Where do all the drivers go?

Only a few things to add, u have to be sure this is what u want to do sure after a few years the money gets better unless your a o/o at this time.
Even though u can deal being apart can u deal with demanding schedule like a 3 am delivery so u sleep wake up put the truck in the dock go back to bed being in the navy u can sleep while the unload i would imagine.
like said before its a lifestyle and a job driving 40 tons of steel in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles rush hour. deal with other cars cutting u off always have to be paying attention much like pullin a ship into port. I was in Guam and navigating that was very tricky. putting the truck into a dock meant for 40 feet not 75 feet with 2 in of clearence on each side. just a few things we deal with daily not tryin to discourage but being honest about just a few things and dont forget dot officers looking for anything to generate revenue

 

Rod -

Lol - In my past life, I had to employ HVAC techs. And had to babysit them - not that we worried about them damaging things, but when you are a small phone company, you *panic* at the thought of an accident in your switch room. Ran into a few while working on installs, too. Anyway - I saw a lot of what they do. Not interested.

I did wash high-rise windows one summer. Had a lot of fun, but the pay was.. not enough. Might have been a company thing rather than career, but it soured me on it.

Myself, I'm not an awful photographer,though sports is rather low on my list of interests. Except for High School wrestling - but I have a vested interest in that. Older boy is on the local team. Weighs in at 189, but wrestles 215, usually.

I'm more interested in trains - particularly steam locomotives.

Way back in the dark ages of being a RM1, the ET and I used to climb the stick to "work on the radar". We'd spend the whole day up there playing chess or cribbage

Oh, and I didn't serve on floating cities - we worked for a living U.S.C.G. all the way (and almost all in Alaska, booyaw!)

Danc,

not a 'slight' fear. I HATE having anybody behind me. It's a strong enough emotion that it probably qualifies as a phobia.

Silver Eagle

The sleep issue isn't, for me. One of the many things I learned in the military was how to sleep in an instant. Get up - do something - go back to sleep. No worries!

Traffic, too, not a big deal. I've slowed down a lot in my old age, and become much more relaxed about flaming idiot drivers. Just whip out the bazooka and "poof" no problem.

Backing. Backing. I admit, angle backing is an issue at the moment. I can strightline no problem (who can't?), but angle backing. Gotta learn some time. As for the stress of tight spaces.. I can back and fill with the best of 'em. Nothing to prove to anybody - so if it takes me an hour to bump the dock, so be it.

Can't do nuffin' about DOT - but that sort of induhvidual is found everywhere.

Never been to Guam.. closest was Hawaii. Pulling back into port in Sitka or Kodiak was not without it's.. challenges. Had one officer come within 100 feet of putting the ship on a *marked* rock one night coming back into Sitka. Had some good quartermasters save the day on that one.

Served all my time either ashore or in 180ft buoy tenders. Was more fun than I can describe, really. Was very difficult decision to leave.

Smooth sailing and following seas, gentlemen!

 

So would you think someone like myself who has very few bills, not married, doesn't care about home time, likes hard work, and doesn't care about the miles as long as he gets enough to pay the bills & a little to put in savings will be just right for this industry? Don't mind the cramped space either.

Flying air cargo in small planes works the same. Long hours, crappy equipment, low pay, idiot dispatchers....lol I would go back to flying but the pay is even worse than driving (until I spend another 20,000 to get additional ratings - which WILL NOT happen!!).

 

Have you picked a trucking company yet? I'm looking forward to hear how you get treated and how you react given you have knowledge of the system I didn't and you should be able to "see it coming" and duck no matter what crap you get thrown. I hope you have a laptop to keep us updated frequently about how reality meets your expectations.

 

BRI - yeah, Looks like first company is gonna be May Trucking. Orientation starts May 27, locally. After that - 1 to 4 weeks with a trainer. 420/week while under trainer. 30cpm in my own truck. 2-3 weeks out at a time. (we'll see) Western 11, though I'll probably accept the occasional east-bound load to break the monotony. Recruiter seemed a bit overly happy to hear that I like driving in the mountains.. I wonder if their trucks are powered by VW or something She sounded as though she's having problems finding drivers for the fun drives.

One downside to May: no APUs "yet". I may go out and get a small Honda generator for when I'm parked. Not to run the A/C - though if I can, that would be good. I'd need it to run my computer setup. I'm leaning toward something like http://www.compactappliance.com/Alt...efault,pd.html?cgid=Outdoor_Living-Generators

I'll take the laptops with me too, but they can't play Eve...

Just got off the phone with Schneider - the pay is nice, but it's all route deliveries. 100% fingerprint. What they call a "utility driver". Filling in for other drivers who are not driving, for one reason or another. Monday-friday nights - on short routes, might be home in mid-week. For most guys, it'd be a dream job. But 1) I don't want to spend all my time driving in itty-bitty circles, and 2) I don't want to mess up some other driver's truck. If I'm in it for a week or two, I Will mess it up. No way is he gonna want things in the same places I do.

