Driver Lifestyles

A moderatin' driver - Leo Bricker

The subject of this edition of Driver Profile is Leo Bricker, a.k.a. LDB, the most recent addition to Expediters Online's "Mod Squad".

Leo, 48, was born in Houston and now resides in Pearland, TX.  Leo and his wife of 26 years, Brenda, have two daughters - Erin 21, and Emily 17, both of whom are fluent in sign language that they utilize in service activities.  

Leo's work history begins after he graduated from college with a general business degree.  He says, "I ran mainframe computers for a number of years until I had had enough of shift work and working on holidays, etc. That's when I left the computer business." 

"After that, my wife and I owned an office supply business.  That gave me a grounding in making payroll and paying off suppliers, etc."

"From there, I spent a number of years as an agent and customer service position working for an insurance agency.  That was followed by a stint in a sporting-related retail business." 

He continues, "A friend of mine suggested that I try new car sales.  I had always wondered what that business was like, so I gave it a try.  I soon discovered that it's very time-intensive - you go to work, go home, eat and sleep and then it's time for the car lot again.  Life is nothing but the job."

Leo says that he had thought about truck driving for many years because it seemed like an interesting way to make a living, and see the country at the same time.

"In 2004, I was looking to make a career change and wanted to give professional driving a try," he tells us.  "I knew that if I didn't try it then, I probably never would."

"I went through a program at Houston Community College.  It was a three-and-a-half-week course done in conjunction with USA Truck.  I was in an inaugural group that, fortunately for me, did not have a required one-year commitment."

"I came out with my Class A CDL with all the endorsements except "Passenger", so I can't drive a bus."

Leo says that the world of big trucks was not what he hoped it would be:  "It was after I came out of school and drove for USA Truck for ninety days, that I decided that the lack of "flexibility" in the big trucks was not for me.  If it isn't a truck stop, you can't stop there.  It was at about that same time that I discovered Fazoli's Italian restaurants. I like spaghetti and meatballs."

"With the big truck, it's inconvenient to park at Fazoli's.  It was that inflexibility that pushed me to look for an alternative."

"I discovered expediting through the Internet.  I would visit another trucking web site that got me thinking about the business, along with seeing expediting trucks out on the road.  I wasn't really too familiar with it, but looking at Expediters Online got me more interested and I started doing some research".

"I didn't plan on switching over to this business, I was just curious about it.  But, the more I learned, the more it appealed to me.  Expediting offered fewer restrictions and more freedom.  I liked the idea of being an owner-operator because it's under my control and the fact that I had no one to answer to."

Leo states that he had considered driving for a truck owner before buying his own unit, but,
"I liked the control it gave me, rather than being at the will of somebody else.  My impression was that if you run for an owner, you can still say I'll take this load or I'll turn down this load, but they may want to know why you're turning down loads when you can be running and making money. 

"Or, you may have a great reason to go home, but it's not a great reason to them.  I just felt like I didn't want to answer to anyone else."

Leo says that his research helped him to narrow his choices down to five expediting carriers.  He says that he feels that the recruiters he met at the companies were, for the most part, honest and trustworthy.  "After all," he says, "it's the recruiters job to present his company in the best light possible."  

After further research, he selected Express-1 of Buchanan, MI.

"If this were college football, I guess you'd say that I signed a letter of intent with the company. I filled out the online applications and basically, Express-1 told me that if I turned up at their door with a truck, I was in."

Leo continues, "I got the truck in September 2004 from Jon Mosier at Freightliner of Knoxville.  I find Jon to be a real stand-up guy and very honest.  The truck is a 2005 Sterling Acterra "960 Express Cruiser".  It's got the 300HP Mercedes engine with the Allison automatic.  I've put 54,000 miles on it."

"I've been averaging 8.95 mpg and that includes the first month of owning the truck without the Proheat generator. I highly recommend some form of generator because it will save a lot in fuel."

"I finalized the purchase of the truck and headed on up to Buchanan.  I made sure that before I was committed to the truck, that there was a home for it."

