Author: Carol

The Sylectus network enables small carriers to offer their customers the same national and international reach, and almost all of the same services that the largest expedite carriers do.If you stood on a freeway overpass in Ohio for a month and counted the expediter trucks that drove by, you would see thousands of trucks leased to hundreds of carriers. With your count you could easily identify the big names in expediting, but from your vantage point on the bridge you would not see the Sylectus network to which the majority of the expediter trucks on the road are connected. Hidden in the outwardly unrelated mix of “off-brand” expediter trucks is a cooperating group of hundreds of expedite carriers that use the Sylectus network and software to share trucks and loads. They form a 10,000 truck virtual fleet that by truck count is many times larger than the largest expedite carrier. Strength in Numbers The Sylectus network enables small carriers to offer their customers the same national and international reach, and almost all of the same services that the largest expedite carriers do. A 20 truck carrier, for example, might serve a group of customers in the Midwest. It can cover a maximum of 20 loads with its trucks at the same time. By plugging into the Sylectus network and thereby gaining access to nearly 10,000 trucks, that same carrier...

If you cause an accident, and your unit is “Down” and you can’t work, then your Insurance Company will pay you “X” amount of dollars while your vehicle is “in the shop”. But what if someone hits YOU?Everyone understands that “Downtime Coverage” is something you can add to your Commercial Auto Liability Policy. If you cause an accident, and your unit is “Down” and you can’t work, then your Insurance Company will pay you “X” amount of dollars while your vehicle is “in the shop”. It’s pretty straightforward and Agents seldom get involved because “Claims” handles it all the time. But what if someone hits YOU? Sure, that Insurance Carrier will pay to fix your vehicle, but who is working on your behalf to make sure you receive “Loss of Use” when someone else is at fault? You can guess that other person’s Insurance Carrier won’t be volunteering to pay you while you’re out of work without a little extra effort. This additional Claims Assistance is something that a Good Agent will provide for you as YOUR advocate. Your Agent should help you in calculating the dollar amount due to you for the “Loss of Use” of your vehicle. This is something that is not provided by an Insurance CARRIER, it’s provided by your Agent… if they care about you. It’s in your best interest to check with your...

Why are those men and women so happy? What explains the loud, enthusiastic and joyous tone that filled the reception rooms in which these competitors met? Expedite NOW interviewed a number of these people by telephone and e-mail to find out.It happens only once or twice a year that expedite carrier CEO’s, owners, presidents and top managers gather in large numbers in one place. This writer attended one such event for the first time in February, 2012, and went home wondering, why are those men and women so happy? What explains the loud, enthusiastic and joyous tone that filled the reception rooms in which these competitors met? Expedite NOW interviewed a number of these people by telephone and e-mail to find out. The event was the Sylectus Annual Conference 2012, in Orlando, Fla. This conference was attended by the leaders of over 100 expedite carriers that use Sylectus transportation management software. Most of these carriers have fleets ranging in size from five to 400 trucks. While these people are competitors, they also cooperate with each other, using the Sylectus software and network to post freight when they have no trucks and post trucks when they have no freight. It is common for these companies to meet their customer needs by sharing each other’s resources. Running an expedite carrier is no small challenge. CEO’s have many things on their minds,...

In this age of emails, twitters and websites, a fair question may be “Why should I still attend trade shows?” In this age of emails, twitters and websites, a fair question may be “Why should I still attend trade shows?” After all, ease of communication is ostensibly at the highest level in the history of time. Industry Trade Shows allow everyone to network with their peers. PERSONAL interaction is still vitally important to career growing. If it wasn’t, interviews for most new jobs in other industries wouldn’t still be done “face to face”. Familiarity breeds a comfort level. When a person is visually “seen” in various venues of a group over and over, they become “known” to that group as someone relevant, informed and experienced. It’s likely that person “comes to mind” when a company then grows. Networking is essentially job security for the future. If your goal is to stay and advance in the Trucking and Expedite marketplace, then attend and WORK the two “must see” events this year. Both events are still the venue to kick off new technology, services, workshops and insurance programs…and where YOU develop personal and professional growth relationships. MATS (Mid-America Trucking Show) www.truckingshow.com March 22nd – 24th in Louisville, KY at the Kentucky Exposition Center and Expedite Expo www.ExpediteExpo.com July 27th-28th in Wilmington, OH at the Roberts Convention...

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. 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? It’s easy to say we’re going to tighten our belts, spend less day to day. I don’t know about you, but I always MEAN to cut coupons, but I either don’t…or forget to bring them to the store. What I’ve found that’s easier than eliminating my guilty pleasures like Starbucks or a 75% off shoe sale has been reducing my large expenditures. What are your BIG costs per month? What are you spending the big bucks on? What can be done to reduce them EVERY month? I’m referring to Cell Phone Plans, Fuel Card Plans and Expediting Insurance. If you update your ‘plans’ to save $50 each month on each,...