Does This Sound Like a Reasonable Plan?

Have you checked into Watkins Shepard? They hire cdl graduates and send them through what they call a 10 day advanced training program instead of sending them out with a trainer.

When I talked to them last week, they told me that they compress a lot of real world driving (i.e. mountain grades, city driving, rural driving, highway driving...etc) into that 10 day training program. They put you up in a hotel near their terminal during that 10 days, and assign you a truck afterwards if you've passed the training.

 

Im a pumpkin driver myself so I can fill you in on some areas here in regards to them, although I need to head off to the truck here so its going to be fast, lol.
Schneider does not have APUS in their current fleet; but they are planning on installing them on the newer trucks. Their main problem was the PM scheduling as the APUs, they say, need PMs more often than the truck does..and since PMs arent always done on time, there is a concern for breakdowns with the units, etc.

LOTs of trucking companies don't have the APUs installed...many do, but then again, many dont. Lots of very good drivers are able to plan accordingly, park somwhere appropriate for the conditions to maximize heating / cooling and they make it work no problem. At the same time, others think that 50 is cold, and others think that 80 is too hot.

They do have webastos in their trucks...mine has never been an issue. Just preheat the sleeper as you are going down the road and when you stop, turn the webastard on and it will make you very toasty / sweating to the oldies pretty quick.

While they don't allow microwaves or fridges, they DO allow coolers...esp big coolers. Those work perfectly fine. Plus, keep in mind that the only way someone is going to see a microwave in your truck is during a PM when you are at an OC...ie...you can take it out of the truck along with your can of starter fluid...
As far as temps again...SNI does have idling requirements. The key thing is bonuses...keep your numbers below their numbers and everyone is happy. Running the truck for a few minutes here and there to cool it down overnight is not going to break the bank with idle time.

First, find out the type of runs on the dedicated account / accounts available in your area. Mine has me home nightly. Actually Im going to meet the team bringing me my freight in a short while here...around 530 am...that should get me home around 3pm this afternoon. Two days off a week. I only use the sleeper if I want to take a nap or if the roads shut down in the winter.
Other accounts however have you running all over the region. just depends on what you land for a position.

 

You won't mind the uncompensated time and labor? It will only be about 20-30hrs a week.

"Allegedly" Schneider is just like every other OTR company will expect you to lie on your logs. They won't say it of course, but you'll have many 10hr breaks were you really are working (backing to the dock getting loaded/unloaded).

It is worthwhile to know all there is to know about OTR before any investment of time and money. And even then you won't know till you actually do it. There just isn't any other way. So I humbly suggest that you be prepared to get into the industry as easily as you can get out.


BTW, Schneider's indifference about their drivers comforts is only a small part of a bigger picture of indifference.

 

SNI never expected me to lie on my logs and never had to, they have computer scanners that they put logs into and I got a couple bad logs just minor mistakes when I was with them. So trust me if you cheat on your logs they will find it and nail ya. Besides with the qualcomms they know where you are when your at the shipper and for how long. From my experiences the only people cheating on there logs are owner ops and smaller companies of say 5 to 10 trucks.

 

im going to agree with Brink on this one. Its easy to say that companies expect you to run illegal...etc. But thats like saying...companies dont expect you not to rob a bank either...all that security must be for show!!

SNI has never told me once to lie on my logbooks...not...once. Sure, there may be certain...understandings between a driver and his DBL, but that happens everywhere.

Im on a dedicated account and there have been times where the interstate has closed down and by the time I got home, my next load was only a few hours away. Id go home and sleep, come back to help the guys swap loads and trailers...and then go home to finish my ten. Technically that isn't a full ten, but Im not going to let my trailer sit unhooked and Im certainly not going to have the guys do my job for me in switching freight around. I do that on my own.

My DBL asks me when I think I will get on the road so they can let my customers know and I tell them honestly.

I've also been in situations before where I've been getting freight sent up to me and due to weather constraints, I had to wait because other drivers had to take their ten.

As far as logbooks, if you log it like you drive it, you wont get in trouble, if you are driving legally. I have SEEN the printouts from SNI when something isn't correct on them....when things dont match up.

 

With all there is to learn and know about Big truck truck driving, I think a 14 to 17 day training period for anyone fresh out of driving school is a set up for failure.

Even 8 weeks with a trainer you'll be learning important things every day. I don't suggest anyone cut their training time. You'll just be missing valuable training that could make the difference betwixt success and failure. Don't rush your training.

 

OK. Are you just trying to goad me. Anything work related activity has to be on line 4. Because the powers that be don't want exhausted lying truckers killing people on the road. I did a drop and hook today that took one and a half hrs. A real pain. So you mean if I worked for SNI I would log 1.5 on line 4. And the Schnieder guy at that grocery warehouse next to me last week having to deal with the same hassles I did (both of us two hrs) logged all that time on line 4. How bout that poor SNI guy last month at Amana that couldn't get his tandems to slide even with my help. I doubt he put all that time waiting in line, droping and hooking, messing with the tandems for 20-30mins, waiting in line again, and going the wrong way out on line 4. They might get you on location. But they expect you to shift line 4 time on line 1. That way THEY can make more money because their drivers don't honestly report the work. Is that cheating?

What does SNI want you to put on your logs for live load/unloads 15 min 30?

 

That is my point. Of course there not going to say it because of the liabilty.

"understandings" = euphemism for "expects"
"happens everywhere" = just like every other company

Of course they expect you to log like you drive it, the truck has GPS and SNI isn't some fly by night trucking company. I bet they let you get away with driving in the same city without putting it on line 3, might as well seeing how they don't pay you for it. And the readout probably only tells what city your in not the gps coordinates.

Regardless the original poster thought one of the problems with SNI might be the lack of consideration of creature comforts. More than likely he/she has NO idea how much "understanding" there is to put work time and waiting time on line 1 instead of line 4. Most intelligent people have problems with spending so much time and effort and not being compensated for it and opening themselves up to the liabilities.

What do you think SNI does to drivers that don't share their "understanding"? Guys that want to be technically legal as not to expose themselves/family to unnecessary risk.

 

Carriers provide a service.
They mainly move freight.
They mainly only get paid to move freight.
By mainly linking employees pay (cpm) to the movement of freight insures the company will not have employee/driver pay overhead without earnings/profit.
This protects their profit and keeps there workforce on the ready.
This also shields them from the countless cost contingencies and down times moving freight has.
Of course if they didn't give a little (layover pay, detention pay, breakdown pay...) on this scheme only the lowest of the worker pool would work for them, making trucking too unsafe. (nobody wants the guy unqualified to flip burgers driving a semi)

the law accommodates this scheme to a point
but to insure some safety caps total hr work time

Companies and drivers (silently) agree to break the law to maximize profits.

Of course this pay scheme wouldn't work if the employees demanded that the company place a value on the employees time. This insures that the company wont have any indifference or intent to wasting their employees time.



Time is a valuable thing.

"It is what you make of it" words of a trapped man living in "quiet desperation".

Trucking, especially with the every shorting of the hauls, is a job.
not a lifestyle and certainly not an identity. And in todays freight environment the pay is more irregular that the freight lanes.

I haven't driving for very long.
So if I'm wrong pls let me know.
Am I wrong?