Expediter Services and ITG (Independent Truckers Group) have teamed up to bring Independent Contractors operating under ES’s umbrella, a new, affordable health insurance offering, designed to provide minimum essential coverage, as well as options for additional coverage that can be tailored to your level of choice. Spotlight News talks with David Brown, President ITG, to learn more about this exclusive program.
Affordable, Attainable & Sustainable Health Insurance
SLN: How did ITG’s healthcare offering come about?
From an insurance standpoint, independent contractors have not had coverage as a “group”, because they are self employed, as opposed to drivers who may work for an employer. This has made it difficult for contractors to purchase insurance that’s affordable and ACA (Affordable Care Act) compliant.
Through ITG’s insurance arm, we’ve been able to develop a plan providing coverage that’s affordable, attainable and sustainable by pooling contractors through our association. This effort was monumental in many respects as our offerings have had to improve and adjust based upon healthcare regulations passed down legislatively.
SLN: Tell us more about how the coverage is affordable, attainable and sustainable?
Our insurance arm provides minimum essential coverage. This is what the ACA states: an individual must be compliant in order to AVOID paying the PENALTY, based upon their current tax year. The plan we developed meets these requirements.
As most everyone is aware, in the individual healthcare market, prices for coverage have sky rocketed as many carriers have gotten out of the market. We’ve wrapped this offering with a limited benefit program which makes this a budgetable item from the insurance company’s standpoint, as well as the independent contractor. When you put these two components together, you get a program that contains doctor and prescription coverage. But more importantly, it’s affordable, it’s attainable because it’s a guarantee issue program, and it’s sustainable because it won’t have the rate increases we’ve seen over the past couple of years.
Brand New and Exclusive Benefits to the Expediter Services community
SLN: Tell us how it works?
We’re proud to announce that ITG’s insurance plan and member benefits are available exclusively to Independent Contractor’s affiliated with Expediter Services.
Members will receive a Rewards Card that can be used at approved vendors (Chili’s, TGI Friday’s, Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds, Subway and thousands more) in order to get real discounts. These are actual dollars that they’ll be spending anyway. $250 will be applied to each member’s card monthly that rolls up. The Rewards Card is a perfect trade off that’s real and tangible, allowing the card holder to apply money toward benefits they must have, such as insurance.
SLN: Are there costs to be a member of ITG?
To be a member of the Independent Truckers Group there’s a monthly fee of only $10. This small amount is a “ticket of entry” that allows members to be eligible for a number of member benefits, regardless if they take any other actions within the group. It also gives members access to products offered by our Insurance arm. In addition to providing ACA minimum coverage, we provide insurance plans for dental, vision, disability and life insurance. Our insurance services are a “one-stop-shop”, where our agents can walk members through our different offerings, in order to choose the coverage that’s right for them, saving both time and money.
Expediter Services will provide its affiliated contractors with settlement deductions that will be automatically paid to ITG. This makes the process easy, avoiding potential lapses in coverage.
A History of Working Together
SLN: Can you give us some background about ITG?
We created ITG (Independent Truckers Group), a professional trade association back in the 90’s, to help independent contractors from a working environment standpoint. This also includes an insurance division, which is a hot topic these days as it relates to healthcare.
SLN: ES and ITG have a history of working together, can you tell us about that?
Expediter Services has a reputation for always being on the cutting edge of services and benefits when it comes to independent contractors. Several years ago, ES and ITG worked together to provide additional benefits, including insurance services for contractors under ES’s umbrella. This arrangement worked out initially, but challenges and changes in the market proved to be a deterring factor to the offering under the program. Today, enhanced offerings and technology have overcome these issues. ITG and ES have once again brought to the forefront these benefits and services exclusively to contractors under ES’s umbrella.
Going Forward
SLN: Is there any risk to ITG’s healthcare insurance plan from the results of the recent presidential election?
We feel our experience with the changes in the ACA mandates over the years have prepared us for future changes that may occur within the market. Our ability to develop insurance groups to spread risk will allow us to adapt to future market conditions, helping our products to remain stable and competitive, even if the ACA is repealed. ES and ITG are already in conversations and making preparations for future healthcare requirements for Independent Contractors.
Sign up today!
For more information about signing up for ITG’s healthcare insurance, call 877-349-9303.
Over the past few months, we’ve shined the spotlight on the importance of the role that women play in Expediting. As more women enter into the industry, their skills and talents have become essential to building and maintaining successful businesses for many Expediting teams.
As a proud supporter and sponsor of the Women In Trucking organization, Expediter Services, is honored to feature in this issue of Spotlight News, the foremost advocate for women in the trucking industry: Ellen Voie, President & CEO, Women In Trucking, to get her insights concerning women in the industry, and the new opportunity for women offered by WIT and ES.
