My New Adventures At Beacon Transport

Well I was going to tough it out with bacon for at least 6 months but honestly I am not going to be able to hang that long. Trying to get a load on the weekend is like an act of Congress. This is one of the most unorganized outfits I have ever seen. So got my eye somewhere else and I think I'll be making a move after Thanksgiving.

 

I don't understand why Beacon doesn't pre-plan loads. It just makes no sense to me economically. They will ask me for an ETA but it makes no difference what the ETA is because I can always count on setting at least a few hours. But I can tell you if you make your last stop on a Saturday you will not get a load until Tuesday morning. Don't ask me why because I don't have a clue. For some strange reason I cannot get dispatched on a Monday. We have people there but no dispatch on Monday at least not for me. While the pay is not excellent It's also not horrible. 42 cents per mile is a decent rate but it might as well be $0.20 a mile when you're not getting enough miles. On top of that you're expected to stay out at least 10 days but at least three of those days you will be sitting. I understand that the trucking industry is not perfect and there will be hiccups in the system. But this is a regular pattern for 5 straight weeks. And as much as I hate to sound like a broken record. They really don't have anything for the driver here. The insurance premiums are crazy. There is no bonus structure at all. The trucks have no amenities and they don't even have a 401K plan. They are nice people to work for. Everyone has treated me great and has been super friendly. It's just a shame that they don't take more initiative to make it a much better company.

 

I don't chain tires. Not gonna happen. If it is bad enough for chains, then it's too bad for me to be on the road with an 80 thousand pound truck. However I know there are a lot of those Western States that do require it. Back when I did in home furniture delivery in the nineties we had to carry chains but we never use them.