I want to know what you value in a trucking company!

I forgot to mention EZ / PrePass ... i have it where i work now

 

Yep. Production.

 

Pay and the coolest peterbilt truck with lots of lights. If it has weed eater exhaust, an automated trans, or onboard facing camera, -not interested.

 

I'm also glad to be done with "prescribed fuel stops". All we have to do is fuel at any PFJ and avoid a handful of dealers here and there.

I hated having to fuel at certain crappy Loves and others that everybody and their brother was also instructed to fuel at. But I do miss the better points system offered by Loves but not that much.

 

Im pretty independant and somewhat strong willed. Hand me a load to the west somewhere and leave me alone. I'll call if something big enough to warrant bothering you or vice versa. Small stuff like flat tires etc I'll take care of it. (You'll see it on your shop boss's report)

The money should take care of itself. Run a certain type of freight that's high dollar and worth paying attention to. But when im taking time off. There is no phone. I know there might be within a few hours to half a day when it's time to get going already yer late. Im already getting that truck loaded at the house.

If shippers or customers refuse a load or OSD your office takes care of that. Weight problems will be CAT to confirm and fixed. Either by sliding or going back to shipper. new appt time please. I'll tell you if it can be done legally or not.

Where the problems come in is when some numbjob hands me mission impossible to mars by last saturday. When Mars is not open until Monday. (Not MM Mars, but actual Mars, the planet...) I'll flat refuse it. You can fire me but it's all documented and the State will have to interview you. The firer.

Once in a while when a Dispatcher says softly... "Pretty please" and no one anywhere but me hears that... (Especially DOT etc) I'll see what can be done. But you are going to pay me that money plus owe me a little something I might ask down the road someday, Fairs fair.

Pretty please goes straight to the ear of God it seems. And miracles never cease to have that load there if it is THAT important. But frankly I don't make a habit of that anymore. I just want to know what is coming a few days down the road after delivery if at all possible with everything YOU the boss knows about that load coming up.

If you know, and I know then we are a team. And good things happen. Win win. If you know and tell me bupkis to discover a really big mess when I get there... it's going to be a bigger mess all around.

 

(1) A dispatcher that knows what they are doing, most dispatchers will load you like a freight train, and dispatch you like a airplane. and oh "it's only a inch on the map you can make it there in a hour right?"

(2) To be paid for my time, all the mile, percentage pay is just to take advantage of our time, we should be paid by the hour. there are weeks when i been better off flipping burgers, at least i be home at night.

(3) Fix the freaking pot holes already, "Dam it Jim" I'm a driver not a milkshake. It's a Michigan thing.

 

You forgot a big one , honesty.

 

Pay me on time.
I'm not your friend, so don't worry about calling me by my name.
Let me idle the truck or provide an APU.

 

APUs are good until the temp goes over about 90 and in direct sun, then these lousy Carrier units we have just can't cool a condo Cascadia sufficiently. But the good news is we can idle above 90f [and hope it doesn't screw up our DPF system somewhere]

 

A union contract. It doesnt have to be giant money, but in 2018, when a company will lock themselves into a set amount of bennies and pay, it lets me plan around it, instead of being promised everything and getting magic beans. ..