Driver Lifestyles
They've found a home in expediting
Panther II contractors Ed and Michelle King have accumulated a lot of miles and a boatload of knowledge in their ten years on the road.
As is the case with many expediters, the couple didn't plan on this career at the outset, but came to the business through circumstance. They chose expediting in response to a less than satisfactory experience in general trucking, and as Michelle says, "This business was a lifesaver."
First, some background.
Michelle King, 41, was a civilian welder in a Navy shipyard for 13 years and Ed, 52, had been driving trucks since he was seventeen, running in the New England region only.
Ed was in the United States Army for two years during the Vietnam era. His father developed terminal bone cancer, and as the family's only son, Ed received an early release.
After his discharge, Ed worked in construction, then moved to the shipyards. He entered the Army Reserves and served in Desert Storm. Michelle states, "We were concerned that he might have to go to Iraq as well, because they wanted to extend his Reserves time, but he got his release."
The couple met at the shipyard where they both worked. Ed ran all of the heavy equipment - cranes, forklifts, etc., one of the highest paying jobs in Maine, says Michelle.
Michelle says that truck driving had been her dream since she was a young girl. "I would see big trucks go by and I was fascinated by them, I loved them.""
"For years, I had told Ed that I would love to drive trucks, so he told me one day to go get my CDL. He was in the Reserves at that time and had to fulfill his two-week summer obligation, but by the time he got back, I'd been in driving school for two weeks."
On the road
After she completed her schooling, the couple was ready to tackle the highway, and signed with a general trucking company. Ed had always wanted to run over-the-road, but he had only driven trucks in New England. Michelle has two grown children from a previous marriage and Ed has no children, so it was an easy decision to make about hitting the road.
"People said we were crazy when we left jobs with a total of 30 years in, but it's what we always wanted to do," says Michelle.
"When we first started, I wanted to buy a truck, but Ed told me that we would run as company drivers for five years before we did that in case I changed my mind."
"After five years rolled by, I said let's go, and I was started hitting dealerships."
"Our first truck was a Freightliner Classic XL and we ran that truck for 916,000 miles on it in '98."
The couple spent eight years in OTR general trucking, with four of those years as owner-operators, but it didn't pan out the way the couple had hoped.
"At the end of our time in trucking, we were making 72 cents a mile, running cross-country twice a week."
"We couldn't make it; in fact, we were behind in our house payments, our truck payments and when we found expediting, this was our last resort."
She continues, "For sixteen months or so, we had been looking at Panther II Transportation ads, but the money they talked about seemed to good to be true. We were sitting out in California for four days and watched as four of our company's trucks were dispatched ahead of us. Finally, we were dispatched on a load with 800 miles of deadhead and no deadhead pay."
"I got mad and grabbed the Panther II ad with the phone number and called the company. I asked the Panther II recruiter if the figures in the ad were right and was that how much the truck was paid. He said yes, and in two weeks we were with Panther II.
"Before this, we had an idea what time-sensitive freight was, but, to tell the truth, I chose Panther II because of the logo - I liked the Kitty-Kat!"
Into expediting
Michelle says that within three months after they started in expediting, the couple had pulled themselves out of out their financial dilemma. And, within 15 months, they bought their "dream" truck.
Speaking of the King's Dream Truck, it's a 2004 Peterbilt 379, white in color with a 475 HP motor hooked to an 18-speed trans. Living space for the couple is provided by a 120-inch ICT sleeper.
At the Expediter Pride Truck Beauty Show held at the Expedite Expo in August, the King's took first place in the "Lighted Class" division, first place in the "Tractor" division and a second place in the "Interior" division.
"Before expediting, says Ed King, "we were turning 6,000-7,000 miles a week and we didn't have a life and we were getting nowhere. Now, we run 3,000-3,500 miles a week and we enjoy ourselves. We can hit a lot of the truck shows and take time off when we want.
Panther II
"This company is like a big family, we haven't met anyone we couldn't get along with, from the owner on down, to contractor relations. We're not assigned one dispatcher, we deal with a number of people," Michelle says.
"What's different in expediting is that dispatch asks us if we would like to take a load, and when we say yes, they thank us!"
