Arrow; How Can You Not Make Money There?

Hey, my hats off to you fltbdrs but I would rather eat less or jog around the truck stop.

My goal is always to make as much money as I can for the least amount of work. When I am driving 11hrs a day, the last thing I want to do is work in or around the truck. I want my hours for driving not tarping or lumping. I ran fltbd before and it meant lots of creative logging to get the job done. Now I get to the dock and in the sleeper I go. Not back to work.

And now days if you get hurt and you file a workers comp claim many companies don't want you anymore. So why risk having to put a red flag on a app?

 

doma, good that u r looking at the low end of the pay scale to start so that you will be suprised when u make more in the long run.. if more new drivers expected less they would appreciate the actual rewards that they will get in the long run. keep your good attitude up and u will reap the bigger benifits that trucking has to offer....good luck .papacrow(25yrs and still happy)

 

FWIW- I work for a 200 truck flatbed co out of Kansas that is very similar to Arrow. I usually average around 3000 miles no problem and the extras ....tarp, drop pay and bonuses put me at better than $50,000 my 1st two years. What some of these guys described is a very pessimistic view and may have been reality for them, but you have to be smarter than the job. There are things that are out of your control like waiting in line and finding a place for a 70 foot rig, but it gets a lot better with more experience. I've talked to Arrow drivers and it was as though we worked for the same company. Unless you just get a lousy dispatcher, from the way you sound, I don't think you'll have any problem with them. If you train new drivers or haul oversize by % of load, you could make more like $60,000 as a company driver. Good luck and remember to have fun. We're not children; it's up to us to entertain ourselves.

 

this guy has no clue what he is getting into

 

I like being a door pusher, thank you

 

Glad you're doing well there. Did you end up leasing?

 

This is the problem with the American workforce and why all of our jobs are being outsourced to other countries and why Mexican Laborers are down in Laredo making more money than you to tarp loads that lazy American truckers don't want to tarp.

Sorry bro, I worked doing "Drop and Get-Fat's" for three months at CRST and decided that I was not feeling healthy, looking healthy and actually developed a problem with high blood sugar. Since I have been doing flatbed, I feel better, I look better (Gotta hellacious tan tarping 3 loads in Laredo for other drivers) and my sugar is better. I am noticing that the more I handle the tarps, they lighter they are getting because I am actually using muscles that I wasted while doing "Drop and Get-Fat" trucking. Yeah, I get dirty, and I get smelly......but, as a bullhauler says when someone complains about the smell of s--t from his trailer, "SMELLS LIKE MONEY!"

Oh, don't think there isn't "Drop and Get-Fat" loads in flatbedding, only difference is with us, the trailer is not tarped or secured, so even though it's drop and hook, you still gotta do the work....some of you fatties I see in the buffet line oughta try that thing called "work" once in a while.....maybe the truckstop waitress wouldn't cringe when you try to hit on her with your 400 pound gut, toothless smile and greasy mullets.

It's alright though, if everyone was cut out for flatbed work, we'd all be driving for Swift......

One of my Instructors said something in class about flatbedding for rookies.....he said "Once you pull into a truckstop with your first big tarped load, Van Sissies will admire you, other flatbedders will respect you and Lot Lizards will charge you double because they know you make the money...." Remember that little gem.

To the guy from Arrow, good luck bro...I am with the "other" Tulsa flatbed company....to the rest of the naysayers, Have fun doing Drop and Get-fat freight, I guess someone has to be at the bottom of the food chain.

 

One way you do not make money is when your DM does not take care of you, when you are suppose to get layover pay but they do not pay you, when you have a load that is 300 to 400 miles then no loads for two to three days or longer. I could keep going on and on. My husband has not been late on any loads pick up or delivery. That is how you dont make money.