CTL Transportation new hire experience 2016

Hey guys, I'm back. Just had my 6 month anniversary with CTL earlier this month. I would like to give a evaluation of the company now that I got my feet wet. I'll list some personal pros and cons.

Pros:
- Pay for INEXPERIENCED DRIVERS: OTR 45cpm starting, 48cpm after 6 months, and 51cpm after 1 yr for all miles loaded or empty. They bumped up the pay for 6 month and 1 yr a few weeks ago.
Detention pay starts after 1 hr and its $15 hr.
Overlay pay is $100 a day for any 24hr period not driving while away from home terminal.
Breakdown pay is same as detention pay.

- Home time: This company will let you go home whenever within reason. They say they want you out for 2 weeks for otr, but 10 days is like the minimum. Give a good excuse and they'll get you back whenever.
Local seems to be sporadic if you don't have a dedicated customer.
Some days local drivers work for 4hrs and the next day its 10hrs.

- Truck Equipment: All trucks are 13-17 mid-roof Mack Pinnacles axle backs (Except Mobile terminal drivers, they have condos).
Trucks come with their own pump and air compressor.
Hoses and fittings are stored in aluminum box mounted behind the cab.

- Maintenance (for the most part): For what it is, if you right up the issue, they'll get working on it within a day or two. I've had issues worked within minutes of writing them up.

- Ease of the job: For OTR drivers, expect to not touch a thing on 80% of your loads. Local drivers is more like 80% touch (this varies from terminal to terminal).
I hate being in that pickle suit more than anything! I haven't been in mine in months.
When you do touch, its usually for pumping or airing off product using your truck's equipment.
You either hate tanker work, or you deal with it.

- No waiting for info on next load (most of the time): Your driver manager will usually have the next load sent to you before you're finished offloading.
I personally have not had sit and wait for load when I was out on the system.


Things were great at the beginning, then after my driver manager resigned in Savannah (my home terminal), things started going downhill. More on that later.

I'll write up my cons list later tonight.

 

Cons:
- Miles: The company states that 2200 miles a week is the norm, and it mostly is.
At first, I was averaging around 2700 miles the first few months, then things started to slow down.
Since late December, my miles have been cut to below 2000.
Some of my loads now get loaded 2 to 3 days after my last delivered load, which forces me to either go home, or stay out and live off that overlay pay ($100 a day).

- Length of haul: Most system/otr loads average 500 miles.
I've had 3 loads that were at least 1,000 miles.
Now this really shouldn't be a surprise as the company states up front that most of their business is in the SE and Texas, however its frustrating for someone who wants to run and rack up those mile, like I.
Think of this as doing regional work for otr pay. Terrible if your in it for the money.

- Paperwork/Expenses: The trucks only come equipped with a pre-pass. All tolls and scales are out of pocket. You get reimbursed by turning in the receipts with a filled out Miscellaneous pay sheet (which you get your money back on a later pay check after its taxed by the gov......).
After my driver manager resigned in Savannah, my paperwork has to be turned in at the Atlanta terminal, where my new terminal is based. My driver manager hasnt gave me some Fedex slips to ship the paperwork to him, so I have to physically hand the paperwork in. My alternative is to fax everything (BOL, weights, misc pay, etc...)! This has made my paychecks very sporadic.

- Safety: A near exact mirror to what Groendyke has in Ducky's thread. Trucks are governed at 65 mph.
Trucks come equipped with the Bendix system that beeps whenever you follow too close and auto brakes if you do get too close.
Elogs will rat you out to safety if you take a turn to fast, hard braking, or speeding.
Speeding goes off if you hang above 72mph for more than around 15-20 seconds and 75 or more for more than 5 secs.
Thankfully there are no cameras.
I got lucky, as my 14 Mack has the Bendix system disengaged. I have no beeping and no auto braking in my rig.

- Savannah Terminal is done: When I started back last summer, we had 7 drivers including myself. All the others had been with the company at least 3 years. Two of them had over 20yrs.
None of them remain there today.
I'm the most senior at my terminal.
There are 4 others who have been hired or transferred since I've been here.
The space for our tankers in the yard has shrunk by half.

I don't know if whether or not it's a slow season in the general chemical industry or what, but things gone south recently.

 

I've been home for over 2 weeks this month that I haven't requested.
I had a driver side steer blow out that damaged the hood and rim, but it was all fixed in 3 days!

For whatever reason central dispatch has nothing for me.
Maybe they're trying to bleed me out so I quit on my own?

Whatever it is, I got to get back to work.

I seriously want to stay here till I get my year in, then move on.
But, these recent events have made me start looking elsewhere.

I would like to remain in the tanker industry if I can, though I'm open to van, reefer, or ltl (preference to anything hazmat).

Is it worth applying to companies who say they want a year or min age? The worst they'll say is no i guess.
I just sucks that my age also hinders me.

I'm 22 yrs old, with 6 months of otr hazmat tanker experience.
I have both X and T endorsements.
I have TWIC and the ability to get a passport and security clearance (former national guard).
I have a completely clean driving record. (no violations and never been pulled over.)
Some college experience.

I'm aiming for miles and pay, thats it.
I don't care for hometime, benefits, equipment, etc....
I'll stay out for several months if need be.

Any suggestions?