Cheeseman Trucking, Fort Recovery, Ohio

Been offered a job with Cheesman. I was excited til I read the elog thing. What a fly in the ointment. I used to haul ltl for Jevic til they folded. I love LTL. Makes more to the job then just a straight load. It's addictive.lol Might go with Deboer or Glenmoore know.

 

hey runningman, small world, I swapped loads with you a few weeks ago in western PA. Cheeseman is indeed a great company, I've worked there for 8 months and came from a similar large flatbed carrier. the smaller company atmosphere is a big change. elogs have taken some getting used to but they're not a dealbreaker. currently waiting for a load out of Laredo, 3000 miles last week and 2200 already this week, got a nice LTL load out of Duncan that delivered all over TX.

 

I start at Cheesemans officially tomorrow. I haven't got dispatched yet as there is a couple of issues with my truck they are going to fix in the morning. Still haven't got the people net figured out completely but I'm guessing they'll let me know when I screw up lol.

 

I got an older Prostar,10 speed, no apu.

 

I'm going to request to work out of Duncan more often then, I don't seem to get those miles running out of Fort Recovery. usually 2500 a week, 3000 if I'm lucky. had a good 2 weeks staying out last weekend though, 3600 miles last week, after I got my LTL stops off in TX, everything was drop and hook from then on out.

Cheeseman pros:

well managed and profitable company: company has been in business a while, survived recessions, and things are looking up in 2011

newer, very well maintained equipment: International 9200s, Mack Visions, and International Prostars. the Macks are nice to drive but have a smaller sleeper, 9200s I could take or leave, the Prostars are real nice to drive and have a massive sleeper. the shop is top notch and has fixed everything I ever needed fixed. they even put a brand new seat in my Mack when I complained that the lumbar support didn't work. they are also taking delivery of new Stoughton vans that are very nice to pull.

hometime: my first full week on the job I was home 5 nights and spent 2 in the truck. this is rare but it happens from time to time if I'm heading back and forth from OH to New England. I live 285 miles from Fort Recovery right on I80, one of our major lanes. sometimes I have a full day off during the week, occasionally a 3 or 4 day weekend, usually around a holiday, nights at home during the week. they have gotten me home every time I requested time off and genuinely try to get their drivers home. I get 48+ hours at home every weekend, and have only been stuck out once, but I don't mind being stuck out if I didn't have plans and they give me a long load.

good, usually consistent pay: I bring home $600 on a slow week, $700-$800 on an average week, and $1000+ when I stay out. I've had a few slow weeks, but this usually meant I was home more than average. it's nice to be able to afford to take a day off here and there.

practical miles: I get paid for every mile I am dispatched on and actually drive, and have never once been bothered about out of route.

they treat me well: everyone I have come in contact with at the company has been real decent, it might take some time after you get hired before they start to recognize you, but they don't treat you like a number.

Cheeseman cons:

dispatch doesn't have great communication: it seems if you send a message to dispatch, it goes into a queue, usually I think they read it, but don't always respond. I send business related messages, like hey, I'm going to be late, or hey, I'd like to run this weekend, and never get a response. it's not like I'm telling dispatch their horoscopes or asking what they did last weekend. usually they just keep sending me loads, but I rarely get a preplan unless I ask for it. keep in mind this applies to Fort Recovery dispatch, when I'm near Duncan, SC, they tend to communicate better and be a little friendlier. I'm not saying the folks in Fort Recovery aren't friendly, I just rarely hear anything from them.

International Prostars: if you are issued one, it WILL break down, repeatedly, usually on a Friday when you are trying to get home. they have issues with their automatic transmissions and DPF (exhaust emissions) filters, mine has broken down a total of 4 times since I got it in August. dispatch and the shop will work hard to get you in a rental and get you home, but still, it's frustrating.

electronic logs: I feel they have hurt my productivity slightly, and when you've driven all day, or all week, or 14 days straight, that clock constantly ticking down can be psychological hell. the Peoplenet system is somewhat difficult to learn to use and needs a lot of fine tuning. one plus is that dispatch doesn't ask how many hours I have left to drive today, they can see it on their end.

expensive, not that great health insurance: I choose to waive health insurance and they pay me $100 a month to do it. they offer a few plans, seemed their traditional buy-up plan had extremely high deductibles.

on the whole, they are better than I expect to find anywhere else as far as getting the right mix of hometime and pay and I'd like to continue to work here for a while.