New driver

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by Thespicyone, Dec 12, 2019.

  1. Thespicyone

    Thespicyone Bobtail Member

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    Aug 16, 2019
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    Thanks for the help
     
    Last edited: Dec 13, 2019
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  3. jdimes

    jdimes Medium Load Member

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    Apr 22, 2011
    somewhere, usa
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    Use this forum as a learning tool, I researched different companies for over a year on this forum before I made my decision to go with Millis Transfer 7 years ago. Top of the line company IMO
     
    Thespicyone Thanks this.
  4. Upinsmoke

    Upinsmoke Medium Load Member

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    Feb 26, 2019
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    As close to 40 cpm for new driver.
    Pride in Utah has guaranteed pay of $700 a week for recent cdl holders..
    Once you complete their training..pay is above 40 cpm.
     
    dwells40 and Thespicyone Thank this.
  5. Oor

    Oor Road Train Member

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    Jan 11, 2012
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  6. meechyaboy

    meechyaboy Heavy Load Member

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    Oct 4, 2018
    Detroit, Michigan
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    Give Chinatown some help as far as location and preference. You want to be otr? Regional? Tanker? Flatbed? Local? Pet policy? Goes a long way
     
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  7. Thespicyone

    Thespicyone Bobtail Member

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    Aug 16, 2019
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    I'm game for anything that will make me decent money. Pet policy would be preferred for 2 small dogs. Rider policy.
    I have no experience as I just completed a transportation program. I have all endorsements as well.
     
    dwells40 Thanks this.
  8. HazmatTanker

    HazmatTanker Bobtail Member

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    Sep 13, 2019
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    I think you're looking at it backwards to be honest. You don't have any skills as a professional driver so no one's gonna wanna pay you a professional driver salary.

    If I were you I would just get in a decent company with a good safety score and a pet policy don't worry about the pay and just focus on becoming a professional keep your record clean For one year then move on
     
    BigDog Trucker and meechyaboy Thank this.
  9. MBAngel

    MBAngel Medium Load Member

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    Apr 1, 2018
    Tucson, Arizona
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    Covenant paid me 52 cents a mile, teaming with my hubby to start, after training. Good benefits too. I think its 35 cents a mile for the solo routes. Pets ok, ride along ok with paperwork. But not many solo routes, but we have 3 sister companies with solo routes.
     
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  10. Sigefrid

    Sigefrid Bobtail Member

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    Apr 3, 2019
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    I never drove for less than 55 cents per mile and 19 dollars an hours during loading/unloading, but that was doing tankers.

    If you insist on having a pet, than no one will let you do tankers. Almost no plants would allow an animal in, so insisting on having a pet would limit your choices.

    If you’re not doing tankers, you have almost no shot at ever reaching 50 cents per mile, and you won’t get paid while you’re waiting.

    Just my two cents.
     
  11. x1Heavy

    x1Heavy Road Train Member

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    Mar 5, 2016
    White County, Arkansas
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    Brew a pot of coffee and start reading this TTR. This is a LEARNING tool.

    Your first lesson in OTR trucking. You are generally expected to be replaced in 3 to 6 months time. Either through mistakes, accidents, damage, preventable and possibly even being late at shippers or receivers.

    So many things to get fired for. Or simply dismissed so the old "Fweeings" don't get hurt. (Word dates to Obama Era Millenails Cartoons that show a baby graduation in High schools whose fweeings have been hurt by reality. Because no one taught them what the real world is like.

    If you paid for your CDL A or whatever its all yours. If your DOT medical lapse you can keep it by going to the Revenuer (DMV) and swearing out a Tier two document to keep your CDL. Grandfathered. But NO Interstate or Intrastate work and VERY limited work such as farm to coop (Market) or national disasters or under attack by war hauling dead bodies to morques with a reefer truck out of the destroyed City etc. Or trash to the landfill from a destroyed City by Hurricane or tornadoes etc under FEMA.

