I Start With Averitt in January 2012

Yeah that's been there a few months now. No idea what happened either, but they don't seem to be in any hurry to put it back into service.

Also, I'm sorry to hear about your loss (from your standpoint) of the Mercedes account, but from the perspective of a TX based driver, I'm somewhat glad to see them go, since they don't pay detention.

I got saddled with a local delivery on a Mercedes load in Laredo a while back and spent 8 hours at a broker for a whopping $30. Not the best day, needless to say.

So much like with Petco ($25 to pallet jack the whole trailer) and various other accounts that we won during harder economic times (Bridgestone, etc.) there are good and bad aspects to consider depending on which end of the runs you find yourself on.

I'm certainly not flaming you, as overall I love driving for Averitt. As the saying goes, "I'm just sayin' "

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For starters, the biggest selling point with Averitt (or any other regional driving job) is the home time. I started with Stevens, and the LEAST amount of time I was out was 6 weeks. Averitt is a different story. Only in exceptionally bad circumstances -- which I've only heard about, and not experienced personally -- will you be out more that a week against your will, at least as a regional (OTR) driver.

As far as miles go, I was promised 2100 a week, and I've averaged right around that more or less. You have to realize that most if not all companies slow down from Thanksgiving to to early February, and your miles may well drop drastically. I averaged about 1400 a week during that period. During the summer months it's been around 2300-2500 a week give or take.

But it also depends on where you're based. Personally, I'm out of San Antonio, which means I often start my week with a Laredo delivery. So aside from the major headache of often being in Laredo on a Monday or Friday, also means that getting out of there can be a pain which often hurts my overall miles for the week as well.

Overall, with a contribution of 3% pre-tax to my retirement, I AVERAGE about $650 a week after taxes. If you save during the summer months so you can survive the leaner winter months, you should be fine working for Averitt. It just depends on where your priorities lie -- hometime vs. miles.

 

Another quick question if I may. I've read that drivers are not allowed to alter the trucks. I've never driven a truck with an APU. Do these provide power (110v) as well as climate control or are they AC/Heat only?

 

I've been with Averitt over three years. They have been good in most aspects. But I am getting somewhat burned out on the LTL loads. I don't mind doing the 400 mile all nighters but the 500 and especially the 600+ ones kick my ***. And it's not so easy to just switch between driving during the day and then switching to night. Not to mention they don't give you the full 14 hours to get there. For example, if you go to the Milwaukee area you're most likely going to be waiting there all day and pick up that night going to either Memphis (630 miles) or Knoxville (640 miles) away. They usually have the load ready by 10pm and it has to be at the other yard by 9am. If they gave you the full 14 you could take a nap in between. But no, they expect 30 minutes to an hour at most of break time.
However, other than the stressful times we run, the miles are usually pretty good and the fleet managers are pretty good about adding detention and stuff like that.

 

The trucks have an inverter you can plug into.

 

Thanks for the info Stylico! From your other post it also seems that Averitt (and I guess any company) still run in ways I really disagree with. I'm a light weight and bailed after only 6 months. The main reason was I was out for 3 1/2 months before I got home the 1st time, but the schedule ws another main contributing factor.

The company I was with also did the "gotta hit the road this very second and there is no time to stop to wizz, eat or nap". Also with the sleep schedule flipping around like a worm on fire. I can still remember feeling like crap after driving 8-9 hours straight wishing to God I could just take a power nap then finish the trip. I really think the 11/14 rule needs to be changed. More sleeper berth flexibility is a must.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a total sissy, I drove 11 hours straight many times with no problem, but it sure would be nice to have the option to pull over on those days that you're starting to feel you're endangering lives.

 

When I started in '07 Petco loads automatically added $50 regardless if you were asked to assist or not. The same was true for Electrolux: rarely got back in the trailer but collected the cash. Times have obviously changed with competition for contracts.

As far as Mercedes, I went to individual parts manufacturers with a specific loading window. My phone would start ringing if I was held a minute beyond the allotted time and occasionally had been ordered to leave without freight and go to next stop. Customer would then be charged for expedited shipment for somebody else to cover.

 

There are a number of companies that don't even let you drive at night. I mean there may be some night driving but all through the night is virtually non-existant. The previous company I was with was like this. Albeit the miles were significantly less than what I get with averitt on average. I was under the assumption the LTL was pretty much the only ones that made you drive like that.By the way, I noticed people were complaining about petco loads. I actually enjoy doing those because it gives me a chance to get off my ### lol. Yeah, you have to push around two thousand pounds of dog food on pallets. I enjoy it lol. If it was all like petco with no all nighters I would probably love my job lol. I guess everybody's cup of tea is different.

 

Oddly enough, I actually prefer to drive at night. I've always been a "night person". My dream gig would to be to drive at night on a fixed schedule and fixed route. Might as well add Drop-n-Hook only while I'm dreaming.

Still, even in the real World, it seems there would be some way to have a somewhat consistent schedule. I know you have to chase the freight, but there must be some way to lessen the chaotic sleep schedule.