ExpediteNow.com

The Insurance Zone - Value for Your Dollar in 2012

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:05:22 PST

Are you an employee, or are you an Independent Contractor Owner Operator? If your Motor Carrier is making all of your decisions for you, then you�re an employee. If you are running your life as a small business owner�well, you know the rest.

The economy does seem to drag along, doesn�t it? Sometimes it can feel like it�s just never going to lift up and take off again. I�m eternally optimistic that it will�eventually. But in the meantime, how can you have more money in your pocket NOW?

Do You Sit or Do You Move? Try This Decision Aid

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 09:48:23 PST

Situation:

You deliver a load on Friday afternoon in a slow freight area. If you stay put and wait for freight, it is not likely that you will get a load out until sometime next week. It may be Monday. It may be Wednesday. You do not know.

You do know:

You have fixed costs to pay every day of the year, whether your truck is moving or not. These include insurance, Qualcomm fees, truck registration, truck payment (if you have one), depreciation, etc.
You have variable costs, over and above your fixed costs, every time you move your truck. These include fuel, tires, oil changes, tolls, etc.

Five Things You Need to Know in Winter

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:52:44 PST

Winter.... cold, wet, snow, sleet, freezing fog, and even some nice days. We are always ready for the nice days but what about the others? There are things we do to get ready for winter driving and there are things we must have in the truck, just in case.

Involved in an accident? Make the best of a bad situation

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:04:32 PST

Accidents happen, even to the most safety-conscious professional driver. When they do, keeping your head and knowing what steps to take can help you make the best of a difficult situation.

Chuck Johnston, claims director for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, offered some tips for truckers who�ve been involved in an accident.

The first step, Johnston said, is to secure the scene in order to avoid any further injuries or damage.

Our truck speaks volumes about our business�

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:46:34 PST

What does our truck say about our business? When a customer watches us pull on to their property, do they unconsciously get a mental picture of how their freight will be handled?

We often see the owner of the business as well as the people involved with loading our truck and handling the paperwork. When we open the back doors and back into the dock if they have one or we open our doors and lower our lift gate what are they thinking?

Truck Tires Grow Scarce While Prices Soar... What You Can Do

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:35:09 PST

Exasperated by his inability to find new tires for his truck, owner-operator Joe Marra reached out to the ExpeditersOnline.com community in September. "What's going on?" he asked his colleagues in the online forum, "I have been trying to buy four drive and two steer tires for a couple of days now. I cannot find what I am looking for... I have talked with 14 different tire outlets". Stating the obvious, Joe went on to say, "This kinda [SIC] sucks. I need tires."

What's going on worldwide is a shortage of natural rubber that is used in making truck tires, and increasing demand for tires and rubber products of all kinds. With the supply of natural rubber decreasing and tire demand increasing, truck tire prices are skyrocketing and the tires themselves are getting harder to find. These conditions are expected to persist for years.

Averitt Express: Pay Increase for Truckload Drivers

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:14:06 PST

Cookeville, TN based, Averitt Express has made a practice of setting new standards since opening its doors in 1971. With a commitment to improve the quality of life of their associates, year after year, the 40 year old company announced a pay increase that took effect on October 3, 2011 for Regional Truckload drivers.

911 Call Home

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:07:37 PST

What do you do when you're a thousand miles from home and you learn of an emergency situation with your family back home?

What if you're under load?

A home emergency scenario is possibly one of the most stressful situations you will face in your career. Suppose you receive a text message about a crisis back at the house, or possibly a Qualcomm message to call home immediately. What do you do?

The Insurance Zone - How is your relationship?

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 11:54:29 PST

No not your personal relationship� but your professional relationship. You know, the relationship between you and your Expediting Motor Carrier. While personal relationships fill that spot in our hearts, our professional relationships are every bit as important because a solid one fills that need we all have for financial security and a realization of economic stability. So while you�re out there waiting for your next load, it�s easy to forget that the Dispatcher on the other end of the phone is under a lot of pressure to produce. So, he or she may not always want to hear an Owner Operator complaining� any more than we enjoy hearing our spouses complain, right?

Espar Airtronic D2 Winner at Expedite Expo

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 11:44:23 PST

For the 3rd year in a row, during the Expedite Expo, Espar of Michigan and EsparParts.com have given away an Espar Airtronic D2 Bunk Heater to a lucky ExpeditersOnline.com Forum member. This year�s lucky winner is Patrick H. aka, Easyrider2697. A senior EO Forum member for about 5 years, Patrick has been expediting for 14 years, leased on with Panther Expedited Services for the last 6-7 years and is also a Drivers Council Representative for the company.

New Owner of Express-1 has Big Plans

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 09:22:27 PST

Entrepreneur Bradley S. Jacobs made big news in the expediting industry when it was announced that he and his equity company, Jacobs Private Equity LLC, purchased a majority share of Michigan-based Express-1 in early June, investing $150 million. Jacobs Private Equity now owns approximately 71 percent of the company and Jacobs will serve as chief executive officer and chairman of the board of directors.

Jacobs intends to build Express-1 into a multi-billion-dollar company. Former CEO Mike Welch will remain with the company. ExpeditersOnline interviewed Jacobs and Welch straight on with questions about their plans for Express-1 and the expediters involved. They responded in kind.

