Filic Express, LLC maintain the latest in technology and equipment to ensure your shipments arrive on time, every time, across the city or across the country.
A free, straight-talk course for drivers who want to run expedited freight in a cargo van or a Sprinter, in one of our vans or in your own. Eight short lessons on how expedited freight really works, written by the dispatch team that moves it every day. Finish with the Expedited Ready Quiz and get a certificate you can share.
8 lessonsAbout 25 minutesFree, no signupCertificate at the end
Expedited freight is time-critical cargo that moves directly from one shipper to one consignee with no terminals, no transfers and no other freight on board. A factory line that stops without a part, a hospital waiting for equipment, a trade show booth that has to be there by 7 AM. The shipper pays a premium for speed and for exclusive use of the vehicle.
Cargo vans and Sprinters win this freight because they are fast, cheap to run and can go where a tractor-trailer cannot. Typical expedited van loads are 1 to 3 pallets, up to about 3,000 lbs, and the customer cares more about the delivery time than the rate.
Solo: one driver, runs of 100 to 900 miles, home more often.
Team: two drivers in one van, the van keeps rolling, 1,500 to 3,000 mile runs and the highest weekly gross.
Dedicated: the same lane or the same customer every week.
Real example: Newark, NJ to Euclid, OH, 454 miles, 1 skid, 2,400 lbs, pickup 06:00, delivery next day. That is a standard expedited van load, straight off a real load board.
Expedited is a service, not a size. You are paid to be exclusive, direct and on time.
Lesson 2
Dispatch sheet and bill of lading
As a driver, you do not deal with the broker's contract. Dispatch books the load, agrees the rate and the terms, and sends you a dispatch sheet (load info) with everything you need: pickup and delivery addresses and time windows, piece count and weight, dimensions, reference or PO numbers, contact phones and special instructions such as "no touch", "liftgate" or "team required".
The bill of lading (BOL) travels with the freight. It is signed by the shipper at pickup and by the receiver at delivery. A signed BOL is your proof of delivery (POD), the document that closes the load and starts your settlement.
Read the dispatch sheet before you roll and confirm it back to dispatch: "Got it, pickup 06:00 Newark, delivery Euclid by 20:00 tomorrow, 1 skid 2,400 lbs."
At pickup, check piece count and condition against the BOL. Note any damage or shortage on the BOL before you sign.
Photograph the BOL at pickup and again after the receiver signs. Send both to dispatch through the driver app immediately.
If anything at the shipper does not match the dispatch sheet (more pieces, heavier, different address), call dispatch before you load. Never negotiate with the shipper or the broker yourself.
Common mistake: driving away with a BOL that shows 3 pieces when you loaded 2. The shortage becomes a claim, and the claim lands on the van that signed for 3.
Dispatch sheet tells you what to do. Signed BOL proves you did it. Photograph it at both ends, every load.
Lesson 3
Dimensions, weight and what fits in your van
Loads are posted as length x width x height in inches, piece count and weight. A standard pallet is 48 x 40 inches. Whether it fits is about three numbers you must know by heart, measured in this order: your usable floor length, the width between your wheel wells, and the height of your rear door opening. The door opening is what counts, not the inside height. A skid that is taller than the door does not go in, no matter how high the roof is inside. All four common vans have 53 to 56 inches between the wheel wells (Sprinter 53.1, Nissan 54.0, Transit 54.8, ProMaster 55.8), so a 48 x 40 pallet goes in flat on every one of them. The floor length and the door height are what separate them.
