Finding Your Fleet (Part II)

A recent post shared by a fellow expediter made some great points when it came to finding a small fleet to work for. We’ve decided to highlight her post and add to it, from a former driver and now owner’s, perspective.

“If you want to make $1500 each per driver, you have to accomplish that yourself. You are the maker of your paycheck. You have to learn how to make that happen and when you run percentage, trying for a set amount per week doesn’t always work. Sometimes it’s how the month ends.”

Running as a self-dispatching contractor like we do here, you create your own destiny because YOU are your dispatcher AND your engineer. You have to decide what load it worth what, what your minimums are, which areas are best, where to relocate, etc. Some teams will shoot for a weekly goal, or will run only a certain region of the states – it doesn’t matter how you get to your financial goals; all of these methods can work. You genuinely must figure out YOUR strengths and how you like to run as a team – what works for you both. We found that we can lose an entire week and still hit $30k+ in a month, but that comes with years of experience and being way beyond the “FOMO” phase. We run day to day, don’t plan too far out, and we love it that way because found that we hit our goals with minimal stress.

“As a team joining expediting, even if you have been team driving for 25 years - if you haven’t run percentage and expediting, it’s a different way of doing things. We ran 17 years in tractor trailer, by the mile, 20,000+ mile a month. Coming here was an adjustment. You don’t run constantly like when you’re running per mile as a team. It’s a ‘work smarter, not harder’ deal. Sure, you can run yourself to death running constantly in a big box company as a super team, making the same or less, (taking the quickest shower possible, eating only sandwiches or junk etc.) but that gets old, and that’s why most of you came here. Dispatching yourself is a game, it’s calculating trying to decide which load to take, and which load will put you where the ‘money load’ will be if it pops on the board. It’s aggravating and rewarding. You have to be open to learn new things and not be stuck in your ways.”

She’s right – coming from tractor trailer was a major adjustment. It was night and day to go from mileage-based pay to percentage. Switching that mentality took time but was so essential. If not, you will run your per mile rate down and work harder for less. You will no longer have to run 5,000+ miles a week as team to make a good paycheck, and instead you can work 3 days on 2 loads and make the same that you would on 2 cross country runs. You’re no longer booked out for the week, now you’re booking a load for today or tomorrow, never knowing where you’re going next after delivery, or how much you’ll make tomorrow. This can make transitioning tractor trailer teams very antsy, because they’re looking for miles, not at the end goal for the month. We like to say to give it at least 6 months before you give up on expediting, especially if you’re coming from tractor trailer.

“When you start out here, your company is not going to tell you how to pick loads, how to bid, or anything. Just that there is a load board, how to log in, and hit accept. If you try and do it on your own, without guidance, it will take a lot of trial and error. You will get frustrated. So, if the fleet you go to has mentors, or you meet a team that offers to help, take them up on it. Let them show you the ropes. There are rules that your company will follow to decide who wins a load, and you need to understand them. You need to understand when a mentor or fleet owners tells you certain areas are dead zones, that they are telling you to avoid headaches. There will be a time for you to go out west, but the first week you are out on the road is not one. Just remember, we are always learning new things, if you think you know everything already then you are one of the ones that has a lot to learn still.”

Coming out here with a know-it-all mentality will quickly humble you. We have been at this almost 8 years and still find some of our own ‘guidelines’ changing, because the landscape of our company is constantly changing, and we must change with it. That’s okay because the seasons don’t change – trucking overall has its busy and dead seasons, all of which we are already aware of and therefor plan for. However, it can be very hard for new teams without guidance to come out here and try to make it work. Not that it can’t be done however, you will learn what loads are worth their rates, and which aren’t. You will start to form a minimum to run into certain cities, due to the cost of tolls and/or relocating after delivery. You will learn which customers don’t care about detention, and will take their time to load you, putting your early morning delivery at risk, and therefore minimizing your chances for a next day load, so maybe you’ll charge double for that run. You will learn the seasons and you will start to be able to predict when the leaves are about to fall before they have even changed color. Be patient when you’re learning the landscape, absorb all that you can, and learn what works for YOU. We advise all of our new drivers to “Forget what you think you know, and don’t apply rules from a different side of the trucking industry to the world of expediting because you will only set yourself up for failure.”

