Newbie Introduction & Seeking Advice

[TruckingSurv]

Hi all, fairly new poster to this site, BUT have been following the industry on this site and Truckers Report for a few months. I have PM'd a few folks and read most of the A Team's (Phil's) daily blog.


I have run my own professional consulting business for 18 years. Business has been slow in my region since late 2008 (Oregon) and frankly after about 33 years total in that profession I am burnt out and am looking for a change. I have no problem traveling and being away from the house, in my current business I have traveled for years with away time up to 6 months and have driven multiple trips across the USA in a diesel work pickup, many miles with a trailer in tow. I am fully used to owning my own business and experiencing the ups and downs and making ALL the decisions daily.


I have never really been involved in the transportation business except for driving a couple of old trucks with lowboy trailers during my college years during the summer, the primary job task was operating heavy equipment in the Oregon woods. Back then I had a Chauffeurs license, BUT let that go instead of grandfathering into a CDL when those came out. Dummy!


Late last year I obtained my DOT medical card and my CDL A permit with the intention of obtaining my CDL as another tool in the toolbox, initially not to drive a truck and trailer BUT as a requirement in driving straight trucks for a few railroad jobs that peaked my interest, those jobs were primarily NOT driving jobs BUT instead the CDL was required due to the weight of the vehicles. I have a couple of friends with ranches who own trucks and trailers and have gone out with one of them a few times and after I got my permit even drove some, BUT still don't feel practiced enough to pass a CDL A driving test.


After learning of expedite freight from Truckers Report and finding this site a few months ago I have been in full on research mode into expediting in a straight truck as a possible new career.


From everything I can gather, the business is NOT the same as it was a few years back, that said, if I can earn a living starting out driving for an O/O for a year or so, I think it is something I would like to try, if it is I can move to the next step of owning my own truck.


As stated, I live in Oregon, that isn't good from what I gather for an expediter! I would be interested in learning the business solo at least to start, again not good from what I gather (I am married and may later move to a team with my wife, BUT don't want to do that until I check out the business, might be too many eggs in one basket at first). From my research this is probably going to limit me to the largest carriers ONLY (if I ever hope to get a load near the house (Boise, Portland and Seattle are all under 300 miles from the house) and I would need a carrier that would take a totally inexperienced person.


My ultimate goal if the business suits me is to own my own truck and go all in, reefer, T-Val, White Glove, lift gate, etc., fully equipped in a CR or DR truck.


The sentiment on this board and Truckers Report seems to be that FECC is not nearly as good as they used to be, BUT they take newbies AND they likely (my perception) would at least stand a chance of getting me to the west coast, therefore I am thinking for my situation they at least might be a carrier to start with and get some experience. I also would strongly consider driving with Expediter Services BUT I don't think they take on solos (haven't confirmed that in person).


So, bottom line, I am looking for some advice on getting started, both for a carrier and an O/O to drive for. I know FECC (and likely other carriers) have some requirements on CDL schooling for newbies, so I am thinking on selecting a carrier PRIOR to getting the CDL to make sure I don't do that and later find out my school didn't meet their requirements.


Any and all advice appreciated, even if it goes against what I am currently proposing.


TruckingSurv

 

[paullud]

The first thing to do is get your class B instead of an A. A class A will provide no value to you unless you go through an accredited school, not to mention the class B will be easier to obtain.

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[cheri1122]

Maybe some recruiters could chime in, but IMO, most carriers are more interested in your experience than what school you attended.
With no experience at all, I'd suggest finding a someone who has experience and is looking for a co driver. Or you might find an owner who is willing to go out with you for a few weeks - it's how I got started in a straight truck. [Coming from a t/t & cargo van.] There is more to expediting than driving - you will need to learn to do a good pretrip, keep logs accurately, and deal with the 'down time', too.
I would never advise beginning as a solo, with absolutely no background in trucking - expediting is about being able to 'hit the ground running', so to speak, and there isn't time to spare when dispatch calls with a load that's ready to pick up now. You need to have your ducks in a row, then, and there's no tolerance for being late.
To the best of my knowledge, Expediter Services uses only teams - whether they have to be same household or not, I don't know. But there are carriers & fleet owners large and small who will put 2 unrelated drivers together, so if ES won't, don't give up.
Keep reading, and good luck.

