New to the Forum, and some advice needed.

[LaPurr]

How ya'all doin....

Im just getting into the expediting, And I think I am going to go with FECC (FedEx Custom Critical) with a cargo van. Im buying a 2001 GMC Savana EXT G3500 raised roof hopefully with a deisel. I have been driving over the road as a company driver with U.S. Xpress for about 3.5 years. And decided it was time to do a O/O thing and bring the wife with me instead of her managing the home front, with her blessings.

The preRamble:
I have been doing research here and with some drivers on the road (asking them to go have a cup of coffee/dinner or while their fueling up their van :+ ). The reason I am choosing to go with the Class B (cargo van) is because I am planning on teaming up with the wife as soon as she gets her class C license (with Haz-Mat of course). And her just getting the license is the exact reason for it. I dont want her, neither does she, to jump from driving a itty bitty car to a straight truck or what have you. So a cargo van seemed a reasonable place to start. Small steps makes for a good break in to the OTR world.

The midRamble:
What we (the wife and I) have decided was to run solo for a month, with her driving only. To get used to the size of the van, how it drives, etc. And progress into the Team operated status as soon as she feels comfortable to do so.

The NittyGritty:
What we are looking for, after recieving the FedEx care pack, what the care pack didnt tell us and what type of startup costs are we looking at to have fedex do all there decals, qualcoms, drug tests, whatever else? How long till we would even start seeing a income, and how much should I have set aside in the bank for whatever. And whatever else information I would really need to know, or not really need to know, but just would be nice to know would be ok.

There is a FECC guy that lives near me that has been doing this for 15 years, 4 vans. He has helped me out alot with various different information. He informed me that the dodge vans, althou will work, the back doors dont allow for SOME cargo to get loaded without chaffing or ripping a bag or something that might be on the pallet. The Dodge/Frieghtliner Sprinter has not been proven for the road, and is still working out the bugs, and is rather costly to repair (egr valve problems, trans costs/problems, alternator costs/problems). The Ford Van works well, but rides like a truck, and the GM rides more like a car. The dealers also confirmed this fact, and being I have a sensitive back, Im going with GM, althou the Dodge Dealer was trying to force me to buy a Sprinter. At this point, I am looking for input from you more experienced people in this field to give me hints and ideas that I might not have considered as of yet.

So this is what I have in the works so far:
2001 GMC Savana raised roof extended van 1 ton (3500) hopefully will be diesel.
A laptop of some sort, with GPS mapping and some games (for entertainment of course).
Im sure theres more, but as it is 415 am CDT, I am a little tired. Let me know guys and gals...

Thanks... Brian

 

[redytrk]

Has FECC explained their policy of no van over five years old.This is figured from the date of manufacter. I understand this can be extended by a year if the van is taken to Green Oh for an inspection.If you are OK with this,buying used is a good way to find out if you like this business.

 

[LaPurr]

They didnt tell me about it, but the FECC guy that lives near me did. And a vehicle can be extended up to 7 years if maintence records are good, as well as your on time DEL/PU ratio.

Brian

 

[Lawrence]

That seven year extension is for straight trucks - I beleive. When RichM gets off the road he can clarify it - or anyone else feel free to jump in.

Lawrence,
Expediters Online.com


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[vernon946]

I don't believe you can keep a van on with FedEx CC for 7 years. Last I heard this was for straight trucks.

Before you commit to a cargo van, you may want to consider a class C straight truck. You'll be hauling many of the same loads, so the major difference will be in living space inside the truck. Our class C has a 72 inch sleeper, so we're not cramped as we would be in a cargo van.

The CDL is the same for a cargo van or a class C straight truck. We only haul a max of 5000 lbs, but usually 2000 or less.

If you really want to get a feel for the concept before you invest money is a truck, rent a contractor type cargo van and spend a weekend in a truckstop with your wife in that van.

We had the same choicr years ago and ended up in a straight truck.

