Dedicated Routes

What don't you like about ABF ?

 

dedicated aint for everybody. it can get boring. but for some out there, myself included, i LOVE boring. not having to find different shippers/rcvrs @ 3 in the morning. not having to figure out if i have enough hours to make it somewhere, not having to figure out where i'm gonna park for my break, etc... for me, i get in my truck @ 1300, go load sand drive 4.75 hours drop the loaded hook an empty and drive 4 hours back. shut the truck off and go home. repeat the next day. my only knock is sand isn't really consistent enough right now. work 3 one week 7 the next but i'll take it.

 

I like your schedule. I run local currently, and mine is like this most days:

Head to drop lot and get tractor.
Bobtail 2 miles to plant.
Hook first load and run about 2 to 2.5 hours to customer.
Drop & hook (depending on customer a double drop & hook)
Run 2 to 2.5 hours back to plant.
Drop & hook to second run.
Run 2 to 2.5 hours to customer.
Drop & hook (double depending on customer)
Run 2 to 2.5 hours back to plant.
Drop trailer and paperwork.
Bobtail 2 miles back to drop lot.

I'm seriously getting burned out, and moreso, stressed out, by bumping up against the 14 hour clock on e-logs in a daycab. Looking to switch back to regional. Much less stress than my current local gig.

 

lol, trust me it aint all wine and roses, dispatch has a way to screw things up quite often, like having to take red tags back to the main yard, an 11 hour day can quickly turn into a 15 hour day. as for elogs, i run those as well, but, kinda a grey area here, i run Texas Oil Field HOS. 12 hours driving, 15 hour work day, 8 hour reset. on a good week it's 7 days straight before i have to take a 24 reset. is what it is, at times i want to tell them to shove it, but then my wife reminds me a, pay is really good, b, i'm home everyday.

 

Trust me i understand your frustaions with ABF. Like i siad I run linehaul wth ABF too, but leaving for Schneider would be a horrible decision my friend. If you do leave, make sure you're taking steps forward, not back.I'm getting to leave myself, but I'm going owner operator. I'm putting $7000 down on a 2010 Cascadia and leasing on with a company that is paying $2 to $3 a mile. With my small truck payment, I'll be making two to three times more than i did ABF. But I didn't make this decision over night. I've been planning this move for a couple years now.
I'm not encouraging you to not leave, just take your time and find the right deal.

Good luck you...

 

Nah I wouldn't do that. Union LTL ain't all it's cracked up to be for a lot of guys (me included) but you'd be hating that Schneider job in no time. No possible way they are going to pay anything decent enough to put up with that job.

 

Stay where you are for now. You're young, so will probably get the urge to wander soon. If you leave ABF, look at A&R Logistics website. They have a terminal in Ft. Worth.
ABF is really good if you want some order to your life and have a family to support. Many young drivers aren't ready for that routine right out of the gate. I was never ready for it and the only good fit for me was OTR, especially tanker OTR.

 

Can I get some details on a good company with dedicated routes and trucks with no governors?

 

American Furniture Warehouse - dedicated drop & hook routes and ungoverned trucks.