 

[Rocketman]

Because of your location, I would think that you would almost have to run team with somebody. Personally, if it were me...in your shoes...I would start looking at it with an all or nothing approach. You need to determine if the money is enough to satisfy you and your wife, you need to decide if BOTH you and your wife are ready and willing to make the leap, then research from there. I don't think your going to like this industry driving for someone else, without your wife along for the ride. I think driving solo as an o/o, driving solo for a fleet owner, driving team with an unrelated partner, driving team with your wife...will all offer vastly different experiences and opinions of the industry. I think driving same household team for a fleet owner at the company you ultimately want to be leased to as an o/o is the closest you'll ever get to a true trial period. Way too many variables and differences in the other scenarios to get a true picture...my opinion.

 

[TruckingSurv]

Appreciate the responses so far, good solid advice and that is what I need!


Cheri, I agree that driving with somebody with some experience at the outset is essential, it isn't my intention to jump in without a bit of hand holding from a fleet owner. I did talk to ES today, teams ONLY and pretty much same household teams ONLY, they haven't experienced a great track record with separate household teams.


Rocketman, some good advice, I fully agree that the various scenarios will likely produce varying results, so that will be considered. I agree with a team probably being the best scenario (preferably from same household) given my location, I may end up doing the team with someone else to learn before doing that though, otherwise I see a potential problem if we both just jump in head first, the only hope then is that there would be very good support from the fleet owner.


I am still unclear if the $$$ are there to support a same household team that is doing this as a career rather than a retirement or second income, lots of variables I know, BUT hard numbers would help somewhat in the decision making process and those seem a bit elusive... Is it possible to NET $50K+ for a team driving for a fleet owner, I am talking AFTER ALL taxes, etc.? I would hope for that or more, BUT if not, then it would be good to know at the outset, not looking to get rich, just make a comfortable living. I hear quite a bit about the elusive $200K gross sales figure, BUT that even seems low for a straight team based on the amount of cash it takes to purchase, maintain and run a truck, big numbers in gross sales mean nothing if you have nothing to show at the end of the day but a wore out team and truck. I can understand if you don't want to publicly announce your earnings on the forum, however if anyone felt so inclined to share privately (and anonymously if you want) that would be a big help, I guess additional information that would be useful if you share would be solo / team, size of unit, carrier and whether driving for a fleet or with your own truck.

TS

 

[Turtle]

I would echo Rocketman's comments. If you lived in the Midwest it would be much easier to ease into the business, in stages, driving solo or team for a fleet owner to learn the business, and then move to your own truck. But in your situation, not only where you live but also having so many years being your own boss, you're better off going "all in" as a husband and wife team driving for a fleet owner for a few months and then getting your own truck ASAP.

 

[purgoose10]

You stated you are 300 miles from Portland, Sea, Boise. Are you in LaGrande??
If you are your in a tough spot. Not much goes on in that area. About the only way to get into the Expediter arena is moving east unless you know of someone who runs teams out of the Northwest. Kate who is a driver member lives in Oregon, it might benefit you to contact her.
I have friends in LaGrande North Powder area, hunt and fish there every couple of years. Nice area, not to mention the girls college there. LOL!

 

[TruckingSurv]

You stated you are 300 miles from Portland, Sea, Boise. Are you in LaGrande??

No, I am in the middle of the state in a small town of about 10,000. I know this isn't the best area and there would likely never be freight to here, BUT I am near both E-W and N-S US Highways so might be able to get by the house once in a while enroute to someplace. Thanks for the info on the member here in Oregon.

