So You Want To Drive a Truck

FWIW, there are ways in and around the industry without having to go through the abuse you described above. I can imagine how people would be so bitter doing OTR, but there are literally hundreds of other avenues.

In my neck of the woods, they are hiring fuel haulers, flatbed drivers, and more right of of school. No need to get raped for months on end. You can jump into a great career right out of school. Cheer up Charley.

 

I would have sold the truck, trailer and all the freight if that happened to me!

 

Thanks for the compliment...I really appreciate that. I'm no expert and some say I'm a little bit on the opinionated side , but I gotta be what God made me to be . You are 100 % correct though on your thoughts about a driver being more in control of his career once he does gain some time in the field...the ones that are the happiest (and happiness can mean many different things) are the one that put forth the most effort to not only learn as much as possible about the job , but those that apply them selves to being as safe and courteous while driving as they can be. Patience and being forgiving of others mistakes and bad attitiudes on the highway are the most important traits a driver can have...sometimes that ain't so easy...but IMHO that's what separeates the real pro's from the steering wheel holders.....you can just as easily smile and wave at the nut that is flipping you off , as you can be drawn down to his level of ignorance. You know it's not what you argue about that matters so much...it's how you argue that shows what type of person you "really" are , or just what your level of maturity/character is.

 

Well....I hope that your being really sarcastic here....because that would land you directly in jail my friend....just like a driver that abandons a piece of equipment after getting mad and quitting...you can and will be held responsible. that is NOT your equipment or your "freight" to do anything with...right or wrong that stuff still belongs to the company and the consignee on the BOL. ....But that discussion is a whole nother topic all it's own.....so let's not hi-jack this thread....If you like you can start another thread about just what is the right thing or what would you do in a situation similar and I'll be glad to have that debate with you loves2fruck......

 

What company? The one that closed its doors and left its drivers stranded? At first glance I would say that a driver might feel justified in selling the rig....but...

Years ago, I joined a 24 hour gym. They had new equipment (leased) that they kept well maintained. They had personal trainers that looked like personal trainers. They had kiddie day care, juice bar...etc. I signed up for a year.
First they cut the hours. It went from 24 hours to 0600 to midnight. Then they wouldn't keep the padding on the equipment in good repair. They killed the juice bar and the daycare. The trainers that looked like trainers all quit and were replaced by the people who looked as if they needed Jenny Craig. Then they hit me up about renewing my contract. Why would I do that? My gut instinct said they were going belly up. And I was right. A couple months later, the owner yanked as much money as he could out of the business and skipped town. Someone might reason that since they paid for another year, they would be entitled to steal something from the gym or vandalize the property. No, just go kick yourself in the butt for ignoring the signs. There's almost ALWAYS signs that something's wrong.

Same goes with Arrow. 6 months before they went belly up, the industry was talking. About what? Arrow terminated the contracts of its owner operators. The funny thing is, they weren't the only flatbed gig to do this, there were others. They were the only ones hat went belly up. Big waving red flag was ignored by the drivers

1. Terminating owner ops
2. Cut back on offic staffing(if your dispatcher has to mop the floors before he goes home, Safetyman is turning wrenches in the garage, owner is getting a divorce or has a new girlfriend
3 Fuel cards got cut. Drivers now have to get a tcheck or efs express code to pay for fuel. (I had to do this before)
4. Someone in accounting has to write a check and have a driver go stand in line to pay bills (don't laugh, I've seen it done)

 

Sorry "thread police" - I wasn't trying to hijack the thread, but that just boggles my mind.

So, a company strands (days before Christmas) drivers throughout the country - cuts the fuel cards/comdata cards, yet DEMANDS you return the trucks! LMAO - and I have to pay to bring Arrows truck, trailer and load back?

Nope - the truck would sit right where I got screwed.

But you're right, I wouldn't have stolen anything; I would have said to insert my phallic shaped object into their mouths and park the truck, trailer and load in the worst possible, crime ridden city I could find, and leave everything unlocked with keys in ignition.

Just another fine example of the cesspool the bulk of this industry has become.

 

Say it aint so...Newbies getting treated like modern Slaves and Pigs....I would of never guessed..

 

If I'm not mistaken i believe the company that left drivers stranded was Arrow?

 

Tripplesix.. that is part of mg point.. newbies and rookies may not have the knowledge or insight to see or recognize the warning signs like a more experienced driver...

With the graini g companies they are not concerned with tea hi.g you what would be good to know about the industry.. they tea h you what they need you to know to work for them.. heck, they are even dumbing that down as much as they ca with la.e sensors and forced routing..

Those are the concerns I had when making the career change into trucking.. which is why I took the steps to go to a private scbool and get trained by an experienced driver.. years of experience not months, and why I did what I could to vet on with a good small company...

 

Fraid too many people are lazy about using that brain hiding inside their noggins. With what little research I've done so far I see several ways of making good money hauling stuff around. Going to driving school and gettin hired by a company is by far the low end deal, but it can be used as a starting point if no better method is available.
And the other side is money management, which most people seem to flop at. A person can live a lot cheaper than they think if they're willing to do so, get drastic with it, live in a pickup camper if ya have to. save a lot fast, invest in something that increases income, (like buying yer own truck, starting with an old one that can get paid off quickly) do some more saving and scale up. Problem is most people will live up to their income and frequently a bit beyond it, which leaves little to nothing to invest in advancement.
To make fast advancement the living expense must be lowered to well below income. Live almost like a homeless person for awhile perhaps, become an owner op as fast as possible. Then study fuel usage reduction techniques extensively. Works best if it's done before one has family responsibilities. Wait till yer well established in a profitable enterprise before taking on higher home and family expenses. I'm in a situation where I can get started as owner op without going into debt, by repairing and rearranging what I have on hand, along with a couple thousand dollars I can make with about the last of my good timber. I'll get started with a 26 year old one ton truck, and it looks like I could soon move up to a full size rig and still stay out of debt by getting one cheap that needs a lot of work, and doing the work myself as much as possible.