One thing the recruiter told me that made me back up a bit - supposedly the trailers are equiped with lift gates. I've never seen one like that. On straight trucks, yes - but never a trailer. I'm about to go off and research it - but since I'm here... any input on that likelihood?

 

here's how it worked out for me...

went to school, got hired out of school with keim. started in april, was out by september. I hired in telling them that regardless I had to go home every weekend (kids) and I would get to their yard sometime fri eve, and drive 3.5-4 more hours home because they wouldn't let me take the truck home. (which they hired me under the impression the truck went home with me.) then I would leave the house sun afternoon to have the truck rolling that evening. Apparently the owners son (who was my dispatcher) decided he didn't care for me too much, and started starving me off. They moved me to another dispatcher and he left me in ohio labor day weekend after telling me all week long I'd be home. So that was it. I wasn't making near enough at the end tho.

Sat at home for 2 months then got on with a small time company (4 trucks) in november and he canned me that august because he sent me to get a load of rr ties (brand new) and loaded in a downpour. I called him and told him I needed to chain them cause I knew the straps weren't going to hold real well and he told me not to, he didn't want the ties damaged. so I doubled up on straps and got on down the road (had to make it all the way back home from se missouri) and about 20mi down the road, I had to get on the brakes real good and the load slammed the back of the cab.
One of the other drivers was off for a surgery but could drive so we had him bring me his truck (since mine was no longer drivable being the cab was 7-8" forward of it's stock position) and haul the now damaged ties, since some of them scattered the hi-way. was delivering in tulsa and just outside of tulsa the erg in the truck i was using went out and I sat the rest of the week in a shop in tulsa. He fired me that sat. was there nov to the following august.

got on with a buddy of mine pulling mobile homes, but that turned into doing mostly pilot car driving and doing setup and teardown work on them for little pay. but it was local which i needed cause while I was otr divorce hit. that was oct to mar.

ended up leaving there cause that job wasn't paying the child support and got on with waste connections making better money (even tho most of it's going to child support) with a butt load more hours and still home every night. this is the only job that I've had in the trucking business that i've been at for more than a year.

anyhow, thats how it's worked out for me thus far. I do hope to eventually go back over the road, but not prolly till after the kids are grown and do OTR as retirement since I know I'll never be able to retire.

I figured I'd have to do more time OTR, but I think I just kinda lucked out.

 

Lift gates are getting very popular with many companies now. Which is a good thing in my opinion. Ever tried to unload a 400 lb cabinet without a dock?

Just my 2 cents. I would be very leery of May. I haven't read the reviews here. But, I've heard the drivers on the CB. And I've seen the abandoned trucks.

Take that with a grain of salt.

 

Here's some more salt---Ive heard the same thing about May! Was a good co. a couple of years ago (bought alot of new equipt) but unhappy drivers from there that i meet. Trucks now governed down too

 

I think its the change they were not prepared for. Most have very cloudy view of what trucking is really like. Many expect it to be like a road trip or vacation that they get paid for. Some actually try to run like that.

When they find out about the fact they don't pick where they go, have much time to sightsee, and are generally going to always be tethered to the truck they tend to be less happy.

Many go in truly believing they will make 60k the first year.

Many go in without realizing how much they will miss the kids, the wife, the family, the dog, the house. How much they will miss having a private bathroom, a shower every morning, reliable phone, internet, tv, and home cooked food.


Many think that one company is better then another with the slightest empty promise on an add and switch from company to company looking for the greener grass.

Most people in the CDL school I saw go through, were in when I was there, and for a bit after had a very rainbow happy cheery view of what it would be like to be a truck driver.

 

Thanks - but then again, so are Schneider's. Governed at 60 on the cruise, 63 on the pedal.

Danc694u -
Thank you, too. Re the 400 pound cabinet - yeah, been there , done that. whole truckload of 'em. Me and one other guy. 525 pounds each. Had to hump 'em up the curb, too. We wouldn't let the driver near it (if we new then what we know now, we'd not have let him near his cab.. he was a mess. Thought he was in CA - we're in CO.)

Glad to see that companies are starting to realize that not every body has a dock to play with.

As for May.. I gotta jump in the water some time. I don't expect to like my first company anyway,and I need that experience. So long as they are not complete screwups (my definition may change as I see fit), I can at least stick it for a year. After that - we'll see.

Schneider wants some documentation I don't have yet, too. I've requested it, but when the state delivers it.. I'm not holding my breath. And the more I think on it, the less I like the idea of being in somebody else's truck.

fardles, that reminds me - I need to send Roxy (up there at WS) a card or something. She had me lined up for orientation and the physical - and I just could not make it. Was late in letting her know, too. >>sigh<< maybe next time around.