Expediting Requirements

As I mentioned in my last post, we are looking at becoming expediters. I thought I would share a little about what is required to do so.

Neither Judy nor I have any recent driving experience. This will be a limiting factor for us. We will be driving for a carrier. As far as I have been able to tell, only two major expedite carriers will sign on drivers with no experience, FedEx Custom Critical (FECC) and Panther Expedited Services, Inc. (Panther is the largest expedited freight carrier, while FECC is right behind.) We have decided on FECC as our carrier of choice. Nothing against Panther, we just had to choose, and we both feel that FECC is the best choice for us at this time.

So what do we need to be able to become expediters?

1. Class B Commercial Drivers License - A class "B" CDL allows us to drive any straight truck, including those this air brakes. Any truck with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of over 26,000 lbs. requires at least a Class B CDL. We would need a class "A" to drive a semi. There is also a class "C" CDL that allows anyone to transport hazardous materials in cargo vans. We have to pass the written portions and driving portions in order to get our licenses.
2. Hazardous Materials Endorsement - This is an endorsement to the CDL that would allow us to transport hazardous materials (HazMat). These could include explosives, dangerous chemicals or even toxic gases. Scary. Not all expediters carry HazMat, but FECC requires us to have the HazMat endorsement. Have to be fingerprinted and pass a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) background check. 
3. US Passport (unrestricted access into and out of Canada) - Not all expediting companies run into Canada, but FECC does. We are required to have either a US passport or other credential that allows us to cross the US/Canadian border. We are opting for the passport.
4. Clean Driving Record - For what we are looking at doing, a clean driving record is a must. For us, this is not a problem, as we both have clean records.
5. No Criminal History - Again, makes sense. And you have to have a FBI background check to get the HazMat endorsement. Again, not problems for us. Educators have to have a background check every year, so we are familiar with the basic process.
6. A Truck - I know, this is pretty self-explanatory. Since we don't have a truck (and they cost a lot of money), we will be starting out driving someone else's (Owner) truck. There are people or companies that have trucks available to drive. You pay them so much (usually a percentage of each load) and they provide you with a truck. Nice. 

Ok, so that's about it. Sounds simple, right? We have a lot of work to do between now and the beginning of July. A little over three months!