Real truckers say no to rail

What are you talking about? What does what the driver wants...what does that have to do with the profit that the rail and trucking companies make? Because your reply above is in connection with what I said about both of them making a profit...and you fire back with a humdinger of nonsense.

Stop whining about the jobs people sign up for.

If a driver doesn't get paid for their time...its because its of two reasons:
A) they signed up for it.
B) they continue to let it happen.

And if you can't make a living as a truck driver, you are doing something horribly wrong.

I've heard many many professional drivers with decades of experience who call themselves newbies. Surprising how you don't.

As far as what you make compared to when you started. Im making more. I've seen a 25% increase in pay with Schneider since I started with them less than 2 years ago.

Yea, the same orange pumpkin trucking company that you insulted above.

Why should there be a pay raise across the board? its the companies decision to set their wages. Not because you 'wanna have it'

Yeah...darn drivers doing their jobs. Darn companies making a profit. Darn trucking companies that employ the drivers, making a profit! They should all take a loss, every day!

Schneider doesn't need 68 mph to compete. Because if you had any clue about the industry (sorry...Im a newbie...but its sad that I seem to know more than you about this)...you would know that Schneider has their trucks set at 60, team trucks at 65. So...Schneider could care less about 68mph limits. They are already well below that, and were one of the FIRST companies to turn their fleets down. Along with that, anyone who can crunch numbers worth beans knows that going slower saves fuel (adding more PROFIT to the bottom line). Not all companies run at 70+mph. Try harder.

As far as competing...now you are griping about JB and SNI being able to compete at a lower cost than ....your company? If you aren't for competition, you are for a monopoly? No way getting out of that one buddy.

lets say your company can move freight for 1 buck a mile and JB or SNI can haul it for .90 a mile. Now you are insulting the companies that can run more efficiently than yours; and who can run at lower costs? WTF? You need a better argument.

 

Right....its all a conspiracy by The Man.

They...force you to turn your truck down because you have your truck cut? Did that make sense to you when you wrote it?

Well true. But then again, in some places, the normal flow of traffic is MUCh higher than the posted speed limit. Should we go way over the limit just because of the flow? Studies have shown that people will drive whatever the road allows. I think more of a hazard is a person driving who can't see a slower moving vehicle. Because...its not just trucks, but cars. Not everyone goes 75 on the interstate. If you are driving, your perception should inform you of a slower moving vehicle. That is why in my PUMPKIN truck when I fly past other trucks...I can see them from a ways away, and my brain is able to comprehend that they are going slower.

Ahh yes. Because saving fuel and saving money without affecting much time...thats bad. There are TONS of drivers out there that have slowed down in order to conserve fuel.

Well cowhaulers get terrible milage, but they get paid pretty well, enough to make up for it. I don't think I've ever passed one of them. They don't have much as far as competition to worry about mpg and being efficient.
Landline...on xm huh? Channel 171, at 7pm eastern? Never heard of it. Try listening into Kevin Rutherfords show on the Weekends. 4pm eastern. Disregard the fact that he has his own fleet of trucks and encourages people to slow down to save fuel. Or the fact that his very advice has saved countless drivers a ton of fuel.

But your idea might work too. I mean after all, higher RPMs and more resistance and terrible aerodynamics as the speed gets higher...that all adds up to better fuel milage. Your truck must get over 10mpg at 95mph.

Well if arguing about this makes you uncomfortable, or you feel that you arent winning, then by all means stop it.

However, regulation is NOT what we need. You want regulation without offering any good argument on your behalf. If you want it so bad, tell us why.
i mean its apparent that you don't like competition. Case in point...you don't like Schneider...who is many times (not always) able to provide a low cost to a shipper. So...you don't like a company who can operate at costs lower than yours can.
So...no competition. That means...no competing over freight. Resulting in a much higher cost to ship. Meaning...a higher cost to ship is going to be passed onto the consumer. I mean...after all...Im just a 'kid', a 'newbie' and I work for the 'great pumpkin'...so maybe Im missing something here that I learned in Economics in 9th grade. But lets break it down...hammer time.

If you regulate, you take away competition. When companies compete against each other, they compete with COST. Schneider is able to compete in general non-specialized freight...and they do so very very well, probably better than your company can. Companies compete with each other by offering lower costs as part of their package they provide to a shipper. Schneider itself has lost some key accounts because other companies low balled, and are willing to take a loss for a while until things get better.

If you take competition away, you take away the low cost, because nobody competes against each other...there is no incentive at all to offer a lower cost to the shipper. Meaning the shipper has to pay the higher cost.

