the decision easier. Coming from another segment of trucking makes the leap a little easier as they will know what life on the road is like.
Giving up a stable job to live on the road was a decision we did not take lightly. We had many people tell us we had lost our minds and maybe we had. With no kids at home and even the chance of making less money and having more responsibility we would do this again in a heart beat.