“Don’t believe everything you hear. If someone tells you they make ‘this’ every week or month, ask for proof. If they don’t want to show you numbers, then it’s probably inflated. If an owner tells you to not talk to other drivers, then someone has something to hide. But also, not all drivers tell the truth, whether it’s to keep you from taking “their” loads, or to seem better than you. Take a lot of what you hear, especially on social media platforms, with a grain of salt. Some of us are honest and just want to help, while others don’t feel like they are anything unless they are making someone else feels small. You are not stupid for asking questions no matter how big or small, and if they tell you how stupid you are for not knowing they are just being bullies.”

This is a constant and sad reality of the world we live in – people lacking integrity and character. Expediting is a small industry; most of us know each other, and word spreads quickly, even the false rumors. Toxic fleet owners and lackluster dealerships are all well-known and constantly confirm the rumors. You can’t hide out here, and that’s the beauty of the double-edged sword that is expediting. This is why it’s important to get multiple opinions or outlooks in the industry, to weed out the nonsense. If someone gets intimated by you asking questions, walk away and move on, but don’t let it discourage you from continuing to ask questions. People who have been out here for a while think they know everything and become short sighted, forgetting that they were new at one point too. They are plenty of us out here willing to help and provide real guidance or give you our own opinions without being intimated. There is room for all of us to succeed and thrive in this industry.

Mental Health and the Reality of Driver Burnout

Mental health has been much less stigmatized within the millennial generation. In fact, you can frequently overhear conversations between us regarding mental health; going as far as sharing tips and insight from recent therapy sessions or bonding over triggers and sharing our stories of ways we learned how to better process those past traumas. We aren’t ashamed to discuss these issues, because we inherited just as much of the culture as we did the industry.

Now we’re trying to fix it, and the best way to start is by talking about it.

Truck drivers suffer the highest rates of mental and physical exhaustion. The truck driver turnover rate in 2019 was at 91%, estimating that a mere 9 of every 100 new drivers would stay in the industry. We have a long list of issues in the trucking industry, but one of the root causes for this high turnover rate was driver dissatisfaction. So if you really love trucking, see yourself in it for the long haul, and want to lessen the load of your burnout before it drives you to hang up the keys - you have to start with you as the driver.

Driver burnout is real, and we’ve all felt it at one time or another. You finish out the week, just to end up laying in bed all weekend - only getting up for snacks or to pick up a mobile food order at best. Finding the motivation to do your laundry, tidy up your truck, or taking the dogs out, all of a sudden feels like a burden. These days will happen - allow yourself to have a bad day, it's okay. Be lazy and don’t feel bad for it - you need the rest.

We know that trucking is a balancing act because home time isn’t always timely, or even certain at some points. So setting aside time for therapy, your hobbies, or some self-care can seem like a daunting task with more reason not to do it. We’re here to tell you however, you can do these things over the road, and we hope we’ve convinced you as to why you should.

We are more than thankful for today’s technology, as it opened the door to telehealth so now there are multiple sources for therapy on the go. A few we can personally recommend are DrOnDemand and Teladoc. Both of these platforms allow you to have both video and phone calls with licensed psychologists, or psychiatrists if you need medicinal treatment in addition to talk therapy.

Start to implement gratitude and refocus your energy on self-care. Treat yourself to a manicure and/or pedicure at a salon, or really splurge and go for a full body massage at the spa. Get out of the truck, save money, avoid people, connect with nature and go camping or find a nice walking path in a local park, an all around win. Then on days when you’re feeling unmotivated, or just down overall - remind yourself of all of the things you’re grateful for. You can even start a gratitude journal, and on those bad days when you feel like you can’t find a reason to be thankful, you can reread what you’ve written on days before, and it can come as a small reminder that the moment is temporary.

Reconnect with your hobbies by making them mobile and taking them with you on the road. Do you have a love for exercise? Kettle bells, dumbbells, and resistance bands are some of the easiest pieces of workout equipment to travel with. Love photography? Grab your DSLR, GoPro, or your drone, and find the best area near you with the subject you love to photograph most. Or maybe you’re more a gamer? Draw the curtains and get lost in your favorite video games! Maybe you’re a foodie or grill master? Find yourself a portable grill or slow cooker to fit your needs and treat yourself to a home cooked meal in your down-time. Make the road your home, because that's where you're spending most of your time.

