Marketing Yourself in Trucking
When beginning a new job, many people simply want to learn their role and focus on only what they were hired for. If they're hired to pick up a phone to answer and make calls, then they'd make sure to just learn that job. That's it. If they're brought into a company to process paperwork, or maybe they're a sales or tech specialist, then that's what they do. Focus on the task at hand and only do what you were brought in for.
Some folks out there excel at more than just one thi...
Explore
A while back a friend asked me if my husband and I ever have a chance to sightsee while we are on the road. I replied that for the most part we do not. This conversation allowed me to reflect on how many drivers take the opportunity to get out of the truck to see and explore. Do you? Where do you go? What have you seen?
We were on the East coast and were invited to see the sights with another team with which we are friends. We had a great time seeing things like the Liberty B...
Driving as an Independent Contractor
The best thing about being an independent contractor is that there are an endless number of opportunities in the world that allow you to be your own boss. Some of those opportunities are certainly difficult to attain, while others are more easily accessible but sometimes far less enticing.
Whether you're an experienced owner-operator or an independent contractor looking to get into the expedite industry, choosing the right carrier to run for makes all the difference in the wo...
Terminating Driver Turnover
It's almost common knowledge that driver turnover rates in the trucking industry tend to hover around or above the 100% mark. However, believe it or not, there are some fleets out there that have figured out a way to reduce their turnover rate. Which has shown to be more beneficial for both driver and company. Here are some suggestions for how to go about providing a better atmosphere for drivers, while lowering turnover.
Show Them the Money
"Money talks and BS walks," right?...
Being Aware of Your Mental Health
Driving a commercial vehicle can certainly be a lonely job, and it can be all too easy for mental health hurdles and challenges to creep up on a driver as the miles roll by. Extended time away from family and friends and long periods without human interaction can be detrimental to anyone's psyche.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and with renewed emphasis being placed on folks and their mental health these days, here are some ways drivers can help maintain their own ment...
Expedite Your Career
A common conversation topic among professional truck drivers is the notion of no longer driving for someone else, but rather following their dream of becoming an independent contractor and thus one's own boss. So, how does one go from career steering wheel jockey to being their own head honcho? Well, let's consider the ways.
How It Typically Starts
Most folks begin their working lives in a low-level type of job. Maybe it's as a server in a sit-down restaurant, or as an order ...
Lawyers that Represent Expediters for Downtime Losses
In the trucking industry, it is quite common for people to hear about suing truck drivers for injuries or damages, but did you know there are lawyers who represent truckers for business interruption?...
Living Large in a Tiny House
Let me introduce myself. I'm Kelly Plumb and I have been driving trucks for the past 12 years with my husband and business partner Dave. More recently, we added our trucking doggo Rocky to the team. We started by transporting campers in a one ton Dodge dually.
Within a very short period of time it became obvious that 2 people living in a pickup truck was not going to work. We bought a second pickup truck. We each drove one. After about a year of doing that, we upgraded to a m...
Let's Go Team!
Career truck drivers tend to prefer the solitude of the open road. Who wouldn't? 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. 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 extra cash by limiting oneself in earning capabili...
Defining Expedite Freight
Expedite freight has seemingly always been unapologetically classified as time sensitive material, which is certainly true from a purely logistical standpoint. However, to think of it in terms a lifelong long hauler might need to have it explained is a little more complicated than that. With this in mind, let's get a grip on what it actually means to be an expediter!
From the Driver's Perspective
Hurry up and wait. This phrase is perhaps the best way to describe the nature of...