Class 8 Expediter trucks - Super HDX

the truckDoctor on Expediting 

and if you do, considering the Super HDX™ Kenworth Super Heavy Duty Expediter. 

Expediting Class 7 or Class 8?

Ouch! The expediting industry penalizes owners of lower class rating trucks in the favor of the class 8 truck owner.  Most of the larger expediting companies such as FedEx require their owner operators to own class 7 trucks 5 or fewer years old.  If it is a class 8 truck the age maximum moves to 10 years.

This means that a Class 7 Expediter truck, no mater how high of quality it is or how well it has been taken care of, no mater how great the specifications or the design... the darned thing is kaput for the main job it was designed and built for...  no mater how much was paid or owed on the truck, when it reaches its' 5th birthday, the value of the truck simply drops like a stone.

Meanwhile, a class 8 truck is simply more flexible.  

Class 8's cost more, by about half, but the useful life is twice as long. When a lift gate is added and a third axle too, many more types of loads are added to the mix that the truck can haul...  this often means shorter waits between loads and more paid miles per year.  So, with a Class 8 "D Unit" a single driver operation is more likely to be successful.

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note; If you are not currently working for a company using expeditor trucks please do your research carefully.  Team drivers and single operators have different success percentages.   Expediting has been an up and down industry this due largely to economic swings the market segment served and historical expediter company hiring practices.  

It is to the expediter companies advantage to have an abundance of trucks and drivers as this produces the best customer service in terms of expediency (that's what they do, move stuff quick).  With more trucks and drivers the company can offer better service.  Problems for owner drivers occur when the expediter companies supply of trucks and drivers get ahead of their sales and marketing efforts.  This can lead to too few loads to haul or too few paid miles.

Expediting is a great way for a young team to get started, if they are conscientious, success is nearly assured.  With a team, you might sit the same time as a single but get up to 5 times longer loads.  The numbers work.  With most any company a team can gross  well above 100K and be able to sock away money toward other goals. You still need to do your research; make your calls, prowl the truck stops... ask questions. 

With the single expeditor owner op, it is simply harder.  Financial success depends more on the expeditor company you choose and the markets it serves.  How much value you add counts too, but plain and simple; single op's need to be on their toes and juggle  money and sometimes companies more often.  I suppose 90% of single owner op's  can and do send a fair amount of money home,  pay for road expenses and make the truck payment.  Be advised that there are other areas of trucking and truck driving that the alert, single owner operator has a lower risk of failure.

It is even more important for the single unit expediter to ask many questions (if you are a team there is no doubt that many questions will be asked - another demonstration of how two heads are better than one?).  In general the regional companies are better for the single op and the national companies will give the team more variety and longer runs.

In any case you will want a good truck and the HDX and Super HDX is that.   Good luck!