It’s easy to lose yourself over the road, but we want you to stay en route. Before you log yourself into the sleeper and head back to the bunk, we want to remind you to show yourself compassion. Allow yourself that time to decompress, to breath, to accept your mistakes, to grow, to heal, and to better enjoy the roads trucking can take you on.

We live life with a “day by day” or “one mile at a time'“ mentality, and we challenge you to as well.

There are resources readily available for you when you’re ready to take the journey to improve your mental health - you can start with the National Alliance on Mental Health, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or the Trevor Project, specialized in helping our LGBT community.

If you or someone you know, is struggling or in crisis, help is available and you are not alone.

Call or text 988.

As a reminder, please feel free to write into us with any questions or topics you’d like us to cover - you can even do so anonymously.

What to Expect at a Truck Stop

You’ll be blown away by some of the amenities offered by truck stops. They feature mini movie theaters, museums, salons, barber shops, shoe shine stations, chrome shops, cell phone stores, and even a bowling alley. Trucking locations have attempted to make life easier with these few simple additions to fuel and food.

Does it work? That depends on who you ask.

You’ll find just about everything you need to run smoothly at any general truck stop; from shower supplies to laundry supplies, dog food and toys, truck parts, tech accessories and seasonal clothing. We don’t recommend doing your everyday shopping at these trucking locations because the convenience of it will only hurt your pockets. Prices at truck stops can be as much as triple the price at your local supermarket, but in a pinch it is a great convenience that you will experience at some point.

A favorite amongst drivers are the truck stops diners; mostly 24 hours with buffet specials available everyday of the week, offering private seating just for truckers. The food is belt busting, but it’s hot and just what a trucker needs to feel at home. Most locations will also have at least one fast food restaurant in addition to the diner because food is always in demand when it comes to truckers.

One of the most necessary features of a truck stop is the diesel shop and parts section. You’ll be able to find what you need for general maintenance to keep you running. You can expect to find your basic selection of tools, oils and lubricants, and simple parts like windshield wipers. Majority of the diesel shops are 24 hours and offer full service centers.

In addition to the basic amenities, some locations feature chrome shops, cb shops, salons, and mini “movie theaters.” How often you will utilize these options are dependent on your lifestyle while over the road, but it is still necessary to aid in the comfort and ease of access to drivers who are away from home for extended periods of time.

Cleanliness can be questionable depending on where you stop but most corporate run truck stops have someone outside cleaning the parking lot and fuel areas in addition to the store itself. You will quickly find which locations meet your standards, as you will frequent them more than you realize.

As more locations open across the nation, showers are being updated and made to look more modern in turn pushing prices to average $15 per use. They offer a full private bathroom, with bolt locks for added security (a few of us have been surprised by shower attendants accidentally). Aside from that, most showers are equipped with coat hooks, 3 speed fans, and a hairdryer. Corporate named truck stops provide fresh towels, bar soap, and liquid body wash.

Truck stop showers are private rooms that are cleaned after every use. They generally contain a personal sink, fan, towels, bar of soap, liquid soap dispensers, and a hairdryer.

So do truck stops make living as a truck driver easier? That’s up to you to decide. The food can be mediocre, general products are good to have in a pinch but are overpriced, and most truck stops typically lack healthy activities. So though a majority of their features are outdated, trust that they are working hard to catch up to the new generational shift. You might find that some locations simply provide fuel, showers, and a lit parking lot.

Welcome to your second home.

Trucker Lingo

Here we've compiled a list of “trucking terms" that you will hear often once you get out over the road. You'll hear these words thrown around at truck stops, over the airways of your CB, and from your dispatcher. Some you might even hear referenced at CDL school! Get a head start and learn the language of the trucker nation.

Cobra Classic C.B. Radio

Alley Dock - 90 degree maneuver to dock or park

Asphalt Cowboy - truck driver

Bear Trap - speed trap

Bill of Lading - shipment documents to identify full shipment information, usually given by shipper - freight contract/receipt (pick up address, delivery address, laden weight, freight contents, tracking information, hazmat identification, etc.)

