What Changes Are Needed in trucking?

I've never used the "tired "excuse so I can't answer the how many times question .
You make your hours fudging logbooks ? That's pathetic . We run compliant . Usually we don't spend more than 2 hours loading or unloading . At places where it's going to take longer than that we are allowed to leave the truck and log off duty . No fudging involved . We don't "give " any hours for detention . We're paid percentage of the load and that time is figured into the rate .
I've been paid layover for less than 24 hours .
How's this for delays ? On a Thursday I was 300 miles into a 700 mile trip for a Friday delivery . I blew the turbo around noon . They put me in a motel and the truck was ready around 10 a.m. and the delivery couldn't be made until Monday . They told me to come back 300 miles and bring it home then leave Sunday for the Monday delivery AND they paid me for the extra 600 miles going home and back . That was the only time A Friday load didn't get delivered to Monday for me . Other drivers have been paid to wait plus if it's going to be more than day the company will put them in a motel .
The loads are dedicated . When empty I go back to the terminal which is 10 minutes from my house . One a few occasions there have been hot loads near where I emptied . I would do them and still get the full round trip rate on the dedicated load .
Sorry , we're not hiring because nobody's quitting .

 

Well that kind of proves my point my friend. Your job is not a true otr job. Your situation is totally different due to the fact that both you and your company know what you will be doing ahead of time. Detention. I doubt they figure the two hour window in their rates, and it sounds like you don't get paid after the two hours either. Most trucking outfits don't charge any detention time till after two hours, so you can bet if they aren't being paid to sit, neither are you. As far as fudging your hours at a customer, the DOT rules state that unless you are relieved of ALL responsibility for both the load and your unit, you must log it on line 4. Their definition of relieved of all duty responsibilities means you would have to have a location to rest where you don't have ANY involvement with the load. That doesn't mean a break room at the customer. Somehow I don't think your company "allowing" you to log off duty meets DOT regs, so you are just as guilty as the rest of us. I also ran numerous dedicated accounts, so I know most times you won't have too many issues running legit. Otr is a totally different animal. You never know where you are going next, and in order to make a living and still send money home, well let's just say it's more difficult to run totally legit and still make a living. My rule was simple, when I was tired or if the roads were terrible, I made the choice when to shut down. My career and my freedom was more important to me than any freight timetable. That being said, my only late issues were either weather or mechanically caused. As far as your breakdown example I don't think it compares to otr. Simply put I don't believe your company would tell you to go home if you were 1000+ miles from home. Sorry to ramble on so long, but reality must be heard lol. God bless

 

You have a real reading comprehension problem , don't you ? All you know how to do is ramble . First you ask me to name one company that considers a driver more than tool to use . I do that then you have to respond with a bunch of ridiculous challenges that really have no meaning . The answers don't matter .
My job is not a true OTR job ? Is that supposed to bother me ? What does that have to do with how our drivers are treated ? Some of our dedicated runs go from TX to MA or CT . According to you that is not true OTR because the drivers know what they will be doing . Nonsense . Not being off duty when leaving the truck to be unloaded ? My safety department is a better judge of that than you are . Can you log off duty to take a lunch ? What's the difference ? Once I park my truck in the receiving area the area is chained off and only unloaders in full chemical suits area allowed in the area . The keys are left in the truck and unloaders are authorized to move it in case of emergency . I am freed of all responsibility and am off duty .

 

Truckers need to realize their own value and hold their employers to it
It's not Ricks fault that he has a good company that realizes you need to look after their drivers BUT I am pretty sure it is his dedication and pride (self value) that keeps him there. Companies like this are hard to get on with because they have little turn over. And only the people who hold themselves to a higher standard are concidered for hire.

 

The answers DO matter since you are on here telling everyone what to do and how to do it. My "challenges" were to see if you could answer them to show your company is different. Since you can't answer them any other way than to say the answers don't matter, I will assume that means they are basically the same. If you don't believe me on when you can log off duty, call your state police or the feds. As far as bothering you, that was never my intent. As far as logging off duty for lunch, once again that doesn't include being at a customer waiting for unloading or loading. I'm not trying to demean you or your job, just trying to say that if you haven't drove in my or anybody elses shoes who are you to pontificate on how anyone else does their job? Whether or not you want to believe it, what you do is a world away from otr. I am truly happy for you that you like your job Rick. I'm not saying you shouldn't enjoy where you work, God willing we all should do what we love. One last thing, make sure your company gives you written permission to log off for lunch, if you don't have that and your logs are audited you can be found in violation of HOS rules. God bless my friend.

 

I know my value Longhood. Exactly how do you force a company to do anything they don't want to do? I take great pride in my safety and ontime records and I humbly thank God for giving me that ability. I don't think it's our place to judge our fellow drivers however, only God has that right. All I was saying to Rick is that what he does is a different situation than otr. If you compare apples to oranges, you never get a true comparison. God bless you my friend.

 

Just how much do you know about HOS ? Not nearly as much as my safety department , I'm sure . They are VERY strict on compliance . They audit every driver's log and send all drivers a review sheet to sign and return every month . The procedures to follow when logging off duty are in the handbook as are the approval for going off duty for lunch .
Yesterday I was told I'll be making a dedicated drop and hook load to PA Monday . It's over 850 miles each way . Since I know of it in advance it is not OTR and I don't have a clue what life is like for OTR drivers . No , I don't deadhead without pay and I don't sit and wait for a load . I'll drop that loaded tank , hook up to the empty that was dropped there last week and bring it home .
I've been driving 30 years , starting out driving a cabover International pulling reefer running chicken from AR to Denver then going over to Greely to get boxed meat to haul to Buffalo and then find something back to AR . I know a little more than you think .
I don't tell everybody what to do and how to do it but I do advise them the smart thing to do . There are several other professionals that agree with me .

 

Not that I'll ever be a professional,but I'll pitch a buck in your hat,keep playing . . . . . .

 

Just tell me this...The last time that company hired someone (even if it was you), just how much experience did that person have? Just wonderin!

And no, this is not a true OTR job because it doesnt suck. (lol) I think that's what *he* meant, anyhow!

 

Man, i had a job like that that wasnt even a trucking job once! Total violation of labor laws and the government didnt care. WTF? 12 hour shift, "unscheduled breaks" because i was on a printing press crew and if the machine shut down during a run, it wasted a lot of paper to start it back up. "Unscheduled breaks" = No breaks *whatsoever* unless your boss is in a good mood. Well, if they were in a good mood, the whole crew would have one person go to a food establishment and someone else would cover that persons work until they got back. One time i got stopped by a supervisor on my way to my car, "Where are you going?"....i was like "uh.mc....mcdonalds..", then "want some?" i got an "EWW!!!" LOL LOL. I dont think that guy eats human food.

On another occasion, i had my "temporary assignment ended" because the pressman decided that it wasnt ok that i ate something i brought from home while the machine was down. All my important work was done until the machine got back up...now, my job went right up to washing the entire machine and the floor behind it with naptha, so there was always SOMETHING to do, but is it not reasonable that i spend 2 minutes to eat a meal after ive been at work for 7 hours? The guy was in a bad mood.


I was sad then, because i made almost as much money as i make driving a truck, home every night (for 11 hours or so), but now that i look back on it, GOOD RIDDANCE. I'm glad that i dont work there anymore.