Not sure about this company.

I don't know man......some of those places out west and I-68 a Jake is definitely handy. I will advise to the OP, with an aging truck, you'll need to have anticipation before going down hill. Slow down some before descent. It'll make better use of the jake brake. Turn it up to me level if need be.

 

I don't know what they teach at CDL school, got my chauffeurs license in 1974 only school for me was the school of hard knocks. But you already made your decision before you came here . You just wanted a pat on the back and a it's ok little buddy. If you're not willing to give it at least a few weeks, you never really tried . Now go back to your corner and stand there in a puddle of piss with a snot bubble in your nose. Cry baby

 

I'm in line with @Chinatown and @sevenmph. The fact they issued a truck as "ready", when it still had malfunction lamps and a bolt in a tire says a ton about their maintenance. Your license is your meal ticket, and post CSA the points on your license are as important. The ABS indicator being on CAN BE a violation, as it is required to be present and functioning, and the seat being broken is an accident waiting to happen on the failing infrastructure we're driving on.

There are too many companies out here looking for drivers to waste time with an unsafe outfit. Some of you old hands, and wannabes need to look at the ever increasing OOS violations DOT issues yearly, this isn't the world of 20+ years ago.

 

If there is a problem with your truck write it up and get it fixed...simple. That's why you pre and post trip.

Once you get past realizing that it can't always be your way is when you begin to get ahead in this industry.

 

Nobody has said having a jake doesn't make life easier, but If a driver can't drive a truck down a hill without a jake a driver should turn in their CDL.

 

So soft. Go get your auto restriction and haul for England.

 

Yes, as a new driver that will be a bit scary. But it'll make you better in the end..You'll learn not to rely on the Jake brakes. There's a handful of of people out there (probably not many) that run a truck everyday without one. So it's very possible, just not desirable.

The seat thing is a definite no go. I'd be pulling over like yesterday and putting a new one in the truck. That's a safety item for sure.

The idiot lights I wouldn't be too upset over, as long as it runs. Black electrical tape will cure those until the shop decides to do something. Sucks that it's gotta be this way but sometimes ya do what ya gotta do. It's only a temporary annoyance.

For the rest of the issue at hand, while my first instinct is to do as others have done, I'll offer this. Just do your best with what you're given for now. Write the issues up daily, and become a thorn in the ### of the shop.

But do it professionally. Don't act as an entitled ivy league graduate. You're not. Be respectful, professional, and courteous. And do your best every step of the way. Even when you catch your dispatcher in a flat out lie, don't stoop to their level. You have more to lose than they do, and they don't care.
@TripleSix likes to say 'bring your A-game'. I say do that every step of the way, even when you don't want to, and eventually things work out. It has for me anyway.

Had a dispatcher once that I had a very strong dislike for. She was fairly new, and replaced my dispatcher, who I got along with very well. Two weeks into this new one, I'm mad at the world, and I bump into another company driver. He asks how I like Jenn for a dispatcher. I respond 'she ain't no kind of dispatcher, and she's a #####'. To which he informs me that's his wife. I replied that he's an idiot for staying with her. He laughs and we went about our day. The next two months I survived on $300 gross a week. So the dispatcher you hate? That's your ticket to a paycheck. Treat them well.

 

When you're ready to change companies, let me know. Myself and a few others on here will help you find something decent.