COVENANT -- From a wife's perspective

Redcoats wife,
Thank-You for sharing your story with us. Your thread was the first thread that I started following. I am not alone when I tell you that you have a lot of supporters. I am a RedCoats wife fan. I wish you well.

 

Ms. RC, thank you for sharing with such honesty and opennes... it takes a lot of courage, and I congratulate you for that. Like you said, you spoke your side of the story. As RC's wife, you spoke about your feelings, your opinions and the way you interpreted RC's experiences in his job. Nothing wrong with that. Your thread is great and attracted many people. I support you and will continue visiting here Wish you and Mr. RC all the best. BTW, I wish Mr. RC would create his own thread and share his experiences at Covenant

 

I started watching and posting on this thread from the beginning. I hope it keeps going. I understand and know exactly where you are, and were, coming from with your post. Redcoat may by a little upset with this, but he has goten a lot of good advice on here, and you have been able to share your anger and frustration with life's ups and downs.

With all you have had to endure lately it's a wonder you are able to function at all. This thread, if nothing else, has given new drivers the real truth as to what to expect at Covenant, and that is worth more than can be explained.

Hang in there, and keep posting. Every time I pass a Covenant truck, and with their speed, it is several, I wonder if it is Redcoat. He may be mad right now, but this thread has made him famous.

If I am not making sense, it is because I am tired. I just walked in the door from turning 5000 miles since Saturday afternoon.

 

FYI...my husband is a Covenant driver. He did receive his bonus this week. It was the full amount he was told when he went through orientation.

Someone had asked to let them know if the bonuses hit.

 

I don't look at this thread as seeing all of Redcoats "faults and weaknesses". I look at it as someone who came to this country, out of necessity took a job he did not want, and knew nothing about, and was forced to choose one of the worst companies to work for.

I have seen the two of you work together to struggle through what lots, if not most, new drivers go through. You have laid out the troubles and triumphs for all to see.

I see two people who had the courage to fight their demons, face adversity head on, and are closing in on the prize. Redcoat has faced his panic situations. You have been out front blazing the trail for him all the way, making sure his pay was right, getting him some time off when needed, and working to get him back with a trainer he could tolerate.

The two of you have showed many people the realities of todays trucking for new drivers, and I for one applaud you for sharing your adventure with all of us.

Not only is Redcoat now a famous person, but so is his greatest asset, Mrs. Redcoat.

 

Evenin everyone. I too am a new trucker wife. My husband just got out of training w/ Central. I have been lurking around this thread. I blog mainly on central truckstop. I feel that the wives issues and perpectives are very important to share. I know that it helps me not feel so quite alone. We have two young children and my husband took this career out of nessecity as well. He was gone for 2 1/2 months just came in Tuesday night for the 1st time since Jan 5th. Since the 1st of the year he has made less than 1500 dollars. I understand all the issues. We are looking at foreclosure now, ultilites are all behind. I am doing good to feed the kids. I eat once a day to make sure my kids don't have to go hungry. I look at it this way. It can only go up from here now that he is out of training. My husband left a career of 20 yrs and has to start all over again. Thankfully he is enjoying trucking for now. But #### it is hard to explain to a 7 yr old that loves her daddy more than life itself that I have no idea when daddy will be home again. So I share your need to vent, express, complain whatever you want to call it redcoat. The truckers have a brotherhood of sorts and I think it is important the wives at home develop a sisterhood to ease the pains on the home front so that the boys can keep their mind on their jobs and get home safely everytime they leave. Wether they are home every week or every three months. They have to do whatever it takes to survive in this piss poor econmy. I hope I have offened anyway blogging here seeing as I'm not a Covenant wife just wanted to voice my opinion and support to you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I've been truckin' for 21 years.My experience is this,People trucking is not just a job and not just a way to support your family.If you are going to be an O.T.R. driver.You will sit,you will miss home,family,ballgames,childrens activities at home and school.It's not just a job.LISTEN WELL o.t.r. trucking is a LIFE STYLE...not just a job.You do laundry on the road,eat out or in your truck everyday.watch your weight cause you don't get excerise unless you ADD that into your day or night which ever is convienent.As for myself,I love trucking.I live in east tn. but personally.I really don't care if I ever went home again.For the reason that after 21 years on the road.This is not what i do,But,who I am.I do work for covenant at the moment i'm in truck 12718.I run team with my 3RD wife,she is 20 years younger tham me.Listen well MOST big O.T.R. companies are cut from the same cloth.they are all about profit and getting to the top.They do not and will not give a rats rearend about you or your family personally.They just don't roll that way.Consider who you work for or look on the net.Someone always has something good and bad to say about every company.So let's all take a deep breath and grow up!

 

I, for one, am grateful that you started and have maintained this thread, RCW.

My son started his career with Covenant and I started posting on this forum to get info on them which I could pass on to him. When I told him that I was passing on his experiences, he also got angry with me. He, too, is a private person and won't even come on this website because he doesn't like all the negativity he finds on here. It makes him way too anxious and he'd rather deal with the negativity of this lifestyle as he encounters it himself. As a result, he doesn't stay in contact with me as much as he did before, but I'm okay with that. I'm his Mom, not his wife. But I stay on this forum, and this thread, in particular because I like what you...and Rocks....and MCR have/had to say about Covenant. I like hearing both the negative and the positive and just the adventures, in general. Keep up the good work.

My son is still with Covenant a year after he started there (as of April 9 coming up), now as an Independent Contractor rather than a company driver. The co-driver he's been teamed with since Aug 1 last year bought his own truck in February and leased it onto Covenant and my son team drives for him now (still in the Temp Control division). He isn't making any more cpm than he did as a company driver, but they are getting many more miles per week which allows my son to come out ahead....even after setting aside $$$ for tuition (for the next 6 mo) and estimated taxes and other things he needs as an I/C. One advantage is he doesn't have that dang per diem penalty.

With all its negatives, Covenant gave my son a start in this industry when others wouldn't. If he continues to drive safely and sticks with it just a while longer, he should be able to move on to a better company (hopefully a smaller one) and do okay for himself.