If the shipper pays a higher cost, they aren't just going to smile and take it, it will be reflected in their product price. Which is why when fuel went up last year...prices on the stuff we buy went up.

So when you scream for regulation, in the end, you are essentially asking the government to make it so that I as a consumer have to pay MORE at the store.

Then again...what do I know! Maybe...I work for The Man.

 

Fuel economy has more to do with the driver than it has to do with the equipment. Aerodynamics can play a large part as well as the load configuration (flatbeds), weather conditions (head winds tail winds etc), weight of the loads, terrain traveled while loaded, as well as the actual roads traveled (city vs open highway). If you are able to get 7.2 mpg traveling at 72 mph then congratulations. That is truly a rarity. The industry seems to get closer to mid 6's.

The large carriers already have an advantage when it comes to volume discounts.

Traveling with the flow of traffic is the safest way to travel provided you have a decent following distance. Otherwise you can wind up with dozens of vehicles tangled up together (in the event of an accident that is). Fewer interactions with other vehicles in general is always a safer bet.

Driver compensation is directly related to how well a carrier is performing. The best carriers can charge premium pricing for their services. The best drivers will be rewarded with higher pay. As a solo company driver I looked for $250.00 per day. It did not matter to me if that came from all miles, multiple stops, or detention pay.

Unfortunately we have a terrible economy and all the hype about a "driver shortage" was just that; "hype." Carriers wanted to import drivers from overseas to help push down compensation levels. Mexican trucking was also an attempt by big business to help keep rates low under the guise of government policy (NAFTA). A Basic supply vs demand scenario.

With the loss of well paying jobs all over this country we have an increase in new recruits interested in becoming truck drivers. They "believe" they will be making good money WITH benefits right away.

With the new recruits come further downward pressure on rates. Why higher an experienced driver at .40 cpm when you can get a rookie at .20 cpm?

If you intend to continue with driving OTR you may want to consider either teaming up with a spouse (so ALL the money goes to 1 household) or look into some niche markets that do not utilize the rail at all. Heavy haulers, government munitions, and expedited freight all pay well and have very little to do with the rail.

As an owner op you should know by now it is revenue per day that is more important than "miles." This is why you see many o/ops servicing the rails (Triple Crown comes to mind) and ports. Miles have a tendency to wear components out rather quickly.

Is it better to run 4000 miles at $1.00 per mile or is it better to make 4 grand by running 2000 miles, be in a smaller operating area (fewer expenses), and have regular time at home?

By the way, 10 years does not make you an "expert" either sonny. There are scores of drivers out here that have decades of driving experience in all areas of trucking. Heck even I have almost twice as much experience than you do and a heck of a lot more wisdom than you appear to have in relation to basic economics, capitalism, and the symbiotic relationship truckng and rail has.

You need some new material, a few classes in economics, and hopefully a new perspective in general.

 

Ziggy...how did you get this 25% increase in pay from Schneider in the "less than two years" you've been there?

I've been there right at two years, and have seen a one-time, one-cent increase.

Unless you started your trucking career with them, and went from, say, .27 to .37.

Just curious....enjoy your posts!

 

Ziggy,777 don't you enjoy these sh*thouse lawyers? The need to insult when he feels he's making a fool out of himself is very obvious. Does he have the power to stop big business? I don't think so since his pay has decreased from the time he started driving. The object of working in a trucking career is to better yourself and get better jobs as the years go by plus planning your future so when you retire you're not living in a cardboard box. Then you take you knowledge and pass it on to the " Little brat out of school" so he or she can have tools to work with. The learning never stops and if you think you know everything you're only setting yourself up to look like a bigger fool then you already are.

 

Salary on a dedicated account with the pay raises from experience and account raises.

I thought OTR drivers got a pay increase after certain experience levels? like six months, a year, 4 years...etc. ?

I try not to insult or name call. I can be heavily sarcastic...but I do that in order to make a point. I need to tone it down though...the mods have been needing to approve each post over the last day or so, lol!

I agree. Im a former teacher...looking to get back into it. But until then..I like to learn as much as I can about the industry I work in. Its just something I enjoy.

 

I consider my trucking career to be very successful because I went to work every day trying to do better than the day before. Most of the time it work and some days were just plain down the tubes. I think you really need to concentrate on your career and make a plan so you don't go down in pay but up. Make yourself shine so you'll be marketable then you won't care who's making what and how unfair it is. Just my 2¢.