Vernon

 

[LaPurr]

As I mentioned in my original post, straight trucks are out of the question. Everyone and their mother is trying to convince me otherwise. As I dont have a choice on the matter, a cargo van is where I am going. Maybe after the wife has the experince in driving something larger, maybe I can convince her to upgrade. But for now, nope. Sorry if I came off rude in that, but FECC, CONWAY NOW, Panther II, drivers I have talked to on the road, and here have all been telling me to go straight truck. Baby steps make for a happy relationship. If I buy a cargo van, used, I am spending less then 10k on it. If I buy a striaght truck, Im spending anywhere from 25k UP. As I am just getting into this business, I dont have that type of money to drop that quickly.

Brian

 

[ATeam]

<snip>

I dont want her, neither
>does she, to jump from driving a itty bitty car to a
>straight truck or what have you. So a cargo van seemed a
>reasonable place to start. Small steps makes for a good
>break in to the OTR world.


I understand and respect your choice of van over straight truck. Expediting team styles are as unique as the teams themselves. Team styles are based on individual desires, needs, hopes, and fears. The ONLY choice to make is the right one for YOU.

That said, allow me to offer the following for your consideration. Before my wife and I entered expediting, neither of us had a CDL or any truck driving experience whatsoever. We chose to be a D-unit team because we heard that's where the money is (which turned out to be true!).

To get our CDL's we studied the free written material provided by the state. To practice for the road test, we rented the largest rental truck we could find. We went to an empty school parking lot on a weekend and practiced cornering, backing, etc. For the road test itself, we rented a truck with air brakes from a company that provides vehicles specifically for testing. That company provided a trainer and one hour of practice time in the truck immediately before the test. The practice time was not to teach you how to drive a truck. It was to familiarize you with that particular truck so the driving examiner would not leave his teeth in the dash board the first time you stepped on the brakes.

It was enough to pass the road test on the first try.

As we interviewed fleet owners and selected one to start with, we made it clear that only a truck with an automatic transmission would do. We found one with little difficulty. The fleet owner put us into a $150,000 D-unit with virtually no cash outlay of our own. It was a great way to enter the business and make D-unit money too.

When we picked up the truck, we hoped to do the same kind of practice driving we did when preparing for our CDLs. No such luck. Our first load offer came in immediately and we were off and running.

After two runs, it was not so bad, we thought. This is managable, we thought. Then our third run offer came in: Pickup in Orlando, FL. Deliver in New York City....straight into the belly of the beast.

Those first few runs were more a test of our relationship than our driving ability, but we passed on both counts.

Driving a D-unit with no prior trucking experience can be done. Without exception, the numerous fleet owners we interviewed told us the same thing.

Again, the ONLY choice to make is the right one for YOU. I share our experience just in case you have not thought about taking a rental truck out for a day to see what straight truck driving is like.

The fleet owners that put inexperienced drivers into their D units all say it can be done. The truck rental companies rent trucks out to inexperienced drivers every day. While we had some white-knuckle moments in the early days, we found D-unit driving to be easier than we thought it would be. Perhaps you would too.

 

[X X]

La_purr I hope you checked with the company you want to work with and see if they put up cargo vans right now, because as far as I know most of them don't. Let me know in private if you find one.

 

[davekc]

There is some good advise from the above posts. You do need to make sure the company you want to sign on with is accepting vans and you are clear as to their age requirements.
In addition, a van may be the way you want to go, but by going with statistics, you would be better off with a straight truck. If funds are a issue, consider driving for a fleet owner to get your feet wet. The bottom line is you would have a greater capacity to carry different size loads, thus increasing your income potential.
For that same reason, if you are dead set on a van I would go with a sprinter because it carries much more weight and gets much better milage. On the downside, Sprinter has high repair costs but when you factor its capabilities it would be a wiser choice.
If you aquire an addition run per week based on this vehicle it has justified the cost.
You might want to take your wife into account as the larger the vehicle, the more room you may have. I can speak from some pretty good experience on this.
Good luck;-)

 

[LaPurr]

