Is 1500-1800 mi/wk acceptable?

Not saying that wasn't the case, but how do you know that there was freight to be moved? If a company has over 50 trucks, they've been doing something right (or wrong, I guess it depends how you look at it) for a while.

Very insightful. Awesome post.

edit:

And, are you saying that companies are sitting drivers to force them to quit so they can hire more drivers?

 

Thank you.

Like I said, I'm no great expert on these things. Like many industries these days, trucking is far more complex than it really needs to be; there are all sorts of regulatory and tax-related nuances that I can only describe in the broadest, practical terms.

As I said, I don't think any company is intentionally keeping anyone sitting as a matter of policy, and I don't think anyone on this board would ever argue otherwise. Clearly, it's better for the company to keep its trucks making money, all else being equal.

They hire as they can to take advantage of two things: 1) Government incentives and 2) cheap labor. A lot of trainees are treated as team drivers from day one. They get a low, flat salary, and so it's profitable for the company to funnel whatever freight they have toward training trucks.

Once the trainee is done (assuming the company even lets the trainee off the truck at the appointed time), they might keep the trainee, or they might send him home, citing lack of trucks and/or freight. In short, I don't believe that these companies worry too much about making room for new hires.

It's a matter of fact that they have lots and lots of new hires to play with, though.

 

Because once I complained about it enough, they started sending me a new load before I'd dropped the load I had. That lasted for about 2 months before they went back to making me wait. Other drivers waited longer than that.

I also had shippers complain that our trucks weren't showing up to pick up all the freight they had. They'd order a truck and it'd take a week for Arrow to get around to sending one. Now with that many trucks, there's one free in the area, that's the whole idea.

There was other stuff going on too. Dispatch was a total cluster and only got worse in the time I was there.

 

The lower the better,

 

We're no strangers to love
You know the rules and so do I
A full commitment's what I'm thinking of
You wouldn't get this from any other guy
I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling
Gotta make you understand

CHORUS
Never gonna give you up,
Never gonna let you down,
Never gonna run around and desert you,
Never gonna make you cry,
Never gonna say goodbye,
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

We've known each other for so long
Your heart's been aching but you're too shy to say it
Inside we both know what's been going on
We know the game and we're gonna play it
And if you ask me how I'm feeling
Don't tell me you're too blind to see

(CHORUS)

CHORUSCHORUS
(Ooh give you up)
(Ooh give you up)
(Ooh) never gonna give, never gonna give
(give you up)
(Ooh) never gonna give, never gonna give
(give you up)

We've known each other for so long
Your heart's been aching but you're too shy to say it
Inside we both know what's been going on
We know the game and we're gonna play it

I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling
Gotta make you understand

(CHORUS)

 

No escape!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1scwq7DhfI

 

I think 1500 - 1800 is acceptable until you get a better offer. I've been driving for over 20 years and have seen it like this before. When freight is hot, you stay running and don't worry about home time. You keep your expenses down. Tuck some money away. When things slow down, then take your home time. Enjoy your time off. Don't let it stress you. Companies come and go in this business, so do a lot of drivers. It's never a steady paycheck. It's a cash flow business. You get caught without cash, you end up like Arrow. Same goes for drivers. Manage your money right and you'll last till the next up turn. Then you'll be listening to all the drivers who are griping about home time instead of grabbing what they can get and holding onto some of it for the next down turn. Those are the same drivers you see at the truck stop selling everything they bought at a truck stop last week for a cup of coffee this week. Be smart. Manage your money and take all the miles you can get and you'll still be out here next go round.

 

I sure don't think of 1500-1800 acceptable. I've only had that low of miles a handful of times in the last year, usually when I was getting home or leaving from home, making a short week. I think an occasional 2000 is acceptable, but not real happy under 2500. I've averaged pretty close to 2500 a week over the last year.

 

I can remember some months I ran 3500-4000 a week. Other months I can remember I was lucky to get 800 a week. I was hauling John Deere equipment back then. John Deere started laying people off and closing down plants and there wasn't a load to be had. It happens. You have to learn to go with the flow. Your company can't fix the economy. That's all I'm saying. The thing is, when companies go under, other companies pick up their accounts and fill the vacuum. The companies that do survive end up with more freight. That means some companies are going to have lots of freight, and others not so much. Drivers need to learn that helping their company bring in revenue is helping themselves keep job security. Nothing is guaranteed in this business. Companies with 30 -40 years under their belts have gone under because they hit too big of a rough spot. I've seen it happen a few times. Just happened to Arrow. With the job market tight, you're better off keeping your job until you get a better offer. Getting an attitude and walking for that reason isn't going to help you get another one when freight is slow. They're just going say you'll do the same thing to them and pass you by.
My point was, you're better off keeping it than quitting without another job lined up. I agree that 1500 miles a week is tough, but if you're smart about it you can ride it out and be better off than the driver who quit because the economy wasn't handed to him on a silver platter. When things get better, the drivers who stuck it out will get all the freight they can handle. I'm just trying to pass on some of my experience. This kind of work isn't for everyone, I don't care what driving schools say. There's too many out on the road now that really don't belong in this kind of work. It's becoming a catch-all for all the unemployed. The driving schools don't care. If they got money, they're in. But that doesn't guarantee a steady paying career by any stretch of the imagination. It goes up and down with the economy just like the airplane business. Only the smart survive in it.