Abilene Motor Express....A New Place To Call Home

JohnBoy · Dec 18, 2023

ExtremeUnction said: ↑

My hometime starts Wednesday, so if they send me anywhere today, I'll have to be back tomorrow. Just talked to DM, they're real light on freight and have plenty of folks on the yard to cover it. And I got stuff I gotta do to get ready for my Christmas trip to Louisiana. So I'm starting my hometime two days early. Will be back on the road in the New Year, after the Era of JohnBoy has drawn to a close.
Click to expand...

Lol. The era. Quite sure everyone has had enough of me. Not sure if I’ll start a new thread or not. I will give a detailed write up of the end here and what I am getting started with at the new job. As far as a new thread, we shall see. In any event the end is winding down.

Bumper · Dec 18, 2023

JohnBoy said: ↑

Lol. The era. Quite sure everyone has had enough of me. Not sure if I’ll start a new thread or not. I will give a detailed write up of the end here and what I am getting started with at the new job. As far as a new thread, we shall see. In any event the end is winding down.
Click to expand...

There is a light at the end of the tunnel and it is not an oncoming train!! Hang in there my friend, your turn in retirement is coming!!

JohnBoy · Dec 18, 2023

Bumper said: ↑

There is a light at the end of the tunnel and it is not an oncoming train!! Hang in there my friend, your turn in retirement is coming!!
Click to expand...

I’m actually in a great space. Since my decision is final, made all necessary plans and took care of my health insurance needs today for the 30 days of no coverage. I feel like a kid in a candy store.

nextgentrucker · Dec 18, 2023

ExtremeUnction said: ↑

Driving flatbed is almost like real work. Spending two hours tarping and strapping in the dead of winter is not for the faint of heart.

In order to figure out who to work for, you need to figure out what is important to you. Make a list. Rank it from most important to least important.

I have two kids, and I see them every three weeks. I've been doing that since my ex and I split up in 2011, long before I started working at Abilene. Making sure that I was available to see them every three weeks was my #1 priority. Everything else came second.

When I called around to places like Schneider or PTL or Werner, I asked them the same question: "I have to have every three weeks off to see my kids. Can you do that?" And most everybody I talked to hemmed and hawed and made comments about "Well trucking is trucking" and "We can't really guarantee anything, because..."

The one exception was Abilene. I asked Rusty, our old recruiter (and long gone lo these many years now) the same question, and his immediate response was "Yeah, we'll work with you."

And in the 7 years since, I have only had to fight to get home a couple of times. And those were due to clerical error rather than any malicious attempt to screw me out of my hometime.

So you gotta figure out what's important to you. Hometime not so important? Then maybe work for a company where it's harder to get home, but they at least pay you more.

Ask questions about detention. Do they pay you for sitting in a dock twiddling your thumbs? How much? When does it kick in? If you have a live load or a live unload, and you're on time for your appointment, and the shipper/receiver takes longer than 2 hours to get you loaded/unloaded, Abilene pays you $20/hr. (That is a little low for the industry, tbh, and hasn't changed in at least 11 years. But it's better than nothing.)

Do you get layover if they don't keep you rolling? If our truck sits idle for 24 hours when we should be rolling, we get $150.

Do they pay you breakdown pay if your truck has to spend time in the shop? Do they pay for your hotel?

Where can you fuel? Are you micromanaged with respect to fuel stops? Are you micromanaged with respect to breaks? Some companies will tell you when and where you have to fuel, and will tell you when and where you have to take your breaks. And if you take longer than they allocate, they'll be on the phone with you asking why your break is so long. Abilene doesn't do anything in the way of micromanaging. They tell you where you need to be and when you need to be there, and the rest they leave up to you.

Are you pre-planned? Sometimes Abilene pre-plans, but most of the time they won't even start looking for your next load until you're finished with your current load. This is why they can be so flexible with getting you home. Some companies out there will pre-plan your next 4-5 days. Which can certainly keep you busy, but also makes it a lot harder to get home in a hurry if you need to do so. Because not only do they have to find some way to rescue the trailer you're currently hauling, they also gotta reallocate the rest of the loads on your plan.

Do they pay the same for all miles? Some places have different pay scales depending on whether you're loaded, empty, or bobtail. So when they say they'll pay 60 cents per mile, that's only when you're pulling a loaded trailer. If you're pulling an empty trailer, maybe you only get 40 cents per mile. And if you're bobtail, maybe you only get 10 cents per mile. (Abilene pays the same for all miles, loaded, empty, or bobtail.)

Do they offer bonuses for driving in congested areas? Abilene pays an extra 12 cents per mile for all miles driven north of the Mason-Dixon line.

Do they offer mileage bonuses? Do they offer safety bonuses? Do they offer fuel bonuses?

These are the kinds of questions you'll want to ask any company you talk to.
Click to expand...

