Switching companies early on

Well one guy failed his driving test badly. I was in the truck him, I drove first and it was just us and the trainer. It was a difficult route for the test. Some tight rights and very short mergers. Plus a blind exit where the lanes shift on a turn with no sign, that was a fun one.

So this guy takes a right turn on red at 25+ MPH. Don’t think he even touched the brakes. Then shortly after he switched lanes as a light changed and he was approaching. Approximately 150 feet from the light it changed. It was almost an betweener but it was a definite stop in this situation. He decided to acknowledge the light by tapping the brake. Shook his head as if to say nope, and proceeded thru as the light was red completely before he entered the intersection. A blatant red light run. And after that he decides to make a left turn from a right turn lane and completely ignore the trainer and the road signs. He was not a safe driver. He deserved to not pass.

There was also an old man. I felt bad for him once I found out his age, after they threw him out. He was 76, but looked good I would have guessed 50s. He just couldn’t pass the test on the computer. He managed hazmat, but the next one was longer and had a lot of reading. He just couldn’t do it. They sent him home with a study guide and told him to come back. The other guy was told he needs to get a job else where.

I guess I made it sound a little dramatic it was just the 4 of us. Me and two other applicants plus the instructor.

I’m completely done with training. Did one full day with a guy on the account for 1.5yrs yesterday. Saturday I go out solo with a full load.

 

I don’t mind the work. It’s definitely hard work and not an easy job at all. I would not recommend it for most people. And you’re spot on I’m expecting to get right around 70 a year on this account. Which is definitely low for this job, but it is reasonable pay and still a heck of a lot more than I was making before. Plus like you say it’s not forever, it’s definitely still a “for the experience” position. The guys pulling the same trailers in the DG trucks are getting right around 100k for the exact same job and the exact same account.

 

Just some thoughts. Some things I like much better than first job. Also a few things I don’t like so much. I’ll start with the bad because there’s not much.

No personal conveyance, no split sleeper, lower governed speed. Some stores were just not made for trucks, yet they are still on the schedule.

I love the fact that I don’t have to worry about parking at all anymore. I can park at 99% of Dollar Generals, even if I’m not delivering there.

Now I don’t wait at all for loads, every single trailer is preloaded and ready to go. I never wait at the receiving either. Sometimes there’s a few customers in line buying groceries but it’s always less than 10 minutes to get me started on my unload. No waiting on either end is golden. There’s also unlimited work. I can run 70 every week easily.

This is a hard job, not for the faint of heart. Unloading the trucks really is a lot of work. I do enjoy it, but a large unload out of the freezer can rattle me a bit. However I’m making triple what I was, and all things considered this job is much safer in my opinion.

 

Haha yeah dude! I’m alive! This new gig is working me, I have a lot less time to play on my phone than I used to. I’ll try to think of an update to write here.

 

Update - things are good.

A few more things I’ve noticed that are different, better, and possibly worse.

I see my boss a few times a week in person. For me this good because he’s a cool dude and we shoot the ####. We talked for like 2 hours before I left on Friday evening with a Saturday load. That is a far different experience from being OTR at the last place.

Overall here I also get significantly more human interactions. Every store I go in talk to at least the manager. Sometimes it’s just business, but often they are happy to chat for a few minutes. Sometimes it’s actually a bit annoying because getting the paperwork back can become a challenge from some of the talkers. Overall I do think it’s a great thing talking to a lot of people regularly, even if it’s just short chats.

while I was chatting with my boss on Friday, he did say that the business is slowing down a bit. there are less loads, going out this year than there were at this time last year. He said he’s having a hard time getting his guys three loads a week. He used to drive on this account so he knows what it’s like. He said that’s a factor of the economy overall because there is just less demand.

he also said his son’s business, which is a logistical company is down 70 to 80% year over here in terms of capacity.

I don’t think about it too much. So far I’m getting plenty of work and I’m living in the truck, which he knows so I’m good.

Another cool thing is my boss has little goodies for us all the time. I’ve gotten a flashlight a usb charger safety shirt and little leather man. Only thing is last company had free coffee, no coffee here!

So one thing that does suck is the idling. My last freightliner at the other company I could get it to idle all night. Any temperature. This one has some sort of code built in where if the temperature is above 29° it will not idle no matter what I do. Apparently, it’s the same below 90°. So that kind of bites.

Overall I like this job. It’s not amazing or anything life-changing but it is a good job and I like that I do significantly less driving than most of the other jobs. The unloading is difficult and I average 8 to 10 stops per load, But I’m fine with that. I knew that going in. The schedule is actually really unforgiving. It has an unrealistic time set for 30 minutes per stop. My fastest stops are usually more than 30 minutes. And I am regularly over an hour. That part is a little bit stressful because it would be very easy to be late. So far, I have been getting away with it because I’m leaving the night before and parking at my first store. But it’s tight even with that.

I’m content here, especially right now with the way the economy is. I’m technically at 4 months solo now, (almost 1 month here) so I’m inching towards a year.

All the best
Happy Holidays
- Chi Town

 

I heard WE was changing their idling, that sucks! So I guess it would be no different now. And I appreciate the advice but I’ve tried everything. The truck simply won’t idle.

It will even turn off as I’m throttling up and down with my foot on the accelerator, both brakes off. As soon as that engine idle shutoff warning comes on the truck needs to hit at least 1 MPH to turn it off. My warning comes on at 60 seconds and gives 119 seconds. It’s actually dangerous if you’re in stop and go traffic. Pretty ridiculous to me!