It started 12 years ago

didnt you leave out the tmc part?

 

good old MNX...Missouri Nebraska Express....or Monkey N*ts as we used to be called....LOL red freightliner cabovers...goverened at 67....thought i was too cool when i ran across Ohio wide open and all the chicken trucks followed me...then later i got one ( a chicken truck) and found out why...LOL..i was BEAR BAIT.


ran team with another woman. then we met up with another driver out in Idaho...and he ran with us...we stopped at the Boise Stage Stop...and she jumped truck and went with him.....i ran solo for a few weeks, then when i came back into the yard, they wanted to team me back up...i told them" NO...you have trusted me these last couple of weeks....no problems, loads on time etc....so either i stay solo, or i quit".,..they re road tested me, did a backing test, and cut me loose again... i was making .19 a mile....


forgot to mention that was back in 1991

 

Started out with swift, I soon learned they were the most hated company in the industry. I Was about to quite after a year, but landed a job within the auto haul division making 50 Grand a year. I then stayed for another 2 1/2 yrs.

Was given an invitation to come back wen I left.

I then worked for another auto haul company for a few years before getting fired.
I Got in to a heated argument and was fired the next day. Was going to quite any way.

Took some time out to spend some time with me new born family. Stayed afloat with savings and unemployment received from termination.

Went back to work with good old swift. I got rehired, but got jacked on a lease purchase. Worked that 6 months.
Finished off the min. lease agreement(6 months) , then gave back the truck. I got hired at the company I'm working with now, local driver, still haft to deal with big company politics.


To be truthfully honest, I'v never dealt with so much BS with any other company than that auto hual company I went with wen I guite working with Swift. They maid Swift look good.

But be careful, Like I said, wen I went back with them, I'll still got jacked by the lease opp.


I'm going to be truthfully honest with you, and lay it down as it was, when i got rehired with Swift it pretty much went down like this.

New Drivers and wanna bee's beware.

Got rehired with the lease opp. with Swift and was pretty much working for free. The only reason I stayed was,I now had a family, and really wanted to go back to work. As soon as my six months was up, I gave back the truck and quite.

Now I'm here where I'm at now. Sorry I don't say anything about my employers while I'm working with them. Even as bad as they can be. Post later.





No one wanted to hire me when I tried to come back with the exception of some OTR offers. I turned them down cause I wanted to be with my family.

It was a little difficult getting back in the industry cause I had gotten fired from last job, had a couple of no fault accidents, and a couple of tickets.

 

c'mon guys/gals...lets here your story of your first driving job...

 

how about my first real riding experience lol

 

I road with my father in law for a week or two paying around on the back roads and in the yard backing up took my cdl test in Largo Fl for 125 bucks back in 99. Then drove a box truck for Hughes Sluppy for a bit hit my 21 b day got on with my father in law doing local flat bed hauling precast to job sites. Ill never for get takeing home that baby crap green old ch mack with the super 10 home so proud I bet I stayed out there looking at that truck for hours.

I was so clueless the next day I got my first load I had never really read a map heck I dont when the last time I got outside of the county I lived in was! He said just follow me ok. well next thing I know is boom tire blows no cb or cell phone dont rember why I didnt have a phone at that time but anyway i stop he keeps going wtf?? That was a long day.I got so lost it was bad!! took me the better part of 8 hours to find my way 180 miles to the job.I learned the hard way I think.

 

back in 83 (I had stopped drinking and useing in 82) a friend of mine (also clean and sober) started to teach me how to drive we where running can's from the harbor to the railhead's back and forth in the LA CA area in a 1967 cabover freightshaker air ride nope not even an air ride seat the truck did have extra's to make up for what it did not have tho thing's like a nice loud air leak that we never did find but look on the bright side you knew if that air leak stopped your air compresser had stopped working the front hubs you wipped off in the morning and if you did not need to wipe em off you forgot to add oil yesterday it they where empty , 318 detroit 10 speed no jake breaks first hill I went down was the grapevine with load going to oakland that was slow going and no one said a darned thing about how slow I was going down the hill (was right at 80,000) . back then there where no scales in the LA area you did not wonder if the driver next to you had a cuffers lic you wondered if he had a green card.
I lloked at my own lic record and well I knew my next job would be doing the same thing with a truck in just as good of shape (or worse) and did not get back to driveing till 2001 or so .
For the greatter good the goverment bought my building that I my shop and home and rental unit in to build a bridge where that building was , Yes our wonderfull goverment saved me from a lifestyle of walking down the stairs and unlocking the door and opening up my shop and having to collect rent from the renters,,,,,
so anyways after trying my hands at a few other things I found myself back to trucking went to this company I had never heard of back in the day they had slow trucks and a fast name (swift) after 5 months with them I hated that company and ran into another driver that was also clean and sober and he told me about this company(westcoast transport) that would sell me an older truck so I started flatbed and buying my own truck a 1995 fld flattop 48 inch sleeper after the bs with swift it looked good and there is when I really started to learn about trucking ,,tthat company is closed now but James still finds me loads and still gives me advice ,,its been a good run so far with its ups and downs I just have to wonder whats next,,,

Watchman

 

I've only been driving since 2003 so compared to some of you,i'm a newby.My first start was with everybodys favorite company,WERNER.I stayed with them 3 yrs.Deffinately not a company to plan your future with but a great company to gain exp.