well, it's gonna become harder and harder for schneider to get good drivers, cause the ones who do their research will go with the companies that pay practical miles!! I know I was considering schneider, but after seeing how many companies pay a higher rate AND practical miles I have now dropped them off my list.

Lots of companies pay HMG miles. Then again, there are other companies like you say, that pay practical miles. Of course, there are companies that pay practical miles that pay less cpm than Schneider does...so its all a matter of research. I'd rather work at a company that has very little down time and pays a tiny bit less than the competition, than work for a company that pays 'so much better' while not having freight for me and more of a chance of me waiting for a load. making an extra couple of cpm doesnt mean much when ya sit at the dock while someone else at the pumpkin is passing you by.

ZIGGY........... are you a pumpkin??

lol well I AM pumpkin shaped...sort of round in the middle.

When you're planning a trip and trying to figure out how many miles you will drive and how much time you need Schneider tells you to add 10% to the miles they pay you. I guess they figure they're shorting you 10% of your miles.

As far as pay, in the Midwest region you start at .30 cents per mile, .35 at 6 months, and .40 with a year experience, but then you don't get another raise until 3 years. .40 cents per mile for a year experience is pretty good, even if it is short miles.

I drive for Schneider. My question concerns inverters. I bought one of the 12 volt coffee pots(5 cup). It took it two hours to make. I tried it with the truck idling and turned off--two hours both times. My question is: was it the brand or is that normal? A regular four-cup Mr Coffee uses 600 watts. If you can get an inverter that size that plugs in would I be better off going that route? I do love my coffee and am getting tired of having to go in a TS every morning. Would appreciate any advice.

If you're new, and getting trained, you will have to expect to pay your "dues" in one form or another. I think Roehl is the only company that pays practical miles AND trains... They don't pay as well though, and some drivers have had bad experiences there as well. No company is perfect, especially not the training ones. I stay here because I can expect miles, despite the economic pressures we have right now.

Officially: The routing sent to you on the qualcomm (street level) is a "recommended" route. They do not require you to follow them, nor do they really expect you to. They, and you, do get paid based off of it though. If you only want to drive what you get paid for, follow them, they are much closer to the actual pay than 10%. You will get lost though. I advise using only SNI directions (directions to customer from nearest major highway), and plotting the middle area yourself. SNI directions seem to be much more acurate.

Really: By giving you that 10%, it allows them to obsolve themselves of blame if you end up in a bad area while following street level directions. It also allows you to plot your own trip, which can often times be much quicker, despite logging more miles.

Pay: I want to know who hlaird talked to, or deals with, because my pay isn't 40cpm.. My pay is 34cpm + accessorials and region premium.

Slowness is the downside to 12v-plug appliances, try using the "lunchbox oven" and you'll really know what I mean.

Official: You are allowed an invertor up to and not to exceed 180 watts. That invertor must be powered using a cigarette lighter plug only, no hard-wiring it to the battery or fuse box. Wiring it via the CB power studs is a violation as well.

Real: Follow the hard-wire rule, if you don't you WILL be fired. As long as it plugs into a 12v lighter socket, feel free to use it. If it is more powerfull than 180 watts.. Make sure it's not in the truck when it goes in the shop. You wouldn't get fired for it, but they will "confiscate" it.

Also keep in mind that the more powerfull the invertor, the faster the batteries drain out. Some of these trucks have some pretty old batteries in them, and running an invertor over 180w can drain the batteries too far for the truck to start after 10 hours, or even 3.

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The driver who keeps blowing fuses: Get that electrical system checked out... NOW! lol. Seriously though, it should be fixed. That could be a sign of a much larger problem. Electrical problems = bad mojo. Trucks can start on fire from electrical irregularity in the system. Please have it looked at, for your own safety.

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Most of the ads and recruiters will tell you to expect between 30,000 and 35,000 the first year. I can say, in my case this was true. Although, with the higher pay that they are giving out, it could be possible to get as far as 38,000 the first year, assuming you obtain all bonuses of course.

They like to keep people in the dark as much as possible until they show up for orientation, which means they have them now anyway.
Fridges: If you can find a 12v plug fridge you can have it. But we settle for 12v coolers (similar to fridges, but not.) They keep the tempurature inside the cooler about 30 degrees cooler than it is outside the cooler. So things can still go bad in them, if it's 120 in your truck, it can be 90 in the cooler.

Ovens/Stoves: Not allowed, in any form, 12v or otherwise (some people use them anyway)
GPS: Allowed
TV: Allowed. Obviously don't watch while driving.
Laptop: While allowed, they are not to be turned on and used while driving.
You can bring anything else you wish, as long as it doesn't cause what they consider a distraction to driving, or violate their No-Drill policy. If you don't have to drill a hole, cut a wire, bend, break, or damage any truck part to use that personal item, it's allowed unless specifically prohibited in the driver's handbook. You will be given a handbook at orientation or training (whichever you have to do).

I guess you don't have that truck anymore since you're no longer at SNI, lol.

About idleing: I drive during the most uncomfotable times, so my idle percentage can stay down. Drive at night during the winter, and drive during the day in the summer. It doesn't eliminate the temperature discomfort, but it helps a lot.

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Having worked both ways I would highly reccomend thr practical mile pay setup.I drove for Roehl at the practical mile pay and believe me there is a difference.You will still come up a few miles short on some trips,but most of the time the miles are pretty close.On my last two oputings before retirement again I drove for Swift at 40 cts. a mile and Roehl at 38 cts a mile.Pay at Roehl was a whole lot better.Under the HMG payscale you are lucky to get paid for 80% of your actual mile driven.

This fuse is a 15 and I believe the Cb is also on it = 15 x 12v = 180W absolute max. A crock pot is usually 30\80\120w. Xantrex makes a 1000w battery box or tell Schneider you have sleep apnea. Fuel prices are high and running a 1000-5000 inverter off batteries will only last an hour or two.

Even running the fridge in the Winter may not leave you with enough energy to start the truck = I use the crock when the truck is running.