Snackbar is chillin'....at Shaffer

Sadly my truck not up here in Dallas. I'm heading over to Laredo to pick it up.

Forgot to ask what type of truck it is but I won't be in it for too long. They ok'ed my vacation request I had set before coming on but I'll have to clean my truck out and be issued another one when I return.

Positive of Crete/Shaffer - Can go home for as long as you like and keep same truck.

At Marten the max hometime at once I'm told is 4 days unless you use vacation/paid time off. Going over 7+ days can result in truck having to be swapped out.

Also can't park at a truck stop to go home. Tractor can be bobtailed to the house but trailer loaded/empty must be in a secure gated lot.

I'm told to either park my personal vehicle at a drop lot they use in San Antonio for hometime or when I drop my trailer there, to bobtail home.

 

Here's one of Crete's ads. No UP TOO on it at all. Saying that half the fleet averages close to 2k a week meaning a good chunk make way more. I'm sure there are drivers that never go home and are real good friends with dispatch but ad would be more accurate to say top 10% rather than 50%.

 

Just got sent this from Marten. Timing is suspicious lol

Here's hoping top 50% is reasonable to make cause in the 3 years of Crete/Shaffer I made 75k, 68k, and 75k so hoping to break 80k this year if possible.

Hoping these emails aren't under NDA.

 

Someone on the "patriot" fleet wouldn't fib.....

 

Probably not unreasonable to gross that much. I broke $90k last year but close, if not at, the top of the pay scale. I only got the bonus twice. I do think the pay here is pretty good, but other issues. I just want to move on from trucking, I'm tired of killing myself and want something where I can actually have a life.

 

I don't know, with all of my pay, miles, vacation and bonuses, I made $101k this year and I didn't work super hard. Was home every month, with home time and vacations I was home around 60 days this year. The guys that stay out months do 10k+ more miles than I do a year, so they must really rake it in.[/QUOTE]

 

Wish I would get that much. I would stay out 2 months straight before when I started and would still get low 2000 miles per week.

When I first started I didn't turn down anything and ended up with all the unproductive loads. Then I went through that phase where I turned down every load that didn't have miles and did get some good runs but would be sat more.

Finally I went back to before and started getting more miles but then returned to either sitting or unproductive runs.

If they would work me ill work but when I made more on months where I took off 3/4 days for hometime than on the months I stayed out 100% it dropped my motivation.

Not trying to be greedy since 75k a year is still more than majority of people will ever make in the states but for the stress and time away from family, feel my time should be better utilized.

Im turning 32 this April so probably will be an old grouch by the time I'm in my 60s if I'm still trucking

Hopeful not

 

I happen to run across two drivers when i was still working there one on the Crete side & one on the Shaffer side and both of them said they will not drive more than 350 to 400 miles a day… Based on many folks getting right around 2000 miles away that’s exactly what they’re catering to..

 

Already having issues day 1 but with truck.

Got a kenworth auto with 430k on the dash that was in the shop previously for so long they swapped the driver out.

First run was a quick trip from Laredo to Dallas and made it to my drop no issue.

However when trying to grab an empty I was met with my transmission not shifting. Pretty much writing this parked out front of the trailer cause truck won't go into either drive or reverse.

Told this common issue with kenworth autos once they get over 300k. Something to do with either the kw shifter or the air supply to the transmission. Sometime a bit of both.

Waiting for breakdown to sent someone to either get the truck started or tow me.

What a way to start day 1.