Crete Carrier - A Year In Review - Fall 2013 Going Forward

If the miles don't pick up in the next 2 weeks I may turn
The truck in soon and take 2-3 weeks off

 

i thought we were trying to get the lowest miles this month,
i spent most the day grabbing fruit out of the big dumpster at Lincoln, it was still good, well some of it. Seems someone rolled a Walmart reefer.

looks like I have to spend tonight at a casino💩

 

Things have picked up since I was a daycab shmuck in CA last week .....3103 in 6 days. TURN THAT FROWN UPSIDE DOWN ! (-:

 

I did a swap out today with another driver.. I asked before accepting "is there overnight parking, I'll run out of hours by appointment" yes yes there's overnight parking they say. Load Assignment says overnight parking on road.

Get here and there is none, fire zone tow away signs everywhere, no trucks parked anywhere.. and now I'm sitting watching my hours almost be shot.
I'm not doing favors anymore, screw this garbage.

 

THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT THEY DID TO ME!!!

...Sometimes I can't sleep at night because of this machine, so I waste time thinking about strangling everyone involved in me wearing this mask...

 

I don't mean to be insulting, but I'm convinced now that OTR driving, in it's current state, is for idiots. Tired of playing games, begging and wondering when I'm being told the truth about my loads and miles. The constant breakdowns, the office BS, the "safety" measures... Anyone with half a brain and a year behind the wheel can find an LTL job that pays more than the best OTR company, I can't find a reason to stay here any longer than necessary. Coming to Crete turned out to be the biggest mistake I've made while driving.

My first regional company had them, Spent about 7 weeks with them. Camera's weren't a big deal, never heard anything from my company, fresh out of CDL school.

My friend that I went to CDL school that has been working here since we got out of school was in the middle of a 47 vehicle pile up in Wyoming last winter. He has a camera. He gets reprimanded CONSTANTLY. He has so many safety points, that they screwed him out of the 2 cent raise, and he won't be getting his 1 year raise either most likely (should be finding out any day). He won't be here much longer, not when you can make 33 CPM ANYWHERE now.

 

Grab the mirror and strangle that you see 1st.

All you had to do is refuse the test and find another carrier, if I was told when I was hired that there would be a sleep study done I would have walked as soon as I was informed, I will take care of MY health not some "company". I have not carried health insurance in years, I pay out of pocket for anything that is needed and I don't pay like most I haggle on price then pay.

My mom goes to the doctor for every sniffle/bad feeling she gets, she used to make me do this when I was kid and I hated it (doctor visit for everything and it was a shot of penicillin for most stuff). She ha s a plethora of pills she takes and she is more like a zombie. I am rarely sick, try to eat healthy and stay active. There is a pill for everything now days it's retarded and I don't subscribe to it. I take no pills am 48 years old and don't have high blood pressure / diabetes / ailments. My wife falls into the same category as myself 47 no ailments and takes no pills.

There is big money in health care, just watch TV at all our legal drug dealers peddling there wares...bandage 1 problem give you 15 others, no thanks

People need to snap out of it and say NO to all this nonsense, but that won't happen to many sheep/cattle in the world that just do what they are told.

Nothing pisses me off more than when my ex-coworkers would moan/whine/complain about whatever but when it came push to shove they buried there head in the sand and just did what most EVERYONE else did (sit quietly and eat crow). That is NOT me by a longshot, I have been at the bottom of the totem pole and everything in between including management before I came into this industry and I have many hats I can wear, I never keep all my eggs in one basket and I am always looking for something else (I don't need this industry) I am in it by choice.

Once workers band together (and I don't mean unions) things can change, but people are too afraid of losing a job, and companies know this. I used to assist our regional manager doing store closings that were being shut down to streamline the business (they would give no notice to the employees, we would receive a large envelope with the store details a few days before it was to close), I've been to corporate meetings and have seen the other side.
I always have a good idea of the big picture and know where I am on the food chain, I am vocal and outspoken in person, I don't sugar coat and when something isn't right I make sure I bring it to someones attention (workers not being treated fairly). Anyone that has worked with me in previous jobs knows how I am, I am not like most and not afraid to lose a job on what I say or bucking the system..Screw em, I know whats best for me, not some JOB

If you aren't part of the solution you are part of the problem

Always look out for number 1... no one else is

 

There is no one size fits all in ANY job. I would never work ltl, that's just MY preference..

I am all for being paid the most for the least amount of work BUT, you gotta be happy with what you are doing also, if you are miserable at your job even if it paid well do you think that's OK? I don't and I won't, I need a happy medium where I don't mind working but at a fair wage EVERYONE'S needs are different as can be dictated by where they live. I left NY and gave myself a 7% raise by not paying state tax (I live in tennessee now).
This industry is different than many others as the pay scale isn't changed by your geographical location which can have a HUGE bearing on how far that pay goes. I have lived in 4 different states NY TN MA CA and big and small cities. Cost of living is why I moved and my homestate of NY sucks IMHO, on the downside TN wages are lower than NY and the job market doesn't pay as well locally, I knew this BEFORE I moved.
My wife was working for Honeywell in NY making 15 plus an hr, similar job in our area of TN they pay sub 10 needless to say she stays home now with the dog and takes care of the house while I'm out here (she hasn't worked in over 6 years) and NO we don't take handouts from the Gov, she just has an easy boss now (ME) and is early retired, we don't need the $ and if things did happen it would be an additional check on the table if she had to return to work.

If you are OTR and are happy and getting paid a decent wage the best advice is find a low cost area to live in and make that check go farther. I like change and enjoy living in different areas (I will be moving to Nevada in the future as I just purchased land there earlier this year to build on)

Always live within your means and don't give banks/finance companies/credit card companies your hard earned cash, save and buy when you can truly afford it. It's better to OWN than OWE, I have to remind my 1 daughter when she says she owns house/cars/toys that she actually doesn't OWN any of it, the financier does unless she paid cash for it (which of course she didn't)

I don't think OTR is good for anyone living in a high cost big city where local work will easily outpay most any OTR job hour for hour if they have expenses (house/car/taxes/kids).

Finding what suits YOU is the key

 

Yes sir, numbers given was for next order of trucks, I have no doubt about cameras being in all trucks now it is just a matter of when. I watch our safety scores and they have been going up steadily recently and they are going to play damage control at the cost of the good drivers we have here.

I wish they would tighten up the hiring standards and look to get more experienced drivers the way they used to..I am sure you guys/gals that have been here for years have a feeling of being let down as I know it wasn't as easy to get hired here as it is now back then. I believe it was 2 years min exp when I was interested back in 2009 but I didn't have the experience at that time.I came here in 2010 and at that time it had dropped to 1 year min exp.
I have the utmost respect for you guys/gals that have been here a while, it is one reason I came here.

 

I love OTR driving, and the company that I am with I make enough each week that I'm happy, dispatch is only 2 guys both are really nice, and I've almost been driving 1 year, by this time next year I will have enough money saved to put a down payment on my own truck and trailer, and run myself.. No company ever again... I would never suggest someone working for a huge company, your a number and the BS you deal with is multiplied, my experience with a smaller place is much better pay, steady miles 3500+ wkly and dispatchers and office personal that know you, OTR is not for everyone, and no company is going to fit everyone the same, from my experience starting with a huge company is id never do it again. Anyone can be determined enough to actually buy your own truck and trailer not lease purchase through a company. Crete, from the sound of you guys sounds a lot like my stay with Roehl. And cameras and that sleep study test is absolutely absurd