Rookie reaching out for help and wisdom...

In my humble opinion, you haven't failed to perform at all.

Remember something very important... you are at the mercy of the shipper, receiver and the environment. No-one sits in your seat, no-one sees or deals with your every day. All they do is see the end result.

I've had a similar 'run in' with a former dispatcher of mine. I was, like yourself, accused of 'mismanaging my time'. I simply stopped his conversation with a simple statement... "I'll stay out of your office so long as you stay out of my truck,... you have no clue what goes on out here so learn how to do your job and stop trying to do mine".

I now have a very good dispatcher that knows that I work in a completely different driving environment than anything he's ever seen (a lot of NYC and Northeast driving)... if I'm late, he knows it's traffic and I've notified him of that in advance.

Do the same. If you think you're going to be late, call collect... eventually, they will stop wanting to pay the bill for the information you're providing and let you drive the truck... safely, I might add.

Keep your head up... it's not you, it's the idiot you work for.

'Bigfoot'
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cmc308, been there done that. My advice is not different than others on here, "GIVE IT TIME", once you learn the routes, and the places you delivered in the past, it will all come into place. I went through the same thing you just mention soon as I got my Class 1(Class A) back in "79". The owner operator I drove for at the time told me not to worry about it that I was doing fine BUT it was his BROKER that was pushing me cause I only dealt with him. After I learned the route and stores, it was a piece of cake. "Give it a little time", You already said your making money, so THEY are to.

 

Another word of advice, Carry food with you always, like snacks without sugar, more like protien(almonds, pecans) and plenty of water. If you dont eat right, you will get Diabetes among other health problems. I posted a thread on here last week what my glucose, cholestrol, etc levels were. And it was due to NOT eating properly cause I was always in a hurry for deliveries and my next pick up. Long story short.......Eat whenever you can. Stay away from sugar, salt, red meat.

 

I just thought of something that may help you out... the DOT says that any average speed over 52 mph is speeding... if you look at your dispatch and it says you need to be somewhere in a time that exceeds 50/hour... refuse the dispatch right then and there. Also, don't take dispatches ahead of getting offloaded. If you're still loaded, you're still on that dispatch and can't be 'sent out' on another load until you are cleared from the one you're on.
I tell my dispatcher that going 294 miles in 6 hours is possible under normal circumstances and in most cases I can be on time for that but understand this too... I don't pee in the truck, fuel doesn't appear in my fuel tank and I do have a right to eat at some point along the way or stop to stretch my legs on a long drive... I will and safety requires that I do.
Nuff said.
I write 'personal, driver fatigue break'... the DOT can't hit me for fatigue if I took a break and logged it. You do the same.

I worked for a lawyer once and was a 'Rescue Ranger' for years... the law stipulates that, "if you don't write it, you didn't do it"... so write it down when you take a personal driver fatigue break. The DOT will back you up on that as will any courtroom in the country.​

Just saying... make them adhere to the regulations just as they are written... they will eventually realize you have them dead to rights and within the jurisdiction of law.

'Bigfoot'
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You can only do what you can do man. Do it in a safe and timely as possible manor. What happens, happens! Just sounds as if you have had a little bad string of delays. Don't do anything illegal or unsafe to try and correct the problem at hand. Best you can do is keep your dispatcher updated constantly and let them know the situation at hand. Make sure to keep up your end of the deal though. Keep your logs tight, always be aware of your hours and what is available to you. Be sure to do your trip plan as soon as you have received your load instructions and upon completion of your plan let your dispatcher know exactly what is going on and what your eta is. Always let them know your hours and availability. Like I said above, always, always keep them informed as to what is going on. Even if there is not a problem, for now just keep them constantly informed what is going on. Try to speak directly to them but also always back up the conversation over the qualcomm/satellite. This is to cover your own butt.