TS

 

[Moot]

If you are serious about this, look into getting your class A license. Find a truckload company that offers free training with the requisite indentured servitude period. Look into some western U.S. carriers like Swift, C.R. England, Interstate Distributors? out of Tacoma, Schneider and others. Do your time. Put up with the crap. When it's all over, you will have a class A license and experience. You will also have a pretty good idea of life on the road.

If you like the road you have a much better chance with your new found experience to try expediting with your wife with a fleet owner. I just re-read that last sentence and it sounds kind of kinky. What I mean is, now that you have the experience, landing a gig with a fleet owner should be much easier. If both of you like it, buy a truck and do it!

DISCLAIMER: Since you are new to this site I feel obligated to inform you that I am a cargo van O/O. As such, what I have to contribute concerning anything with more than 4 wheels should be suspect.

 

[Opel2010]

Look into some western U.S. carriers like Swift, C.R. England, Interstate Distributors? out of Tacoma, Schneider and others.[/I][/SIZE]

It'll be a mistake to start with those large companies. First of all, there will be a contract, mostly for two years. The pay sux and you'll leave them. When you do so, you'll pay the contract, which might be very expensive. Two friends of mine did this and now they pay the price. The best thing to do is to get the class B, then find a fleet owner.


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[TruckingSurv]

Thanks again for the comments. I initially wanted to stick my toe in the water in a straight truck driving for a fleet owner as a solo, based on the advice here and some additional research with carriers and fleet owners over the last few days I have confirmed that given my location I will have to be all in as a team. If that doesn't work out with my wife I may end up being solo with an 18 wheeler (non expedite). If I do that I am strongly considering either Prime or obtaining the CDL on my own and then going with TransSystem, they actually run a school BUT you pay for it up front and then go to work for one of their divisions.


My preference is teaming with my wife in a straight, I have basically been told by two fleet owners and a carrier recruiter that if we both get the "B" it is just a formality to get hired, of course they may be blowing smoke! The thing is, we can both get a "B" for about the price of an "A" for me and we will be able to travel together expediting and I expect possibly do better financially over me driving a truck-trailer solo. She does have some reservations and also some commitments we are trying to see if we can work around.


Any lady members of a team care to chime in? I think the two biggest concerns of my wife are the size of a "C" or "D" unit and the long periods of sitting, she does get TB (tired but) easier than me due to arthritis that runs in her family. I have explained that trucks are designed with seats for long periods of driving and plus you can be in the sleeper resting when not driving so it isn't quite the same as riding in a compact car.


Appreciate all the advice here so far, it has changed my direction and provided information that I needed to know.

TS

 

[rymilburn]

I am also a newbie that decided to take the plunge and have posted on here quite some time ago. I spent some time reading past threads, spent about 6 months actually. Finally convinced my fiancé to take the plunge and get the B CDL as we go into school in a week. Its only a one day course here in Las Vegas (that's where we live) We don't mind being out on the road 4-6 weeks at a time such as Expeditor Services recommended because we live west. We are planning on signing on with Fed Ex CC because I believe they have a larger presence here in the west and was told that most loads out west people don't take because its harder than hell to get out. That is what I have gotten from research to. We are probably the most inexperienced people in trucking you can ever find, however we have both have ran our own small business. I am doing this for a second income, as well as a new found hobby. She is doing it for the money, but we are both young in our mid 20's. Expeditor services have told us that inexperience is no problem, and more than likely they will have the school just fax something over stating our experience. Fed Ex might also have us take a skills assessment while we are there for orientation. We have many back up plans in case this does not work out. I have a friend in the industry that has helped out immensely. As far as the pay has gone, we have researched a lot and it sounds like teams can expect about 800-1500 each a week, depending on how freight is. Obviously running harder would bring you in more $$. Hope that helps. We are excited about our new adventure and would love to provide any help we can. We got a wealth of knowledge on this site and could only hope to "pay it forward." You might want to set aside some time to go back on this site a few years and do research, has helped us out 100%. Good luck and keep us updated.

