POLL: Did You Have ANY Delivery Experience BEFORE Expediting

[Brisco]

I was just called out in another thread where something I posted was questionable. (I probably deserved it too...)

Questionable remark I made was whether most, NOT all, but MOST Expediters today, have had "Delivery Experience" before they decided to give Expediting a try.

So Poll Question is, Did you have ANY delivery experience before giving Expediting a try?

Delivery Experience can consist of driving a delivery vehicle for a company as an hourly employee, an OTR Truck Driver for any number of years where your job consisting of actually making deliveries for the company you drove for, past experience as a Courier, a flower delivery driver, ANYTHING at all that requred you to take an item, or a product, from point A to point B, and got compensated for it.

Should be an interesting Poll if everyone answers truthfully. Some have a belief that the majority of Expediters came from backgrounds not related to "driving" and "delivery" related industries/careers. I have a strong belief that the majority of Expediters have a history of delivery experience that comes from past experiences in the trucking and delivery industry before they decided to take the plunge into Expediting. I'll eat my words if proven wrong.

(Ooops....might be a bad choice there in admitting I'll eat my words!! I'm sure there's plenty here that will vote AGAINST my belief just to shut me up!! )

 

[Suds43]

I had 2 yrs. delivery experience before getting into expedited. Ran a small 10 wheeler flat bed delivering steel to customers in NY, Pa., and Ohio.
Have never figured out why some of these expedited companies haven't opened a branch for flat bed straight trucks.........I know the freight is out there!

 

[BillChaffey]

In the early 90's I did Courier work in my E 250. Lower Fairfield County in Ct & NYC. If you want fun go to Co Op City in the Bronx and ask to find an Apartment #.

 

[CharlesD]

Courier in Cincinnati for a couple years.

 

[RoadKing06]

I, Laura, worked for a courier in the mid '80's driving my own vehicle (car). I picked up and dropped off film to be developed and photos that had been developed. It was a 5 day a week job. I did that for about 6 months.

Last year I drove a Party Bus Limo for about 6 months. I am still on the payroll there. So when I go home if they need me I will drive for them. And yes I claim that as working with the DOT books.

I also drove school bus for 4 years in the '90's. I also drove bus for the Board of Disabilities for about 6 months. I also played chauffer for my 8 children for 28 years, 5 years I had 5 teenagers at once.

Most of my career has been, mom and wife, then a Realtor & Auctioneer. Which is what I was doing when we started doing the Expediting. I am still an active Realtor I have Realtor friends who help me with my clients while on the road.

Tracy has been ASE Certified Auto Technician for 35 years. He had no previous driving experience, other than assistant chauffer for our children.

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[aileron]

Drove a bus for 5 years, than a tractor trailer for a few months before I bought my sprinter and became an expediter.

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[ATeam]

I answered "No" in the poll but I had delivery exprience that qualifies under Brisco's definition; that was a newspaper route I had when I was a boy.

I was an independent contractor with the newspaper and an owner-operator with a bicycle. A CDL was not required. Unlike expediting, I collected funds from the customers. Also unlike expediting, I could not take time off whenever I wished. Those newspapers came every day and had to be delivered whether I felt like it or not. I deadheaded every morning to the pick up and worked my way back home under load.

 

[scottm4211]

Phil did your newspaper customers ever request flyer disposal services from you?

 

[cheri1122]

Ran hotshots [emergency repair parts for the oil industry] for a small trucking company in New Orleans in the late 70s, drove a limo for a bit, and delivered auto parts in Cleveland, before getting a class A to drive t/t.

 

[geo]

have been driving sents i was 8 years old farm tractor pulling 2 hay wagons for my grandfarther
when i was out of navy for awhile drove dump truck for lewis county highway dept
drove in navy hauling freight for clinctlant fleet
cvn69 while in precom and drove bus in navy for lib call
and 9 ships i was on they need a driver was only one that could drive 5 and 10 ton trucks
also captains driver to
and boat coxan

 

[highway star]

I also had a paper route as a kid, but that involved a bicycle so it was riding, not driving. Most of my OTR experience was drop and hook.

