Stay local or regional?

It's already been said but the bottom line is that you need to leave your current company now (period) before something bad happens to you!

Second, try to find a better local job. Search on craigslist, classifieds, etc. You might even consider getting out of trucking for awhile if something else is available. You might even consider two part time jobs. I agree that being home with the wife and kids is the best thing if you can make it work but YOU have to be willing to do whatever it takes.

The worst case scenario is that you have to go Regional for a few months. I truly believe that there are good jobs out there as long as you have a clean history. Just think long term - does that Regional carrier have local positions that might be available later on or is there opportunity to move up into the office.

Don't focus on just whats happening right now but consider the long term. Where do you want to be in a few years? Best of luck to you!

 

Problems with the truck is easy to get fixed, When you see a trooper stopped, pull up behind them, explain your driving for a company putting yourself and the public at risk, and they refuse to repair the tractors or trailers. You will find he will be more than happy to inspect your rig, probably going to put it out of service till its fixed, and make sure your pretrip is filled out first completely detailing the problems. This would be a good parting act, as you will probably need to have another job lined up. And by the way if they were to fire you after this you would have a great lawsuit ......

 

When you run the next red light and kill someone your explanation is what?????

 

If jobs are not that plentiful or your having trouble finding one then you may have to go with the Regional deal for a short while. It appears that you are running out of options...

 

The major issue with Regional is time. Unless you get a job with a private carrier where your trips are REALLY structured. This is how Regional works: You deliver in the AM; WITHOUT FAIL! You call them when you are completely done. They will not commit to a load until that time. They may get you a load by say 2 PM. 150 miles away. So you bust ### to P/U. You get there and wait a couple of hours to get loaded. So by now it's 6 to 8 PM. Your destination is only 475 mile away. You must be there first thing in the morning! So you get 2 or 3 hours sleep; Maybe. If you don't they will let you sit and wait letting you think they are looking for freight. NOT! They will let you sit and let you wonder. Oh yeah. They will give you that old "Call me in an hour". How long can you keep that up? Yeah Regional is a great deal if you don't require sleep. Are they ALL like this? Of course not. My best advise is to talk to drivers of a prospective company. All that you can. In person if possible. Put a CB in your car and hang around their yard. Whatever. Hope this helps.