At orientation, nervous about being sent home.

Yes WE would be in the top ten. Will let me put it like this. Any OTR company that pays under 800 per week is a waste of time. As an adult working should be worth a wage that one can attend to the bills of life with. And $2-$500 for 70+ hrs of work is worthless for an adult.

 

I agree but where else can rookies start with a work history less than ideal? A year on that pay is probably worth it once you move over to one that actually cares about drivers.

 

Each case is different but some of the same companies that say they require a year. Are taking ppl right out of school. Some companies are lowering there standards. Walmart was 10 yrs and accident and ticket free. Now they will take someone with 30 months with no more than tow tickets.

So ppl just have to try instead of just going with what other ppl say.
Or what's posted on website. I tried companies and all of the said I needed to go thru there schooling after I already had a cdl. So I drove for a Owner op for 14 months. Then got on with roadway. I made 900 p/wk while with the guy. Then I got on with roadway at 24 and had to buy jeans with bigger pockets because of all that money I was making.
Man I hate yellow ever destroyed that company!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

While it would be nice to start at $70k plus benefits a year, I have knocked on many doors, made calls, written letters, and even thought about the Coca Cola or Ready Mix Route. Ready Mix where I live pays a whipping $12.45 an hour to start. Even if I worked there for a year or two, I would still not have the OTR experience many of the others want. If you have a list of places to start that pay decent, share it with the us. Coca Cola here will start you out part time on call, meaning we will call you if we need you. Calling me when you need me does not pay the bills, or keep the lights on.
The primary reason most outfits can't hire a newbie is insurance.

 

NOLO maintains black list laws by State. I got one employer in Indiana who verbally black listed me but knows the exact wording of Indiana Law never to say that word BL In writing to anyone I apply to for employment in the trucking industry. If they did put it in writing and I catch it with a formal records check to the company I applied to then it's a golden ticket for me.

There is a carefully structured standards for talking online in forum posts etc. Whatever you put in writing is subject to review forever. Sometimes People are too stupid and say things like Im making meth at such a such a place on facebook and wonder why the Law has armored truck pulling away their front wall in a few hours that day.

Here is the link to NOLO's site which I think is pretty decent when it comes to Blacklisted truckers and so on. It is strictly information for Motor Carriers and State by State laws against such behavior by same. Verbally, in writing, in person etc. As far as Im concerned im so over mine. I managed to get back into flatbedding a while despite the blacklisting efforts of my former employer. Ive had enjoyed it quite a bit. So... that's a bucket list item scratched off.

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/free-books/employee-rights-book/chapter10-9.html

 

The Federal Government is implementing anti smoking rules this coming July 14th I think it is. We had a meeting some hours ago building wide. Anyone who refuses to stop smoking will be evicted in 30 days and they will never again be able to enjoy Uncle Sam's support for that kind of housing aka a lifetime ban. There are other rules coming into play as well but all things considered its already having a effect cleaning up the place for those who cannot tolerate contaminated air. This is just a FYI. It specifically is Nation wide and impacts state by state all Federal Housing and all Tenets involved in same. We already will lose a few people when they move out, but we are very concerned for them because market rate rents for a one bed room is a average of 1200 a month and they recieve something like around 600 to 800 disability because medically they can no longer work. Basically they are priced out of the housing.

Its not all bad, they have the oppertunity to pernamently quit. With medical support to do so.

I myself have a problem with that but this is not the place to get into the small details. Big changes are being implemented by Uncle Sam and I get the impression that I have the equal value of a grit grain of sand in the gears of a freight train so they say.

 

If you are running out your 70 in a week, you should be pulling over 3000 miles. At Swift that will gross you around $1000 a week a the starting pay.

 

No smoking in the building also may prevent fires. This is more reason to eat brownies vs. smoking.

 

Some of the VA housing is less flammable than a maximum security prison. Its all about them making the call that Veterans who smoke are not worth the health care they do everything not to provide.

It needs to be remembered that these Veterans started smoking when tobacco companies were advertising it was healthy . I don't know if you Navy guys ever got to enjoy the fine dining of K-rations like us ground pounders in Vietnam but they all included a three pack of cigarettes. We also got free cartons of cigarettes in the field although the REMFs stole the good brands before we got ours.

It is a proven fact that kicking the nicotine habit is far harder than kicking heroin. In my never humble opinion the VA putting Veterans on the street for smoking is just another reason half of them should be fired and the other half given 90 days to prove they deserve to keep their jobs.

Frank