Cheeseman Trucking, Fort Recovery, Ohio

Discussion in 'Discuss Your Favorite Trucking Company Here' started by runningman0661, Sep 5, 2010.

  1. runningman0661

    runningman0661 Road Train Member

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    Well I decided to start a new thread concerning my new job with Cheeseman trucking out of Fort Recovery, Ohio. After being with Keen Transport for the better part of three years I decided a change was in order. Keen was a great company, I made good money and enjoyed the work, but I started to get burned out from staying out four to five weeks at a time. So after much soul searching I started investigating companies that could get me home every week and still make decent money.

    After spending a couple months doing my due diligence and talking to at least 15 drivers that drove for Cheeseman, I put in an application with them and waited to hear something back from the powers that be. About a month ago I was offered a job with them, so I gave Keen my two week notice and hoped that I was making the right decision. The fear of the unknown is always something that eats at me...was I making a good decision?

    Two and a half weeks ago the terminal manager from the Duncan SC terminal called me and asked when I could come in for the physical, drug screen and road test. I set all this up for a Tuesday and did the physical and drug screen that day and when my results came back I went in there and did the road test that same Thursday. I was scheduled to take a load and one of there trucks from the SC terminal up to the the main terminal in Ohio that Sunday for Orientation the following week, but after I finished my road test Thursday the local dispatcher said " I can put you to work today doing some local stuff if your interested?" I'm game ( I started to feel like a bum sitting around the house for four days waiting to get back to work) so he put me in a truck and gave me a crash course on there macros for there in cab system and away I went. I'm not one to shy away from work or on making a good first impression.

    I did local work for them Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. On Sunday I hooked on to a load off of the SC yard and headed to the Fort Recovery terminal for orientation. I arrived at the "fort" Sunday night, got a good nights sleep and first thing Monday morning went in to the office and introduced myself. I knew orientation wasn't scheduled to start until Tuesday morning, so I was hoping I could do some local work up there on Monday and make some money instead of sitting around the hotel all day. Sure enough they gave me a two stop load to run over to Indy. and then drop and hook at another customer coming back to the yard. So instead of sitting around the hotel all day Monday being bored I made some extra money and showed the powers that be that im willing to work. In my book that's killing two birds with one stone.

    Orientation was a 2 and a half days of the regular BS.. paperwork, videos and the same mundane crap that comes with any orientation. The accommodations were nice, 1 person to a room, right on the lake in Celina Ohio. Your paid $150 for the 2.5 day orientation and given a $35 dollar food voucher. They supply you with a company car for transportation to and from the hotel, plus its nice to have wheels to go out to dinner or run to wal/mart at night if need be. Cheeseman has about 275 power units, and has the small to mid-size company feel that I like. There biggest customer is Crown fork lifts and they have had a relationship with them since there inception in in the 1940's. Cheeseman and Zumstein merged a few years ago and Ed Zumstein now runs Cheesman Trucking. Cheeseman was always a mainly LTL carrier and Zumstein was a truck load company now that they have merged you will do a little of both. With Ltl you make $10 a stop unless on the East Coast (D.C. to Mass. or the Chicago area pays you $25 a stop) you also get paid for popping the wooded blocks used to secure the fork lifts to the trailer floor. An average load of popping blocks will pay you $25 additional dollars.

    They pay a base pay of .35 cpm, but in the two weeks I have been running the system I have averaged .46cpm with the stop pay and unblocking pay. The 1st week I ran 3200 miles and got home long enough to get a 34 hr restart and this week I ran 3135 miles and could have been home for three days because the load I picked up yesterday out of Ohio doesn't deliver in Ga. until Wed. a.m., but I called and asked if I could drop it at the yard in SC and after getting my 34 at home grab something else and keep rolling. They said "no problem" and have me on a load with two stops near Dallas and finishing up in Waco TX.

    Now I realize im still in the "honey moon" faze with this company, but so far so good. They seem to have plenty of freight to keep me rolling and still get me home every weekend. The only draw back I have seen thus far is that in October they are going to "e" logs. I swore I would never drive for a company that ran "e" logs, but in my opinion it will be industry wide in two to three years, so if you plan on staying in this industry you will either have to adapt to it, or find a new career.

