There IS a Much Better Alternative to Financing a Truck For anyone looking to a finance a new or used truck, you've probably noticed there's a lot of information in the media and online about preparing for a loan, truck pricing, down payment and even lifestyle advice leading up to and becoming an owner. Unfortunately, much of this information is narrow in scope at its best, and grossly inaccurate at its worst. It truly doesn't tell the whole story or give the entire picture w...

  Expedite Expo 2017, which runs July 14 and 15 at the Lexington Center in Lexington, Ky., is the only trade show in the world geared exclusively to the expedited trucking industry. And this year’s show will feature the announcement of the winner of the inaugural Expediter of the Year award, which will be presented to one of these three finalists: Bob and Linda Caffee with Landstar, Robert Burton with V3 Transportation, and Edward Estes with Bolt Express. The purpose of th...

Meet Irene Riley. When she and her husband Vern began driving expedite together seven years ago, Irene had just left her 30 year career in the print industry, where she served in a variety of roles, such as desktop publishing, customer service and sales. Today, they drive a 2012 Freightliner Cascadia for Jordan Transportation and are enjoying the expedite life. What led Irene and Vern to become expediters? What advice does Irene have for other women who may be considering a c...

Mike Welch has proven that he holds a clear vision for opportunities on the horizon in the world of transportation. As the founder of Express-1 in 1989, Welch became one of the pioneers in the expedited transportation sector, establishing a track record of success that positioned the company to become publicly traded in 2005. It was listed as Express-1 Expedited Solutions under the ticker symbol XPO.  Following the majority stock sale of the company to Jacobs Private Equity,...

The lease you sign as an owner-operator with a trucking carrier sets the guidelines for your income--how your pay will be calculated, when you'll get paid, and what fees and expenses you'll be required to cover. But it's your responsibility to understand all that's in the lease agreement before you sign it. Otherwise there could be unpleasant surprises that put your business--and financial future--at risk. So, here are five important terms to evaluate before signing on with a...

A new expedite straight truck can cost anywhere from $170,000 to over $200,000, depending on the "bells and whistles" you put on it. That's a big investment--and risk--especially if you're new to the expedited trucking business. So, how can you prepare to buy a new truck in way that reduces your risk and puts your business in the best position to succeed? Use this four-point checklist as a guide. #1. Low Expenses When veteran expediters Linda and Bob Caffee bought their f...

Meet Sandy Goche. She's a cancer survivor and now an expedite owner-operator leased to V3 Transportation. Before Sandy became a full-time expediter in November 2015, she had worked for a Department of Defense contractor for about 28 years, starting as a computer programmer and working her way up to systems administrator. Sandy and her significant other Stephen Halsted bought their first truck in 2012--"I was the owner. He was the operator"--while she continued working as a sy...

If you're going to be living in an expediter straight truck for several weeks at a time, you might as well make the sleeper as much like home as possible, right? Yes...and no. As an owner-operator, you're also a business owner. And that means you need to also think about the financial impact of your sleeper selection. So, the key is to strike the right balance between comfort considerations (sleeper size and amenities) and practicality (cargo capacity and sleeper cost). But w...

When a truck in your fleet is down, you're not making money--and neither are your drivers. So, how can you reduce the risk of unplanned downtime? One key is to ensure your drivers are conducting a thorough pre-trip inspection, where they examine in and around the truck to detect and report potential issues before they can become catastrophic mechanical failures. (For more information on FMCSA's pre-trip inspection requirements, see https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/title4...

When you talk to truckers about distracted driving, many of them will say that the biggest risk comes from the drivers of passenger vehicles on the road around them. "If you want to be the next zillionaire in our country, come out with a device that can disable the cellphone of the car operator in front of you by hitting a button because that would end a lot of distracted driving accidents in our country," quips John Mueller, founder of The Transportation Station LLC, a Toled...