Learn more about Women In Trucking.
SLN: Tell us about the Women In Trucking organization?
Women In Trucking Association (WIT) is a nonprofit organization formed to increase the level of women employed in the trucking industry. Specifically, our mission is to encourage the employment of women in trucking, address obstacles that might keep women from either entering the industry or succeeding within the industry, and to celebrate the success of our members. We were formed in March, 2007 and have grown to include nearly 4,000 members in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Seventeen percent of our members are men who join because they support our mission.
SLN: What was your motivation for creating WIT?
My motivation in forming WIT was due to my role at a large carrier. I was responsible for corporate level initiatives to attract and retain nontraditional groups, which included women. I realized this industry didn’t do a good job in understanding how to introduce women to the great careers within transportation.
SLN: Who is WIT’s audience?
Our audience includes nearly anyone. First, we want to attract drivers as well as women in management roles, so that includes the non-trucking public. Our efforts there are to break through any negative stereotypes they might have about trucking, which includes our image. Secondly, our audience includes carriers as well as suppliers. We are a great resource for carriers who want to attract and retain more women, but we also have suppliers who support us because they believe in our mission to increase the number of women working in the trucking industry.
SLN: Can anyone join WIT?
Anyone can join! The dues are divided into both individual and corporate segments. A student can join for $10 annually. A driver’s dues are $25 annually and a non-driver pays $50 each year. A corporate membership is either $500 or $1,000 each year, depending on the size of the company. Our members include everyone from retired drivers to huge companies such as Walmart, Frito-lay, Daimler and more.
SLN: What are the hurdles women encounter in the trucking industry?
The hurdles, or obstacles, that women encounter can be divided into the driver population and women in leadership roles. For drivers, everything from truck cab design to safety on the road to harassment from other drivers can be an issue. For women in leadership, some of the challenges are working in a male dominated environment, ensuring diversity in management and creating a career path for success.
SLN: What specifically does WIT do for women in the trucking industry?
We have many projects that support our mission. We created a Girl Scout Patch to teach the next generation about the trucking industry. We work with truck cab designers to create a more ergonomic and driver friendly truck. We have an anti-harassment employment guide for carriers as well as a recruiting guide on how to attract female drivers. We formed an Image Team to speak to the media and more importantly, to give legislators and regulators rides in a truck so they can get a glimpse into the challenges a driver faces on the road. We have a sister organization that provides scholarships for education in any field related to transportation, including safety, driving and technical areas. We are always looking to our members for guidance on how to be a better resource for them.
SLN: How can companies benefit from addressing women’s roles/issues in their businesses?
Companies who hire female drivers will enjoy a very productive and safe group. Women take fewer risks and so accidents are less severe due to their safe driving behaviors. Woman are often better with customers, better with their paperwork and better with the equipment.
For women in leadership, women bring a different perspective to the team. We are more collaborative and more inclusive in our decision making styles. Again, the less risky behavior results in a more focused view regarding decision making at the top levels.
Numerous studies have found that a greater level of diversity brings in higher profits to the organization and that’s a great reason to hire and promote more women!
SLN: What is the latest Opportunity you’ve found for Women in the trucking industry?
We are so excited to partner with Expediter Services (ES) to attract more women into the industry. ES has a higher percentage of female drivers than the industry average (six) because of the collaborate and inclusive culture. The turnover rate in the trucking industry as a whole should be an embarrassment because a typical carrier does not adequately prepare a potential driver for the challenges he or she might face in this industry. ES ensures the driver not only understands, but is prepared for these challenges. This is something we feel will help attract and retain more women in transportation careers.
SLN: How can women benefit from Women in Trucking and ES’s Women in Expediting opportunity?
Expediting is something many women enjoy because they don’t want to operate a truck “that bends.” The smaller straight trucks are easier to learn to operate and a driver can be productive in a shorter time after deciding on this career opportunity. The expediting segment of the industry can offer women (and men) a way to earn a good wage in a job that gives them more independence than sitting in an office and offers a sense of adventure along the way.
WIT and ES will be working together to give potential drivers opportunites to drive for a living, become owners, and start their own businesses in a supportive culture that encourages, mentors and offers services to make them more productive and successful. Between our two organizations we have the resources and the expertise to create an environment for success.
SLN: Where do you see the WIT/WIE opportunity going in the near and far term?
As we develop our partnership in the expediting segment we can grow beyond and move into the class A part of the trucking industry. We have the systems in place to change the way the industry attracts and retains all drivers, but more importantly, to increase the number of women who are not only employed in the trucking industry
but who are successful and happy with this environment.
