Not a single complaint with CHEESEMAN LLC

Cheeseman does not have forced dispatch so you're not forced to go anywhere that you don't feel comfortable going including Canada. Cheeseman does have a pool of drivers that prefer to go to places like Canada and New York City and I'm one of those drivers. Since less than 2% of all loads go to Canada and New York City there is actually a bigger pool of drivers that want to go to those places than they have loads for. So the drivers are actually waiting in line for these loads because of the premium pay. I like going to Canada because you get extra pay each time you cross the border and the stops pay $25 per stop instead of the usual $10. Another benefit of driving in Canada is that you are allowed a 16 hour day versus a 14 hour day in the US...the wording and understanding is very complicated on this subject so I won't go any further but you do get another 2 hours added to your day by driving in Canada. I also am usually able to pass through the border rather quickly and it almost seems as if I'm only traveling between Ohio and Indiana but then again I've been making the trip since the age of 9! The extra pay combined with the extra time added to my clock and the ease with which I'm able to cross the border is why I love going to our northern neighbor Canada!

 

I forgot to address your question about flatbeds....Cheeseman mostly hauls everything on van trailers but they do have a few flatbed and conestoga trailers. To further put it in perspective, Cheeseman has about 1000 van trailers and only 10-20 specialty trailers. I am just a person that likes talking to people (hence the reason why I like LTL freight) and some variation in my routine. So if dispatch asks me if I would be willing to take a flatbed or conestoga load I usually do so just so I can get out and do something different for the day. Another incentive for taking these loads is the increased stop pay ranging from $10 all the way up to $85 depending on the type of trailer and whether you have to chain or tarp the load. So Cheeseman doesn't force us to take these loads I just don't usually turn them down because once you factor in the increased pay it works out to pay the same as any other typical day. Plus I get to do something different and it's not as jam packed as my normal 9 stop Detroit load. Furthermore I take less than 10 flatbed or conestoga loads per year so there's not very many of these loads but when I do get them they have the potential to pay more and offer some variation in my routine.

 

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If you'll notice I noted that it is a very complicated matter and simply said you get an extra 2 hours added to your log in Canada. To explain the matter further in the US you have the ability to work a 14 hour day with 11 hours of driving. In Canada you can work a 14 hour day with 13 hours of driving but you can add 2 hours to your work day for a total of 16 hours if you take a 2 hour break in the Sleeper during the day. Please note that you do NOT add 2 hours to your available driving time. I run electronic logs at Cheeseman and everything I have explained is completely backed by the E-Log System. That is what I like about E-Logs...you don't have to worry about correctly interpretting the law the log does it for you. So I'll reiterate that as I said simply you can extend your log by 2 hours in Canada because you can work 16 hours versus 14 hours and you can drive 13 hours versus 11 hours which is a difference of 2 hours.