maverick reefer

It would seem logical for them to get new tractors for the reefers...they are very anal about MPG's, and the midroof trucks don't have the fairing.

On 2nd though...to save weight, they'll probably just add fairings to the same trucks we have.

 

Flatbedders come in all shapes sizes and colors. When I started Maverick a bit over 2 years ago, i was the heaviest i had ever been, 214 at the time of my physical. Now after 2 years of "hard work" 175-185 depending on how hot it is and how many "burger fixes" i allow myself during the week. I carry almost all my food and drink in the truck with me so i stay out of the buffets, and stay away from the gut grenades offered at the truckstops. Keeping the driver's door shut and wheels turnin is part of effectively managing your 14 hours. Don't let your age discourage you either. We have some drivers in their 70s who could run circles around the younger drivers out here. Working in the heat/cold just takes midset, preparation re: clothing, and conditioning and is just something you get used to. I've found the better i eat, the better i feel so for me, its a can of pineapple in pineapple juice in the morning for breakfast, 32oz cup of coffee with heavy foo foo creamer (caramel macciato....Yummy) sometime during the day, 2 or three packages of cheese and crackers throughout the day, can of soup Progresso or Campbels chunky, or some type of chef boyardee pasta..Uh oh Spaghettios, ravioli, beefaroni, etc. As far as drinks, powerade or gatorade cut 50/50 with water (too sweet for me otherwise) or just water to drink throughout the day.

You dont expend enough calories even on the hottest or coldest of days to work off all the wonderful varieties of gut grenades available in the places big enuf to park a big truck or the AYCE buffets out there. Dont get me wrong, i do succumb occaisionally to the 2 for 2.22 hot dogs and fixins or a burger fix but as i typed earlier, i limit that to once a week. Also apples keep well in the truck so 7-10 of those during the week so i dont get scurvy. lol.

I'm a company driver, not O/O (mav ic) so i run forced dispatch. They call, i haul. As far as a typical rundown of pickup/drive/deliver....well thats a bit tougher to answer, too many variables. At Maverick, they "try" to get you home every weekend with a load that you are expected to have to the consignee(delivery) by 10 am unless its a scheduled delivery that is earlier than the 10am standard or you requested to deliver later, ie if the consignee has a delivery window for example 7am--5pm. Then you are dispatched by a CSR (customer service representative) on you next load. Its like fishing, monday thru wednesday, you're cast out, then on thursday, they "try" to reel you back in. meaning the load boards change to try to get you home for the weekend (34 hour restart).

The term "weekend" does not mean friday--sunday either. It depends on how far away from the house you are when you pick up and how far away from your house the delivery is. it does happen sometimes. Its only smart business sense for a trucking company to get their drivers home to keep them happy and allow them to get a 34 hour restart in order to maximize their money making potential.

If you have no experience, once hired, you will be required to attend a two week orientation at Maverick's HQ in North Little Rock, AR. to learn "the Maverick way" which is one week of classroom instruction (one week job interview) then one week of securement training. After successful completion of those two weeks, you hit the road with a driver trainer...I hate that word "trainer", animals get trained, students get instructed...so you hit the road for a minimum of 21 days with your driving INSTRUCTOR . If Maverick gets your driving instructor home, he goes home, and you are set up in a hotel that is near where your instructor parks the truck for the weekend. The hotel is required to have laundry facilities (on site is preferred) and food within walking distance for the students. After the 21 days, your driving instructor will be routed back through North Little Rock to drop you off so you can evaluate out and be assigned to your own truck.

As for what part of the country you drive, that depends too. It depends on what division you are assigned ie long haul (out 2 weeks at a time) is coast to coast. US division is east coast to I35. Regional southeast and southwest, self explanatory. Even those areas are your "primary" areas. I've been way west of I-35 but never xed the Rockies.

The following is a rundown of last weeks runs for me:

monday: delivered a load of particle board that i picked up friday in bennettsville, sc to grand rapids, mi. I requested a late delivery (post 10am) so i could get a restart and some home time as i didn't get home til saturday afternoon.
tuesday: picked up 2 steel coils in portage, in and headed east
Wednesday: delivered steel coils picked up tuesday to hazleton, pa then drove to conshohocken, pa to pick up steel plates going to new boston ohio and headed back west.
Thursday: delivered steel plates and drove north to columbus, oh to pick up a steel coil to deliver monday am in madison, ms. drove home for the weekend.
finished the weekend with 2255 paid miles + $40 tarp pay ($20 for lumber tarp and 2 $10 steel tarp loads.

week before, i finished the week with 2700+ miles and $40 tarp pay so it varies. I wud say a good average for me is 2300-2700 miles but guess what....it varies.

I would suggest you give maverick recruiting a call and ask them whatever other questions you have about the company. Nothing wrong with asking questions in here but its like channel 19 on the cb. you cant believe everything you hear (or read) Some people cant stand Maverick and will bad mouth them whenever they can others i believe would bleed maroon. Once all is said and done, you are the person that will decide whether you like them or not. One word of wisdom...you want to do things your own way, buy your own truck and find your own freight. You will hear "the Maverick way" quite a bit. Maverick takes pride in its safety rating and does its best to weed out the crabgrass during the week of orientation or securement training, or 21 days with the driving instructor. If your the type to do things the way you want to do them, you wont last.

Their are some Maverick drivers who will call Maverick's safety department on you at the drop of a hat, without even getting out of their truck to help you do it "the Maverick way". What satisfaction they get out of doing that i'll never understand. i'd rather help someone do something properly to keep families safe out there, keep our customers product safe from damage thereby keeping them happy, and help my fellow Maverick driver be safe as well as successful. Good Luck with whatever you decide. Its a great company to work for and I love "the Maverick way"

 

excellent post Sarge! I appreciate you taking the time to put it all down there. Very helpful.
Thank You!

 

anytime sir. here to help

 

Good job sarge. Hell it woud take me a 34 hr restart to type it all. LOL

 

Some 379 fo the refer boys .LOL

 

Maybe buy some TMC trucks...

 

Too slow.LOL

 

They are Not buying new trucks. They took some 07's and had the roof fairing added, extended the exhaust up, and added air slide 5th wheels. I assume that even though the 07's will start exiting the fleet at the end of the year then wanted to get the division off the ground before the dove off the ledge with new equipment. Trailers are easy to move with all of the new CARB regs but the truck market still sucks and condo trucks would not function very well in the flatbed fleet. Monica said they are going to have a dedicated HAZMAT account in NLR so I volunteered to run that. Will update as info becomes available.

 

What would be considered a low mpg? I know you guys get a fuel bonus for higher mpg's but what happens if you can't pull big numbers?