Well, there is a really big size issue as far as the wife is concerned. She has the ability to drive a fully automatic car/truck. But lacks the required mass and strength to even try to fight with a clutch. She is only 90 lbs and 4'10". I know you can get the straight trucks with autos, but according to eaton and meritor, there transmissions arent holding up as they are still in the prototype stage. True the stats say money is in the straight trucks, but thats not where we want to be for right now. maybe if i can talk the wife into upgrading later, as I mentioned 2 times now, we will. The majority of the comps I called are hiring cargo vans in the right area, which we are.
I have dont alot of research on the sprinter vans, the sprinter currently has the worst rating on repair costs and downtime for the long haul side. The vehicle was not designed with long haul even close to being in mind. I currently pull for chrysler, and have done so for quite awhile. I have talked to a couple higher up people, as well as the dealers out here, The sprinter was only designed for 500 mile days with 0-7% idle for the life of the vehicle. True it may handle more weight, but then we are getting into log books, HOS, wiegh stations, etc. Keeping it under 10k is what we want. Ford is about to take a major nose dive being they are droping the power stroke deisel in ALL vehicles they produce that can come diesel, since they are going to cummins (which ford does own) and a cummins wont fit under the hood of the vans (which was chryslers problem). I am eyeing the straight truck down the road. But it wont be anytime within the next 1-2 years.

So now lets dispense of trying to get me to drive a straight truck and go back to talking about my original post PLEASE. I do have a Class A CDL, I currently drive a semi-truck, I know what its like to ride and drive around in something that large, my wife has ridden around in the complete combo unit, and driven the bobtail, which is a semi-automatic. She does not want to be in that seat. So lets please talk about the cargo van.... That said lets move on .

I am looking for hints and pointers of things I may have overlooked that I didnt mention in my original post. We already have the vehicle scooped out that we want. Just waiting on the owner to come down a tad in price. Now I am wondering about start up costs, how long till I see my first paycheck (I ask this because i was reading a post about 3-4 weeks befor I get a paycheck on a contract on with a O/O), qualcomm expenses, do they charge to decal your truck, do you have a choice if the decal your truck or not, insurance requirements, insurance recomendations, etc?.

Thanks Brian

 

[davekc]

If you are completely set on a specific van ect. I would look at the posts or create your own on the recruiter board. Generally you would be waiting 3 weeks for your first check. You may be able to advance against those monies earned for fuel, food, ect.
For what it is worth, I don't think those driving a sprinter log, unless it is haz-mat. I am not a van driver but that is my understanding.
I would also check through some of the posts to see what some of the drivers say about specific vans, whether ford, chevy,or dodge.
Since you can't keep them for too long, I would look at resale on them as well.

 

[tazman]

Hi,

Your comments about Ford and the Powerstroke are all mixed...I'm not sure who were talking to but....

The Powerstroke is alive an well and actually manufactured by International....as was the 7.3 unit that was the original Powerstroke
Ford has opted to install these in their E-series line for the foreseeable future......
They will be de-tuning them for the E-250 series as they are much too powerful for that size truck...
Production for the 2005 E-series will begin in about 45-60 days as they were late in getting the 2004 series to market

In addition, they a about start marketing a similar version of the Powerstroke in a V-6 version for the upcoming cab-forward chassis that will be both International and Ford.....

The GMC and Chevy line (at least in the US) DO NOT offer a Diesel...
anymore...and when they did it was the old 6.5 unit ( not a Duramax)
and a a series of design issues.....main bearings being the worst...
Chevy and GMC will offer a Duramax unit in large (3/4 and 1-ton) vans in the 2006 model year.

Cummins entered into a agreement with Dodge pickup Division only to offer a full diesel engine in the those trucks.....rumor is that Dodge will start to phase out the Big 2500/3500 series as they are not selling well.......






If you want info I sell and market al four products ( Ford-Chevy-GMC-Dodge (including Sprinter)
...I will be happy to help you ....

Thanks,

Frank in Pa.

