Maverick Driver general bs thread

A little something that I have noticed about home time...may or may not be helpful to the discussion, but I thought I'd share it.

Going home every weekend for 34 hours...steady check every week, not much time to do anything while home though.

Going home every 2 weeks for 2 days... usually steady check every week, still not much time to do anything at home.

3 weeks for 3 days...this is one of the "sweet spots" (IMO)...still a pretty steady check, but it gives enough time to actually relax and "be home".

4 weeks for 4 days...this sux...it means you'll have 2 short mile paydays in a one month period, or if you go home during the week you simply won't have a check for that week and you're "in the hole" for the cost of your insurance and stuff...thats not good...this just doesn't work.

5 weeks for 5 days...better than above, but only because it only happens every other month...still not a very good schedule.

6 weeks for 6 days...this actually works pretty good, but only if you plan for that week without pay...6 weeks is enough time to get ahead on everything and be able to absorb a week without pay and the following week of catching back up on your insurance premiums...I like the "6 for 6" deal myself.

7 for 7...about the same as above.

8 for 8...it starts all over again (the same as 4 for 4), here is where you start getting 2 short mile checks in one month...plus having to catch up on insurance.

Its never a good idea to take off more than 7 days...but I have done it quite a bit...generally taking about 10 days every 3 months.

This year I'm not gonna stay out more than 2 months at a time if I can help it (preferably 6 weeks) ...and I'm not gonna take more than 5 days off at once, probably more like 4 days...maybe that will get me over that $60k mark.

 

FREE GOOD QUALITY INSTRUCTOR SHIRTS!!! Might sound a bit cheesy but I like to teach people to do what I know how to do and see them become successful at what they are doing. Have done it with every job I've had, moving furniture, waiting tables, deputy sheriffing, and now driving trucks. Like in the cartoons when the lightbulb goes on above the characters head, in real life you can usually see it in a new drivers eyes, face, and body language that they "got it". 2 of my former students are now driving instructors and it makes me feel good they did good enough after getting out of my trainer truck to be asked to become trainers. The trainers that get into it for the money usually don't last at Maverick. Every student is asked during the Eval out process to evaluate their driver trainer, Maverick takes those very seriously and if a trainer is not doing his job, its not too hard to spot

 

If that's true, then where's my cut sir? lol

 

On the financial side of it, once a student gets his/her own truck, the instructor gets a quarterly check, student bonus, 1 cent per mile that their student drives up to their year anniversary, the date they resign or the date they are terminated. Also because the instructor is expected to teach while securing, tarping something the instructor could do on his own in less time, takes longer so they are paid 6 cents extra per mile when they have a student in the truck. So its to an instructors benefit, with previously stated, teach their students to be successful on their own so they wont just get frustrated once out on their own and quit

 

fridge has to fit in the truck through the door as with any other items you're asking about, TVs: I've seen some pretty big flat screens on the passenger side bunk wall, microwaves allowed, coolers allowed, GPS units allowed, Inverters and APUs come standard with all Cascadias since 2010

 

yah further on down the thread, I saw he said he was long haul and advised him as others did too, get his FM involved.

 

Something nobody ever mentions...and it is by far the best money I ever spent on something to go in a truck...and yes, Maverick allows it.

A good mattress...mine is an 8" thick memory foam mattress...best $160 I ever spent! Beats the hell out of the "standard" mattresses that come in the trucks.

A good comfortable nights sleep is one of those things you just can't live without...

EDITED TO ADD:
In case this gets anybody to checking into a mattress for their truck, the proper size to fit the bunks is "twin XL"....available most anywhere that sells mattresses.

A plain "twin" is both narrower and shorter...it would probably work for a short person, but if you're 6' or taller...don't do it.

 

you know it!!!

 

First off, I want to thank all of you for your help . Here's the Twilight Zone part. I'm sitting in Laredo,TX on Friday thinking about everything you guys have said. I'm planning out how I can tactfully discuss this with my FM when..she contacts me. mentions that she's noticed I haven't been home in over a month so she put in a request for me (so it doesn't count against my own "once per 1/4" tally) to go home empty this Thursday thru Monday.

She also says she will keep a better eye on getting me home (as loads allow) for more than what really amounts to 1 day off for 3 weeks out, as that isn't "quality time off" ( her words), nor would she find it acceptable if she were the driver and she wants me to be "happy". I are happy.

 

last qtr of 2011 and 1st qtr of 2012 I was plagued with murphy's law weeks and finally sent a message to my FM simply asking what was the weekly average paid miles for drivers in the flatbed division. If I remember correctly I counted back 3 months, and left out the weeks of tgiving, Christmas and new years and that gave me 12 weeks of info. She told me the average for the flatbed division and I was waaay below it. I told her what I had found and she was shocked and told me since I normally don't say anything, no news was good news but she would keep a better eye on me. she also said letting her know was not complaining but just keeping her informed because as she said, I was not one of the drivers that required a bit more supervision shall we say so to let her know if my miles started dropping again or I was assigned more than 2 short hauls in a row. it hasn't happened since.