Signs of a bad company.

What some ####### at DOL "classifies" us as has little tono bearing on what we do. Sorry, you're defending a pretty unsupportable position by hiding behind what some dweeb at DOL said at some time. BTW, SHIP CAPTAINS and engineers are defined in the same labor grouping, according to DOL. -So much for any bearing on reality, having worked on a ship lo these many years ago.

What *I* hammered you for was the notion that driving a semi OTR is a no-brainer, easy job. -The clear message of your post.

If you'd like to refine or retract your statement, fine by me. Everyone says things they regret.

But I'd love to take anyone who thinks what I do is a nothing, no-brainer, non-skilled job out on the road for even a day, much less a week.

And what other professions do you see routine LIFETIME or 10 year bans on participating in that profession for violations that are actually pretty easy to do. (Failure to stop at a poorly marked RR crossing while carrying HAZMAT, getting stuck on a poorly-graded RR crossing, etc. etc.)

Funny, for being in such a no-brainer, no-skills job, there sure seem to be a lot of ways to crash and burn (figuratively). And there seem to be an awful lot of requirements. (clean criminal record, clean driving record, 6 written tests, etc).

Last time I checked, picking up trash, working at McDonalds, working construction labor, etc. had no such requirements.

I said to the OP that some training, minimum a week, 2-4 being preferable right out of school was what he should be looking for. You poo-pooed this notion.

THAT is what you are getting flack over. It's not personal. I just take issue with the notion that what I do is so easy any retarded person could do it easily. Which, it seemed to me, was pretty much what you were saying.

 

Any company that is named CR England, or SWIFT!

 

Check out Watkins/Shepard...

 

Yeah I'm seriously considering going to linehaul, just tired of dealing with this bs. I had a good 4 day/wk, 12 hour/day spotter job last year but had a medical issue requiring 3 weeks off and the company told me they'd have to replace my position and put me on a regional gig when I got back, making a whopping $.35 cpm so I walked. Like going west but anymore I'm gone too long for the $ I'm making, sitting around too much, and am just tired of dealing with produce sheds and grocery warehouses. Agreed you should be making at least $200-250 a day out here and anything less is just a waste...

 

Eazy homie
#1..I never said anything on this thread l regret
#2 l said,l would never call you or anybody else a "sub-human" if they felt they needed more training
#3 l may have said something in a "condesending" tone,but thats how l spoke about that issue,..they gave you the keys,they cut you loose,MAN UP and get it done,It's not that difficult to get it there and not hit anything,You got the CDL,you dont need a trainer to train you on driving.. I think you can do it better than most right out of school,simply by the way you write about what your issues are,except for your last post,you kinda hacked that one up because you were trying to type while angry..

 

I'm not angry. I just think you relegate our profession/trade to a level it should NOT be relegated to.

I rest my case with paychecks. If any company is willing to pay a driver $60k+ per year for a job that merely requires you not be completely retarded, I have yet to find that job. -Unless you refer to driving truck. In that case I have to ask you why YOU seem to think this is a no-brainer/retard job and every company in the country INCLUDING Swift/CR England pays their better drivers up to $60k per year and many companies pay far more.

I GET why Mcdonalds pays $7.25 per hour. Explain to me why other companies pay better than TWICE that, if it's such an easy, any ####### can do it job?

 

l dont think this is a no brainer job,And you do need a level of brain activity above retardation...just not as much as you think you need..Your company must view you as an exceptionally,above average intelligent indiviual, that can get the job done,without further training.Alot of this job called "driving" is common sense,which cannot be taught..I suspect that you may be over thinking some aspects that you'll figure out on your own and you can look back one day when you get your 4,5 or 6 years in and say to yourself,"well that wasn't to bad to learn on the fly"..

 

Went to Watkins Shepard right out after getting CDL, went through 10 days orientation, got thrown the keys to a truck and said to not kill anyone.... That was my husband..... I went to another company, spent 2 months with a trainer who, by the way, ended up training my husband via phone conversations thru me. My company was the worst, but at least when I left them I felt confident in all aspects of driving.

 

Hmmm, sounds like CR England!

 

Watkins Shepard did 10 days orientation only.... then you were on your own