Adding a second truck need advice for hiring a driver!!!

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by Tombstone, Dec 29, 2017.

  1. Tombstone

    Tombstone Light Load Member

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    Thanks for the advice. I know it will be challenging thats why I'm trying to put things together.
     
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  3. Tombstone

    Tombstone Light Load Member

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    These are the main things that hold me up. I heard a lot of bad stories like this example on daily basis. Although, like I said before I don't want to discourage myself to just thinking negative.
     
  4. Ridgeline

    Ridgeline Road Train Member

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    Well here is what I went through.

    I hired my first driver who was great for the the first year, then he flaked out on me, I think it was road fatigue. He ended up in Dallas sitting there not answering the phone and ignoring the Qaulcomm.

    He ended up driving to his home in Kentucky and calling me up telling me he quit, which I already figured that.

    Then the third driver I had was a PIA, complaining about everything. The truck was too cold or it was too hot, the girl on the dock wouldn't say hi, and all kinds of trivial things. He was stuck in Arizona and wanted to come east so I told him I have a load coming out of Flagstaff going up to Denver and one from Denver going to Toledo, which gets him home. OH NO that wasn't good enough, he wanted the southern route just in case it snowed and I told him this is all I have unless he wants to sit and wait for a load out of San Diego at the end of next week. He went and got the flagstaff load, he got loaded, called me at three am complaining that he "was underweight" (he had five pallets on the truck), he wanted the load that was also sitting on the dock going to Denver too but I told him to run what he had, it wasn't going to be going anywhere for a while - the broker offered it to me if I had another truck and I turned it down. So he gets to Denver, knowing that he will have to unload at 3PM a few days later he still rushed up there and arrived really early. So they had him sitting there in the parking area and offered him a free lunch and beverages but no, he wanted to be unloaded now so he could hit Sapp brothers T/S and get something there. IT wasn't going to happen because the Toledo load won't be ready until 3 and they wanted to have him unload and reload right then. He called me a dozen times and I told him to wait, I said "**** you get a free lunch for waiting, have them order you something good for today, tonight and tomorrow, they don't care what you order or how much it costs". He gets loaded, he calls me complaining about how rude they are and so on. I told him he needs to make some time so get driving. He calls me when his 11 is up and he is parked, all he did was complain. He gets the load delivered five hours before the delivery time, they are happy at the docks, gave him donuts and coffee but hell no he found fault with that, b**tched about it to the other drivers and went back into the truck and called me to complain. After 10 minutes of hearing him complain about not having vanilla cream filled donuts and not having Folgers coffee, I asked him when was he going to part the truck at his house, he told me and I told him I'll see him later on to pay him and hung up. I went down there with my son. I asked the guy to clean out the truck, handed him $5k for the work he did and took the truck home. I could not take it any more.

    I have a hundred stories about drivers, it seems to be a pattern of bad behavior or bad driving. These two were the first in the line of drivers who were fired. I have a great crew for a bunch of years now, many of them know I just don't mess around and they know why.
     
    Tombstone, TripleSix and SL3406 Thank this.
  5. Tombstone

    Tombstone Light Load Member

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    Wooow that is ridiculous. It is amazing how people want a job and complain about everything. That's why I actually open this thread because I need this type of realization. Is there any way avoid or at least minimize these problems beside the things already suggested ? Thanks
     
  6. TripleSix

    TripleSix God of Roads

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    Makes you wonder, what happened to the toughness that drivers used to have, the "Git Er Done" mentality. There are drivers that, if you gave them a suitcase full of hundred dollar bills, they would complain about how heavy it is and how you are mean and inconsiderate and should have put everything on a card.

    (Okay, you ADHD people, stop reading here. That's 3 lines^^^^^)

    You hear people bishing and moaning about their pay all the time. When I was a company driver, my job was to deliver freight for the company. If they needed a load to NYC, I would have to go to NYC. Did I like it? Heck no, but it's MY job. I'm not going to quit a job just because I got dispatched to NYC. As a company driver, pulling general freight (only pulled ONE OSOW load that year) I netted $1400-1600/week. But I was in the northeast, the PNW, and all parts of Canada. Even went into the Territories. Yes, it's rough...especially in the winter. But it was MY job. I'm the one that signed up to run for a company that ran ALL 50 states and ALL US Territories and ALL of North America.

    I always tell drivers that the most valuable thing that they possess is their name. Most drivers whine and bellyache and complain. I didn't. My goal from the start was to prove that I can do anything that they need done. I dont ever fumble the ball. In the big game, they're going to throw the ball to me, because all season long, I have proven that I wont miss. So, some drivers complain about favoritism. If there's a $100 mil load, they're going to give it to me.

    "Why didn't you pass the ball to me?

    'Because Six is on the field.'

    I'm not bragging, people. Most of you wont make money because you dont know when to shut up. Look at these threads on this site. "Oh, can I run a route where I wont see any city metro areas? Do they do hair follicle testing? Hi, I'm in school and got a prehire letter from CR England. If they pay for my schooling and I quit, will they put it on my DAC? is there a job where I can drive 4 hours a day and make a grand a week? If I dont like my trainer, should I quit?"

    How do you people ever expect to make top money when you yourselves are not top level drivers?

    "What's the best company for a new driver?"

    I dont know. Can you drive or can you TRUCK? Do you need your hand held? Do you need your butt wiped and a fresh sunshine injection every week from the desk jockeys? Can you 'catch on' real quick? Do you have a good work ethic or is this your first job at age 25? Do you really want to work, or are you on holiday?
     
  7. AZ Pete

    AZ Pete Medium Load Member

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    Nice.
     
  8. AZ Pete

    AZ Pete Medium Load Member

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    You drive yourself,right? So you see em on the road, and in the truckstops.
    I get scared when Im around trucks, truth be told. I don't trust those holding the wheel.
    I was told it takes 5 trucks running before you can make a living for yourself without driving one of em. You gotta start somewhere though. It will be a grind I am sure. Good luck to ya.
     
    wore out and Tombstone Thank this.
  9. Tombstone

    Tombstone Light Load Member

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    Jan 29, 2014
    Houston, TX
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    That is so true!!! Thanks
     
  10. Tombstone

    Tombstone Light Load Member

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    Jan 29, 2014
    Houston, TX
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    Totally agree, I gotta start somewhere to try to reach that point. Thanks
     
    wore out Thanks this.
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