How can you keep it together?

Get down time for yourself. That new 34 reset should do it. Once basic chores are gone Im away from truck. Im not a trucker anymore just a tourist fixing to get into something. In the harbor you can get instructed in sailing back home takes a few hours and absolutely erases anything about the truck and your job troubles in the wind. Mind the mizzen boom when you come around.

I go to museums, even rent a plane with instructor do a dab of 20 mile cross country lite with a unfamiliar map and play find this spot with the navigation while instructor does all the flying. Costs a few hundred in fuel. And keeps you learning about the USA. Instructor is pleased to show me what has changed since 9-11.

In short I have a life. That life is mine. I'll do the driving when I need to and that truck will get there when it gets there. Yappy dispatchers are a pox on the mind. Yap back or find another dispatcher. If you really want a dispatch to love you to death, find a beer load somewhere. Locate a wall of kegs going back to St Louis and text that information back to your dispatch for possible loading and haul back to St Louis or something. Trust me you lose 3hours while their sales people spin the wheels. But they love you from then on.

When you sleep, gag that truck, nothing on. Engine idle sure. But nothing else. Gag everything in it. LEarn how to attunate and silence beeps, bips, cheeps, CHIRPS and whatever. Go to bed. Sweet dreams.

GET home. Spend a day in the cave to get human and right with your family. Ignore company calls until exact hour to leave. Be with your family.

Over and over and over. Always something. A long time ago in NM someone asked if I knew how to break horses I said oh no. I do a bit of western and took care of brood mares and foals, fillies etc. but never breaking.

They stuck me on a two year old. Took me about oh two days to get loose again to drive well.

It was FUN. But not for me. Dispatch did not undertsand it. I laughed it off and said the #### truck got away and we had to deal withit, it's all good. Yes the truck did get away. Tell them nothing.

Tip when told to catch one in a paddock bigger than you can run around in, just sit in the middle and admire the scenery.

Mr ears and nose will sniff you out soon enough a little itchy scratchy and something treat will have him following you anywhere. None of that bucking breaking BS.

If in Kansas or some place and you got a barn burning dance hall down that dusty road, get in there. Not dirty and what not. Have fun. So if all you can do is clomp they will get you sorted fast on that fast talking fiddle.

That truck is something most people cannot and will not do. And represents what we are as a Country. Without that truck we have nothing. 100 years of it. If it's passed into ancient history and forgotten? Shrugs. It happens.

BE HAPPY.

DONT whatever you do be a grouch. Your face will freeze that way first then wrinkle the hell out of itself.

One more thought. If you are inclined in ways to understand the Maker of all the things in your world good to have and blessings uncounted, take time for worship once in a while. Your spirit needs that. IF you don't have it, people tend to get dusty, then clotted and then turn pretty bad unable to live well. Im carefully avoiding the issue of religon if you are not inclined. But

moral of all this.

There is your time.

Family time.

Truck time.

Living time.

Fixing time.

And last of all.

Dispatch time.

 

The first year is Hell,

General Freight is Hell,

Mega Carriers are Hell,

I simply refused to play their #### games, I worked a Mega job until I could move to a smaller carrier or power only contractor that pulled mega carrier freight; but wasn't dispatched by them. I worked that until I could get into an LTL company or private fleet (COOP/Sobeys/Martin Brower/ etc etc; I went LTL).

I then went O/O LTL, and worked that until I got into a top shelf company, that offered me a dedicated area on a 6-2 schedule. Now its not even a job, its a vacation once a week.

This industry is all about levels, and trying to learn, gain experience and keep your record clean to advance. FAST Card is absolutely essential. Also if you hate highway, there are tons of local and regional jobs, so don't think the entire industry is highway.

I personally hate the Canadian HOS and Regional, so choose to run the US west coast dedicated. 6-2 is the same schedule I worked in my office/construction jobs, so its easy peasy. Hell of a lot better than the 14/4-24/7 shifts I did in Oil and Gas and for the mega carriers.

