Driving a cargo van is a dream job compared to big trucks.

It is to an extent. The higher cost to get into it a regulatory burdens are barriers to keep it from being worse than it already is. With vans there are none of those barriers which makes it much more competitive. The rates reflect that. $1 a mile, on short miles mind you, is cheap even for a van. It's a good business I encourage you to do it, but on someone else's dime first. And learn the business. There are a lot of expediters out here who never reap any rewards from it.

 

Welcome to expediting.

If you are getting 50% of the gross (I think that's what you said) and DON'T own the van, then I would think they should be paying for tolls and fuel, not you.

However if you own the van, go somewhere else.

 

SO, how is it going? I've spent the last 21 years in an 18 wheeler, and am ready to make a switch.
Rick

 

Well, I feel the need to chip in here. (lol) I got into this thread while investigating Panther. I run my own little expedited service with a 1-ton pickup. I can carry a load 8'long, 4'wide and 42"high under cover (fold down camper top) and taller with the top down, subject to limitations of my own "sissyness" which leads me to keep loads less than 6' high and with a lower center of gravity. I don't want "rollover" to be in my vocabulary.

The work is extremely variable. I might have a $6,000 week and then go 10 days without a trip. So far, the average has been $1750 to $2000 per week gross, less fuel and expenses which run about 33%. Being fairly new at it, almost all of my loads come from load boards. I can get work, but have to be careful on the lower per-mile trips to make sure I don't have to deadhead back home. I did have one week where I had a round-robin with 3 loads. The first load cancelled, I deadheaded 9 hours to get the second load. I found a load from the last stop (in Ft Smith Arkansas) at the last minute to get me back home but it meant I had to lay over an extra day. Grossed $1800 and spent $1500 on fuel, meals and lodging.

I now have 2 brokers who call me fairly regularly with loads that fit my truck and fit my $2.25 per mile minimum. In order to make my living on calls coming in, I'll need 6 more brokers like them based on the number of calls that I'm getting. I've made uncountable sales calls on local shippers and have yet to get any business. I have not yet made calls on local brokers.

I will state that it can be done, but you have to be able to withstand the startup period lower income. I'm subsidized somewhat with Social Security, so my income needs are less than someone who has to make all the living from the truck. My advice would be to start with the load boards. I use Internet Truckstop and have been happy with it. Do what you have to to get some cash in the bank to cover slow weeks. I also factor all my loads so I get my money next day. I call the factor when I'm about to take a load and get their prior approval for the broker. Use a no-recourse factor - you don't want them coming to you next month to get their money back if the broker doesn't pay.

Be diligent about monitoring your fuel consumption. I average around 15mpg with my diesel truck. If I see the mileage drop by more than 1 or 1.5 mpg, I do some maintenance checks to make sure there's not a problem starting up in the engine. Most of the time the difference is crappy fuel.

Not for the faint of heart. It's tough watching the days go by, the payment due dates getting closer and the loads just not coming. If you're patient and have a little bit of cushion, it seems to work out fine.

 

He stated $65k gross. Not net

 

So, how far (radius?) do you run at the $2.25?

Any others that pay a wage worth driving for?
Is seems as if most do not even want to pay the fuel it takes to go half way, even for same day expedited!
They must be assuming you have room left over in the back of a near full load and are already going that way!

Tell us more about factoring.

Most, if not all, our regular large company clients use 30 day invoicing and it sucks when the winter is over and they start calling a lot.
Costs go up but the pay is slow.