Blindside - navigating your equipment (blindly) without being able to see the side you’re backing towards

Bobtail - Tractor without a trailer attached

Freightliner Classic XL (Bobtail)

Bull-Hauler “Livestock” - Drivers hauling livestock (cows, pigs, chickens, etc.)

Catwalk “Deck plate” - metal plate between your tractor and drive tires; used as a safe place to stand and walk along to connect airlines and inspect trailer

C.B. - Citizens Band Radio - two way radio, communication equipment used by truckers and law enforcement

C.B. Handle - Nickname used for communication over the CB radio

CDL - Commercial Drivers License

Chicken Coop - Weigh Station

Chicken Lights - amber lights alongside a tractor and/or trailer, sometimes referring "extra or added lighting”

Chicken Truck - truck covered in lots of lights, chrome, and accessories (show truck)

Convoy - large group of trucks, usually intentionally following one another

Photo from the movie Convoy (1978)

County Mounty - sheriff

Covered Wagon - flatbed trailer with mounted cover around trailer

CPM/RPM - “Cents Per Mile / Rate Per Mile” - how much a load compensates based on a break down of mileage

CSA - Compliance, Safety, Accountability - point system used to determine safety history and indentify high risk trucking companies

CVSA - Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance

D.C. - Dristribution Center

Deadhead/Empty Move - Empty and/or unpaid miles

DEF - Diesel Exhaust Fluid (NEVER to be mistaken for Diesel)

Detention - compensated waiting time for delays with load/unload

DOT - Department of Transportation

Doubles - Tractor pulling a set of trailers

Double Nickel - 55 mph speed limit

Dragon Fly - ”Drag N’ Fly” - Dragging your trailer up the hill or mountain, and flying down the other side with payload assisted speed

Drivers Lounge - waiting area for drivers, typically containing seating, restrooms, coffee bar, microwave, TVs, etc.

Drop and Hook - Dropping a loaded trailer to turn around and connect to an empty trailer, meant to get you to your next destination

Drop Yard - parking area used to pick up and/or drop empty or loaded trailers

Dry Van - trailer without refrigeration or temperature control

E-Logs (ELD) - Electronic recorder of all hours related to the driver/s - "Electronic Logging Device”

Omnitracs ELD

EOBR - Electronic On Board Recorder - computer used to log truck data, trip information, gps satellite location, and movement

Evil Knievel - motorcycle cop

Expediter - any class 8 vehicle or cargo vans being used for expedite shipments (point a to point b, straight through deliveries)

ETA - Estimated Time of Arrival

Fifth-Wheel - coupling system to attach tractor to the trailers king pin with a locking jaw mechanism

Floating Gears - shifting gears without the need of using the clutch (revving your engine to a certain rpm allows you to change gears smoothly without clutching)

FMCSA - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Forced Dispatch - not having free will over the loads you run with possible repercussions if you decide against certain loads, most common for company drivers

Four Wheeler - cars and other vehicles

Fox in the Hen House - Unmarked cop car

Freight Shaker - Freightliner

Fuel Lane - diesel lanes

Full Grown Bear - State Trooper

Gator “Alligator” - piece of tire debri left behind from tire blowouts, commonly seen on interstate shoulders, tread similar looking to a gators back

G.O.A.L. - Get Out and Look - term used to remind drivers to check their surroundings when backing, commonly seen on side view mirrors

Hammer Down - Go fast, “pedal to the metal”

Hammer Lane - Left lane and/or passing lanes

Hazmat - “Hazardous Materials" - controlled and/or classified freight that has license requirements and falls under stricter rules to haul

Home 20 - drivers home town

Hometime - time off and/or vacation time

Hotshot - different from expediting, hotshotting typically includes medium duty vehicles (Class 3, 4, and 5) such as pick up trucks hauling trailers and cargo vans, used for time critical shipments

H.O.S. - Hours of Service - Logging hours

Jackknife - truck turning in on itself, folding like a pocket knife

Jake Brakes - Engine brakes; Engine Retarder

Keep the rubber side down - “safe travels” - “be safe on your trip” (maintaining contact with the tires and the road, keeping your unit upright)