Thanks Ellen, for sharing your experience about Women in Expediting with us. Stay tuned for another edition of Women in Expediting in a future issue of Spotlight News!
You may recall in a recent issue of Spotlight News, we spoke with the husband and wife team of Randy and Starr Hill, an independent contractor expediting team, who leveraged Expediter Services opportunities, programs, and equipment to build a successful business. As their earlier story unfolded, it became clear that Starr had overcome a number of hurdles set forth by the DOT, Carriers, and the industry at large, with perseverance, planning and help from ES. Starr was kind enough to go into more detail about her journey into Expediting and how Expediter Services was there to help her clear these hurdles to achieve her goal of becoming a driver in order to work with her husband.
SLN: Thanks for taking time to talk with us again. Can you give us more background as to why you chose Expediting as a career path?
After Randy’s back injury, we were looking at getting back into a trucking career with a better lifestyle, and Expediting was definitely a much better choice because the trucks are easier to drive than tractor trailers. We also liked the fact that Expediting is mostly no touch freight.
SLN: You’ve mentioned that you didn’t have your CDL when you decided to give Expediting a try. Tell us more about your thought process while considering this new direction.
When we made the decision to get into Expediting, we contacted ES to get more information and to tell them about our business goals before getting started. They were extremely helpful. At first, only Randy was officially onboard at ES, since he already had his CDL. It was our plan from the beginning that I would get my CDL, too. I had passed my written portion of the test, but still needed to become trained in order to get qualified by a carrier. We actually lost time at the start because I had such a difficult time finding a way to finish up. SLN: Was ES helpful in finding a solution to your getting qualified?
Oh, definitely! Once we mentioned our predicament to the ES team, they came up with a solution: I could train with my husband in our own truck. I can’t tell you what a relief it was.
SLN: What are the advantages of having your husband train you?
Had ES not come up with the solution that my husband could train me, I probably would not be in the business right now. I would have had to train with a stranger, and I probably would have had to train with a strange man — and Randy (nor myself), would have wanted that scenario. Besides, my husband is a real driving professional, and I can’t think of a better person to train with. There are other advantages and benefits to training with my husband, too.
SLN: Can you go into detail about these advantages and benefits?
I’m happy to tell you more, because you really can’t get these benefits anywhere else when you’re just getting started in the trucking business.
– I didn’t have to go to trucking school. I was able to get all of the necessary training on-the-job, with my husband.
– I didn’t have to train with a stranger.
– Once I got my license, I was able to earn full pay, not training pay, which is a huge benefit.
– We’re not tied to a lease-purchase.
– We’re not tied to paying back any signing bonus.
– We’re not stuck into a contract with a carrier forcing us to drive for them for any set number of years because they paid to train me.
– We’re free to pursue truck ownership on our own terms.
– We also have real options, like great equipment and support from ES that lets us train, work and progress at our level of choice.
SLN: That all sounds great! How have things been for you and Randy since you’re now fully licensed and up to speed?
Business is great! I’m driving and contributing to our team, just as we planned. Throughout the entire process of Randy and I becoming contractors with Expediter Services, they have truly lived up to what others in the business have told us about the company. They keep their promises and work with you to help find solutions. It’s refreshing to find a company that doesn’t fight you tooth and nail. They really want you to succeed. I honestly don’t see how anyone would not want to have them standing with you in your corner.
Thanks Starr, for sharing your experience about Women in Expediting with us. Stay tuned for another edition of Women in Expediting in a future issue of Spotlight News!
Back in February of 2014, Spotlight News featured Michael and Dee Zaffino, a couple who made the switch from driving eighteen wheelers, over-the-road, to being successful Expediters who purchased their very own 2008 Kenworth T660 straight truck from Expediter Truck Sales.
Over the past two years, the Zaffino’s have racked up tens of thousands of miles on their truck, delivered hundreds of loads and generated a good revenue stream — but lately, they began to realize their truck was getting a little tired. “We’ve really driven our truck,” said Dee. “From the time we first bought it until just recently, we’ve made the most of our investment.”
It’s Important to Know When to Upgrade
As with any truck, there’s a point when you know it’s time to upgrade, and that time was soon approaching for the Zaffino’s. “Our Kenworth was beginning to have maintenance issues. It’s something we were expecting, since it was an older truck,” said Dee. “It comes to a point where there are diminishing returns. We began to have so much downtime, it just didn’t make sense to keep putting money into the vehicle. We purchased this truck from Expediter Truck Sales with over 700,000 miles on the clock. We definitely feel like we got our money’s worth because the price we paid for it was far below what we would have paid for a new one. That’s why we went back to Expediter Truck Sales for our new truck!”
