ellielilly
Expert Expediter
what size,type and other important aspects of buying a expediting truck for the most diversty in this industry
what is the best type of expediting t
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If you get a class 7 straight truck that is younger than five years old with a comfortable sleeper and a 22 ft box you will have a versatile truck for expediting.
Don't buy a new straight truck. If you want to go with a van, new is okay. My opinion.
Read the archives and you will learn a lot about the quirks in different types of engines, transmissions and other equipment on straight trucks.
Don't buy a new straight truck. If you want to go with a van, new is okay. My opinion.
Read the archives and you will learn a lot about the quirks in different types of engines, transmissions and other equipment on straight trucks.
I'm in a dumb analogy mood this morning so here goes. You can go with a van (B) or truck (C or D) size unit. It's sort of like having a pint, quart or gallon jug. If you are part of a crew hauling water around a campground and the call is for a pint and you have a gallon jug and no pint or quart people are around you can take care of the need. If you have a pint or quart jug and the call is for 1/2 gallon then you are stuck waiting. Like I said, a dumb analogy but it does correlate to unit size and load offers. As previously mentioned, read back several months into the archives at the very least. You'll learn a lot. Good luck to you.
Leo Bricker
OOIDA 677319
truck 4958
73's K5LDB
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.
Leo Bricker
OOIDA 677319
truck 4958
73's K5LDB
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.
A lift gate can be a problem because it can keep the truck from being able to lock into a dock.
Tennesseahawk
Veteran Expediter
I was told, by someone with experience with liftgates, not to get them. He said that if you have it, ppl automatically think it comes with the service. They get mad if you tell them it costs money to use it.
If I bought a truck with one already in place, I'd leave it; but wouldn't go out of my way to put one on. The number of docks that can't use them aren't many. And places that don't allow em on their premises(the big 3), aren't a big loss to me anyways. I've seen some beautiful loads go wayside because my truck didn't have a liftgate. So, I think it's a matter of preference.
If I bought a truck with one already in place, I'd leave it; but wouldn't go out of my way to put one on. The number of docks that can't use them aren't many. And places that don't allow em on their premises(the big 3), aren't a big loss to me anyways. I've seen some beautiful loads go wayside because my truck didn't have a liftgate. So, I think it's a matter of preference.
>what size,type and other important aspects of buying a
>expediting truck for the most diversty in this industry
Ooooh boy! Opinions are legion on the question you raise and as suggested by another poster, an archive search will yield a bunch of information. The trouble is, it is conflicting information. Some believe in lift gates, some don't. Some believe in reefers. Some don't. Some like vans, some like straight trucks, and some like tractor/trailers. Welcome to the soup!
To help find your way through the bewildering array of valid options, you might want to ask not just about trucks, but also about the life you expect and are willing to lead on the road.
Are you running solo or team? If team, will you sleep with your co-driver? How much room will the two of you need in a sleeper? If the answer is "a lot," a C unit with a big sleeper may be the way to go.
Do you want the smoothest possible ride over the road, or are you willing to put up with bumps and jolts? (the bump an jolt truck will likely cost less).
Is off duty mobility important to you? If it is, the smaller the unit the better. Or are you a big-rig driver to the core and would not be happy in anything but a "real" truck?
Are you willing to handle freight or are you more of a no-touch driver? If no-touch is your preference, a lift gate is not something you want, since having one will bring you up close and personal with some loads.
Are you a buy-new kind of person? Or do you find joy in frugality? One way will lead you toward a new truck, The other brings used trucks into the picture. If you are open to used, you'll want to give bonus points to carriers that permit older trucks in their fleets when making your carrier selection. But also note that if you go that route, you are limiting yourself to the kind of freight those carriers haul and the economic risks such freight entails.
It does not matter what choices you make. Tradeoffs come with every one of them. Choosing a truck is at least as much deciding what you are willing to do without as it is saying what you want.
Do you want a lift gate? That means doing without shippers that prohibit lift gate trucks at their docks. Do you want a reefer? That means doing without the significant amount of money it takes to buy one. It also means doing without the carriers that have no reefer freight. Do you want a straight truck or E unit? That means doing without the easy U-turns B-units can make. Etc.
Expedieters succeed (and fail) in all types of units (B, C, D, E), configured in a variety of ways. Success in any of them is simply a matter of figuring out what the successful drivers do and then doing the same things yourself.
Happiness on the road is another matter. The more you can match your truck and the kind of freight you'll haul to the life and work you want to lead on the road, the more likely it is that you'll be happy in the work.
In that regard, expediting is like any other job. If you are able to align your work with your self image and personal interests, you'll be happier in the job than if you are not able to align your work with yourself.
>expediting truck for the most diversty in this industry
Ooooh boy! Opinions are legion on the question you raise and as suggested by another poster, an archive search will yield a bunch of information. The trouble is, it is conflicting information. Some believe in lift gates, some don't. Some believe in reefers. Some don't. Some like vans, some like straight trucks, and some like tractor/trailers. Welcome to the soup!
To help find your way through the bewildering array of valid options, you might want to ask not just about trucks, but also about the life you expect and are willing to lead on the road.
Are you running solo or team? If team, will you sleep with your co-driver? How much room will the two of you need in a sleeper? If the answer is "a lot," a C unit with a big sleeper may be the way to go.
Do you want the smoothest possible ride over the road, or are you willing to put up with bumps and jolts? (the bump an jolt truck will likely cost less).
Is off duty mobility important to you? If it is, the smaller the unit the better. Or are you a big-rig driver to the core and would not be happy in anything but a "real" truck?
Are you willing to handle freight or are you more of a no-touch driver? If no-touch is your preference, a lift gate is not something you want, since having one will bring you up close and personal with some loads.
Are you a buy-new kind of person? Or do you find joy in frugality? One way will lead you toward a new truck, The other brings used trucks into the picture. If you are open to used, you'll want to give bonus points to carriers that permit older trucks in their fleets when making your carrier selection. But also note that if you go that route, you are limiting yourself to the kind of freight those carriers haul and the economic risks such freight entails.
It does not matter what choices you make. Tradeoffs come with every one of them. Choosing a truck is at least as much deciding what you are willing to do without as it is saying what you want.
Do you want a lift gate? That means doing without shippers that prohibit lift gate trucks at their docks. Do you want a reefer? That means doing without the significant amount of money it takes to buy one. It also means doing without the carriers that have no reefer freight. Do you want a straight truck or E unit? That means doing without the easy U-turns B-units can make. Etc.
Expedieters succeed (and fail) in all types of units (B, C, D, E), configured in a variety of ways. Success in any of them is simply a matter of figuring out what the successful drivers do and then doing the same things yourself.
Happiness on the road is another matter. The more you can match your truck and the kind of freight you'll haul to the life and work you want to lead on the road, the more likely it is that you'll be happy in the work.
In that regard, expediting is like any other job. If you are able to align your work with your self image and personal interests, you'll be happier in the job than if you are not able to align your work with yourself.