    I will update this on a weekly basis, and try and answer any questions anyone might have. Be safe and have a great Labor day weekend.
     
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  3. whydontchahey

    whydontchahey Light Load Member

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    It's nice to see someone starting a thread about cheeseman! I hope u will get a chance to update this weekly. I am looking forward to seeing ur running area and the miles u get each week.
     
  4. TDriver4Life

    TDriver4Life Medium Load Member

    Have fun with the new job runningman. I bet it feels different pulling a van oppose to oversized equipment.
     
  5. skinnytrucker

    skinnytrucker Heavy Load Member

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  6. runningman0661

    runningman0661 Road Train Member

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    Well I find myself running the fog line a little more then usual...I was used to staying over as far to the right as I could when I was under an over dimensional load, but other then that not much difference.
     
  7. runningman0661

    runningman0661 Road Train Member

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    Well im back home after a pretty uneventful week trashing around down in Texas all week. I left out Monday morning with a four stop load in Texas, I had two stops in Dallas, a stop in Waco, and finished up in Laredo. I kicked both of my Dallas stops off Tuesday around 1 p.m. local time, and I had a set appt. for the Waco stop on Wed. morning at 11:30 a.m.. Since I had plenty of time I stopped at "Willie's Place" in Carl's Corner, TX. and had a great chicken fried steak. It was almost as good as the one my mom used to make for me. I left there and eased on down to the Pilot in Waco to wait until the following morning to get rid of six forklifts I was delivering to the Tractor Supply distribution center.

    My final stop was going down to a freight forwarding warehouse in Laredo, I was there first thing in the a.m. and was empty by 0815. We have several loads a week coming across from Mexico, so I was pretty sure I would be picking up a load headed back to one of the Crown fork lift plants in either NC or OH. Sure enough there was a preloaded trailer waiting for me going to a plant in Kinston NC. I get over to the drop yard and drop and hook, as I'm doing my pre-trip I see that some sorry SOB has taken the rubber seals from the trailers air connections. Now I have heard of trailers coming back from Mexico missing lights, and old tires put on in place of new tires, but to steal a .25 cent piece of rubber.... well thankfully I always carry about 4 or 5 sets of these in my toolbox, but its just one of those things that make you just shake your head.

    After leaving Laredo I had a nice easy ride to Hammond LA. and luckily just beat the Houston evening traffic. I got up early this morning and made it back to SC about 1900 tonight. I finished the week with 2785 miles, not bad for 5 days. The load going to Texas was a Haz-Mat load so that paid an extra .02 per mile and I made an additional $40 in stop pay and an additional $25 in handling pay.

    My check for last week was over $1000 after taxes, now granted im not having any benefits taken out yet, but if I can average $850-$1000 a week after taxes and get home every week I will be very content. Have a great weekend and be safe. Its my favorite time of year (NFL kickoff) so I plan on getting my fill of College and NFL games.
     
  8. whydontchahey

    whydontchahey Light Load Member

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    runningman,who is ur favorite nfl team? So pumped about the NFL!! Go Bears...LOL.
     
    truckinmike1984 Thanks this.
  9. runningman0661

    runningman0661 Road Train Member

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    Clover, South Carolina
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    I grew up in Houston...so I was an Oilers fan, when they moved to Tennessee and became the Titans I followed them. So the Titans are my team. My wife is a Carolina Panthers fan so Sundays around here can be interesting.
     
  10. whydontchahey

    whydontchahey Light Load Member

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    Well running man,looks like we had a good weekend in the nfl. I imagine ur wife wouldn't agree. Gonna be a long year for those panthers.
    I am looking forward to more updates about cheesman in the future. Safe travels!!
     
  11. badcompany

    badcompany Heavy Load Member

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    they dont make rubber in mexico and ive never seen a trailer come back across with those seals still on it
     
    crb and ras1166 Thank this.
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