Roof and wheelbase
Length (in)
Wheel wells (in)
Door height (in)
Inside height (in)
Volume (cu ft)
Max payload (lbs)
Ram ProMaster
Low roof, 136 WB
122.8
55.8
65.4
65.4
259
3,900
High roof, 136 WB
122.8
55.8
76.0
76.0
304
3,900
Low roof, 159 WB
145.9
55.8
65.4
65.4
370
4,100
High roof, 159 WB / 159 extended
145.9 / 160.3
55.8
76.0
76.0
420 / 463
4,200
Super high roof, 159 extended
160.3
55.8
n/a
86.0
524
4,300
Ford Transit
Low roof, 130 WB regular / 148 WB long
126.0 / 143.7
54.8
49.5
56.9
247 / 313
3,000 - 4,000
Medium roof, 130 WB regular / 148 WB long
126.0 / 143.7
54.8
64.9
72.0
299 / 368
3,000 - 4,200
High roof, 148 WB long
143.7
54.8
72
81.5
404
3,000 - 4,500
High roof, 148 WB long EL (extended)
157.0
54.8
72
81.5
487
3,500 - 4,500
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
Standard roof, 144 WB
133
53.1
61
67.1
319
4,200
High roof, 144 WB
133
53.1
72
79.1
374
4,100
High roof, 170 WB
174
53.1
72
79.1
488
3,800 - 4,100
High roof, 170 WB extended
189
53.1
72
79.1
533
3,700 - 5,000+
Nissan NV (built through 2021)
Standard roof
120
54.0
49.8
55.8
234
2,600 - 3,700
High roof
120
54.0
n/a
76.9
323
2,600 - 3,550
Factory figures for 2023-2026 models (Nissan NV: 2021, last year built), from Ram, Ford, Mercedes-Benz and Nissan spec sheets. Payload depends on engine, drivetrain and equipment, so check the door sticker on your own van. Door heights for Transit high roof and Sprinter high roof are our own tape measurements (72 in), the rest are factory or dealer spec sheet figures. Measure your own rear door opening once with a tape and write the three numbers on the dash.
Payload is the number that gets drivers in trouble. GVWR minus the real empty weight of the van (with you, fuel, tools and your gear) is what you can legally carry. A "3,000 lb" load in a van with 9,990 lbs GVWR and 7,200 lbs on the scale empty leaves you 2,790 lbs of payload, so that load is overweight. Overweight means a ticket, a failed scale, and a broker who will not call again.
From the board: 55 x 40 x 55 inches, 1 skid, 2,400 lbs. Height 55 in: does not go through the rear door of a Transit low roof (49.5 in) or a Nissan standard roof (49.8 in), goes in on every ProMaster, every Sprinter, and Transit medium and high roof. Width 40 in: goes between the wheel wells on all of them. Weight 2,400 lbs: fine for all, but check your real payload first.
53 to 56 inches between the wheel wells on all of them. Know your floor length, your wheel-well width, your rear door height and your real payload, and say no to loads that do not fit before you drive to them.
Lesson 4
Detention, layover, TONU and no touch
Accessorials are the extra charges that separate drivers who make money from drivers who wait for free.
Detention: pay for waiting at a shipper or receiver beyond the free time. Free time is set by the broker on each load, usually the first 2 hours, and the clock starts after that. It only gets paid if you have proof: arrival and departure times noted, and a signature, stamp or timestamped photo.
Layover: pay for being held overnight because the freight is not ready or the receiver is closed. Note: layover is paid only if you arrived inside your delivery window. If you were late, even ten minutes, and the receiver closed the doors, the broker will not pay layover. What that means for your settlement is set out in your lease or pay plan, so read that section.
TONU (truck ordered, not used): pay when you show up and the load is cancelled.
No touch: shipper and receiver load and unload. Driver assist or hand unload means you work, and that should pay extra.
Liftgate, inside delivery, residential: extra services, extra charges, agreed in advance.
How to get paid detention: tell dispatch the moment you arrive. Dispatch notifies the broker in writing before free time runs out. Waiting silently for four hours and asking for detention afterwards almost never works.
Accessorials are earned with a timestamp and a message to dispatch, not with a complaint the next day.
Lesson 5
FMCSA rules for vans: when the federal rules apply to you
The line is 10,001 lbs. Under 49 CFR 390.5 a van used in interstate commerce is a commercial motor vehicle if its GVWR, or its actual weight loaded, or the combined rating with a trailer, is 10,001 lbs or more, whichever is greater. Many high-roof Sprinters, Transits and ProMasters are rated between 9,000 and 11,000 lbs, so read the sticker on your door jamb.
Your van
What applies
GVWR 10,000 lbs or less, no hazmat
Not a federal CMV. State rules and the carrier's own policy apply. Still needs the carrier's operating authority (USDOT and MC number) and liability insurance to haul for hire.
GVWR 10,001 lbs or more, interstate
USDOT marking on the van, driver qualification file and annual inspection, handled by the carrier.
A CDL is not required for a van unless you haul placarded hazmat.
Even when the federal rules do not apply, a good carrier dispatches to a safe schedule. A fatigued driver is a liability nobody wants, and a broker who sees an accident report will never book that van again.
Read your GVWR sticker. At 10,001 lbs or more the van is a federal CMV and the carrier keeps its file and inspection in order.
Lesson 6
What you need before your first load
Most drivers start in a company van. You bring yourself and your paperwork, the carrier brings the van, the authority, the insurance, the dispatch and the loads. You never deal with brokers, certificates or filings.