I would define a "delivery" driver as someone like UPS, the local guy that works for Yellow, that sort of thing. The brief stint I did in OTR delivering truckloads doesn't fall into that category, IMHO. So, I voted no.

 

[Falligator]

Absolutely no experience at all. I drove for an owner out of Chicago with Panther then one out of Michigan and both were patient enough so I could learn the ropes until I brought my own van on in Feb of 97. Of course...I'm still learning. Patience just isnt a strong suit of mine, but I'm getting better at it.

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[Moot]

Hi my name is Moot. Um, yes I had delivery experience before getting hooked on expediting. Like Phil, I got started young. I experimented with newspaper delivery when the kid next door, who was 3 years older than me, got a paper route. I helped him on Saturday mornings.

The summer after 6th grade I got my own paper route and went from the experimental stage to a hardcore 7 day a week habit. This lasted almost 3 years until I went back to cutting grass and shoveling snow. At 15 years old I lied about my age and got a real job busing tables at a Jewish restaurant.

I stayed on the wagon until I was 19 when I got a part time job driving a school bus. That led to a 20 year mainline addiction to tractor-trailer truckload, pulp logs, household goods, intermodal and LTL delivery. The last 14 years I have tapered off with an occasional expedite delivery.

 

[davekc]

Phil did your newspaper customers ever request flyer disposal services from you?

Have to admit, that is funny.

 

[purgoose10]

Delivered petroleum products for Gulf Oil corp till they got rid of the trucks in my area 5yrs, drove for TNT Reddaway pulling triple trailers in the Northwest for about 10yrs. Moved back south and delivered Anhydrous ammonia doing about 40 stops a week for 20 years and the rest running Expedite. 40yrs total. Does that qualify???

My hobby is building Cummins tractor pull engines. About 15 yrs.

 

[Ragman]

At 15 years old I lied about my age and got a real job busing tables at a Jewish restaurant.

OY! Time to lay off the lox.

 

[Deville]

I had almost 12 years of delivery & operations experiance before I got into expediting.

 

[Brisco]

Man you guys are a PREDICTABLE bunch here!!!!

When I originally thought of this Poll, a thought had come to mind about saying something like "delivering Pizzas in College, or Newspapers as kids" should not be considered. I just blew it off and didn't state that in my OP. I know better next time.......

Guess I need to CMA a little more here regarding this Poll before the shelled one makes a big stink with a long drawn out post as to what was actually said, his response, and the intent of the Poll itself.

First I popped off with:

The majority of Expeditors out there was probably an hourly delivery driver at one time or another before they made the next step into the business owner realm to make more money as an independant contractor. Not all, but probably the majority. (Phil for example never worked at an $8 hour job learning the ins and outs of "common" delivery driver practices for a company)

Sure, I used the term "hourly" delivery driver with what I said. In essence, I believe that the majority of Expediters out there did "some sort" of delivery work before, whether it be as an hourly employee, a commissioned courier, an O/O in another trucking related industry, just any type of delivery work before they gave Expediting a try. And I pretty much covered that in my OP to this thread.

Then Turtle popped back at me saying:

It's called being an "armchair expediter". Armchair expediters are the ones who think most, not all, but the majority of expediters were employed at one time or another as hourly delivery drivers. Which is not only wrong, but funny wrong.

Before he has a chance at destroying the results of this Poll, I will say that "Yes", he has me on a Technicality with what it was I said in retrospect, But, my intended thoughts and opinion, and the truth I seek, is that Yes, most Expediters today did not just walk away from a desk job and got into Expediting on a whim. IMO, they have actually served time behind the windshield of truck, a car, and not the handles of a bicycle, doing deliveries of some sort before jumping into Expediting.

Hope this clears up a little wrangling T is about to thrust into this Poll.

 

[Brisco]

I would define a "delivery" driver as someone like UPS, the local guy that works for Yellow, that sort of thing. The brief stint I did in OTR delivering truckloads doesn't fall into that category, IMHO. So, I voted no.

My opinion....with the way the Poll is worded, and with what was said in the OP as to what standards are sought with the definition of "delivery" experience asked for, your vote is not correct. By your own admission of course.........

 

[rfields200]

drove semi for 5 years in the 80's hauling just in time auto parts.