Redundant questions of an expediter

Deville · Jun 16, 2015

Daffyduck528 said:
Yeah. That's a pretty good bit. You figure 3-4 loads per week total so 1/4-1/3 of your income could be coming from haz loads. That means if your doing $600-$700 driver pay per week with a haz you would be looking at $1,000ish a week. Thats why we require them and I think most really successful guys out here have a haz endorsement.

Disagree. When I ran HAZ-MAT loads they paid really well, It did not matter if they went 1000 miles or a mile around the block. The past 4 years the load pay for HAZ-MAT has fallen off a cliff. So much so for me they are not worth the headache or the risk involved in running those loads. That decision hasn't affected my revenue in a negative way at all.

Perhaps it's different for a guy working for a fleet owner that needs HAZ loads to make or break a week, but for me a true straight truck solo driver that's not the case. I used to get HAZ mat loads running from Morrisville PA up to Linden NJ for $600. That load now comes in less than $250. Again, a real easy decision for me.

TNJenn · Jun 16, 2015

Twiggy said:
Twic worth it? And I'm not sure the terminology but I'll say " government clearance".

TWIC is a valuable credential to have. Imagine pulling up to a military base to deliver 40 trucks in line at the gate however if you have a TWIC card you pull to the left of the line and go to the front show your card and bills and are allowed to proceed through the gate. It works at ports as well you are allowed to bypass the line go to the front and proceed without paying for an escort. You may use it once or twice a year but what a time saver and it looks good on your resume.

Twiggy · Jun 16, 2015

Yeah it sounds like a winner to me.

Daffyduck528 · Jun 16, 2015

TNJenn said:
TWIC is a valuable credential to have. Imagine pulling up to a military base to deliver 40 trucks in line at the gate however if you have a TWIC card you pull to the left of the line and go to the front show your card and bills and are allowed to proceed through the gate. It works at ports as well you are allowed to bypass the line go to the front and proceed without paying for an escort. You may use it once or twice a year but what a time saver and it looks good on your resume.

A lot of bases have quit taking twic, but it is still a great tool. And your right when one of the bases that allow it let's you skip that line it's a great feeling. To me a twic and hazmat go hand in hand. My carrier won't apply for a gov clearance for you without the hazmat.

Daffyduck528 · Jun 16, 2015

Deville said:
Disagree. When I ran HAZ-MAT loads they paid really well, It did not matter if they went 1000 miles or a mile around the block. The past 4 years the load pay for HAZ-MAT has fallen off a cliff. So much so for me they are not worth the headache or the risk involved in running those loads. That decision hasn't affected my revenue in a negative way at all.

Perhaps it's different for a guy working for a fleet owner that needs HAZ loads to make or break a week, but for me a true straight truck solo driver that's not the case. I used to get HAZ mat loads running from Morrisville PA up to Linden NJ for $600. That load now comes in less than $250. Again, a real easy decision for me.

I hear you and I do think a seasoned expeditor can do well without it. This guys asking about twic cards and gov clearances. Hazmat is critical to making those tools effective.

We came to the conclusion of 100% haz required after looking at the numbers. The people with haz endorsements simply made more money and once we got the rest of the crew to get hazmats their pay went up as well. It also makes for a smooth transition from FedEx's surface division to w/g if the driver wants to go that way.

Deville · Jun 20, 2015

MEH TWIC or TSA clearance isn't all that great either. I have them and yea they come in handy. It certainly has helped weed out bad drivers, illegal aliens and other undesirables because of the semi strict requirements. So that in itself is worth the expensive intrusion and inconvenience of acquiring one.

cheri1122 · Jun 21, 2015

Twiggy said:
Yeah it sounds like a winner to me.

That's what I thought, when I got a FAST card, years ago. Funny thing, though, I wasn't getting as many loads that didn't require it, while the other units still did. I suspect the carrier was holding me in case a customer needed a FAST driver, which made them look good, but me? Not so much, waiting....and waiting, and waiting.
The moral of the story is that additional certs and equipment should work FOR you, so you need to be sure they are justified with respect to the carrier you choose.

