Meet Mr. DeBlank, everybody knows him as Phil. Everyone sees Phil. Everyone wonders about Phil, but Phil N. DeBlank seems to wonder about nothing....

Over the years, I've engaged with many truck drivers attempting to make the jump from company driver to independent contractor. And if you didn't already know, the world of expedite trucking is vastly different from your typical truck driving career. Instead of a driver's income being determined by the number of miles run, such as in truckload, expedite is based on more of a pay-per-load structure and mentality. Also, in such cases with expedite, most drivers are considered a...

What to do, what to do? Well, if an OEM sleeper does not have the option to have a sink, what to do, what to do? Build and install one yourself !...

Career truck drivers tend to prefer the solitude of the open road. But really, who wouldn't? I mean, you get to take your work with you and make money wherever you go. No one to answer to (other than perhaps dispatch and the Department of Transportation), and you're touring the countryside while getting paid to do it. So, what's not to like about that? However, as gratifying as driving solo can be, it's often accompanied by the risk of losing out on some extra cash by limitin...

Referring to expedite as "the Band-Aid" to the trucking industry may have, at one time, been the best way to describe what it is and why it's so important to logistics management. Or explaining to a career over-the-roader that the term "expedite" signals that the freight is time-sensitive, and it must be delivered with haste, was also often used in an attempt to drive the point home. When a driver has spent all, or the majority, of their career in an over-the-road capacity, g...

What can you say about someone who buys a brand new 2025 Freightliner Cascadia and within a month of purchase, they take an angle grinder with a cut-off wheel and deliberately cut a big hole in the sleeper roof?...

Mother Nature and Unexpected Holidays Mother Nature sure did put a dent in our plans for the first full week of the year. We were on our way to pick up a load when the phone rang with the news that our load had cancelled. Fortunately, we did not drive in any of the ice and snow covered roads that were on our route. The shipper informed us that they lost power and had a water leak. They wanted to address those issues before they began shipping again. Prior to accepting the can...

In the transportation industry, honesty is a door that swings both ways. Not only are drivers seeking employment and expecting a straight-up recruiter to give them the honest scoop on what to anticipate with a potential company, there is also a certain level of honesty that recruiters require out of potential driving candidates as well. And as long as we're being honest here, both sides could certainly learn a thing or two from the other. Don't Sell Me A Story A recruiter tel...

Happy New Year! Last week I wrote about how I wrap up our business at the end of a year. This week I will talk about processes to hit the ground running in the new year. First, let me just say that I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season. Whether you decided to keep working or went home for some much needed family time or enjoyed down time to recharge physically, emotionally and mentally I hope that you are spending the holidays in a way that makes you happy. Now, le...

From the team at ExpeditersOnline.com, we'd like to take a few moments to pause and reflect on how the years may seem to endlessly advance but the base formula for expedited gift shopping and giving remains unchanged. During the holidays, many in the truck driving community that we love and hold dear are busy working to help maintain an economy that is largely based on buying and selling. Most folks don't typically consider much beyond the customary exchanging of funds in ord...