Tire Maintenance

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 14:28:16 PST

Tire maintenance? What's that? Just a walk by and, yup they are still black, or are they still there? Or maybe take that mini bat and give them a good whack? That is how some drivers do it, but for a truck owner, tires are a very important part of keeping your truck in service and a large expense. Expenses come in many forms, from the initial purchase to reduced fuel mileage and faster wear if allowed to run low. It is also a safety issue, as a low or flat tire can blow out and cause damage to your truck or other vehicles, with possible injury. The tire industry now says if a tire is 15% low it is considered flat. A flat tire builds heat as it rolls on the road. To some extent it will gain pressure as it builds heat, but not enough to compensate for being low. In a lot of cases the tire will blow out and the result is what is left along the road.

The Insurance Zone - Network... Network... Network

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 14:03:36 PST

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I want to emphasize how important it is to get out there and meet and befriend other Owner Operators and Motor Carriers. It�s starting to become a pattern that an Expediter is either quite successful or on the verge of going out of business. With other variables the same, the deciding factor appears to be familiarity, respect and integrity in our industry as the economy ebbs and flows.

How To Move Your Business Ahead by Leaving Your Self Behind

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 12:51:31 PST

You are a self-employed expediter. When something bad happens, does it happen to you, your business or both? While the same negative event can happen to two expediters, the one who treats it as a business event is more likely to move on and prosper, while the one who takes it personally is more likely to stay stuck.

Say you are in a good freight area around noon on a Friday. You are in service but not yet dispatched. It has been an OK week so far but not great. There is no better place to relocate to improve your chances for freight. Home is too far away to make it an easy trip. You know you may be stuck waiting over the weekend if you don't get a load soon.

An hour goes by, then another and yet another. Finally, around 3:30, your phone rings or Qualcomm unit beeps with a load offer. That perks you up and you reach quickly to learn what's up.

Bolt Custom Trucks

Wed, 04 May 2011 12:05:50 PST

Many expediters were shocked when Bentz Transport Products, a popular supplier of aftermarket truck sleepers, fell victim to the Great Recession and closed its doors in August, 2009. Saddened customers wondered what, if anything, would happen with the unique Bentz integrated sleeper products. The answer came in early 2011 when a new company, Bolt Custom Trucks and Manufacturing, started putting Bentz-style sleepers on the road.

As former Bentz customers learned of Bolt and expressed great joy that their referred sleepers were again on the market, some called Bolt the new Bentz. While the Bolt people are keen to point out that Bolt is a startup company in its own right, and that the company was founded before Bentz went under, customers can be forgiven for overlooking that technicality.

The Insurance Zone - Occ/Acc

Wed, 04 May 2011 12:00:20 PST

Why do I need Occupational Accident?

�You don�t�unless your Motor Carrier you�re leased on to or the state you�re in requires you to carry it. �But here�s why you SHOULD have it.

Occ Acc is the remedy to the more costly Worker�s Comp. It kicks in if you�re hurt while working and pays various Medical, Disability & Death Expenses. Worker�s Comp can be a lifetime benefit, while Occ Acc is limited to the dollar amount you purchase.

The Sound

Wed, 04 May 2011 11:47:54 PST

My wife and co-driver Diane and I haul expedited freight for a living. We were on a run from California to Texas, but this time there is a lot of extra time built in. Because of the pick up and delivery times, we had several more hours to complete the run than are needed. With no security protocols attached to the freight, we were free to leave the truck, sleep, or pass the spare time in other ways.

Diane's driving shift ended about 1:00 a.m. local time in Arizona. I had been asleep in bed for several hours. When she stopped at a rest area we did not switch drivers as we usually do. Since we had lots of spare time, I stayed in bed.
Diane went through the routine to "secure for sleeping" as we call it...

Expedite Expo: The Place to Be

Wed, 04 May 2011 11:34:21 PST

The Roberts Convention Centre in Wilmington, Ohio , is the place to be July 22 and 23 for the 11th annual Expedite Expo.

The event is America�s largest expedited trucking show , and this year�s edition promises even more fun.

With more than 100 exhibits and a wide range of events and entertainment, the show offers something for everyone.

�We will have a broad range of exhibits and information services,� said Expo Manager Lawrence McCord. "There will be a lot of things to see and do."

Nissan Introduces Commercial Van

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 08:56:29 PST

After three years in design and pre-production, Nissan unveiled the NV, its first commercial vehicle for North America, on February 7, 2011.

To address the unmet needs of van owners, Nissan researchers used a diverse range of methodology all across the U.S. in focus groups that included everything from individual owners to large fleet managers. The resulting blend of pickup truck and van allows the driver more comfort and space while still offering the protection and security for cargo.

The Insurance Zone - Owner Operator's Primary Liability vs Non-Truck Liability?

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 08:50:13 PST

I thought I’d take a minute to make sure everyone understands what their Expediting Liability Insurance pays...and doesn’t pay. So you’re driving along and you hit someone or something... who gets the bill?

If you’re leased on to a Motor Carrier with a traditional contract, then the PRIMARY Insurance policy of that Motor Carrier pays the claim. But if you were “not under dispatch or not under the direction or benefit of the Motor Carrier”, then your own Non-truck Liability (NTL) policy pays.