Thank you Faber and Cressler for your responses.

Listen, right now I'm not overly worried about the amount of WORK involved, I'm still relatively young, healthy, and strong. What I REALLY need is the ability to gross 1k a week, on balance, for the year (30k to live, and $20k buffer towards O/O so I don't get stuck as co driver forever).

It seems that flatbed is where both the work and the compensation seems to be which leaves me with Mav, TMC, McElroy, maybe a couple others. Of those, Mav seems to have the most generous package IF you look at the TMC percentage plan as kind of squirrely with a lot of If's built in. On top of that, I'm not really a "truck enthusiast" so much that I would pick a co based on that... I've never even owned a pickup truck.

So, if I could get 3500 (billable) miles a week at $.30/mile no-touch then that would be an option for me, but at 2,000 to 2,500 miles being the norm, I'm going to need that $.41-.46 to make it work out.

Their usage of DAC reports is admittedly terrifying though. I haven't even learned to 45 or 90 back yet and I can't imagine NEVER scraping anything!

Hey Pharm....

Great plan, but personally, I am bracing myself for making a little less... especially with all the talk of slow freight going around!

(Not that I'd turn down good freight for good pay, mind you... )

Interesting remarks.... I'm not able to get on with BTC because they do NOT hire out of the Carolina's. Besides, after some more research, BTC runs Mid-Roofs, and Mav. runs Mid-Roof XT's, I'm 6'1". I like my space. As far as the safety thing, I'm very used to that, with much of my driving experience being in the tour bus industry - passenger and private, but esp. passenger bus, where safety is a biiiig issue. When in doubt, walk it out. Scraped bumpers happen because a driver thought he could push it thru. No offense, but I can't blame mav. for tellin' him he's unsafe - in a matter of speaking. Insurance is one of the highest costs any company has - so safety is a big deal.

I'm going after mav.'s flatbed fleet.

The glass fleet was sounding interesting when I first talked to the recruiter, then upon more research - I called their recruiter and spoke of what I'd read on here.

They said they've had some "growing pains" and "transition issues", but that they were "working on them". That's basically saying "yes, we know there's problems, but we're not really concentrating on a solution".

Maverick seems like a decent fit for my entry into the flatbed world. They're strict, which is good to know.

However, as far as running 16 hours. That's just inviting an "incident" or "accident" to happen. If I'm tired and nothing working to help me stay awake, it's time to stop. Log it right, and safety dept.'s and Fleet Managers will be fine. They'd all rather you stop then fall asleep behind the wheel - and/or slip and get hurt.

Thanks for the info.

sounds like you got the right idea, you may end up doing some fudging....but like you said....get tired- screw up....i dont blame them either, but i do want to warn newbie's not to make the same mistakes i did and what the result will be if they do. And most important how the system works. As I've said time and again- I have my own quams with the company as they do with me, but all in all....to anyone asking...my opionion is still it's a good place to work.
----well, the flatbed division anyway...dont know the specialized well

__________________

"Knock the ####### bottom out!"
"Life after DAC."

Though it occurs to me that even tho I agree with you (I don't blame them either)....I do have to say this, I dont presume to know what its like to drive a bus, let alone for the company you work for....and it is possible that you may find yourself in different shoes soon. And believe me, that's not being defensive....I know where I messed up. Just want you to have a realistic picture of what your getting into.
-After you've been there a year or so, I'd like to know the following if you were willing to tell'
-Did you really 'log it legall?
-Did they really rather you stop then get the load there?
-Did you make it a year or two, never 'pushing it thru' and have no incidents?

Just let me know if it all goes that way. Let's ask notarps, he keeps up on these threads and seems level headed and factual.

-notarps, in refrence not to my safety record (as I know what I've done wrong)....if you dont mind, what are your awnsers to the 3 above questions?

And to any rookie reading this, at this point its just a discussion, any company has its goods and bads, dont let me deter you from working there...it is a good place to work.

__________________

"Knock the ####### bottom out!"
"Life after DAC."

I have rescheduled loads because I could not make the drop. It has not been a problem. No one has forced me to run when I told them I needed it moved back. I have shut down 1 hour from my home when going home because I was tired and did not want to drive and still had hours left. I am not killing myself or anyone else for no load. It is not worth it. I have said many times a person can not run 100% legal and survive out here. The HOS rules as they are will burn up your 14 if you decide to stop and take a nap. If it takes 6 hours to load will you log 6 hours to load? I am not condoning running wild, but if you pull in a fuel island and it takes you 2 hours to fuel because some idiot has all the lanes blocked and no one is pumping fuel will you log that 2 hours on duty not driveing?

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My childhood dream of becoming a truck driver turned into a nightmare!

Thanks, that may help others who don't know what there heading for get some kind of idea....and as a matter of opionion, I agree with everything you said.....no one ever forced me either, and the 1 time I pushed back they were cool with it.
To refrase the one question you didn't awnser more appropriately...Do you think it's possible to go 7 years (the amount of time a 'accident' stays on your DAC) with no 'incidents?'
-I believe it's impossible....now that said, again knowing my record...mine were my own fault for pushing to hard, or at least the high number I have.

__________________

"Knock the ####### bottom out!"
"Life after DAC."

I know a couple of drivers personally who are near 1 million miles without an accident or incident.

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I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was going to blame you.

Dynamite comes in small packages, Nitro comes in smaller ones, take your pick!

Wow, now thats impressive! And an awnser to my question.

__________________

"Knock the ####### bottom out!"
"Life after DAC."

I just loaded by 2 of mav's 20 year drivers. One of them just got his 1 million mile safe driving. It was his 2nd. Yes it can be done.

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My childhood dream of becoming a truck driver turned into a nightmare!