Werner long story but all true

Sorry to hear about all your troubles Mike. Bummer start to a new career ! Unfortunatley trucking IS a dirty business but if you wrangle it right you can make a good living at it. ALL trucking companies in the U.S. and Europe are the same in this regard. The only difference between them is what YOU are willing to put up with ! One hint though, when you start with a new company you always start at the bottom, including equipment. This is one way companies have of "weeding out" the "whiners vs drivers" at the very beginning, BEFORE a serious financial investment ( your school loan) is paid. I am not saying you are whining, I am simply letting you know that most of us ( experienced drivers) started off driving rock bottom , piss poor, shoddy equipment until they realized we were "tougher" than the rest !! Variations of your story have happened to all of us, some far better and some far worse ! It is the nature of the proffession, sadly. I wish you much luck in your future and hope you continue to drive.
P.S. My first truck was an old long nosed Freightliner, missing 3 gears !! I could never bob-tail because I darn sure couldn't guarantee that the B* would stop !! It got used to me and I got used to it and when they finally decided enough was enough I was suprisingly sad to see it go !!

Storm

 

Don't Laugh! This guy may be in front of you at the fuel desk cutting nuclears...

 

did I call it or what?

'cept it doesn't look like he's pickin' his navel.


............. Jim

 

OMG ( running for a place to become ill ) TOO funny

 

That guy still looks better than someone I had to run two trips cross country with last year. Try teaming with jumbo in a 386 Pete and see how cramped it is.

 

At the risk of being somewhat rude and maybe even cruel : H*** NO !!!! My Pete only had room for me and my small furry friend ! And even that was pushing it sometimes ! It was worth it though for the "pride of the ride !

Be Sweet

Storm

 

What rock have you been hiding under? Trucking is a natural occupation for these 'guys'. Let's just say that former NJ governor Frank McGreevey used to meet up with same at local rest areas and truck stops when he lived in the governor's mansion in Trenton. 'Diversity Sucks' LOL!!!

What the op states is nothing new, just SOP across much of the 'industry'. Certain 'people' thrive in this often completely dysfunctional environment as many of the 'uninitiated' quickly find out.

 

I haven't been hiding under any rock....... sometimes when I read something it strikes me odd is all.

I've seen my fair share of crap like the OP stated.

 

I thought it odd as well. But then again, why do some have to sniff their food like a dog before they eat. Or even stranger, unbuckle their pants when they sit down at the dinner table. Odd, but the strange rule now a days it seems.

No worry, I found my rock!

 

....when you join the U.S. Military, you sign a contract that states your PAY for your service. When you join the "Trucking Industry", you sign a contract that may say a whole lot of stuff, but the main thing you need to know is CENTS PER MILE. If some "recruiter" told you you would make $45K your first year in the business, your first question should have been - HOW MUCH WILL I BE PAID PER MILE? Your second question should have been HOW MANY MILES CAN I LEGALLY RUN IN A WEEK?

I'm no "million miler/been in the business since before God" driver, but even in Driver School I was able to use a calculator. If you can only legally drive about 600 miles a day (roughly) and you only get paid something criminal like .23 per mile, then you can only make $138 per day on your BEST DAY. And trust me, in trucking, FEW DAYS are your best day. It's usually a lot of sitting at a shipper, sitting at a receiver, or sitting waiting for a load.

So, to me, the only way a "newbie" can make it in this industry is to tough it out and go flatbed. You start at .38 per mile and it goes up from there. Made roughly 40K first year in the business the hard way. Working like a dog for it. Anything less than that per mile is CRIMINAL and you simply CANNOT expect to earn a decent living any other way as a "newbie". Sucks bit true.