Looking for Work? Have you tried..

Sadly, this guy gave you a snapshot of his company, and not the Furniture Industry as a whole. Some are laying off.

I occasionally get a load, it's no big deal.

I can get a job tomorrow, right up the road, hauling furniture every day for no less than 30-50 companies. We're flush with manufactors in my area. It's how I started my career as a truck driver, and I may return to it eventually.

But as you stated in your post. Most people do not want to deal with the day to day physical labor that is involved. No matter how well it pays. The majority require you tail gate every stop. No small feat when you consider some of the newer sofas can weigh in excess of 300 lbs.

The latest recliner from La-Z-Boy is so heavy, they will not stack them higher than 2 cartons. Drivers rarely get assistance inside the trailer. If they do, they aked for it.

The average Ashley driver makes in excess of $1000 per week, and is home on weekends and through the week. Starting pay is 31.5 cents per mile, with a generous stop pay schedule, and plenty of beenies.

If it's something anyone within the forum is interested in. I'll gladly provide them with company names. It may require moving to get a job....but.

 

Having to fight traffic and back into alleys on narrow streets is no job for a newbie .

 

I hauled new furniture for years, starting just after I became a driver. I have hauled all kinds, from ulpostered on drop frame trailers, to case goods(beds, night stands, china hutch, and such). Back then there were not as many nbig places, and most stops were mom and pop, either way out in nowhere, or right in the city.

One to thirty stops was common. It is hard, dirty work, you have to rush to get from one stop to the other, stopping for lunch is not an option most days, and you don't get a lot of rest. It can get mighty hot in that trailer when it's over 100 outside. My back has paid the price for doing this for so many years. I don't touch anything now, but wish I was able to still haul sticks.

I enjoyed furniture hauling, but just know it is mostly for the young unless you have a good run that you deliver on a regular basis. This way you can do your deliveries on a schedule.

 

You're giving away your age now. They don't consider themselves "stick haulers" anymore. Holler at one on the CB when you pass, and 3 log trucks will answer LMAO.

Remember the day, when you pulled a drop belly to the customer and it was a full load of sleeper sofas !!!! Needed a #$## ladder to get the first two off

It's a good thing I was young when I started. And didn't have a back to get hurt with.

No doubt, they will get some real experience. Driving, backing, and unloading.

 

You must have missed the thrill of lumping the "sticks" out of someones house and loading them and two or three other housholds in a drop deck, then get the thrill of going to the other end of the country and delivering them, not exactly fun either

 

We may have missed it, not sure. We were to busy learning too back a trailer.

 

When I was driving OTR, it was no touch freight. Wasn't all drop and hook, had lots of live load/unload.
But, for the last 6 years, I drove for a local company that was pretty much required for us to help unload the truck. Some stops unloaded pallets with a jack. Most had handjacks, and we would help push these heavy pallets.
Some places didn't have a dock, and we had to use a handjack to move each pallet to the rear of the trailer so it could be removed by a forklift, or similar piece of equipment.
And a few places were hand unload. The driver had to move the pallet to the rear of the trailer, cut the shrink wrap, and hand each case to someone on the ground. Have had to be at some locations for up to 5 hours for that.

I'll miss it, since the company folded.