Over the years, I’ve engaged with many truck drivers attempting to make the jump from company driver to independent contractor. The world of expedite trucking is vastly different from your typical truckload driving career. Instead of a driver’s income being determined by the number of miles run, such as in truckload, expedite is based more on a pay-per-load structure and mentality. Also, in such cases with expedite, most drivers are considered as independent contractors a...

"We were told by some drivers not to bother, and it's something we have come to understand 8 years later."...

On January 24, 1848, James W. Marshall discovered gold on the property of Johann A. Sutter, known as Sutter’s Mill. This discovery sparked the Gold Rush of 1849. Back then, it took a little longer for word to spread, but spread it did....

There are a lot of seconds. Second hand. Second helpings. Second chances. Seconds in a minute. And the list goes on. Some seconds are more important than others....

Truckers and Expediters can purchase Occupational Accident insurance coverage in most states, but a handful still require Workers Comp instead....

We’re now seven episodes deep into the “State of the Industry Podcast, with John Elliott” and the eighth installment has already been polished and shined as the April showers continue to lay the groundwork for their May flowers. So, set some time aside and prepare for the next episode! Hopefully, there are many of you who have already been tuning in and making this podcast part of your listening, or viewing, routine. If not, why?! Obviously, John and I want you to liste...

Early in April 2023 the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) held a meeting to update the public on certain topics.  This was the annual Analysis, Research and Technology (ART) Forum.  Here is are a few of the topics that were covered. The ART is still developing the Level 8 electronic inspection.  This will be needed for all fully automated trucks.  These “rolling” inspection will be done electronically while the truck is in motion.  If, data collecte...

  Most 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 capab...

Busy. As a business owner you can consider yourself quite busy at times. In fact, you might actually be busy, but is busy a good thing for a business owner? Not necessarily. ...

 Even before the driver-dreaded ELD mandate and enforcement of electronic logs, there was already an uneasy period of time in which drivers were either scared to death of what was the unknown world of satellite tracking and monitoring, or just brazenly naïve as to how damaging an unkempt HOS (Hours of Service) logbook could be in terms of determining their next trucking employer. What Once Was It used to be quite common that commercial drivers were once considered the ruler...