Well the pay is pathetic when you first start out. You basically need to go into it with the attitude that you ain't gonna make any money to speak of for at least the first 6 months to a year. You're in it for the learning experience. I wouldn't want to be a guy trying to support a family on an entry level driving gig paycheck. Throw the long periods away from home and lousy personalities you're forced to endure in on top of the crap pay and you start to get the idea why the washout rate is what it is. ('Tis what it 'tis...)
What irritates me the most is all the wasted time. I seem to sit for hours waiting for a dispatch, and I seem to be waiting around an awful lot for certain warehouses to unload me. If I become a turnover statistic, the waiting around will be the reason.
if anything original poster should seek to isolate some way to skip a few if needed on the front-end as too many companies will post bad remarks if needed then next company maybe have something they could use you for and not do it bcs of what was said,.....seen it many times same ditto as someone arriving at oil-patch and working a few days then getting fired with no $ to go anywhere or do anything, forget public assistance as I tried that and though may be of little use OP does not need it anyway, nor need nimrod # bazillion tarnishing employment history either then again cooking in the cab is really what makes it all worth it
Funny thing. I was talking to an agency that gives grants for retraining. You have to have aplications out to be considered. The lady told me that they don't consider an application or prehire from Swift valid. Guess they got burnt to many times by people going to Swift and quitting, wasting their grant money.
So, you think everything should run like a well oiled clock? People call in sick, so loads are delayed in loading or unloading. Some drivers try to deliver early, or are late, an clog the machine. Plus-1 runs you out of hours, so you have to improvise. Sometimes there simply are no loads going out from where you are at. What irritates me, is this type of thinking in our business. We run loads from point A to point B. But, there may not be any loads from your point A today - or even tomorrow. What would you have the dispatchers do? Make up a load, just for you? And if a receiver or shipper should become behind schedule for some reason, what would you have them do? Put you at the front of the line because you are really that important? If you become a turnover, well, it is probably best for everyone concerned.
and here I get twisted when I don't have my load info before I get unloaded...... It's what you make of it either new or experienced. For company drivers. Anything under 30 cpm is slave labor. Anything less than 2500 miles is an idle truck. Get your CDL, get into a company and then make the most of it. Don't be afraid to ask questions either. Most companies now will tell you without 12 months recent experience, they won't hire you. This is an insurance issue. Nothing against the person themselves.
What are you being so hostile for, man?? Nobody said one derogatory thing to you, what's your problem? Feeling inadequate today? You're the dimwit that likes to sit idle in his truck for hours and suck on his thumb... I get it. Go away, idiot.
I wasn't being hostile, just telling it like it is. It's not being dim witted or idiotic. It's being realistic. If you can't comprehend such a simple notion, then maybe the terms you apply to me would be best reflected in a mirror.
as a newbie gettin ready to go to orientation i wonder if these companys put you in the truck solo before your ready and the newbies cant handle the sink or swim mentality