Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/221538
Diversions More than a travelogue Book chronicles career change to expediting and making it profitable Any driver interested in the expediting business – or just looking for a good read – will find plenty to chew on in "Hotshot Chronicles: Expediting Life at 100 km/hr," an impressionistic travelogue and owner-operators' business guide in one, written over the course of a Panther-leased team's first half-decade in business. Author Gary Shade, with his wife, Barb, started expediting after Gary's transition from financial officer to CDL holder – and a six-month stint at Gordon Trucking, near the couple's home state of Oregon. When not on the road – rare indeed – the couple call the Medford area home. Their story is one of those classic second-career turns toward expedit- Owner-operator Gary Shade (pictured with his wife and business/driving partner, Barb) set out in putting "Hotshot Chronicles" together to write what he wishes "would have been available to me as a new driver." Drivers can purchase the book in print ($19.95) or ebook ($7.99) via hotshotchronicles.com. Shade also writes a monthly column for Expedite Now – find it and past editions via expeditenow.com by searching "Gary Shade." ing. But it's also unique in the specifics of the pair's tour through trucking. The first two-thirds pull from travelogues written for email subscribers. The book pulls together snippets of the highs of new business and newfound freedom with the lows of disasters, which can make for both gripping and humorous reading. There's a 2 a.m. tow after a detour gone bad, a miscalculated move around a low branch and several thousand dollars' worth of subsequent cargo-box repair, and a report from the mouth of the Mississippi River at the height of the Deep Water Horizon oil spill, which "smelled like the inside of a truck stop service bay." Overall, Shade's writing is clear and concise, particularly in the owner-operator-business-focused third of the book with "an approach that we are sharing a cup of Joe at a Pilot truck stop." This quality makes that finale more than just a repetition of business basics, even for industry veterans, I'd wager. That last section is devoted to numbers, strategies for choosing carriers and other in-depth discussion of paths through the expediting business. Shade brings a stock analyst's sense of the big picture to distill the details down to what those interested in getting into the segment need to know. The narrative of the Shades' personal experience as it relates to the business elevates the book. It's not just a primer on starting out – rather an advanced guide to professionalism. — Todd Dills ONLINE THIS MONTH We queried readers on the best Christmas song of all time, and narrowed their choices to this list. Vote for your favorite at OverdriveOnline.com through the middle of the month, and then look for the winners before Christmas. Search "Top Christmas songs" on the site. Visit OverdriveOnline.com/ MostLovedPet through Dec. 12 to vote in our online competition. You'll also find videos and photos of fine dogs, cats, birds and other creatures that keep drivers company on the road or welcome them home. • Carol of the Bells • Christmas in Dixie • I'll Be Home for Christmas • Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer • Jingle Bell Rock • Mary, Did You Know? • O Holy Night • Santa's Got a Semi • Silent Night • White Christmas • You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch 32 | Overdrive | December 2013 Diversions_1213.indd 32 11/27/13 12:11 PM