It was a chance encounter at a Cincinnati mall parking lot in the early 1990's that sparked Lawrence McCord's interest in expedited trucking. "I saw an expediter in a cargo van who was laid over at that parking lot," McCord recalls. "And I saw this bubble on top of the van and asked him, 'What is that thing on top?' He said, 'It's a satellite." I said, 'A satellite? And then you can know where you are?' He said, "I know exactly where I'm at.' I'm like, 'That's just amazing!'...

Meet Dave Corfman. Dave's foray into expedited trucking began in the mid 1980's as a "side hustle," building his business part-time as a fleet owner for Roberts Express (now FedEx Custom Critical) while continuing his full-time career as director of finance and operations at a vending company. Then in 2001, Dave retired from the vending industry and went all-in with expediting, continuing as a fleet owner while also driving for a couple years. About 2004, Dave decided to com...

If you're new to expediting and want to become an owner-operator, but you've been affected by past credit challenges, what are your options? You could wait to purchase a truck and drive for a fleet owner for a year or two. This would enable you to build up your driving experience-and credibility with commercial truck lenders-while also giving you the opportunity to evaluate whether you could succeed in this business before you take on the added responsibility of owning a tru...

What are the key trends to watch in expedited trucking in 2018? What will be the impact of the ELD (electronic logging device) mandate? What is the outlook for fleet owners? And what direction is the expedite market, as a whole, heading--will it grow, hold steady, or hit economic headwinds? Expedite Now asked four industry experts to peer into their crystal ball and share what they see for 2018. Here are their insights. ELD Impact"I think 2018 will see a little bit of a 'sha...

As we enter the new year, this is the time many of us spend reflecting on the past 12 months, thinking about lessons learned, things we can improve, and new goals we'd like to accomplish moving forward. But when it comes to goal-setting, there's not a one-size-fits-all way of doing it--especially in the expedited trucking business. At least, that's what I have learned by speaking with veteran expediters Linda and Bob Caffee, Heather and Jason Hutchens, and Greg Huggins. How ...

You see the blue and red lights flashing behind you, signaling for you to pull your truck off the road. Your mind races. What did I do? Why are we being stopped? How much is this going to cost us? Your attitude and actions when interacting with that officer will impact how you're treated-and possibly influence the extent of any citation. So what should you NOT do when you're pulled over by a Department of Transportation (D.O.T.) officer, state trooper, or other law enforceme...

A key to success in expedited trucking is learning which type of loads to accept--and which ones to pass on. A "good" load will pay you well and put you in position to get your next job with minimal wait times or deadhead miles, whereas "bad" freight can tie up your time and cost you more money than you earn. But if you're new to this business, it could take several weeks or months of trial and error before you learn the ropes and figure out what defines a "good" load for yo...

The traditional road to a career in expedited trucking usually goes something like this. You get into the business after you've retired or empty-nested. If you start as an owner-operator, you'll typically wait a few years before ever thinking about becoming a fleet owner. And if you're married, the spouse usually works in the venture with you, either as a team driver or helping to run the business. But Korey Walper took a different route to success in expediting. He started ...

Meet Petra Webb. Originally from the Netherlands, Petra moved to the States in 2001 after marrying her husband Jason, a U.S. Army veteran. Before joining Jason as an over-the-road driver in 2005, she worked as a front office manager at a hotel in Orlando, Fla. And 10 years later, in 2015, the couple made the transition to expedited trucking. Today, Petra and Jason drive a tractor-trailer for MSR Transport Services, an Ohio-based expedited trucking firm founded by Army and Nav...

One aspect of expedited trucking is that you'll often have a day or two (or more) of downtime before you get your next load. So, if you're having to layover anyway, what are some of the best spots to wait in between loads? EO recently caught up with veteran expediters Sandi Putz, Sandy Goche and Stephen Halsted, Irene Riley, and Greg Huggins to get their recommendations on their favorite layover cities--and why. Sandi Putz, Owner-OperatorHollister, CaliforniaWhy? "We discover...