Why such Doom and Gloom

[broker]

My name is John, I'm the husband of broker (Kathy)
I told Kathy to get on board here and ask questions.
She is now in contact with some very nice Expediters via emails.
She is in control of that now.
So I have now taken up looking over posts on here.
I have been in the trucking business most of my life, starting out pulling 16' wide 80' long mobile homes cross country when I turned 19. I went this route because back then, 1973, you could not drive a semi over the road untill you were 21. Go figure, you could pull dangerous oversize loads but not legal trailers.
Seems what I read most on here, is how bad a business this is to get into.
No freight, no miles, long down time, many miles of deadhead, never get home, complaints about every company, etc. If this is all true, why do any of you do this?
Are you just doing it so you can see this great land of ours, or because you can be your own boss or you can be with your better half more often, etc.

I want to do this because I thought you could make great money at it, with hard work and good business sense.
Kathy and I are willing to stay out months at a time, if that is what is needed. We won't turn any loads down. We can be what most truck companies call, a "super team"

I understand telling newbies how this isn't a life for most, being away from home, long hours on the road, truck stop living, being together for weeks at a time, etc. But if there is little or no money to be made, why would anyone sacrifice so much for so little return.

Bottom line question:
Can a couple make a GOOD living doing this?

Thank you for your valuable time to respond.

"Big" John

 

[MCBuggyCo]

Bottom line question:
Can a couple make a GOOD living doing this?

Thank you for your valuable time to respond.

"Big" John

You need to state how you plan to operate before anyone can give you an estimate. What type vehicle do you plan to operate? What type company do you hope to work for? These are just a few of the details that make a big difference in what kind of replies you will receive.

 

[highway star]

A good living can be made. Your experience and desire to stay out are big pluses. But, expediting is different than you're used to. You will experience some of the pitfalls you're hearing about. You'll have a learning curve adjusting to this business. With the economy being sluggish at the moment, many of us aren't doing as well as we'd like to be right now. This is normally one of the hot times of the year.

With that being said, it's tough for us to tell a noob how they'll do. We don't really know you. As is commonly advised here, read back in the forums. There's a lot of info that will help you.

 

[dhalltoyo]

Why do sooooo many do it?

Because most will bail after 6-12 months!

Just visit any carrier's headquarters and you will see an orientation in progress every week....52 weeks year around.

That fact alone should send a clear message.

If it is so easy....why would you need to have an orientation every week?

Business plan...yes!

Willing to work...yes!

OK with staying out for extended periods of time....yes!

All great attributes....BUT.....in today's market you have no room for error. And all new expediters will make mistakes. I did! But several years ago fuel prices were 50% lower and freight offer were 50% higher.

Today...there is little room for any margin of error.

Think not? Just look at the number of 2007 and 2008 trucks for sale. That number grows each and everyday.

 

[broker]

Thank you, that word assume got me in trouble again. Kathy has explained in another post and I assumed all had read it by now.

We are in our 50's and trucking has been my life. Kathy has been at her job for the last 10 years. We are both ready to enter a career that we can share together and make a good living.
I have the option of over the road T/T, taking Kathy along and getting her certified to drive also. Expediting looks more along the lines of what we want.
To become O/O is the goal.
To drive for someone else first, is the smart thing to do.
So, team driving straight truck for someone to start. I know we will not make great money doing this. This will be to learn the business by experience. We will however give the owner the same sacrifices we will as O/O someday.

My question is:
If we are to do this, by being an O/O in Expediting, with a straight truck, bring in a good income?

As stated before. Staying out over long periods of time and not turning down loads, will be no problem. Been there and done that. I would not mind waiting for loads, if in the end, you are making good money. This will not be a traveling vacation while getting paid option. We will do this only to make a good living. The traveling (vacation) would be secondary.
I am a dispatchers dream driver. On time Del., no damage claims, out of service only on major holidays, clean proffessional appearence, clean driving record, over 1,000,000 O/O miles accident free, etc.
I am not concerned what we will have to offer Expediting. I'm just getting the age where whatever direction we go now, will be our final one.
"Big" John

 

[arkjarhead]

We won't turn any loads down.

No offense, but that one little line could be your down fall, if you ask me. Some people "cherry pick"(only take best loads) while others take every load regardless of pay. I've heard of straight truck teams running for as little as 80 cents a mile just to keep moving and keep the acceptance rating up. Instead of saying "We won't turn any loads down" it might be better business wise to say "We won't turn any profitable loads down". Maybe that is what you meant. No force dispatch is supposed to mean just that. Don't take some crappy load and loose out on money to do a dispatcher a favor because once they hang up the phone they forget you because the load is taken care of. I think you have been at it long enough to know what I mean. Also remember this you aren't just shooting yourself in the foot, but everyone else out there when you haul freight at a loss.