Just remember, you're the captain of that truck, so you call the shots. All they can do is accommodate or fire you, and we're in a huge driver shortage; so you're not getting fired lol.

 

Also here is a list of companies you should consider working for (IMHO) once you have 1-2 years experience.

Penner International
Payne Transport
TransPro Freight Systems
CANEDA Transport
Trans Frt McNamara
TransAm Carriers
ERB/K-Dac
Skelton Truck Lines

 

U dont have to be like anybody, there is so many avenues in this industry , find a job that u enjoy. For me its flatbedding. Ive met some cool old ####ers out here thats been doin it 40 years and still pullin lumber tarps like hes 20 and just out of college lol alot of this industry is based on ur mindset. Its easy to get dperessed out here , this #### can really get to u fast and it will burn j out real fast and the company and dispatchers dont give a f about it they will replace u.. Thats why u got to find wat u like to do , whether thats changing divisions or changing lanes , or changing from otr to regional or local , etc. Find somethin u wanna do, dont do something just because it pays more becausr the money is never worth it out here after awhile if u aint doin somethin u love. Just keep ur head up my friend, it gets better.

 

Deck is where the money's at. Tanks 2nd. Cans, reefers and vans, don't bother. And instruct your dispatcher that you don't answer the phone while you're driving. And if he has a burning need to jabber at you in pigeon English, to instead text you the message. And then ignore it when it comes in. Look at the message later when you decide to. Don't let dispatch be a hassle.

 

Otr has changed dramatically for a new driver. Stick it out for 6 more months. Then start looking at something you want to do. Lots of options, for me I’ve been on ltl for 19 years. Generally 95-105 gross, 70 in 5 days, weekends and holidays off. Fuel, deck, heavyhaul, lots of options. Don’t be a drone in a van.

 

Van isnt BAAAD. For me I loved flatbed aluminum can to brewry Busch in Williamsburg VA from Logan Kentucky. (If I hear kentucky moon shining one more time.... =) anyway the detail work on my mind. The truck I had was very good for that work, of that time period and probably what I would buy if I was a company, excepting the volvo with the little 300. Speed is not concern. Being able to drive a flat with a large coffee on the floor of your cab is good.

Back to van. I get mindless closing doors. Eh it's closed big deal blah. THen I get bored. Then it's not good. ONCE in a while I get something REALLY interesting and awesome but yeck. Hazmat? Well all of that was flawless because it had to be. Im not current on it. And in light of the reaming post 9-11 I don't care for it.

Reefer? Hey now we got something here. But the Irish Pot of Gold did not exist until medicines for me. Ive always had compassion for those who cannot get out of the hosptial bed and need rest from their pain etc. Medicines.

Everything else including Meats, Foods, whatever is just boring. Motivated by medicine. We will just have to see.

 

So true! Don't be a Drone in a Van/Can Or Reefer! (Reefer sucks so much)

I don't do true LTL like @upnorthwpg (FedEx, XPO, UPS, DHL, Purolator) but rather Specialty Van LTL. I started off open board CAN/US LTL, and it was better than any FLT job I ever had; or heard about. Once I got experience doing that, I got this linehaul gig dedicated on the West Coast; and its pretty amazing. When I started driving, I didn't even know what LTL was, and how many different types of LTL there are. Its a whole different industry from Van/Reefer FTL general freight.

I would love to run Step Deck for Payne or similar one day, or work true LTL for FedEx (Rocky Mountain Doubles Calgary to Great falls MT, OH YEA!)

A buddy mine who is only 21, suffered through 2 years of FLT mega carrier ####, he now pulls Turnpikes for Federated Coop across AB/SK/MB, and will be buying his first house here soon.

Sky is the limit!

 

Skelton is the only company you listed worth looking at. The rest,the equipment is garbage or they'll treat you as garbage.