here, here turtle!....being honest and blunt is far more informative then talking to a travel rep. at a specific carrier....
Van Forum
- Thread starter ihamner
- Start date
Suds43
Seasoned Expediter
I think it's a great idea!!!!!
Running a van compared to a straight truck or a T/T is like comparing apples to oranges. It's a whole different ball game running a straight truck compared to a van.
Personally, I'd prefer reading posts just from the straight truck expeditors...................sorry vans!! lol
yes, yes, yes............give the vans their own forum!
Running a van compared to a straight truck or a T/T is like comparing apples to oranges. It's a whole different ball game running a straight truck compared to a van.
Personally, I'd prefer reading posts just from the straight truck expeditors...................sorry vans!! lol
yes, yes, yes............give the vans their own forum!
Not quite sure what Suds43 means, but Operating and maintaining a van vs operating and maintaining a straight truck vs operating and maintaining a T/T is like comparing Apples, oranges and pomagranates. Operating a business in expediting in a van is equal to that of a straight truck or T/T; no doubt about it.
Hey Sudds..
Terry is right !!
If you are running a Van,Sprinter,Strt Truck or T.T. in Expediting as an O/O , Aren't they all doing the same thing !!
It is a Buisiness, right ??
I would hope so !!
The only real thing that is different is the type of Loads / They Pay / The weight...
Everyone has the same thing in common...
Running a sucessfull Expedite Buisiness !!
At least I would hope so...
Terry is right !!
If you are running a Van,Sprinter,Strt Truck or T.T. in Expediting as an O/O , Aren't they all doing the same thing !!
It is a Buisiness, right ??
I would hope so !!
The only real thing that is different is the type of Loads / They Pay / The weight...
Everyone has the same thing in common...
Running a sucessfull Expedite Buisiness !!
At least I would hope so...
FastRod !!
This is a silly observation !!
If Companies values Strt Trucks more than Vans....
Why on earth are there 69 StRT Trucks for Sale for the Month of November ????
There are only 16 Vans or Sprinters for Sale for November !!!!
I just counted them in EO's Classified Section ....
Geee.... I wonder why ????
I quess they do value them more !
Just an Obsevation !!
This is a silly observation !!
If Companies values Strt Trucks more than Vans....
Why on earth are there 69 StRT Trucks for Sale for the Month of November ????
There are only 16 Vans or Sprinters for Sale for November !!!!
I just counted them in EO's Classified Section ....
Geee.... I wonder why ????
I quess they do value them more !
Just an Obsevation !!
Seems to me, selling a vehicle says nothing about how much a carrier values the vehicle, and everything about how much the current vehicle's owner values it.
My guess is there are many more straight trucks offered for sale because the perceived market for them is greater. Or because fleet owners tend to have a fleet of trucks, not vans.
My guess is there are many more straight trucks offered for sale because the perceived market for them is greater. Or because fleet owners tend to have a fleet of trucks, not vans.
Or it could be that the tide is turning...
Too much of an influx of Trucks ??
And not enough buisiness to keep them rolling !!
Or maybe the Fleet owners are realizing they are getting way over their heads ??
I do not know..
I am too much of a newbie...
But to purchase a 1000,000.00 Truck and have to put it on the market less than a yr old...for whatever their reasoning is....
I am far from a buisiness major...
But that is not good !!
Too much of an influx of Trucks ??
And not enough buisiness to keep them rolling !!
Or maybe the Fleet owners are realizing they are getting way over their heads ??
I do not know..
I am too much of a newbie...
But to purchase a 1000,000.00 Truck and have to put it on the market less than a yr old...for whatever their reasoning is....
I am far from a buisiness major...
But that is not good !!
"If Companies values Strt Trucks more than Vans....
Why on earth are there 69 StRT Trucks for Sale for the Month of November ????"
You kind of answered your own question. Because there are 69 straight trucks for sale is the very reason companies value them so highly. For a carrier, straight trucks are harder to get and harder to keep. They really try to keep their straight truck owners and drivers happy.
Yet, there's only so much they can do. Contrary to popular belief, you cannot run a straight truck on a shoestring in expediting. You can't do it for long on a van, either, but in a straight truck there's just too much overhead that will come crashing down on you. If you're running it on s shoestring, don't have enough reserve to carry you through the slower times, and then don't properly manage revenues in good times in order to prepare for bad times, you're toast.
Too many people get a truck loan they cannot afford, and they add insult to stupidity by gathering up every last penny they have for the down payment. They start out in Week One with no money to eat on, no money for fuel. That's a deep hole to have to dig yourself out of, and if your first few weeks, or months, aren't really good, you find that you have a barely-used truck for sale on EO.
