Driver Lifestyles

Changing Gears: The Transition From Trucking to Expediting

Everyone knows that the name of the game for the trucking owner-operator is to run those non-stop loaded miles until the wheels fall off.  "Gotta go, driver!"

That would seem to be the mindset that many truckload drivers bring with them when they enter expediting. It could also be the biggest factor why some former tractor-trailer owner-operators and drivers leave expediting after a short try-out period claiming that they just can't get the miles (or make any money).

Rick Trusso, Transition Team Leader with expedited carrier Panther II Transportation says that his company has achieved a 50% retention rate for tractor-trailer drivers who have come from conventional trucking.  He attributes this to his Transition Team's efforts to help the new expediting driver acclimate to the demands of the just-in-time industry.

"The driver is used to being out on the road 10 hours a day and rolling up the miles. Waiting for the next load is the most difficult part for the driver fresh from conventional trucking.  Even the driver with good business sense sometimes has a hard time understanding that expediting doesn't have the non-stop, back-to-back loads of conventional trucking."

Phil Weiner of Tri-State Expedited Services deals with the questions and concerns of the former OTR driver on a daily basis and he says,  "If the owner-operator who is coming from the big truck world can make the transition to our business, he'll do fine.  If not, they'll usually go back to hauling the $.80 a mile freight and racking up thousands of miles per week."

"If the driver can make it through the first two months or so and learn how expediting works, he'll settle into this career."

Panther II's Trusso adds, "It's a matter of sitting at times and not driving as many miles as they're used to.  They think that unless they're doing 3000 miles a week, they're not making any money."

"Actually, our business is booming and our teams are running between 2500 and 3000 miles a week right now, albeit at a much higher rate per mile."

Trusso says that his group will call the new tractor-trailer or straight truck expediters on a weekly basis to see how they are doing and to answer questions the drivers might have.

"If they tell us that they're not making any money, we have the figures available to show them the revenue they are generating.

They're often surprised just how well they're doing because they've always taken the approach of how many miles or hours they've driven."

Trusso goes on to say that the new expediting contractor will not be fully aware of his revenue until the first few settlement checks come in.  "That's when the driver can see his rate per mile and can see the money he's making."

He says that another difficulty for the new expediter seems to be dispatch, specifically expediting dispatch.

"They don't like to be (what they call) bothered," says the Transition Team leader. "When the truck is delayed for whatever reason, the Qualcomm will "ping" that truck and show it being late.  Our dispatchers have to find out the reason for the delay and the new drivers take that as an intrusion."

"Also, they don't like the fact that there is not a dedicated dispatcher assigned to his truck.  The driver often has to talk to someone new and he doesn't like that."

Ben Easters has been driving professionally for 23 years.  His work history includes stints with JB Hunt and Interstate Distributors pulling doubles and triples (dry vans).   

Ben and wife Melanie (11 years road experience) say they enjoyed their time in conventional trucking but they could never stop and enjoy the country they were driving through. They would average 5500 to 6500 miles a week, but with no time to enjoy it.

The Easters were company drivers until the end of 1998 when they became owner/operators, but discovered that they still had to run hard to make ends meet. Ben says, "We found that we would net about the same money, but we actually had to work harder as owners."

For the past several years, the Easters have been expediting in their

1999 Volvo pulling a temperature-controlled van trailer for Panther II

Transportation’s Special Services.

Melanie says that former general freight haulers who have made the switch to expediting "have to learn to slow down."

"You have to realize that your truck may not be moving all day, every day," she says.  "Even so, you're still making money.  At the end of the week, your paycheck is what counts, not the number of miles."

"A lot of drivers come over to expediting and get panicky if their wheels aren't moving.  They take backhauls or run empty miles in desperation.  If they would just take their time, relax and wait for that call to come, they would find that the load they wind up getting pays so much more that it makes up for the time they spent sitting."

"The driver has to change his outlook - you don't have to work as hard any more.  Quite often, if you wait a little while, there's going to be a load that pays for your week."

Melanie states that she and Ben had to learn these techniques themselves when they began their expediting careers.

Melanie jokingly says, "You also have to get used to the expedited carriers driving you crazy. For those accustomed to the infrequent contact from freight hauler dispatchers, the expedite dispatchers will seemingly be calling or sending Qualcomm messages every few minutes."

"Seriously though, the driver has to realize that the on-time importance of expediting has to do with a carrier's level of service which is what they sell.  The company is only doing what they have to do to guarantee that high quality of service and part of that is to keep tracking their customers' freight.  Their reputation is on the line with every shipment."

"We've been very happy with expediting," says Melanie.  "We run fewer miles for more money than general freight, and we have more time to enjoy the road."

Phil Weiner of Tri-State says, "In the beginning of that driver's time with us, we'll take calls like, 'I unloaded at 8:00 this morning and now it's noon without a load.  We just tell them to be patient, the freight will come."

Weiner says that the bottom line of expediting is, of course, less overhead, higher rates and, "especially now with the escalating prices, lower fuel cost."

One might ask after reading about these problems, are there any former conventional truckers who have found expediting to their liking?

Rick Trusso points to one driver as an example:

"We have a guy who came to us from one the largest OTR carriers (hint: They operate orange trucks)."

"We didn't know how he was going to work out, so we kept an eye on him.  After two weeks, everything seemed to be going well for him, so I gave him a call to make sure."

"He told me, 'I've never worked so easy for this much money in my life!"  This man was able to acclimate very easily and very quickly."

"He's here and he loves it.  I don't think we could chase him out of here with a stick!"