It's a Team's Life
Paid Tourist
We have been involved as drivers in the truckload carrier segment of trucking and now in the expediter side of trucking and we are not paid tourists we are business owners. A side benefit is that we have been able to see some pretty cool stuff all over the United States.
While we were involved with the truckload carrier segment of trucking we very seldom had the time, were in the right place, or could get into many sites, the truck and trailer were to big, and we were not welcomed. At that time we were not owner operators and bobtailing the truck around to sightsee would have had us looking for a new employer.
As expediters we are often in the same situation, we do not have time, we are not in the right place, or what we want to see is to far away. First and foremost we run a business and our business is our truck. Driving the truck here there and everywhere hurts our fuel mileage, is unnecessary wear and tear on the truck, and this eats into our profit.
While we away from home our first goal is to earn money and
to do that our truck needs to be rolling down the road under a load or be
available for the next load opportunity.
As a team we need to be ready to roll day or night, weekend or holiday
and that is our first priority.
Now to the fun stuff! Yes we are paid to see a lot of very cool stuff and stuff we would never have seen if we still had our former jobs. In this sense we are being paid to see the country and there is a LOT to see.
Often we drive at night and we are able to see downtown city
lights, roll over a hill and see Las Vegas, or Albuquerque, NM and both of
these places can take your breath away.
We are able to see shooting stars, a moon that is so bright is seems as
if headlights are not needed.
Once when
going through a corner of Yellow Stone National Park we were able to see a huge
herd of Elk bedded down for the night.
In the daytime we have seen Devils Tower, WY or the Devils Slide in Utah. We have seen the salt flats of Utah and the Virgin River Canyon in Arizona. All of these sights we have driven past not went out of our way to see.
Throughout the years a load or a layover has gotten us close to something we wanted to see such as Mount Rushmore, a stretch of the Appalachian Trail, Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing, or panning for gold in North Carolina to name a few.
So the question remains "Are we paid tourists?" and as with most things in life the answer is "Yes & No".
Stop by and see us at the Expedite Expo 2013 and lets share stories of what you have seen while driving!
Bob & Linda Caffee
TeamCaffee

Saint Louis MO
Expediters 8 years been out here on the road 13 years
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.