Slow and steady, even in expediting, wins the race - Aesop
Why on earth are there 69 StRT Trucks for Sale for the Month of November ????"
You kind of answered your own question. Because there are 69 straight trucks for sale is the very reason companies value them so highly. For a carrier, straight trucks are harder to get and harder to keep. They really try to keep their straight truck owners and drivers happy.
Yet, there's only so much they can do. Contrary to popular belief, you cannot run a straight truck on a shoestring in expediting. You can't do it for long on a van, either, but in a straight truck there's just too much overhead that will come crashing down on you. If you're running it on s shoestring, don't have enough reserve to carry you through the slower times, and then don't properly manage revenues in good times in order to prepare for bad times, you're toast.
Too many people get a truck loan they cannot afford, and they add insult to stupidity by gathering up every last penny they have for the down payment. They start out in Week One with no money to eat on, no money for fuel. That's a deep hole to have to dig yourself out of, and if your first few weeks, or months, aren't really good, you find that you have a barely-used truck for sale on EO.
Slow and steady, even in expediting, wins the race - Aesop
60MPH
Expert Expediter
Just last night I loaded at one of my carriers biggest customer's outside of indy and there was 2 d units there when I got there they both were picking up van freight 2 skids 800 pounds going to places I have been before so I know that the cons can unload a van. Only one of the drivers "a husband and wife team" would talk to me I asked him what rate they offered him to take this load and he told me .90 cents a mile plus fsc. I could not believe he would haul a load that cheap "the load was not getting him home". And when I got loaded I called my disp to ask how many vans were on the indy board and there were 3, I really doubt they turned down these loads after sitting all day waiting for a load. I guess I was just lucky I got the one that I got,"must not have been any other c's of d's in the area" they both were nice runs, 350+ on the miles. BUT WE GOT TO KEEP THEM STRAIGHT TRUCKS HAPPY DON'T WE!! I am not saying it is the drivers fault for being offered the load, I am saying it's just plan dumb to run for less than a 1.10 a mile with the way fuel is now-a-days. I can see if you are out of the primary service area or need to get home for something, but both these loads pk'ed up and del. in our primary service area. and why would disp. use a more costly truck to run the freight if there are cheaper units sitting there waiting????
Suds43
Seasoned Expediter
Terry, let's see if I can explain a little better what I mean.
I drove straight truck when I was in expediting, which I hope to get back into this comming spring. Anywho, when I first started reading the forums, being "straight truck oriented" I'd just assume people were talking about straight trucks.......Then I"d figure out it was people in vans, which is basically (in expediting) the samething but different. Know what I mean? No matter if your in a s/t or a van, we're all still "waiting" for that load, getting it delivered, waiting on the next one. Hopefully make the right decisions and make a little money.
Someone new to the forums with a question or just looking for info would read some of the posts, not knowing if it's a van driver, s/t driver, or t/t driver writing in...........if they saw someone writing in complaining on the company having to many units, let's say in Detroit, where I've read people saying "I was 25th on the board" and not knowing whether to stay or bonus out". Would they have a mental picture of 25 straight trucks all with the same company sitting there. They haven't been to the forum's enough to know who's who and who's driving what. That might give them a false impression on how the company does business. Why would they sign on with a company that let's that many s/t's sit in one place. Or, if they have that many units sitting, do they have to many trucks which would affect the number of loads they could get.
My point is, if there was a separate forum for vans, one could go directly to that forum if their looking for van info.......instead of having to try figuring out "ok, what type of units are these people talking about".
BTW..........my hat is off to van drivers. I could never figure out how any of you (van drivers) could be comfortable sitting there all cramped up, waiting on that next load......Give me my s/t with my full sleeper so I can stretch out after that 900 mile run!!
)
I drove straight truck when I was in expediting, which I hope to get back into this comming spring. Anywho, when I first started reading the forums, being "straight truck oriented" I'd just assume people were talking about straight trucks.......Then I"d figure out it was people in vans, which is basically (in expediting) the samething but different. Know what I mean? No matter if your in a s/t or a van, we're all still "waiting" for that load, getting it delivered, waiting on the next one. Hopefully make the right decisions and make a little money.
Someone new to the forums with a question or just looking for info would read some of the posts, not knowing if it's a van driver, s/t driver, or t/t driver writing in...........if they saw someone writing in complaining on the company having to many units, let's say in Detroit, where I've read people saying "I was 25th on the board" and not knowing whether to stay or bonus out". Would they have a mental picture of 25 straight trucks all with the same company sitting there. They haven't been to the forum's enough to know who's who and who's driving what. That might give them a false impression on how the company does business. Why would they sign on with a company that let's that many s/t's sit in one place. Or, if they have that many units sitting, do they have to many trucks which would affect the number of loads they could get.
