On the verge of being fired, need advice.

Look at what’s available in your area, the local companies, especially in trash, cement, food service.

Swift is big with the Walmart DCs in Florida. Maybe give them a call, too. When I did Walmart dedicated with Crete, the delivery windows were often wide open. Lots of time to run your own schedule, within the time frame.

Don’t beat yourself up too bad. I can’t stand tight deadlines myself, and I’ve been driving for 5 years now. Lately I’ve been oversleeping more and running behind. Leads to unpleasant conversations with dispatch. I think 10 hours isn’t enough rest for me, especially if I have to do chores. Other times it’s just the schedule that eventually exhausts me. Last trip I did 8 weeks of recaps, worked every day, not a single day off. Last week or so, overslept hard for a pickup and basically botched it good. Planning had to cover it ASAP. Got a chewing for it. Honestly, I don’t give a #### anymore. They don’t work 56 days in a row. They get to home every day and weekend like a normal person. So boohoo, I overslept. Back on the road again and just ain’t feeling it at all. Maybe I’m ready for a home daily local gig lol.

Good luck

 

You could quit....& go to another OTR fleet besides Schneider -- but the same basic problem of on-time deliveries, coupled with 10-hour breaks....will still pretty much be the same.

You will also look MUCH BETTER to subsequent carriers -- if you can stay at Schneider for AT LEAST one full year. After that point -- many more opportunities will open up to you -- besides just other "starter" fleet jobs.

Also: with 6 months experience under your belt -- see if you can transfer over to Schneider's intermodal fleet. They may have opportunities for you to pull intermodal containers out of South Florida -- up to other facilities in central Florida...or even Jacksonville.

Intermodal is a different world from true OTR -- & you may find it to be a better "fit" for you. With intermodal -- you are (in many cases) home weekly -- or even daily -- depending on your location & schedule.

-- L

 

You need to address your problems first. Everything you said screams that you shouldn't be driving trucks right now. That DOT preventable is especially concerning. You might wanna consider something like a yard jockey position for the time being. I'm not trying to be mean, you could literally land yourself in prison if you screw up and kill someone. Your future is worth more than a job

 

OK, I want you to take this the right way, but I’m gonna give it to you perfectly straight. How can you not get adequate sleep on a 10 hour break? If you have a physical condition that means you cannot rest well, you need to consult a doctor. Otherwise, it’s your time management that is a problem. I drive overnight as well, and I get that you don’t wanna be tired, but driving is not exactly hard work, and you should be able to drive on no more than five hours of sleep. I rarely even get that.If you can get eight, that’s great. If gaming, or doom scrolling is preventing you from getting what you consider adequate sleep for safety, that’s on you.I don’t see how you would have to do laundry every day, and I can also see why your dispatcher will become frustrated, if you are consistently late, and keep giving the same excuse. As far as the preventable DOT, I get it, mistakes happen. I will guarantee you every driver on this forum has had instances where he made a mistake, and even if it did not have significant consequences for anybody else, he looked around to make sure nobody had seen it. I know I have. As far as the speeding, there is nobody, and I mean, absolutely nobody, that can make your truck speed. Except you. You need to accept responsibility for that. My truck is ungoverned, and it will go as fast as I make it go, but at the end of the day, if I get a speeding ticket, it is no one’s fault but my own. maybe you should consider getting a local job, or as was mentioned before, drive a yard jockey for someone, you will never get better backing experience than with a yard, jockey. good luck