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...

Perhaps you've been an over-the-road (OTR) driver for a few years now, and you're curious about whether expedited trucking could give you the career growth opportunity you've been looking for. Or, maybe you're new to trucking altogether and trying to decide which segment of the business is best for you. But as you think through your options, you may be wondering: What exactly makes the expedited trucking different from OTR? And what should you expect from the expedite life? ...

Why do owner-operators leave a trucking carrier? If you ask carrier executives, the vast majority will tell you that the top reason is because of pay, says Tim Hindes, chief executive officer of Stay Metrics, a South Bend, Ind. firm that helps motor carriers capture insightful data to boost their driver engagement and retention rates. And that explains why you see a lot of trucking recruiters tout their sign-on bonuses, compensation plans and benefits. But surveys of drivers ...

Meet Heather Hutchens from Waco, Texas. You might recognize Heather and her husband Jason from their "Our Life on the Road" video blog on ExpeditersOnline.com. Before they got into expedited trucking as team drivers for a fleet owner in January 2013, Heather had just left her 22-year career as an optician. This past spring, they took the plunge, making the transition from drivers to owner-operators leased on to Landstar. What led Heather and Jason to become expediters? Why d...

Fleet owners are taking on a more prominent role in the expedited trucking sector, and that was reflected in the attendance at Expedite Expo held July 14 and 15 at the Lexington Center in Lexington, Ky., according to Lawrence McCord, chief executive officer of On Time Media, the producers of the industry trade show. "For the past five years, fleet owners are the fastest growing group at our Expo. And this year, we had the most fleet owners register in all our history," said ...

Shelly Feidt is a veteran of nearly 10 years in the expedite trucking industry. She and her husband Mitch log upwards of 140,000 miles a year driving a straight truck for FedEx Custom Critical. When Shelly was asked if she would encourage other women to pursue careers in trucking, the answer was an enthusiastic yes. "I would say go for it," she said. "It's a whole new direction." Shelly had several previous jobs. She was working in an auto factory when she met Mitch, who was ...

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...