Twiggy · Jun 21, 2015

Always something to think about in this business it seems. My original thoughts were that having certifications would increase the chances of having a business savvy teammate being that they would have the same credentials that I do when matched up.
Now the possibility of sitting just to fill a hole of possibility, ouch.

paulnstef39 · Jun 21, 2015

We found the TWlC card handy but not for the normal use. if we knew we were staying in a hotel, we would make reservations and request the government rate. it tended to be the lowest rate at mid-priced hotels. When we checked in, if they asked for proof of government service, we whipped out our TWlC cards. "What is this?" We are US Federal Transportation Workers. "Huh, OK" Never failed!

Twiggy · Jun 22, 2015

Haha, I used to do the same thing when I was a contractor for Georgia Power. When we were working out of town ide just walk in and say " I represent Georgia Power and I need a room for myself and crew". Best deal was $45 for a $140 dollar room in Rome GA.

Twiggy · Jun 24, 2015

So I'm supposed to leave in four days but I have not heard back from my recruiter. Called yesterday and he sounded surprised I hadn't been contacted yet, then asked if I had been paired up with another driver which I replied " no". He said he would have " the girls" call me in a few minutes and get me set up, but no call came. It's 24 hours later and I'm wondering if this is typical for this business. My whole philosophy on business is communication so this kinda rubs me raw just a bit.
I informed him yesterday that I had applied for my passport card and reminded him that I am hazmat endorsed so I would imagine that they wouldn't let me slip by.
Funny thing is it reminds me of when I tried to join the Navy years ago and everything was going well after four meetings in a recruiters office until the day I was supposed to formerly enlist, they called me and said the Navy was full.. LOL

ttruck · Jun 24, 2015

good luck,its a poke and hope kinda biz.

paulnstef39 · Jun 24, 2015

Maybe it is how you look. That picture scares me.

Twiggy · Jun 24, 2015

Toxic avenger always a good laugh.
But in all seriousness though I am clean cut, neat, and professional. I think the navy recruiter was doing me a favor I suppose.

Twiggy · Jun 25, 2015

Texted my recruiter and he said they couldn't find me a hazmat endorsed co driver. I also applied for my passport card to so I was expecting a co-driver with that as well. I was told that they might set me up with a regular cdl co driver for a bit until they find a match.

jjtdrv4u · Jun 26, 2015

sounds like you have been going thru this quite awhile with those guys, I could not mess my time away on them, there are too many other driving jobs in the atlanta area that need to be filled right now, but that is just my opinion...

Twiggy · Jun 26, 2015

Idk, must be a shortage of hazmat drivers. They couldn't find a match for me so I rescheduled to July 5th for orientation.
Atlanta area is not great for employment. I went to a pre interview for a cement truck company and they couldn't even answer a simple question. I asked them what the pay was and they replied, " it's by the load." So I said " okay so it's a 1099." They replied " no, it's by the load." ??????????
I ran from that place not only because they seemed quite uneducated, but because their office was really disgusting. Also the trucks that I saw there were so jacked up that I wouldn't even consider driving them anyhow.
Lots of offers through temp agency that pay 9-10 per hour for delivering building supplies ect.. Not my cup of tea. That money is really bogus in my opinion. Any good jobs are either in house hiring or really really hard to land.

Deville · Jun 27, 2015

Twiggy said:
Idk, must be a shortage of hazmat drivers. They couldn't find a match for me so I rescheduled to July 5th for orientation.
Atlanta area is not great for employment. I went to a pre interview for a cement truck company and they couldn't even answer a simple question. I asked them what the pay was and they replied, " it's by the load." So I said " okay so it's a 1099." They replied " no, it's by the load." ??????????
I ran from that place not only because they seemed quite uneducated, but because their office was really disgusting. Also the trucks that I saw there were so jacked up that I wouldn't even consider driving them anyhow.
Lots of offers through temp agency that pay 9-10 per hour for delivering building supplies ect.. Not my cup of tea. That money is really bogus in my opinion. Any good jobs are either in house hiring or really really hard to land.

I drove a mixer years ago off and on for 3 years. It's all shape work. But we were Teamsters and the pay at the time was $30 per hour. Not an easy job because you are driving heavy equipment, driving on to work sites that are under construction, some are crazy angles that you have to take the truck down. Anyway I did mostly wheel barrel jobs, poured footings and did some easy new construction that was mostly curb side.Did some road paying work as well. We pored a huge municipal job that involved 700 loads in a 24 hour period once. The top 20-30 guys did really well. They worked nearly year round weather permitting. The other 83 guys not so much.