1 year in, ready for a change. What are your suggestions?

Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by Prostar_Central, Jan 8, 2014.

  1. Trukfit813

    Trukfit813 Light Load Member

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    Jan 1, 2014
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    Lol man thats so true, couldn't have been said any better
     
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  3. daddyhusky

    daddyhusky Light Load Member

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    Jan 23, 2009
    Atlanta, GA
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    I'm at a year with Swift, about a year and a half total, thinking the same thing, and having the same doubts. My experience with Swift has been decent and I like dry vans. My issues are no big deal; they are the same issues in every company, and DM's have been good. With a clean record, quarterly bonuses make the pay less of an issue. I'm also considering being a trainer when I feel I've got enough experience. I don't like job hopping, but there are companies that pay 2-4 cents more with comparable benefits and some have out 6 days home 1-2. I did Walmart dedicated (all reefer) for a few weeks to help out during the holidays, and even though I got home home most nights, the money was terrible and I did way too much work for free. I was relieved to get back on the road. I'm on the fence.
     
  4. Trukfit813

    Trukfit813 Light Load Member

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    Jan 1, 2014
    Florida
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    Wow, I just left swift in nov. I actually ended up running on the walmart acct. Outta winterhaven for about 6 or 7 mths. But then it got old an I just got tired of swift all the way threw. I stayed with swift about a year and a half, but now I'm going owner op with sunco carriers probably running the southeast that local crap got boring real quick
     
  5. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    Henderson, NV & Orient
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    There's a local job, home every day paying $52K per year with Cardinal Logistics.
    The website is driveforcardinal then click on "view current openings". When the map shows, click on Washington.
     
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  6. Tonythetruckerdude

    Tonythetruckerdude Crusty Deer Slayer

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    hunting...../ retired
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    UH....NO.....I don't know where you get your info , but you are way , way off base. Granted some local jobs are labor intensive....fast food , beverage companies ( Coke /Pepsi/Beer companies) , but most of them average way over the 500 t0 600 dollar a week mark. LTL drivers lots of them non-union make up-wards of 1,000 a week , some even more. I worked for a fast food company for over 30 years and when I retired in 2011 , I was making well over 70,000 a year , running 3 routes a week...now if you do the math that comes out to......1,346.15 a week , if you count in the fact that after my seniority kicked in....I had 5 weeks of vacation , 6 personal days , and earned 1/2 a day a month in sick pay that comes to another 6 days , if they weren't used by the end of the year.....lets see now , were are at......45 weeks of actual time spent working.....70,000 divided by 45 instead of 52 comes to.....1,555.55. Before you start slamming a particular segment of trucking , you need to know something about it....just saying....local vs OTR......................... lots of things to compare....
     
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  7. Y2K

    Y2K Road Train Member

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    Yacolt,WA
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    Spokane,are there any chip haulers up there?
    I like my job,pay is not the greatest but I should make $50K this year and I'm home every night plus have weekends off.
    Just a thought,lots of timber related jobs here in the PAC NW.
     
  8. Menehune

    Menehune Light Load Member

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    Check into the LTL companies in the Spokane area, such as YRC, Reddaway, etc. If you dont like 12 - 14 stops delivery, then another 10-12 pick ups using a 45,48,53,28 foot trailer and sigle screw tractor then dont try local LTL. Oh, yes with local LTL expect your days to be anywhere from 8 to 14 hours per day, usually 5 days a week. Now if you want the LTL gravy train, try line haul. Here you run mostly doubles, or tripples, and go terminal to terminal. Just a thought. Forgot, local LTL is home every night, line haul is usually home every day, although some runs may have you out overnight.
     
    Last edited: Jan 9, 2014
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  9. Professional-Trucker

    Professional-Trucker Heavy Load Member

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    California
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    PHP:
    Same ol story. I've heard this one too. I "used" to make this much doing that much....but I'm still otr.

    No one is making $1000 per week. I guarentee it. You might hit that a couple times out of each year but not always. Oh, and somebody mentioned cardinal logistics on here. Well....lol..good luck with that. As a temp agency driver I drove for cardinal for a few months. Horrible. The pay IS there. I was at about $700 a week average. Their main account is autozone. About 90% of their business. 5-6 stores a night. Pulling a 53, with a sleeper cab, delivering inside shopping centers with no loading dock, using a lift gate and s run down beat up electric jack that looses its charge in the middle of your route. Trucks are old internationals with 500, 000k miles on em. Good luck!
     
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  10. Tonythetruckerdude

    Tonythetruckerdude Crusty Deer Slayer

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    hunting...../ retired
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    How so...same ole story I mean...I did OTR for about 3 years , then my kids started comimg along...I chose to try and be home more to be with them and my wife and find local work , and was lucky enough to land a job driving for a great company ( Golden State Foods) for the next 33 years , retiring in 2011...believe what you want sir...got nothing to proove to anyone , just making an observation , and giving my experinces in the local/ food service area of the trucking industry , but with less than 10 years experience you've already decided you know more than someone whose spent their entire adult life in the industry......carry on pal.......
     
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  11. Professional-Trucker

    Professional-Trucker Heavy Load Member

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    Oct 31, 2011
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    I'm gonna give you this one because I also know about Gsf. Good company. Again, NOT the norm in the industry. You scored a good job. Just like ups and coca cola. Very very very few good trucking companies out there.
     
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