Some Questions For Newbies to Consider

ACE

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
You need to look at your personality and ask yourself what do you want.

Some examples.

Are you wanting to be home all the time?
Are you patient?
Can you read maps?
Are you a person who likes change?
Have you ever worked for yourself?
Do you understand the risks involved in working for yourself?
Will you carry Workers Compensation?
When your vehicle breaksdown will you have the money to repair it?
Will you have Hospitalization coverage?
Do you want to see the rest of the U.S.?
Are you good at record keeping?
How is your Health?
What was your past background, and will it help in this new venture?
Do you have the support of your wife and children?
Is a steady income important?
Do you like to drive in major cities?
Can you save and budget money?

This is only a start of the questions.

Being self employed can be the most fullfilling adventure, or it can ruin you.

As with anything the greater the risks the greater the reward.

Are you up to it?
 

Dreamer

Administrator Emeritus
Charter Member
Good post Ace. Bottom line, people need to ask themselves those questions, do their research, read the good and bad reports, then make a decision.

Too many people jump in, then when it doesn't go how they plan, they blame whoever encouraged them!!! No one is holding your hand... or forcing it. This can be a great business, but you have to take responsibility for your own actions.


Dreamer
Forums Administrator
 

LDB

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Excellent overview. Others would include can you effectively deal with stress?
Can you control your temper and your vocabulary?
Can you deal with sudden changes to your planning and routing?
Can you identify and locate resources to help you with planning, routing, record keeping, accounting, maintenance and all the other things you must keep track of?
Do you own lots of hats and are you good at juggling them at a moment's notice?
As already mentioned, this is a good business if you can juggle the hat's to deal with issues in order of precedence. If you are looking at it as "grab the steering wheel and go" and not much else you are in for a rough ride.

Leo Bricker
OOIDA 677319
truck 4958
73's K5LDB
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.
 

Broompilot

Veteran Expediter
Ace said it as good as anybody ever could or would. Focus on your plan use his questions as a guide to start ones research.

This is a very hard business, not that the business is so difficult but all of the things you are away from at home becomes stressfull out here much much more than I ever thought in my reserach.

Grabbing the wheel and just going never thought of it that way, its about as far from the truth as it gets. One must be a good business operator or learn to be in a hurry, one must have the support of their family or you will be doomed for failure, one must have common sense and use that to get you through everyday obsticles and also patience, with other drivers, the darn truck, dispatch, directions, construction mess, you gettin the picture.

And for Petes sake if your reading this and are thinking of a Van please read the Posts most of the complaints about this business are from Van drivers and they have every right to complain to many seeds in the garden only makes for overcrowding people.
 

ACE

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
I brought it back up so it may help Teacel with his effort to help prospective expediters.
 

uneasyexpediter

Seasoned Expediter
good questions there guy...

us expo's are pro's and there's only a few of us who have what it takes to become an expediter! a man's man if you will.

Bud Davis - R.I.'s King Of Swing!!!
 
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