Snackbar is chillin'....at Shaffer

That coasting thing isn't a bug it's a feature that has been on every freightliner that I've driven since about 2017. Thats why I almost never use the cruise control and keep my foot on the floor almost the entire time driving the truck.

It'll pull hard up a hill then right before you get to the top it'll start coasting and losing speed. It'll coast even when 10 mph under the cruise control setting sometimes because it knows about the down hill coming up and despite you being empty and not gaining speed down the hill it'll just keep you coasting at 57 mph until it decides that it needs to get back up to 65 for the next climb but by then you're already at the bottom so it ends up wasting fuel rather than saving some because it goes full throttle up the hill and then coasts once more at 57-58 mph going down.

I use this to my advantage in passing other trucks because with the radar display of their speed I can tell 500 ft away from them that they are using the cruise control so I will know when I need to get out into the left lane to pass them quickly as they decelerate at the top of a hill.

 

Bro... You're experienced enough that you shouldn't have to put up with this nonsense. Get on with WalMart or one of the LTL carriers. If you're feeling fancy, you could go for one of those Cryogenic carriers hauling liquid oxygen or hydrogen. Dudes are making $100K+ without all of the B.S. you're putting up with. It's like the battered wife who chooses to stay with the jerk husband despite the constant abuse. After a certain point it's really you abusing you.

 

Starting at WM you should be able to make $80k minimum very easily and not working very hard. Lots of things have changed here and only like the top 5 drivers at each DC get set runs. Everyone else is at the mercy of dispatch. No picking, it’s all optimized. Everyone gets their share of good and bad runs, but if you can manage your time, be accurate with your estimated delivery times and trip plan you will do very well here. There are a lot of rules, but if you do your job the way they want it done and not be a chronic problem child, you will prosper. I’ve never made less than $95k here and that was even being out on medical leave for 6 months. Safety bonuses, paid safety days and 21 paid time off days your first year are some great benefits. Health insurance isn’t the best, I’ve had better and I’ve had worse. Seniority comes into play for vacation time and schedules/programs/tractor assignments. No taking trucks home. You get weekly time off at home. New drivers will most likely slip seat for awhile. I believe it’s the biggest downfall of the job. It takes about a year to get settled in here and get comfortable with how things run. WM isn’t for everyone, and that’s ok, but if you can deal with their rules and policies your life will change. Mine did, for the better.

 

Walmart would never work for him. He would never slip seat. Hauls too much stuff in the truck. Likes to stay out too long. Plus the background check would eliminate him when they check how many jobs he’s had.

 

I know it wouldn’t, but a lot of people follow his threads and his statement about getting senior driver scraps and not making decent money right away aren’t true. Just getting the correct information out there. Not the lunch counter BS.

 

We probably passed each other this morning. Stay safe.