Whoah!! Thanks man!! You've putting it so well that Abilene seems decent now LOL!! But will I get these benefits as a new CDL grads remain to be seen. Of all the companies I've applied to including Cypress Truck, only Abilene has responded back so far, they even did my MVR already, which tells me one two things, they're always hiring drivers and the other companies aren't taking as many drivers right now. For Flatbed, I've seen women do it, so why can't I lol!! One thing I want to clarify though, when I said hometime wasn't a priority for me, I didn't say I wanted it to be harder to get home, I still want a company to give me my hometime when I ask for it but also be able to accommodate me if I want to stay longer on the road, hopes that clarifies things. Cool, tomorrow, after passing my test, I'll call Abilene and Cypress Truck and decides between these two. Thanks again man!!!

navypoppop · Dec 18, 2023

JohnBoy said: ↑

Lol. The era. Quite sure everyone has had enough of me. Not sure if I’ll start a new thread or not. I will give a detailed write up of the end here and what I am getting started with at the new job. As far as a new thread, we shall see. In any event the end is winding down.
Click to expand...

JohnBoy,
I am so happy for you for being able to know when it's time to move on to greener pastures. Me and a lot of others do hope that you do not stop posting. You have a vast knowledge and the personality that others admire and look to you for answers. I retired in 2011 after 44 years and didn't want to deal with the changes I saw in the industry. Best decision I made as the wife and I enjoy the rv (the one in my avatar) and traveling where and when we want. Again I wish you the best in all you do with the new job. Don't be a stranger please. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family.

Lonesome · Dec 18, 2023

nextgentrucker said: ↑

Cool, is Flatbed that hard? I'm scrawny as hell, and I won't have time to go to the gym so I said why not do something physical to keep me in shape, hopefully build some muscles lol. So here's what I'm looking for right now, miles and pay, I'm 25, no wife/no kids, so home-time isn't a priority for me right now, I plan to stay OTR long term like 4-6 months at a time anyway, so I want to run as much miles as I can and make as much money as I can, that's why I ask the average miles per week in the post earlier. Off course, other benefits are great too like medical, and tuition reimbursement, and I do want to get my hometime after being out for so long on the road when I want it, but these are my priorities right now.
Click to expand...

Worst part of flatbed is tarping in all weather and wind conditions.

jarhead0311 · Dec 18, 2023

After 34 is up got sent a gatorade load to pikeville, ky. Anybody know the best way to get there from Wytheville?

Bumper · Dec 18, 2023

JohnBoy said: ↑

I’m actually in a great space. Since my decision is final, made all necessary plans and took care of my health insurance needs today for the 30 days of no coverage. I feel like a kid in a candy store.
Click to expand...

I have to admit that looking out the windows at the yucky weather is alot more fun in the house than it was in a Pilot truck stop parking lot.....

nextgentrucker · Dec 18, 2023

Lonesome said: ↑

Worst part of flatbed is tarping in all weather and wind conditions.
Click to expand...

If tarping is the worst part of Flatbed, then it's not that bad, I know it might be heavy, but that's one the reasons I would choose Flatbed anyway, to keep me exercised, and hopefully build some muscles cause I'm just skin and bones man lol. I'll read through this thread a little bit to see what I can find on Abilene, my test is tomorrow, wish me good luck!!!

popcorn169 · Dec 18, 2023

I pull a flat and tarping in the winter and rain is a pain but when you get the tarps rolled out over your load and a gust of wind comes along and the tarps go flying off trailer I have a bunch of colorful choice words to say.
When you fall off the trailer because of slick tarps it is no fun either.
Tarping is not for the weak or faint of heart because those things are heavy and if the forklift driver gets a case of the.... and don't put them on top of the load for you have fun lifting them up yourself.

Log in or Sign up

Forums

Find Trucking Jobs

Abilene Motor Express....A New Place To Call Home

JohnBoy Road Train Member

Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

Wait, employers can't reach you!

Bumper Road Train Member

JohnBoy Road Train Member

nextgentrucker Road Train Member

navypoppop Road Train Member

Lonesome Mr. Sarcasm

jarhead0311 Road Train Member

Bumper Road Train Member

nextgentrucker Road Train Member

popcorn169 Road Train Member

Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

Wait, employers can't reach you!

Log in or Sign up

Useful Searches

Find Trucking Jobs

Abilene Motor Express....A New Place To Call Home

JohnBoy Road Train Member

Wait, employers can't reach you!

Bumper Road Train Member

JohnBoy Road Train Member

nextgentrucker Road Train Member

navypoppop Road Train Member

Lonesome Mr. Sarcasm

jarhead0311 Road Train Member

Bumper Road Train Member

nextgentrucker Road Train Member

popcorn169 Road Train Member

Wait, employers can't reach you!