So many questions

littlehill · Oct 5, 2015

My husband has been driving for several years delivering local freight. He would like to switch to expedited freight and I would like to join him. I would like to ride with him for a bit while learning the ropes, making sure this is what I want to do and studying for my permit.
Is there a company that will let me ride along?
Would it be better to just lease a truck for say 6 months if possible?
Or should we just purchase a truck and go for it?
All help and advice would be appreciated.
I have so many more questions but I will just start with these.

fastman_1 · Oct 5, 2015

littlehill said:
My husband has been driving for several years delivering local freight. He would like to switch to expedited freight and I would like to join him. I would like to ride with him for a bit while learning the ropes, making sure this is what I want to do and studying for my permit.
Is there a company that will let me ride along?
Would it be better to just lease a truck for say 6 months if possible?
Or should we just purchase a truck and go for it?
All help and advice would be appreciated.
I have so many more questions but I will just start with these.

Answers in order of asked, yes,no,no... Find a fleet owner and drive for them for 6 months.

Ragman · Oct 5, 2015

paulnstef39 · Oct 5, 2015

littlehill said:
All help and advice would be appreciated.

By signing up with a fleet owner for 6 or 12 months, you get to figure out how everything works without risking all of your capital on a truck. Remember you are starting a business and have many things to learn.

vandriver2 · Oct 6, 2015

Drive an Owner's vehicle before purchasing your own.
Learn the Ropes, Costs, Pay over several Months prior to LEAPING in with BOTH FEET and maybe regretting it.
Expediting is a unique Animal requiring great Patience and Averaging.

littlehill · Oct 6, 2015

Thanks for everyones advice. Sounds like I will start doing some research for fleet owners.

vandriver2 · Oct 6, 2015

Make sure your husband (who has driven Truck) realizes that in Expediting there's very, very, very seldom any Preplanned Loads. You all, depending on what kind of vehicle you end up purchasing in the end...may be sitting somewhere some days, empty. Expediting is hit or miss, it's a Gamble. You never know where you'll be next or when you'll get the next load. Some months are better than others, so make sure you have the emergency funds to cover that plus any down time.

littlehill said:
Thanks for everyones advice. Sounds like I will start doing some research for fleet owners.

leezaback · Oct 12, 2015

remember, it's not about getting behind the wheel and moving the beast forward. You will be running a business, your business, and that comes with a lot of costs. Learn all you can first

LDB · Oct 12, 2015

Expediting is a career. Medicine is a career. Law is a career. Plumbing is a career. Electrical is a career. Careers have one thing in common, they take a lot of education. You don't just buy a pipe wrench and become a plumber. Additionally, your husband's experience is worth about the same thing as the lawyer who decides to become a plumber. Expediting is it's own very specialized field and there is much to learn and know that isn't part of the curriculum in any other form of trucking.

If you hope to succeed you need to approach this as you would any other career, with a good education and information. Read back at least 3 full years in the General, Newbies and Recruiter forums. You don't have to read every word but you should read every single thread title and you should read every single word of every thread whose title sounds at all educational and applicable to you. You will learn enough to know how much you don't know and how to ask specific detailed questions to get the information.

There's a huge revolving door of people who let their feet lead them in when their brain should be doing the leading. Good luck.