Knocking on your doors - coming up behind you or following too closely

Kojak with a Kodak - cop using a speed gun

Landing Gear - adjustable legs used to hold trailer upright independent from the tractor

Largecar - any class 8 vehicle, usually show trucks (lots of chrome and accessories)

Live load/unload - driver supplies empty trailer and remains at shipper untill freight it fully loaded, and waits to get unloaded at deliveries

Local Driver “Local” - drivers that run within a short distance of home (inner city, tri-county, tri-state areas) known for being home every night or multiple nights per week

Lot Lizard - Prostitute (primarily found at truck stops - walking throughout the parking lot knocking on trucks)

Lowboy - “Step deck” - Flatbed trailer with a low deck used for oversized freight

LTL - Less Than Truckload - combination of small shipments for multiple delivery destinations

Lumper - person at pick up or delivery whose responsible for loading or offloading your freight, usually for a fee

Marker Interrupt - switch that will momentarily turn off the marker lights on the truck and trailer, used primarily to communicate something to other truck drivers (safe to get over, thank you for letting me over, hazard up ahead, etc.)

Meat Wagon - Ambulance

Motion Lotion - diesel

On your rubber - behind you

OTR “Over-The-Road” - long haul truck driver (cross country)

Parking Lot - Car hauler

Party Row - back row of truck stop parking lots, used in past time for lot lizard hang outs

Pay-Load - shipping weight / total weight of freight

Personal Conveyance - time allowed for personal use of which doesn't go against your clock

Placards - diamond shaped signage used to identify and communicate hazmat cargo classifications

POC - Point of Contact

POD - Point of Delivery

Predispatch “Preplan" - Future scheduled load

Prepass - device used to bypass weigh stations

Pre/Post-Trip - inspection of truck required by law, to the responsibility of the driver before and after operating equipment

Qualcomm - brand of satellite units used for dispatch communications, load information, elogs, and EOBR services

Radio Check - used to ask others over the cb if your communication is coming through clearly

Reefer - refrigerated unit or trailer

Rubbernecker/s - people who slow down to look at an accident on the road, known for causing back ups

Safe Haven - secure parking facility or area used for active high security shipments

Salt Shaker - service vehicle used to treat roadways for snow and ice, aid in snow/ice removal, by dumping salt or brine on pavement

Skateboard - Flatbed Trailer

Sleeper (Sleeper Berth) - area behind cab of tractor considered a truckers living and resting space

Slow Crawl - bumper to bumper traffic, stop and go, leading to a “slow crawl”

Smokey (Bear) - Law Enforcement Officer

Steering Wheel Holder - Rookie or uncaring driver, only knows “how to hold the wheel”

Straight Back - Reversing in a straight line

Straight Truck - tractor with cargo area permanently attached on one chassis

Suicide Jockey - Driver hauling explosives

Super Trucker - irresponsible driver not taken seriously (i.e., driving fast, wearing gloves, like to think they “break the rules, etc.)

Tractor Trailer - Tractor with a trailer attached; combination vehicle

Truck Stop - Gas/Diesel Station with added amenities for truckers including but not limited to, fast food and full service restaurants, showers, diesel mechanic shops, and provided parked for large trucks

Turtle Race - two trucks trying to pass one another, usually with speed governors

Two Wheeler - motorcycle

Veteran Driver - “Seasoned Driver” - trucker with millions of miles driven

Weigh Station - state regulated check point for legal weight limits, equipment compliance, and driver licensing and logs; found at state entry points among interstates and U.S. Highways

Wiggle Wagon - tractor pulling more than a single trailer (Refer to “Doubles/Triples”)

Yard Dog - “Yard Jockey” driver usually in a single seated cab, relocating trailers throughout the hub or warehouse yard (around the warehouse, moving trailers to and from docks, or to and from distribution centers)

Yard Stick - Mile marker

10-4 - “I hear you” or understood

18 Wheeler - tractor trailer combination (stating the amount of wheels when in active connection)

Any suggestions?

Leave us a comment of your favorite trucking terms!

This list will continue to grow with driver feedback.