"I ran with Express-1 through the fourth quarter of last year and into January of 2005.  At the end of January, I moved over to Panther II."

Thoughts on this business
"I enjoy expediting," states Leo.  "I see a definite need for this industry.  For example, if I hadn't delivered one load that I had, they would have had to shut down an assembly line at like ten thousand dollars a minute loss."

"I find expediting interesting because it's always a new and different activity everyday.  Some people would not like it because they don't know what's going on in advance.  I don't mind that."

"I like the solitude of solo driving and the control I have when by myself.  That's not to say that I would never run team, but there are probably only two or three people on the planet who I would run team with and they're not looking to get into truck driving."

Keys to Success
Leo tells us, "You've got to have patience and the ability to stick it out.  I truly believe that anyone considering going into expediting must be able to give a ninety-day commitment to expediting and the company they sign on with.  I would make an exception to that if a person's home is going to be foreclosed - they may not be able to stay around the full three months."

"I've heard the stories of people who sign on with a company and then in two or three weeks, they're off to another company.  To me, that indicates poor planning or research.  You can't go into a company and within two or three weeks know what the company is all about.  You've got to learn their system and how they operate, where they're busy and where their dead areas are."

Leo says that trip planning skills are a must for a driver.  On some runs, you may be much better off to drive an hour down the road, take a two-hour sleeper berth and then go on.

"Or, you may know that you can't make any time on the route the Qualcomm tells you to take because of construction.  If you don't have a good atlas and the skills to route yourself, you'll have difficulties from time to time." 

"You need to be diligent in your paperwork with copies of everything.  I have multiple spreadsheets on the operating costs of my truck along with all of my pro's (runs) mileages, pay, accessorial fees due me, all expenses."

"I have a decent collection of bookkeeping software, but mainly I just use Excel and spreadsheets to keep it together.  I have a good idea of what's coming in and what's going out."

Keeping busy
"I stay out on the road for around 3-4 weeks.  I don't have much trouble getting out my home state of Texas.  I maintain an account with
Getloaded.com, so if need be, I can broker my own loads."

"Recently, I found a load that delivered in Bedford Hts, OH and that led to a load that picked up in Akron, OH - 20 miles from my location.  That load took me to Dallas and then I headed home."

Regular truck service
Leo explains, "When I get my oil changed, I get an oil analysis too.  I'd been using 10,000 mile intervals for changes, but the analysis told me that I could extend it to 12,500.  I may go to 15,000."

"Initially, I used the truck dealers for the fluid changes, but now I use Speedco.  They do the same job in a fraction of the time.  At the dealer, I had to go out of service because it would take them three hours minimum before I could drive away.  With Speedco, I know that they'll have me out in a half hour".

"This truck has been very reliable so far, with only a few minor issues," Leo explains.  "But, the next truck I get will probably be a Class 8 with an 11-litre engine with more horsepower and more torque running through a ten-speed.  This truck has been a good learning experience and now I know what I want out of a truck.  And, the next one will have a tandem or at the very least, a tag axle."

To stay connected to the outside world, Leo says his personal technology includes: T-Mobile air card "$30.00 a month instead of $80.00", Flying J Wi-Fi and his membership with the aforementioned Internet load matching board.

"During a wait for a load, I like to read mysteries and WWII era novels. I have satellite radio and I listen to a shortwave radio I carry."

"I'm now a Moderator on the ExpeditersOnline forum, so I try to keep up with that and I'll do a little sightseeing.  There's also the expediter's friend - napping."

"I like Panther II.  I like the fact that they will pay DH no matter where you are in the country.  If they want you to move, they will pay.  The fuel surcharges are mostly good, but the NLM FSC's are inadequate.  Those are contracted rates, so there's nothing you can do."

"Panther II gives a first out after a "mini" and they're good about when they call you to help them out, they repay the favor."

Final thoughts
"I enjoy the change and uniqueness of each job.  I like the ability to choose what I'm going to do.  I've only turned down one load so I've got a pretty good acceptance record."

"I'm glad I found this business.  It seems like a good fit for me."