 

[broker]

Again, there is that word "assume"
Yes, that is what I meant, profitable loads.
I have never done unethical things to make it hard on others, just to make me look good.
In my eyes, all truckers are one big family. We need to support one another. Sure, all families have rotten apples but the ripe ones will always rise to the top.

By the way. I took Kathy to her first truck stop ever. It happened to be the worlds largest in Iowa. I wish you all could have seen her. It was like watching a little girl in her first visit to a candy factory. We spent 2 hours there and she still did not want to leave. I think this was a good sign.
Yes, I told her not all were like this. You know, like the ones that smell like a urnal as soon as you walk in.
"Big" John

 

[cheri1122]

Why such doom & gloom, you ask?
Because we are apparently either more likely to remember negative experiences, or those who have a negative outlook are more likely to want to share. To illustrate: the thread in the General Forum on "Nastiest truckstops" got 40 responses. A counter view, "The other side of truckstops" got just 17.
Guess it's pretty much human nature to have 10 complaints for every compliment.
Or we're really making a fortune, and just don't want to invite more competition....

 

[broker]

Hope it is that your making a fortune.
"Big" John

 

[x06col]

John, it's an interesting ting this "can we make any money"? Yes, you can! boo koo money! How ya spose these folks can afford computer cards for ****in round when they got nuttin ti do. Yes, a simple analagy, but, there is buks falling outa the sky in dis biz. Many upon many, have no clue how to get da gold outa da hills, and never will. If'n tho, yer gona do it-- I certainly wouldn't take too many threads from here as a really valid watda ya tink ting. If,n yer good, yer good. If'n not yer not, yer NOT!

 

[broker]

It would have been cool if O/O of T/T had a site like this.
I'm sure if we had and newbies came over from Expediting, they would be just as un nerved as I am about all the negative feed back.
You know the truth, as you have been in this business for sometime. I only have strangers posts to go by. Heck, some on here are saying don't even believe everything a company tells you.

Like I said, we are at an age, where we want this to be our last move as far as employment is concerned.
Maybe some that are younger can look at this and if it doesn't work out, they can start again somewhere else.
We are making major changes in our lifestyle to give this a 100% effort. This won't be a, well if it dosn't pan out, we can always do this or that. Once we fully commit, there is no turning back for us.

When I first went on the road with a dry frieght van, I was green as could be as to how to operate at the best profit. It took me a year, before I knew where and where not to haul to.
I stuck with it because I knew "I" could make money at it.

The only and I mean only concern I have, is if there is good money to be made, by those who have the abilities and desire.
So, if I know people are making a good living in the Expedite world, I'll know we can also.
"Big" John

 

[davekc]

There are many that do very well and some that are starving.
You at least have a leg up as you have some background in the trucking industry.
With that said, you may want to define "good money".
You want to make sure you have realistic expectations before entering. Since you are accustom to brokering loads, you have that as a additional ability that many don't.
How you enter will have some bearing as well. Are your finances such that you are trying to buy a truck and can afford to run it, or are you trying to run for a fleet owner?
A whole lot of variables depending on your circumstances.

 

[ATeam]

There are expediters that earn a good living (definitions of that vary with the person) and expeidters that do not.

Diane and I are among those who do. See: Five Fantastic Years!

For a snapshot into some of those who do not, see: Expediters Going Hungry, For Real.

Looking forward, we plan to stay in the business and would love it if all years were as spectacular as 2007, our first full year as owner-operators. But we have concerns now that we did not have before.

See: This post and General Economic Conditions Continue to Deteroirate.

We take comfort in our ability to live in a truck for long periods of time and wait for freight with little financial stress (because we are debt free). We were not debt free when we entered the business five years ago as drivers of a fleet owner's truck. Things were different then. If economic conditions then were the same as they are today, we probably would not have entered the expediting business.

That is not to say you should not enter the business. You have a lot going for you. But you would be jumping into a different economy and competitive arena than we did. I urge you to give this move some sober thought, and to do so a second time after you have reached your first conclusion.

Entering the business as team drivers of a fleet owner's truck is wise, I believe. It eliminates the need to risk your own capital to get started and provides the opportunity to prove to yourself and others that you can actually perform, before you buy a truck of your own.

But in the current economic environment, the financial health of your fleet owner and carrier must also be considered; as must the possibility that freight will slow and rates will decline.

What does that mean exactly? I can only tell you what one contractor once told me. He went through a slowdown once and found himself with a month in which he was in service 100% of the time, accepted 100% of his load offers, and had a run count of three.

This week, Diane and I got skunked. We grossed $1,200. We would have had a $7,000+ week, but a load we accepted canceled. Can you live on $1,200 a week? You may have to, on and off, or for several weeks at a time if you get into this business.

Why so much gloom and doom? One reason is there is not as much to cheer about as there was before. Some people, us included, are looking forward with more concern than joy.

It's like watching a hurricane. You know a storm is coming and you know you are in it's path. What you don't know is exactly how the hurricane will hit, and even if you find yourself in the midst of it, how it will hit you.