Once again, the Zaffino’s trusted Expediter Services to help them get back up to speed. “We contacted Danny Vernon at Expediter Truck Sales and told him about the issues with our truck and that we were ready to upgrade into a newer unit. He found us a 2014 Cascadia from ES’s fleet and WOW, what a difference! You hear people say that you actually make more money when you drive newer equipment, and that is absolutely true. After driving our new truck for about a month, we can see the difference in fuel economy and of course maintenance. With this new truck and ES’s support, Mike and I feel we we could be in the position to build a fleet in the future,” said Dee.
The buying experience was just as good this time around, too. “Purchasing our new truck was almost too easy. Every step of the buying process was handled under one roof. Our financing was through Expediter Equipment Finance, and everything went smoothly. I don’t know any other company that brings all of the pieces together like ES. I can also say the same thing about their support. They’re with you every step of the way.”
Dee Discusses Being a Women in Expediting
We also asked Dee about her experience being a Women in Expediting. “Mike and I are two totally different people and bring different skills to our business. I handle most or all of our paperwork, and since I have a customer service background, I do almost all of the daytime driving, which puts me in contact with most of our customers. I find that people are sometimes surprised that there’s a woman who is driving the truck, but they are also polite and respectful. I think there’s a change toward people seeing more and more women in the trucking business and it’s becoming much more common.”
“I think it’s important for anyone, male or female, to realize that Expediting is a lifestyle and you have to be able to work in a true team environment. We all have different talents and skills and each team member gravitates to tasks that suit their talents. I would advise women who want to become expediters to try it out as a contract driver (as we did) to see if it’s the right thing for you. Also, women need to not be intimidated because the industry is changing to reflect the growth of women in the industry, and that’s a good thing.”
In the world of science, there’s a principle know as Occam’s Razor: the easiest solution to a problem is usually the best. This rule can also be applied to Expediting. Just ask Independent Contractors Randy and Starr Hill, a husband and wife team who found a simple solution to a big problem, with help from Expediter Services.
When Randy Hill found himself laid up from a severe back injury a few years ago, he and Starr’s financial future looked like it might be in jeopardy. They both knew there had to be solution to their situation, so they began to look for business opportunities online. “Randy spent a couple of years at home recovering from several back surgeries,” said Starr. “He had been a freight hauler for years and was looking for a way to get back into the business. The major criteria we were looking for was that any trucking opportunity would need to be low touch or no touch freight. He found Expediter Services online and gave them a call just to get some information.”
Kim Smith, ES Recruiter
The Hill’s phone call put them in contact with ES Recruiter Kim Smith. It turned out to be a call that would help overcome a number of obstacles standing in the way of their success. “Randy had been spending a lot of time talking with Kim about our business goals and learning about Expediter Services. ES’s answers to our requirements, including no touch freight sounded good, but I was skeptical. I also spoke with Kim and she was able to overcome any apprehensions that I had. We decided to give ES a try. We started preparing everything on our end to get started as Contract Drivers, signed on with FedEx as our carrier. We hopped a bus to the ES offices, got our paperwork in order and took the truck to the carrier’s orientation. When we finished all of that, there was a 2014 Cascadia waiting on us,” said Starr.
ES Fleet Manager, Alicia Leslie
There was only one problem, however. “In reality, Expediter Services actually only brought Randy on board. I was still working on getting my CDL, and had finished the written portion and just needed to be trained on a truck to get qualified. Finishing this part of my CDL had put us behind in getting started. One day, Randy mentioned this problem to Kim. She made a couple of phone calls and quickly called us back with a solution: Randy could train me while he’s working in our truck, then when I was ready, I could go take my test to complete my CDL. We were blown away by such an easy solution and the great support from ES to help me finish my CDL. To be able to train with my husband in our own truck was so easy and truly a blessing. It goes without saying that I was a lot more comfortable and safe training with my husband versus a stranger. For anyone looking to get trained, especially women, I highly recommend this approach. We started the process to become Contract Drivers back in November of last year. By June of this year, I had my CDL and we’ve been on the road ever since, driving and making money. It’s wonderful! We absolutely love what we do!”
With their business finally up and running as a team, the road ahead is looking very good indeed. “A few weeks ago, we got a call from our Fleet Manager Alicia Leslie, telling us to drop by and pick up our brand new 2016 Cascadia. The truck is wonderful. It’s so nice, it kind of gets us to wondering what it would be like to actually own our own truck some day. And when that day comes, ES will be our choice. I know they’ll be there for us no matter what decision we make for our business.”
