It's a Team's Life

Expedite Expo 2004

2004 Expedite Expo was held outside in tents - it has came a long ways!

In 2004 we debated on flying into Detroit where the Expo was held at that time from Kansas and finally made the decision if we were going to make this drastic of change to our lives we had to do attend. What a great decision that was.

The Expedite Expo is what you make of it. When we attended it was with paper and pen in hand and a lot of questions for everyone. We knew before we went that we were going to buy a truck as we had experience in trucking and we knew we wanted to be owner operators. Basically that is all we knew about this new career choice.

Before going to the Expedite Expo we read every thread in the open forums and I wrote a list of questions. At that time I was not brave enough to post and was a lurker. Once we arrived at the Expo we used every minute to learn about expediting. We talked to drivers, recruiters, and truck salesmen. We found drivers with all companies to ask questions of and we asked the same questions of recruiters that we asked the drivers. We then compared notes.  One of the questions we asked of drivers was the good and bad about the company they were leased to is that none of us are the same what another driver considered bad might not matter to us and what another driver considered a good point might really bother us.  That is one of reasons all of are leased to different compnanies is trying to find the perfect company for us. 

My notepad was divided up by expedite companies as well as truck dealers. When we talked to the recruiter or the truck dealers I would write down their answers to our questions and then we would talk to drivers about their truck or their company and I would write down their replies. During breaks, lunch, and in the evening we poured over those notes and the next day we asked more questions.

We also attended workshops and took notes. The workshops were beneficial, as other people would ask questions we had not thought of and we learned even more. We took our time and we were methodical in everything we did, as we were not leaving the Expo without a plan. We went in with a clear vision and did not have rose-colored glasses on. We knew this was going to be hard work and we knew as a team we had a lot to learn about how to sleep in a moving vehicle and also how to change our relationship to be together 24 hours a day in a small box.

There is not another show like the Expedite Expo and for those that are thinking of leaving their current jobs and getting into Expediting you need to attend. The Expedite Expo has everything in one place, recruiters, current drivers, new drivers, and workshop presenters to ask questions of. I also suggest you not rush, take your time to meet people and ask questions, and attend the BBQ at the end of the Expo to ask more questions. Life long friendships are often made at the Expo and also mentors that are very willing to help you to succeed.

Our work paid off as our first truck and our first company lasted us for many years. There were still surprised when we first started but, we had a great foundation in place and we thrived.

Bob & Linda Caffee
TeamCaffee
Saint Louis MO
Expediters since January 2005
[email protected]

Expediting isn't just trucking, it's a lifestyle;
Expediting isn't just a lifestyle, it's an adventure;
Expediting isn't just an adventure, it's a job;
Expediting isn't just a job, it's a business.