Your still fresh meat man! Sounds as if you aren't doing too bad, just keep up the good work and do what you can do! Never, ever, ever, ever, ever do anything illegal or let someone talk you into doing something illegal or push your safety! Its always better to be late then to not get there at all! Keep in mind, your license is your "bread and butter". DO NOT do anything to risk it and DO NOT let anyone compromise your "bread and butter"! Plain and simple, tell them NO! Call safety if you have issues or if someone is wanting you to push it. Even if they fire you, you still have a clean license and can go anywhere you want to drive.

Hang in there man, keep up the good work...

 

i say give it some time, at least 6 months, you may even find you become more efficent with time. you may learn some tricks or build some relationships with some of the normal shippers/receivers to help you get unloaded quicker. plan out your fuel stops. try to fuel as your returning to the yard at the end of the day. if your slip seating fuel the truck at the start of the day. you will learn who shuts down at certain times and if you are dispatched to one of these locations you can tell them where you are and that there is too much travel time to make it to xyz location before they close. you may also learn some alternative routes with less traffic ect.

if you give it at least 6 months it will open up more opportunity's to other company's . the time will go fast

 

You were given some very sound advice, the most valuable being DO NOT, under any circumstances, allow them to push you to the point where you're rushing, or compromising safety. Now, although some disagree with me and defend getting "creative" with your logging and HOS, this is not the way to approach it. Trucking is changing and this is one of the exact behaviors the industry and feds are weeding out and doing away with. It's a bad habit to start as a new driver and bad habits usually become worse with time. You've made some very telling comments, such as:

"I am driving as hard as I can to make my pick ups."

There you have it. Trying to do more is a recipe for disaster.

"I am trying to drive as safely as I can."

This goes with the aforementioned comment. Do not let them push you.

"There are just, so many hours that I am able to operate before I fall over from exhaustion trying to drive."

Sounds like you're being taxed -and- pushed ... not good. A tired driver is a dangerous driver.

"I am finding myself unable to stop to eat or use the restroom."

When your health is affected by your job, supervisors, fleet manager, whatever,. a change needs made NOW. Not later. This is where I may disagree with some who say "hang in there." MAYBE you should hang in there. If your health is being affected, change it. Now. NO job is worth deteriorating health, none. Do whatever you need to do but make certain you have time for the bathroom and time to eat. Period. No one else controls this but you.

"I really want to improve, however, if this current environment is not conducive of allowing me to operate safely, then, I feel that I have another decision to make."

NOW you're using your intellect. Sounds like your decision has been made. A change is in order, if you can't change the way things are, make that decision for yourself, your health and your family.

"I have since started a little research on the company and discovered that they have a reputation for operating under "fatigue" as stated by the FMCSA."

A "reputation" of what you indicate is sign of a company that doesn't give a #### about your well being or safety. Heck, being viewed in a "negative" light from a company that regularly compromises safety can be a positive thing in itself when searching for or taking another job.

I could side with some of the other drivers who told you to hang in there IF (and this is a giant "if") it appeared as you were overwhelmed and frustrated as a newbie but you've indicated several other factors that can't be ignored, such as your health being affected, questioning your own safety under this duress, and more. While things MAY improve, they may not. Although I am the eternal optimist I prefer to err on the side of caution ... always. Best-case scenario ... things improve and you find a new groove. Worst-case scenario ... you already have the answer. What you do is up to you. Good luck man, I feel for ya'!

 

It really sounds like this company couldn't care less about its drivers. Sounds like the only thing that they're worried about is the almighty dollar, don't count on them being too patient.

Your determination is admirable, but at what cost? If you're running that tired, it could cost you your life, or you could be responsible for taking someone's life. Could you really live with yourself if you killed someone because you were driving fatigued just so you could make a few bucks? I couldn't, not to mention the legal repercussions you could face.

You can't possibly be expected to accept a new dispatch while under a load...too many variables to be able to provide even a ballpark ETA, you should refuse the second dispatch for this reason. If I were you, I'd insist on communicating with your dispatcher via text message so you have a record of all communication.

I can totally understand your pride being a little hurt, but don't let that get in the way of common sense. You seem to have a great attitude, you should do fine in trucking. Don't let a bad company ruin your career by pressuring you into doing something unsafe or illegal.


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