"The first time I was thanked for taking a load, I wondered what was going on. I had never been thanked for taking a run in all those years of general trucking."
She continues, "The people at the company get to know you and can recognize you by your voice. They have a real open door policy, you can visit anytime you want. And, look at their driver appreciation days. How many companies open up for two days and everything is on them. Just like last year and this year, they gave away a Harley and cash to the winners."
"Driving is a career that I love! We've brought a lot of people over here to expediting from general trucking. A lot of people who I talk to now just can't believe the money that can be made in this business."
"I think of us as paid tourists. I never would have seen the US like we have, without expediting. We've been in every state except Alaska and Hawaii."
AA&E
Michelle says that it was about three months after the couple signed with Panther II that they discovered the opportunities available in the company's Specialized Services division. They were still in that division when, earlier this year, Panther II offered them a spot in the company's newly-formed Arms, Ammunition and Explosives, a sub-division of Specialized Services.
Ed says, "Our background checks took about 6 months because there was a lot of paperwork involved. We're very satisfied because it pays very well."
Michelle states, "AA&E pays approximately 30% over what the typical expedited load pays; that's for all loaded AA&E miles. Also, the average AA&E run is around 30-40% longer than the regular expedited load. This type of freight pays accessorial charges such as detention time - anything over 2 hours of waiting pays $25.00 per hour. Another great thing is that there's no fingerprinting of loads."
"When we're under load, one of us has to be in the truck at all times, because AA&E is strictly team operations and we must park in secured areas, but the people at the bases are fantastic!"
Thoughts about the business
Michelle offers some advice or "Keys to Success" for prospective expediter or those who have just entered the business:
"First of all," she says, "if you can't handle time-sensitive freight, this is not the business for you. It's not like general trucking, in expediting, you've got to pick it up and go."
"We took everything when we first started. We made good money just taking short runs because of our company's minimum tariffs. We've taken loads that moved thirty miles down the road but still paid us $250.00."
"Now we look at a load as whether it will put us in an area where there isn't much expedited freight. However, Panther II is pro-active about finding us loads."
"With the last trucking company we were with, they were taking 29 percent of 72 cents per mile on backhauls, which was a big cut. At Panther II, they take 15 percent and we're pulling their trailer."
Ed says, "When you consider that now we're making $1.00- $1.20 per mile on those brokered loads, that's great money. I don't know how those drivers who are making $.82 a mile in the big trucks do it, especially with the higher fuel costs. For us, the higher the fuel price, the higher the fuel surcharge. We're running some loads that have 26 to 27 cents a mile surcharge."
"We've run for some companies that didn't pay us the surcharge until the company received the payment from the shipper and that could be three or four months before we got our pay. And, some of the companies took a little bit out of the money for themselves and that's not right."
He continues, "With Panther II, we get 100% of the surcharge, no questions asked. They pay our empty moves, except for the first 100 miles, per our contract. After that, it's .75 a mile which pays for the fuel."
Michelle says, "Ed handles the finances because he works with the computers. I still work with paper and pencil."
Downtime
Michelle states, "In a truck stop, it costs at least 15 bucks for the two of us, so I cook our own meals. We don't dine out that often."
"If Ed and I have downtime, we like to hit malls because I like shopping! I also like casinos, sightseeing in the desert (Ed doesn't care for that, he says what's there to see out there), and visiting friends."
"This year we did the Truckin' Bozo cruise for a week (our first cruise) and we'll do one next year."
Truck maintenance
Ed's answer to the question of equipment upkeep is short and sweet: "Adhere to the OEM's recommendations. In expediting, you're not running as many miles, so it's a lot less wear and tear as well as the fact of the lighter loads."
Adam Walter, Panther II's Recruiting Manager has words of praise for the Kings:
"Ed and Michelle King are great people and it's a pleasure to have real professionals like them representing Panther II Transportation!"
"They do a great job and they help spread the word about our company. As a matter of fact, they have been invited to join us at truck shows to work in our booth where they tell visitors about the business of expediting from the contractors' side."
Michelle concludes, "We've been together 17 years and 10 years of that time has been on the road. We love expediting and we're looking forward to a lot more years in the business!"