"The Beast in the East"

 

[LaPurr]

Well, I am looking specificly at a 2001 Chevy Express Cargo Extended. 127k on the clock, for 7500. Its completely stripped thou. no cruise, no P/L, P/W, and vinyl seats. I got an estimate from the dealer for 350 to install cruise. P/W and P/L or a not needed thing, just nice to have. And I found a set of cloth seats at a local salvage yard for 125 (power drivers seat). It has the 6.5 diesel. And I rather like it. My freind has one in his suburban, with 327k on it, and has done nothing to it, other than suspension kingpins or something to that effect. The Chevy also rides a hell of alot nicer compared to the other 2, I test drove all three over the weekend. I have been told the chevy rides better because of the long wheel base. Althou i did not, and will not test drive a sprinter, price tags are to high for a start up, to much overhead way to fast. I am trying to find out what the GVWR is for the chevy thou. I know it varies based on the motor, and the rear end. Any one know this?

Brian

 

[tazman]

If you are looking at the truck the GVWR is located on the door panel on the drivers side.....if no there it should be under the hood near the firewall...

2500 Series - GVWR - 7300 GCWR - 9500
3500 Series - GVWR - 9600 GCWR - 14,000
These are for 2003 models (non -diesel)


RE: 6.5 Diesels...I have lived through a nightmare of issues with this engine....I had a client with 100 of them in 1-ton Step Vans....and over 50 units had to be re-built (the bearing tolerances were actually not set right)....You can show the internet and look for rebuilt blocks everywhere....
My advice is be careful what you buy....repair on these "puppies" is not cheap


Good Luck !!!!!

Frank in Pa.

"The Beast in the East"

 

[Twmaster]

I would advise you to avoid that van. The diesel version is not a good thing for long life. If you do buy it expect to buy another van next year. If it is a 1 ton (eg 3500) it will likely have a GVW of 9600 pounds. The only 3500's with a higher factory GVW are the dual wheel cube models.

--
Mike N

 

[tazman]

I wanted to comment on the Cruise Control aftermarket product you referred to...

Be mindful of a cheap unit......(not saying it is).....I have had situations where we had them installed for customers in new vans especially Fords..and they locked on ...Customer had to turn off the engine to reset them.....
I only spec genuine Ford or GM modules with my upfitter on cruise controls....(price about $400-$500) depending on model......

Point being is that life is precious....and repair is available at any dealer.......

Most times you get what you pay for .........

IMHO

Frank in Pa.

"The Beast in the East"

 

[highway star]

I heard the Duramax will be available in the vans for '05. The new, bigger front end that came out in '03 was to make room for it. I can't imagine being a team in a van. Mine gets awfully small after a couple weeks and I'm by myself.

 

[tazman]

Hi,

No diesels in vans for 05...but will be ready in 06....at the same time GM will be phasing out the Astro and Safari units that they made for years in Baltimore....

Look for a Duramax unit to be a smaller version of the current 300hp version in their medium duty models....

Ford will be adding a V-6 diesel with the introm for the Blue Diamond venture with International...this will show up in the new COE Class 4-6 units due later this year (Ford and International will sell these)
I think they are re-thinking some issues in light of the tough startup on the 6.0 unit Powerstrokes and the van troubles that delayed
the 04 E-series.....

Well thats all I know..today...tomorrow could be all different in this business....

Frank in Pa.

"The Beast in the East"

 

[TinInTheWind]

LaPurr,

I had the same questions you had about FedEx CC & found the answers at: Carrier Profile: FedEx Custom Critical
http://www.expeditersonline.com/artman/publish/article_00333.html I hope this helps

I am in the same boat as you. I am a previous 'D' expediter with a wife that does not want to drive a 'Big Truck' Since she has not read this forum yet I will admit I want her to do most of the driving & record keeping hehe.....I know some of you female expediters will give me H___ for saying this but I must be honest with myself....hehe

We want to forget about scales & logging. When we are empty we want to drive through McDonalds for those dollar sandwiches.

Pertaining to the discomfort of a van; we have decided to take an inflatable air mattress & sleep on top of the van with a sleeping bag until I get the raised roof sleeper built....We are used to roughing it...hehe

 

[LaPurr]

Thanks TinInTheWind, finnally some information pertaining to the stuff I asked about, and not someone saying Im stupid for going to a cargo van instead of a straight truck, no matter how much I said I wasnt going to one. I really do apreciate that and thanks for the information. Will be reading it over very closely....:+

Brian