need

I think he said he had one good week.

 

With OTR you could have 1 real good week and the next 2 lousy miles.OTR is everything but consistant.

 

Ahh, one good week. I think he needs to find another company and that will solve his problem.

 

Try Schneider,they're suppose to be good.They have a tankers division.But you'll need a tankers endorsement which is one of the easiest test to pass.They also have many dedicated accounts.

 

There ya go,give Schneider a call Monday morning.You mention seniority,in this industry there's no such thing when it comes to loads.Problem with companies is they don't start looking for loads till your empty.

 

That might be the problem. By not complaining and taking the crappy runs, dispatch has learned you'll take the loads others don't want. It's time to retrain your dispatcher.

You have to let your dispatch know that your not getting the miles you need. Once or twice a week, let your dispatcher know how your miles are so far, "hey, it's Wednesday and I'm only at 1200 miles." I'm not saying to piss and moan about every crappy load but after a couple short loads, start asking, that's all just ask, if they got anything with longer miles? If you are stuck with a short load, do everything to get that load delivered as fast as possible. Show up early for your appointment, some places will be happy to unload/load you (but be ready to sit if they won't. That's the risk). Does your company pre-assign your next load before you're empty? If so, be all over your dispatcher asking what your next load is. Again, if that load is short on miles or has pick up time that will delay you, ask if there is something longer, has a sooner pick up, or if you can pick up early.

Let your dispatcher know when you expect to be empty. Rules of thumb for unload times, for drop n hooks, 30 minutes, live unload 1.5 to 2 hrs, driver unloads 3 hrs. So if you have a 10am appt for a live unload, your eta would be 1130 or 1200.

Know what your company's incidentals pay, things like detention, mechanical breakdown, short haul, etc and make sure you do what you have to do to get paid for them.

Even though you're a company driver, you have to think like an owner/operator, it is up to you to keep the wheels rolling. You are just one of a number of other drivers on your dispatcher's board and your miles are not a priority to them.