Many operators will tell you that if the money is good anywhere in military freight, it’s in high-security arms, ammunition and explosives (AA&E) or high-security oversize hauling.
Andy and Myrian Johnson
“It’s not always the best paying,” Andy says, “but since we’re on a dedicated team, we don’t have to wait for the beep anymore. We know well ahead of time what we’re doing.”
Which generally keeps them moving – and profitable. Rates usually turn out to be “better per-mile, but there’s often more work involved loading and unloading,” Andy says. “And you’ve got to manage your sleep schedule well.”
Since the hours of service rule now requires a half-hour break after any 8-hour on-duty period, the Johnsons and other high-security expediters have found themselves splitting 2, 8, 8 and 2 hours driving continually in order to satisfy the break requirement and maintain at least one person on-duty at all times to attend the load.
The Johnsons’ operation also requires a level of intimacy with the freight uncommon in other general freight niches. “Specific types of things that make noise and go boom can’t be with other things that make similar noises and go boom,” Andy says. An example from another trailer-type operation would be a trailer full of mines with the detonators segregated in a box mounted on the tractor behind the cab.