 

[Rocketman]

Very good post above. I would, however, find the $800-$1500 per driver per week hard to believe for a new team driving for a fleet owner. I would consider those same numbers to the "team" per week. Those sound like recruiter numbers to me. I am sure there are teams out there doing those numbers per driver per week, but I would say they are the top 10%, not the new kids on the block....just my opinion...could be wrong?

 

[paullud]

Is $1500 a week an attainable goal for a team working for a company like FedEx or Panther?

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[purgoose10]

Is $1500 a week an attainable goal for a team working for a company like FedEx or Panther?

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As an owner yes. As a fleet driver maybe difficult.

 

[rymilburn]

The $$ was what I researched and what Expeditor Services told me. I know those figures seem a bit high, more towards the 800-1K range is more acceptable per each driver at least for newbies. That's at least what were wishing for. Just work hard, take loads when offered, and always hit your bonuses when they are offered. It seems like teams will make more in the long run than solo, because a team can cover more distance in a time period than a solo can. A team can make it cross country in half the time that a solo can. Anyways, we are really excited about our new adventure. The hard part was convincing the fiance, the rest is hopefully easy. Ha. There are some really great people on here with a wealth of knowledge and I appreciate every one of you. I have some family that lives up in Oregon. Pretty country. Would love to make it up there at least often. It seems while most tend to shy away from west coat loads, I will take them anytime.

 

[xiggi]

The $$ was what I researched and what Expeditor Services told me. I know those figures seem a bit high, more towards the 800-1K range is more acceptable per each driver at least for newbies. That's at least what were wishing for. Just work hard, take loads when offered, and always hit your bonuses when they are offered. It seems like teams will make more in the long run than solo, because a team can cover more distance in a time period than a solo can. A team can make it cross country in half the time that a solo can. Anyways, we are really excited about our new adventure. The hard part was convincing the fiance, the rest is hopefully easy. Ha. There are some really great people on here with a wealth of knowledge and I appreciate every one of you. I have some family that lives up in Oregon. Pretty country. Would love to make it up there at least often. It seems while most tend to shy away from west coat loads, I will take them anytime.

Sure a team can cover more ground but your also supporting two people so that even out. I still think your going to find those dollars each not the norm.

You might want to pm Jenny on hear they are a st team driving for an owner i think at the fed. They will be straight with you and could provide you a more accurate picture than some of us.

Sent from my Fisher Price ABC-123.

 

[Rocketman]

There are a lot of variables to the equation and there are several fedex teams here who could give you good info...some are even with expediter services. Your making good plans, just be careful to not set your expectations too high. I would consider $600-800 per driver per week to be an attainable goal, especially starting out. You will definitely have better weeks than that, but I would bet that a large % of the time it will be in that range...especially for your first year.

Seek out a couple of the teams here driving for expediter services and fedex. That's where you'll get accurate numbers. Recruiters tend to give out best case numbers taken from a few of their top performers. You don't want to bank on those numbers.

 

[rymilburn]

This is just as a second income for me, but my fiance is a bit concerned about it. Oh well, either way, its the experience that is priceless. We are expecting nothing, but are wishing for the best of course. We hope to make it through Las Vegas at least once a month, and for the Oregon guy I'm sure as well. Don't tell me that's impossible, please! lol. I've read a while ago that some people will just tend to fly home if they really need to be there and it tends to be cheaper than just deadheading home...but obviously if you travel with a pet that's not always feasible. We have family in Houston, Missouri, Montana, Seattle, California, which is just like home and if we get through there from time to time then its all good.

 

[TruckingSurv]

My research is showing more like $3K / month net to the new team (after deducting 30% for taxes, etc.). I would hope that is obtainable, I try to look at the low side of things and if things turn out better, great.

TS