To drive a company van you need:
A valid driver's license. A CDL is not required for a van unless you haul placarded hazmat.
A clean motor vehicle record (MVR). The carrier reviews it with your consent. Recent DUIs, reckless driving or a pattern of moving violations usually mean the insurer will not cover the driver.
Legal right to work in the United States.
A smartphone for the driver app: dispatch, tracking, photos of the BOL, settlement.
Willingness to run expedited: long runs, odd hours, and a phone that gets answered.
If you already own a cargo van or a Sprinter, you can also join a carrier as an owner-operator and run it under the carrier's authority. In that case add:
Proof you own or lease the van: title or registration in your name or your company's name, current plates.
Your business entity and a W-9. Sole proprietor works, an LLC is cleaner for taxes. Running your own van under a carrier's authority you are an independent contractor, paid on a 1099. Drivers in a company van are paid as the carrier's pay plan and state law provide.
A lease agreement with the carrier. Read the pay split, who pays fuel and tolls, settlement timing, whether there is forced dispatch, and how accessorial money is handled. Fast settlement, no hidden fees and no forced dispatch are the things worth asking about.
The tracking is on your side too. When someone asks where the van is, the answer is on the map, and when there is a dispute about arrival time, the log settles it.
License, clean MVR, a phone that works. Own a van? Add the title, a W-9 and a lease you have actually read. Everything else is the carrier's job.
Lesson 7
Working with your dispatcher: the habits that get you the next load
Thirty minutes late is a big minus. A driver who goes quiet, does not answer and leaves dispatch guessing where the van is, risks his place in the fleet even if he delivers on time. Communication with your dispatcher is the whole job outside of the driving.
Update before they ask: loaded and rolling, halfway, 1 hour out, delivered with POD. Every time.
Bad news early: a flat tire at 2 PM reported at 2 PM is a plan. Reported at 6 PM it is a claim.
One channel: the driver talks to dispatch, dispatch talks to the broker. Two people talking to the broker create two stories.
Be reachable: a phone that rings out sends the next load to someone else.
Tracking on: brokers track through the carrier app. A van that shows up on the map gets booked faster than one that does not.
Deliver early, unload clean, sign and go: receivers talk to shippers, shippers talk to brokers.
The standard that keeps a van busy: every call answered, every load tracked in real time, every broker told before they have to ask. That reputation is why the board never runs dry.
Silence loses loads. Early updates, one channel and tracking on win the repeat freight.
Lesson 8
Rules of the road: how expedited drivers keep their board
Every carrier has house rules. These are the ones that matter in expedited van work, the ones that decide whether the dispatcher keeps bidding for you or moves on to the next van.
Pickup and delivery on time. That is the whole product.
Communication with the dispatcher is mandatory when bidding and while under load.
Confirm with dispatch before you leave a pickup or a delivery location, so paperwork and next-load questions are settled while you are still on site.
Do not wait until the last moment to start driving when you are under a load.
Double loading: never do it. Expedited freight is exclusive use of the van, and one extra skid from someone else breaks that promise to the customer and ends the relationship with the carrier.
Pickup or delivery before the scheduled time is not allowed unless the broker approved it.
Be patient and polite at pickup and delivery. You represent the carrier on every dock.
After placing a bid, wait for it to expire before taking any further action.
If you accept a load and then back out, expect the carrier to stop offering you loads. A bid is a commitment.
Tip: a quick morning message to your dispatcher, available or not, and where you are, keeps your place in the fleet. The dispatcher plans the day around vans he can count on.
Tell the dispatcher your plan for the day. Then take your break while dispatch bids for you.
Any delay on the road, accident, closure, weather, report it immediately and send a photo as proof.
Use a scanner app on your phone for BOL and POD. A bad scan is a late settlement.
Never put another driver behind the wheel without telling dispatch first. An unlisted driver is not covered by the carrier's insurance policy, and putting one behind the wheel ends the relationship.
On time, in touch, one bid one promise, clean paperwork. Drivers who live by this list never run out of loads.
Final Exam: Expedited Ready Quiz
9 questions drawn from the lessons above. Score 90 percent or more and earn the Expedited Ready certificate.
9 questions3 minutesInstant scoreFree certificate
Get your score, see what you missed, and download a certificate with your name to share on Facebook or in your driver group.
Filic Express is hiring drivers for our cargo vans and Sprinters, and owner-operators with their own van. 24/7 dispatch, 1-3 day settlement, no forced dispatch.