Now that we are getting closer to colder weather and we will start seeing winterized diesel fuel.  So, why do diesel engines do not get as good fuel mileage running this winterized fuel over the non-winterized fuel?  Good question let us look into this and see if we can find the reason why this is. All the refineries have to change diesel fuel to help it function better in cold and colder weather.  The change has to do with making the diesel have less sulfur and keeping it...

Communication is one of the most powerful tools we have.  We convey information to one another, either verbal or written.  But, the most important thing is to communicate with one another. Let’s start with the definition of “communicate” according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary:       Is to convey knowledge of or information about: make known;       Is to transmit information, thought, or feeling so that it is satisfactorily received or understood to open in...

At this year’s Expedite Expo we got to meet some really nice people.  But one person really stuck out and reminded us how far we have come in this industry.  More on this person later, but first how we started. Ten years ago (2012), we attended our first Expo in Wilmington, OH.  We were brand new and had more questions than we had answers.  We started by walking to each booth introducing ourselves and asking questions.  While the hall was open work shops were going on....

Now, you can add military veterans to the list of potential truck driving hopefuls thanks to the Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Safety Training (CMVOST) grant program. The CMVOST grant program is being funded by a $3.1 million award from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), and the grants are part of the Biden-Harris administration’s trillion-dollar Trucking Action Plan (TAP), which had been announ...

Fuel taxes are definitely an ever changing expense for the owner operators. Where you choose to fuel can have a significant impact on your fuel costs. Currently, there are only twelve U.S. states that have the same fuel tax rate, and of these twelve, there are six different rates....

With recent renewed efforts by the United States government and the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to address the shortage of over 80,000 drivers in this country, something came to mind during my readings and research. Why would it be such a great idea for newly minted commercial truck drivers to get their start in the world of expedite freight? I mean, seriously. In an industry that prides itself on quick turnaround and fast progression, someone who may be new to ...

As an owner/operator selecting a carrier to lease on to is a personal decision.  You can not let anyone but yourself make that decision.  Here is a list of tips to help you. 1.   Ask a lot of questions of the carrier(s) you are thinking to leasing onto.  Build your list of questions before contacting the carriers.  You might have to send those questions electronically to the recruiter so they can get the answers for you.  We came up with a list of over 30 questions to ...

Whether you are a team truck like we are, or you have someone doing your back office (paying your bills).  Each of you need to know how those bills are paid.  You may ask why you need to do this.  Just think the person responsible for paying the bills get sick or hurt and cannot communicate on how and where they are to be paid. So, cross train and build a system that makes it easy for your partner to keep the bills paid.  What we do is we use a software a package like Kee...

National Night Out (NNO) is yearly event put on by participating Police Departments (PD).  The event is always the first Tuesday in August (except in Texas it is the first Tuesday in October).  Our Clearcreek Township PD puts on this event (there 18th year) and we volunteer helping out where they need us. There was free food (hamburgers and hot dogs), the fire department performed a training extraction on a vehicle with the jaws of life.  A care flight helicopter landed an...

At this year’s Expedite Expo there was a round table called “Let’s Talk Tires”.  It was hosted by Kyle Martin of McMahon's Best-One in Ft Wayne, IN.  I was able to attend this round table on Saturday.  He provided each person that attended a folder with a wealth of information on tires and alignments.  In that folder was a plethora of information on interval of doing alignments, how often to rotate your tires, and maintaining proper tire pressure. Did you know tha...