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Once you have opted to take the next step in your career, becoming an owner operator, it’s time to comprehend that there is more to running a successful business than driving your truck. Being a profitable business owner means that you will take on a wide range of responsibilities. There are a assortment of responsibilities you must concentrate on but I’ll be sharing two that are vital for being both the owner and operator of your truck.

A significant duty is keeping your truck on the road and working well. The reality is that trucks break down no matter what the amount of work you put into them. This is just the nature of what we do. By developing and following specific policies with regard to maintenance and care, you can decrease the time that your truck is in the shop. By making smart choices and proactively caring for your truck, you can keep it on the road.

One of the most important procedures in the owner operator scenario is the pre-trip inspection. If you do not open the hood, check fluid levels, look for leaks, check belts and hoses, check tires, brakes, suspension parts, steering parts, drain your air tanks, verify gauges and generally inspect your truck, you are missing one of the most vital steps in being an owner operator. If you do not take the time to look over your truck you could very easily end up with repairs that are far more costly than they should be. Being aggressive, in respect to the condition of your truck, is a must if you truly want to be successful. This inspection is also about basic safety, you need to make sure your truck is always in compliance with DOT regulations.

Just as important as preventative maintenance is scheduled maintenance. Switching filters and fluids at, or before, the manufacturers recommended mileage or time frame may be your single best prevention to expensive repairs. Along with the manufactures suggestions, you need to consider the driving conditions you are experiencing. If you are in extreme heat, dust, lugging, or climbing you may want to change oil, filters, etc. more frequently.

The before mentioned topics may seem very simple but the reality is that many unsuccessful owner operators don’t do the basic things well. If you want to maintain a well operating truck then be sure to do both your pre-travel inspections as well as perform scheduled maintenance. By doing both you can avoid costly repairs and stay behind the wheel when you need to.

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Today, the auto shipping industry is rife with some very interesting career opportunities. The industry includes many various positions and the career opportunities are infinite. The industry is looking for full time and part time employees to fulfill a wide variety of job duties. As in all industries, they are constantly on the lookout for devoted, motivated, hard working and qualified people to fill many challenging and cutting edge positions in every corner of the business. While the auto shipping industry is rather new on the scene, it is quite advanced and continuously reinventing itself. Little wonder there are so many promising career opportunities here offering advancement even to the new, inexperienced jobseeker.

Finding a job in the auto shipping industry is no different than in any other industry. There are classified ads in newspapers, car dealers and online career sites. Auto shipping has a need for general and specialized types of shipping personnel for shipping of multiple or single vehicles, special shipping of traditional, vintage, collectible, and customized or sports cars among many other types of cargo. Everyone is relocating these days giving rise to the wide variety of jobs available in the industry. Among them are auto mover truck drivers, shipping dispatchers, customer service representatives, driver car hauler, commercial drivers, military-vehicle drivers and shippers, truck fleet managers, too many mechanic-type positions to mention here for all levels of experience, and many others.

The most basic and obvious job which occurs is that of a truck driver. The auto shipping driver’s job is made more complex and loaded with responsibility because the driver is the one who loads and unloads the vehicle, checks it before delivery, interacts with the customer at pick up and drop off, as well the one who does the actual lond-distance driving with a large number of valuable cars to be delivered on time to their various destinations. Cars may have to be picked up and unloaded at various states or delivered across boarders: such jobs may take weeks to complete. The work is not easy, but definitely more interesting than driving an ice cream van and is paid much better.

The dispatcher is really a travel agent who takes orders and relays the customers requirements to the trucking company. The dispatcher is the go-between person who ensures that the pick up, delivery, transportation time, and cost of same have been made crystal clear to the truck driver and the customer. The dispatcher/travel agent is involved with the customer in the planning of the vehicle’s trip demanding sharply honed organizational skills. One truck may be loaded with vehicles, each one going to a different destination. It is easy to see the need for intricate planning of optimum cost/time effective customer service with the resources available to the company while allowing the company to turn a profit on top of all that. This is not the job for the person with a wandering mind, or the daydreamer. It requires focus and organization.

The client service representative is not responsible for any planning, but he or she does the crucial job of kindly providing fussy customers with all required information, including quotes by phone or email, and the job of placing orders with the dispatcher who then works with the company.

Arguably, the most critical of all the jobs in the auto shipping industry is that of the diesel mechanic. There would not be an auto transport company without this position. The routine duties of the job is to ensure that the traveling trucks are in good mechanical order and safe for the driver and the cargo. The job requirements are advanced and numerous. The rewards are high pay and high esteem.

Finally, the auto processor performs the processing of customer cars between the different company terminals.

There are some companies that will offer certified courses in many, or in some cases, all of the core positions. Training for the other positions are available at community colleges, vocational or trade schools, and sometimes on the job.

For more on Car Shipping or Vehicle Transport please visit MetroGistics.

Yes, USPS Discounts are only available to select companies or through authorized representatives.

USPS has sought some strategic affiliations in order to build a sales force and push Priority Mail and Express Mail.

Services for Priority Mail are 2 day air service and is considered an express product. But if you are shipping something between 1lb and 5lbs or if it fits in a flat rate box it is even priced competitively against UPS and FedEx ground.

Priority Mail is without question the most cost effective 2 day service. This is particularly true if you are shipping to a residence or a remote area. It is as reliable as UPS or FedEx and much less expensive.

