Any other truckers out there that just do the job?

Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by TruckRunner, Jun 11, 2019.

  1. TruckRunner

    TruckRunner Heavy Load Member

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    I totally felt the same way as a company driver (except for the wife part as I will never get married). In response to a lot of the posts here, when I did search for another company though I could never find one that had all of the qualities that I wanted so I wouldn't mind offering them to other drivers. I naturally thought they were not offered because it was way too expensive but mostly it's due to people in charge that never seen the inside of a truck who do not care at all if you are sitting or driving a 62 MPH truck for 11 hours per day.
     
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  3. rbrtwbstr

    rbrtwbstr Road Train Member

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    The other thing I look for is honesty. Any employer has to be honest, or I'm gone. I can tolerate screwups on their part. But own up to it and don't place blame on someone else. The last place I worked was a great example. They gave me a load of injection carbon (coal for a steel mill) for a steel mill in Indiana. It was a blind shipment, and a test load. The steel mill wanted to change suppliers for the coal and had to run some tests.

    So I loaded it and set sail. I arrive the next day, and nobody knows anything about this load, and won't let me in the gate. I sat for 34 hours waiting for someone to make a decision. I ended up hauling it back to the shipper. I was told by dispatch that the steel mill didn't have room in their silo for it. Once I got to the shipper and unloaded, I got the real story. The load was three months late! Evidently they'd been calling my company for three months trying to get this load moved, and they finally got it moved, but the steel mill wasn't playing around and cancelled the load.

    The fact that I was lied to, and the screwing I got on the return trip was the straw that broke the camel's back. I had 4 days in that load and made $450. Totally unacceptable. So I bailed once I found work elsewhere.
     
  4. ACO476

    ACO476 Light Load Member

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    A truck that works (doesn't have to be new) and a 10 hour break every night. Oh, and I'll stay out as long as you need me to but when I say I need to be home on August 27th, I actually need you to get me home on August 27th (no, I won't request it two days prior).

    I've yet to work for an OTR company that can do all three.
     
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  5. Intothesunset

    Intothesunset Road Train Member

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    I am driving a 2020 Cascadia Ryder truck right now. It's not broke in with only 9000 miles.
    But it's around 6.9 trip avg is not impressive, with 69 governed speed.
    And it's auto. Bonus the TriPack can not keep truck cool in 82 degree weather.

    I'd like an vintage truck with a 13, or 18 speed manual. 75 max speed. And why not an 350hp non egr engine for fuel mileage.
     
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  6. mustang190

    mustang190 Road Train Member

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    I just keep the left door closed as much as possible, keep some good classic country music piping thru the speakers and be on time.
    Nuthin to it for the last 40 years.
     
  7. MGE Dawn

    MGE Dawn Road Train Member

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    See, that right there sounds like the dream
     
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  8. booley

    booley Road Train Member

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    where can I sign up?
    I might possibly pass on that other job for a real big hammer, a set of boxes, paper logs and triple digits. Salary negotiable...



    Q: What do you call a bunch of truckdrivers in the basement?

    A: a whine cellar
     
  9. wore out

    wore out Numbered Classic

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    What's a real big hammer?
     
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  10. Snow Monster

    Snow Monster Medium Load Member

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    Whining and complaining are signs of inexperience, (work or life), people who fear hard work, people full of hate and discontent, and the stereotypical union employees from back in the day.
    Was like that myself for the first few years, until I met some real serious type truckers.
    After about 4 years of working my way up in the biz, and having hung with some real pros for a period of time, I began avoiding the "reserved for professional drivers" area at the truck stops so I wouldn't have to listen to the whining, complaining and BS, in the process lowering stress, blood pressure and anxiety within myself.
    I would stop to eat where the pros hung out, little out of the way ma & pa joints with home cooked food, restaurants that catered to pros where the whiners would keep their mouths shut because the food was good and the pros wouldn't hesitate to call them on their BS or tell them to shut up.
    I worked hard, I was blatantly honest, I took on all challenges with a "git er dun" attitude, I respected the equipment, I always kept my cool and acted diplomatically, and when I said NO......, I meant NO!
    There's a boss or two, a few shippers, receivers, dispatchers, and terminal managers who questioned me and needed to be taught what NO means, (I'm willing to quit or be fired), and they had to be chased around the building or threatened to be dragged out to the parking lot for an edju ma kay shun.
    Surprising how many of them clowns wear clip-on ties, likely from being educated by other pros who know that if they quit or get fired they'll have a better job the very next day, or the day they decide to end their previously unplanned vacation.

    My dream job has come and gone.
    For reasons of health, from about 1992 to 1998 I became a word of mouth casual, part time, relief, spare driver for hire to a group of O/O's at several different companies I was cleared to drive for.
    They knew I wouldn't mistreat or abuse their equipment, I would maintain or better their average fuel mileage, and if the load was really hot they could count on me to be on time, no matter the circumstances, understanding of course that the fuel mileage would suffer.
    If they needed time off, or a team driver for a hot load. or one of their team trucks was down a man, they would call me.
    I was usually gone for 3 days at a time, sometimes up to 7 days.
    The trucks were all well maintained, nearly new to 5 yrs old and time to be traded for a new one, every truck was different, all were well spec'd high end trucks that were always clean, I was handed a wad of cash, a cell phone, credit cards, (sometimes a big bag of home made beef jerky and the keys to their house), I would get into the already loaded rig with lots of time to reach my destination and mosey on down the road at my own speed and when I got home my pay cheque was waiting for me.
    I would unload and head home, or drop the first and pick up a second load along the way.
    Life was good, but like they say, "all good things must come to an end", which they did, the further progression of the industry to where it is today, a sh_t show!

    Glad I'm retired and grateful I got to experience the glory days of trucking, before deregulation, been a steady downhill slide for the trucker culture and brotherhood ever since.
     
  11. frito bandito

    frito bandito Light Load Member

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    No one has yet pointed out the irony of the OP whining about whiners. Interesting.
     
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