In the early 2000’s, many trucking industry magazines were starting to go online with companion websites to their magazines.
Lawrence McCord, former Roberts Express Owner Operator, started ExpeditersOnline.com in 1999 in response to the growth of the expediting field in the trucking industry. While the response to the website was instantaneous and large, McCord found many drivers were limited to getting online using the old Park N View dial-up systems available at truckstops then; estimates were that only 48% of drivers could get internet access by 2003.
In the early 2000’s, many trucking industry magazines were starting to go online with companion websites to their magazines. McCord, in 2002, was thinking about starting a companion magazine to go along with ExpeditersOnline.com. “I was convinced that it was the time to start the magazine when I met a driver at the Detroiter Truck Stop in 2002 that had zero internet access and had a folder of printed pages from our website. He said he enjoyed the articles so much, he would ask a friend every week to print the most recent article and information from our website for him! WOW! I was humbled by the effort he put forth to read our information and I became really motivated to get this information out in print form!” McCord remembers.
At the 2003 Mid America Truck Show in Louisville Kentucky, Expedite NOW magazine was launched. Expedite NOW magazine focused on the owner operators and small fleet owners of the door-to-door, time definite, expedite trucking industry. Expedite NOW was then, and still is, the only trucking magazine focused exclusively on the $5 billion expedited trucking industry. Geared toward owner operators and small fleet owners, the bi-monthly digest-sized magazine, covers career opportunities, industry news, business management, truck reviews, and events. It was not long before Expedite NOW was the first nationally distributed magazine to be carried by all the major truck stop chains; Pilots, Petros, Loves and Flying J’s.
McCord did not build Expedite NOW magazine alone. One of the first editors was the late Jeff Jensen, another former driver for Roberts Express. Jensen, who died in 2011, played many roles at both ExpeditersOnline.com and Expedite NOW magazine including hosting XM/Sirius’s Expediter Newsbreak from 2002 through 2006 and working as editor for the magazine and website. The current editor of Expedite NOW magazine is Wisconsin native Phil Madsen. Madsen has led an exciting life including military service, several college degrees and political activism. He and his wife are now expediters and bring all of his various experiences to the publications.
Setting a high bar, Expedite NOW magazine, as does ExpeditersOnline.com, depends on expedite drivers, contractors and owner operators for information provided in the publications. All aspects of expediting are covered. For instance, in the current issue, Phil Madsen has written “The People That Say Money Can’t Buy Happiness Are Wrong” talking about how he and his wife enjoy life on the road while running a business. Contributing writer Shelly Benisch writes about how self-employed persons can find insurance to cover work related injuries. For fun, the ExpeditersOnline.com forum members contributed stories about the “Coolest Thing I Ever Hauled.” Besides articles on expediting issues, concerns and education, Expedite NOW is filled with product information, company profiles and classified advertisements where everything from a sprinter van to a team driver can be found.
Linda and Bob Caffee are owner operators leased on with Fed Ex Custom Critical. Both contribute articles regularly to both the magazine and website. They have a special affection for Expedite NOW; it helped them learn about the expediting business before they entered it. Linda had this to say about the magazine, “ Expedite Now is something we look forward to receiving now as we did before we started our expediting career. The magazine is nicely balanced with informative articles and advertising. In 2004 the magazine helped us to become educated about the expedite industry and now the magazine offers us insight on how to better our established business.”
Expedite NOW has become so well read, that an informal gathering of readers is held at the Expedite Expo each year. McCord listens to input from the readers to improve the magazine. Do not forget to attend the informal gathering of Expedite NOW readers at the Expedite Expo at the Roberts Centre in Wilmington, OH–July 26 & 27, 2013.
Today the magazine is read by owner operators, drivers, fleet owners, fleet managers, truck dealers, carriers and people who supply the industry. It has developed into a twin digest magazine with the inclusion of RoadGorilla.com another project of McCord’s umbrella company of On Time Media LLC, which features on the flip side of the magazine. Expedite NOW remains one of the few privately owned digest magazines in the industry. Expedite NOW has its own companion website ExpediteNow.com, where articles can be read, locations where the magazine can be found or free subscriptions to the magazine can be ordered. Expedite NOW Newsletters can be requested at the website.
Starting with an idea in 2002 and first publication of Expedite NOW in 2003, the last 10 years has been an exciting time for Lawrence McCord and Expedite Now magazine. With McCord’s hands on the reins and his dedication to providing quality information, the next 10 years will be at least as exciting as the first as Expedite NOW grows along with the expediting industry. To start, McCord is planning to expand the magazine’s availability to 1000 more locations this year. He also intends to increase content to include more articles and information from owner operators in the expediting field at both the magazine and the website.
McCord is optimistic, he says. “The future of Expedite NOW is fantastic! Come over to ExpediteNow.com to get your subscription started. I know you will not only learn a lot about expediting and how to be successful in the field, you will enjoy the whole magazine!”