My point is, if there was a separate forum for vans, one could go directly to that forum if their looking for van info.......instead of having to try figuring out "ok, what type of units are these people talking about".
BTW..........my hat is off to van drivers. I could never figure out how any of you (van drivers) could be comfortable sitting there all cramped up, waiting on that next load......Give me my s/t with my full sleeper so I can stretch out after that 900 mile run!!
)
I don't know the answers but a few possibilities would include:
One or both vans had requested loads in specific directions other than where these loads were going.
One or both vans were reserved for other loads to other destinations.
One or both vans requested to not be dispatched until after xx:xx o'clock.
One or both trucks had requested the direction the loads were going.
One or both trucks had equipment needed for the jobs.
The destination area had 1 or more jobs coming up the following day that required trucks and the company didn't have available trucks there to cover the jobs.
The last is the most likely in my opinion. The company has to have equipment available to service the customers. If they know ahead they need certain equipment in certain areas they will look for a way to get it there. This could have been that type situation.
Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB
OOIDA Life Member 677319, JOIN NOW
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
EO Forum Moderator
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Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.
One or both vans had requested loads in specific directions other than where these loads were going.
One or both vans were reserved for other loads to other destinations.
One or both vans requested to not be dispatched until after xx:xx o'clock.
One or both trucks had requested the direction the loads were going.
One or both trucks had equipment needed for the jobs.
The destination area had 1 or more jobs coming up the following day that required trucks and the company didn't have available trucks there to cover the jobs.
The last is the most likely in my opinion. The company has to have equipment available to service the customers. If they know ahead they need certain equipment in certain areas they will look for a way to get it there. This could have been that type situation.
Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB
OOIDA Life Member 677319, JOIN NOW
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
EO Forum Moderator
----------
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.
I have to agree with the idea of putting vehicle type in your signature. If we set up a van/truck/tractor forum then we fragment things and a lot of potentially useful information isn't seen because people only look at the segment they are currently interested in. The other part of that is if someone comes in and reads "I was 25th out." and doesn't do enough additional research and followup to determine if that's the vehicle type they're interested in then they aren't being serious enough anyway.
Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB
OOIDA Life Member 677319, JOIN NOW
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
EO Forum Moderator
----------
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.
Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB
OOIDA Life Member 677319, JOIN NOW
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
EO Forum Moderator
----------
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.
Leo, don't kid yourself about all those possible scenarios as to why a straight truck gets a "van load" instead of a van. Sure, absolutely, those possibilities, and many others, happen. But, when push comes to shove, a carrier will let a van sit rather than let a straight truck sit. They have to. They really have no other choice. They have to keep the straight trucks happy, as it's far easier to replace a van than it is a straight truck.
Van drivers who can't deal with this simple fact are gonna have a rough go of it.
Slow and steady, even in expediting, wins the race - Aesop
Van drivers who can't deal with this simple fact are gonna have a rough go of it.
Slow and steady, even in expediting, wins the race - Aesop
I don't disagree with you. I just wanted to point out that the answer isn't 100% the evil company. Once in a while the company isn't evil after all.
Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB
OOIDA Life Member 677319, JOIN NOW
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
EO Forum Moderator
----------
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.
Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB
OOIDA Life Member 677319, JOIN NOW
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
EO Forum Moderator
----------
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.
The companys are not evil. They are smart enough to realize that straight trucks are way more valuable than vans and it is in there best interest to keep the straight trucks loaded and rolling before the vans. And straight trucks running for .90 cents per mile plus fsc, you are gonna see more of this as the freight slows down.
ebsprintin
Veteran Expediter
this van not for sale
Another reason vans may not be for sale is that the owners are keeping them. My business plan calls for me to convert this thing into an RV if I fail as a van expediter. Then I can continue to stalk walmarts and truck stops and continue to pretend to be a truck driver.
As for the van forum, its probably going to work as well as the sprinter forum. There is a sprinter van forum out there, but the sprinter van people still hang out here.
eb
Another reason vans may not be for sale is that the owners are keeping them. My business plan calls for me to convert this thing into an RV if I fail as a van expediter. Then I can continue to stalk walmarts and truck stops and continue to pretend to be a truck driver.
As for the van forum, its probably going to work as well as the sprinter forum. There is a sprinter van forum out there, but the sprinter van people still hang out here.
eb