We are not evacuating (leaving the business) but we are boarding up the windows and readying the sandbags. Better days are ahead, but the storm must first move through.

 

[davekc]

This week, Diane and I got skunked. We grossed $1,200. We would have had a $7,000+ week, but a load we accepted canceled. Can you live on $1,200 a week? You may have to, on and off, or for several weeks at a time if you get into this business.

Why so much gloom and doom? One reason is there is not as much to cheer about as there was before. Some people, us included, are looking forward with more concern than joy.

It's like watching a hurricane. You know a storm is coming and you know you are in it's path. What you don't know is exactly how the hurricane will hit, and even if you find yourself in the midst of it, how it will hit you.

We are not evacuating (leaving the business) but we are boarding up the windows and readying the sandbags. Better days are ahead, but the storm must first move through.
============================================
Speaking from experience,
If you can think outside the box a little, you won't need the nails and sand.

 

[chefdennis]

Why so much gloom and doom? One reason is there is not as much to cheer about as there was before.

I dn't see too many businesses today that that statement can't be made about, but you also don't see everybody in business borading up the windows and doors. The days of big money in alot of businesses are over based on how business was done in the past. So as Dave said, "Think outsde the box, make your own luck and moved on. Things change, if you don't change with them, you get left behind..........

I for one get real tired of hearing how bad it is, not just in this business but in general. The total of my businesses not including this one and including the 2 businesses my wife owns will make more this yr then they did last yr, but not as much as they did the year before that.

My wifes massage studio and spa is busier then it has been in 2 yrs. People still have money and are spending it. My personal chef business is busy enough to let me hire a chef to relace me , pay her more then i took out of the business and still make a profit. My fitness center as had a increase in membership (prepaid for 1 yr in advance) over last year. As I said, people have money and are spending it.

Business as in life is what you are willing to give to it. how hard do you want to work?? and how small is the box you stay within? Think outside that box, and maybe you will find another income stream while you do this!! Thats how each of my businesses came to be, while looking for another stream of income...

 

[ATeam]

Speaking from experience,
If you can think outside the box a little, you won't need the nails and sand.

Funny. When I was researching the industry and new in the business you were crowing about how I don't know what I am doing and how I won't succeed. Now, after we have succeeded by any measure you want to use, you are telling me how to succeed. Thanks for the laugh.

 

[davekc]

Phil wrote

Why so much gloom and doom? One reason is there is not as much to cheer about as there was before. Some people, us included, are looking forward with more concern than joy

==============================================
Yep. I am laughing right along with you Phil

 

[dabluzman1]

Why the doom and gloom.

Mostly cause of personalities.
Some want to be recognized as super truckers, others as all knowlegable, others just like to whine.

Can you make money , NOW, in expediting.......absolutlely.

Gee why do I say that?

My wife and I and I JUMPED into this biz about 17 months ago.

Hooked up with an owner who is fair to us. 1st six months we were in a dry box D unit.
Never put less than $5000 into our bank from settlement.

We were moved into a DR unit in Nov last year. Needless to say, things got better.

As of Aug 31st, the truck was grossing over 150000 on 75000+ miles. Average about 14
runs a month.
I am projecting 230000+ for my first full fiscal year in the biz.

I am with Fedex, a White Glove DR unit with DOD clearances.
We stay out 6 to 8 weeks at a time, unless like now we dropped close to home like on Friday, so we choose to DH to Clev Oh from Buffalo.

Our availability is over 80%.

We go into Canada, ( been to Halifax twice ), we go to california, we run in the north when the snow flies.

We made sure we had as many credentials to get as much freight as we could.
This includes checking out what equipment was available from several owners before
picking one to drive for.

I never drove a TT so I cant give you any data there but this should be helpful info.

Like any business you may want to go into there are pitfalls. Failure happens in expediting everyday, just like other industries.
Lack of funds, experience, work ethics, dedication, yadda yadda yadda are reason people
fail.

Can you stand to be away from family and friends for weeks or months at a time, be in
cramped quarters with a partner 24/7. Operate under stress and lack of sleep that will
happen. You probably think, NO PROBLEM.

Truth is, you wont know til you've tried.

Who do you want to drive for, what size unit, what endorsements are you willing to get, where are you willing to go and what kinds of freight will you be willing to carry.

Thats your doom and gloom agenda.

Get around the initial culture shock of this industry and the doom and gloom most likely will dissapear.

Good luck.

Be Informed.

 

[dcalien]

Sometimes I think I am doing pretty well expediting, then I come to EO and read awhile. Just want to kill myself. Ok not really. I did not know things were so bad out here til I got a couple of days sitting and read about it.

I have only been doing this for almost seven months now, so what do I know?

 

[chefdennis]

dcal wrote:

Sometimes I think I am doing pretty well expediting, then I come to EO and read awhile. Just want to kill myself. Ok not really. I did not know things were so bad out here til I got a couple of days sitting and read about it.

I totally understand what you mean!!!