USPS Priority Mail is 2 day air service and is considered an express product. But if you are shipping something between 1lb and 5lbs or if it fits in a flat rate box it is even priced competitively against UPS and FedEx ground products.

Express Mail from the post office has been improving by leaps and bounds. Now the USPS has a contract with FedEx to fly USPS Express mail. So you know you are getting top notch service shipping overnight with the post office.

Post office Rates are separated into three categories. The retail rate is what you will get if you walk into a post office and ship a package. The next rate package is for businesses. Anyone can sign up for this rate if they ship online. The best pricing option is called Commercial Plus Pricing. To receive this rate you must ship over 100,000 packages per year or more.

Published rates start for Priority Mail at $4.90 and we will start your USPS Discounts at $4.75. In an effort to gain more market share from the other two large parcel shipping company SpiderShip.com can offer Commercial Plus Pricing to any company regardless of the size of your company.

Spider Ship offer quick easy solutions to all your shipping needs. Try ouronline freight quotes system to discover great service and big savings. As professionalFreight Movers We take pride in the quality of our service.

It may take a little work, but once you do it you’ll be able to rest easier that you are maximizing your inbound freight cost. The first step in determining which vendors to route collect is to know what it will cost you to ship it collect. The next few times you are on the phone with your vendor, ask them what freight will be. While on the phone, go to your carriers website find out the price with your carrier. If you are unsure about freight class, ask your vendor – they’ll usually know.

While on the phone with your vendor ask them if there are any pricing exceptions or FAK’s. If they are moving something at a class 110, which would be billed at a class 150 if you routed it, than stick with their deal. An FAK (Freight All Kinds) is a pricing exception which allows for higher classes to move at lower classes.

The last thing is to identify the vendors who have poor packing. I am sure you know who they are already. If their product is easily damaged, then take the burden off your hands and let them prepay & add it. Whatever they want to charge, pay it. It is not worth your or anyone else’s time at your company.

In summation, there a lot of things you can do to help your company to be more efficient. It is just a matter of taking the time and putting them in place. This is a fairly easy way to take advantage of some low hanging fruit.

However, there are cases where having your vendors pre-pay & add freight can actually benefit you. Firstly, there are some vendors who do not add any fee’s for handling and freight is just a pass-through. You may want to have your vendor pay for this to save some dollars. But if you are trying to consolidate the number of trucks on your dock, it might still be worth routing by your carrier even if it will cost you a few extra bucks.

Secondly, some vendors may have special pricing exceptions. In other words, they may have a product that ships out at a class 150, but their pricing exception allows that to be billed at a class 110. Unless you have the same exception, you will be billed at the higher 150 class. The difference between a class 150 and 110 is 27%. Even if your vendor marks up their freight invoice by 10% there is still a big advantage to have them prepay and add the freight.

There a lot of things you can do to help your company to be more efficient. It is just a matter of taking the time and putting them in place.

One more benefit of controlling your inbound freight is it makes you a bigger player with the freight carriers you work with. The more volume you send to a freight carrier, the easier it is to negotiate and get better rates.

Spider Ship offer quick easy solutions to all your shipping needs. Try ouronline freight quotes system to discover great service and big savings. As professionalFreight Movers We take pride in the quality of our service.

You never know where you will receive your education. I learned something about freight and the online freight quotes shipping industry during a crazy storm that I didn’t know.

There was a rather unusual storm in my city a week ago. I live in the desert where we don’t receive much more than eight inches of rain a year. The storm that came through last week dropped a little more than half an inch in about 10 minutes. That may not seem like much but our city was not prepared for it. In one location a city retention pond failed and flooded a basement clear up to the ceiling. Luckily nobody was injured and the city is picking up the bill for the damage.

In the desert rain much more than eight inches of rain a year. In one location a city retention pond failed and flooded a basement clear up to the ceiling. Luckily nobody was injured and the city is picking up the bill for the damage. The storm that came through last week dropped a little more than half an inch in about 10 minutes. That may not seem like much but the city was not prepared.

I had no idea that he was a truck driver. It turns at that this neighbor is a driver for FedEx Freight. He taught me some interesting things about truck drivers and Freight movers. Specifically he taught me about FedEx and his company’s regulations

His Company works under the same umbrella as FedEx National, FedEx ground, and FedEx overnight services, but it actually operates as its own company. Freight and National both offer the same shipping services. FedEx Freight is faster but National is slightly cheaper.

His company, FedEx, seems to be a great company to work for. In order to increase the speed of freight delivery and stay within the legal limits of driving they move freight like a relay race. He will drive about 4 hours out of town to a yard that the company owns. While there he will meet another driver. They will switch loads and both return to their respective homes.

FedEx Freight is implementing methods of delivery that are better for the customer, better for the employee, and better for the public.

Company standards and the law are very strict about how many hours you are able to drive. If he reaches his maximum hours he has to pull over turn the truck off and stop. If he goes over he could get a huge fine from the police. Even if the police don’t catch him he would probably lose his job for driving over the limit of his hours. It made me happy to know that drivers freight haulers are watched so closely.

Spider Ship offer quick easy solutions to all your shipping needs. Try ouronline freight quotes system to discover great service and big savings. As professionalFreight Movers We take pride in the quality of our service.