    Pay has been crappy. Consider in 1974 average pay was 4.08 per hour. THAT works out to 23.76 in today's money. We are inflated. For what? Nothing. Just debt. Thats why our dollar is devalued and you need more of it to maintain what you had in 1974 such as that 70's era Corvette with a V8 and factory air conditioning for about 5000 dollars retail or a ford V8 with air or even a Chevy similar etc. Emissions were not a problem until about 1974 which was the Arab Fuel Embargo when everyone in the Middle East (*Israel had no oil exports to speak of... unlike today where her recent massive fields can support her 600 years or America 150 years if she exported to us for a great deal of money.) Iran, saudi and other fields are turning to sand. But modern technology combined with Russian DEEP DRILLING tech (Awesome... you are talking about 12 miles down And the Crust itself is about 35 miles at a minimum.) The problem is it gets really molten near the earth's core without going too far down. Which is why Gold Mines use Robots or Semi robots to protect humans from burning up 4 miles down. The temps in the shaft at that level does not support life.

    When I stopped OTR work in the 2001 period my last pay was very close to .50 not including additionals this , that, something else and so forth. In several other companies I was paid either by day or mileage into the 40's mid 40's at that time it's top pay for top hands. Some were making .50 or even .55 if they were doing something truly special and demanded the skills to earn that level.

    Today in 2019 I consider .50 training pay. Normal company pay should be around .75 to 1.00 per person so that means if there is a husband wife team that truck is making at least 1.50 a mile if not outright 2.00 a mile.

    Since no one wants to pay more than 1.50 a mile to the truck overall then this industry is shown to be weak. in the mid 90's we were paid as a company around 2.50 to 3.00 a mile to the truck which MAKES FOR A EXCELLENT living considering the truck costs 1.50 to break even including driver pay.

    I was not allowed to have that information, one night a company left their big printer room door open and in that room two printers spreadsheets kept two improtant data (I found msyefl by my SSN and learned I owe the company 0.00 for payroll that week. So people who owe money to the company is on that one printer. one O/O owed 51,000 dollars and slowly and surely paying off his tractor in a couple of years at that rate.

    The other printer was more important. Which driver again by SSN (I did find myself in that one too. Making 2.65 a mile to that particular load. averaging 2.50 with a high of 3.10 a mile to the truck.

    I did not get to stay in there too long to soak in that secret room. They chased me out of there and properly so. That information back in the mid 90's was not given out to just company drivers it's a company secret known only to a few.

    Today the CASS Index which is one of several monitors of the Trucking Industry (They also monitor airfreight, shipping freight both tank and bulk as well as military tonnage) and railroad car loadings and so on so forth. You will find a average of 1.90 a mile paid in some areas of the USA and 1.50 in other areas.

    It also tracks equipment in use. Out of millions of working trucks on our interstate today there is about 12% of those which is registred and tagged to work today don't have drivers.

    THAT does not mean there is a driver shortage. The problem is COMPANY PAY being short 40+ years.

    0.34 a mile, join our company we are the best. (Ya right, BS, same old worn out tired lines snagging only those who have not been in America before in their lives. and thus do not know our financial pay history with trucking.)

    I don't mind a refresher for .50 a mile. I will not work for less than .65 a mile over a average speed of 65 mph making for at total average income of $42.40 per hour. Which means the truck needs to be governed at least 75. No more than 80 max and no more than 2150 redline.

    I will join a employer who runs anything older than 2000 era tractors in a heartbeat. Those are no emissions BS and usually limited to ABS and maybe a manual mode automatic which I know how to use. Everything else such as speed radar. Space man satellite support to tell the auto when we are going up a mountain or lane nanny telling me I am weaving (As if I don't know already...) and god only knows what else not disclosed to company newbies in those trucks. Its getting grotesque. Critical events are grounds for firing. What is a critical event?

    Stopping short for a red light to be sure that fast camera does not strobe me for a ticket and YOU the company for CSA points and so on.

    If you have all the time in the world to obsess over a quick stop or short stop now and then as normally happens in trucking, then you are probably headed to a early grave through a mental health or other problems with the body from that kind of stress. It's not any good to live that way. You hire me to take care of your truck. You don't go out spending 200,000 on a tractor that tattles on me everywhere I go.

    I might as well quit for a employer who runs much cooler trucks (Pre 2000 era aka old iron) and for less stress. Payroll will take care of itself.

    I can go on. But ELD. When your driving time is up and you are late? Call instantly and get a appt time. Right now. Or you will be branded service failure and fired. Then branded in DAC because you cannot be on time.

    I can go on and on and on. But I wont's there is 6 million if not already 7 million posts here on TTR> this is your advantage.

    I did not have any computer, no cell, no internet no nothing except a library, a ledger pad and penicil plus a ATT phone card to pay off each month for all thsoe dispatcher call me back in a hour. (With a local; international call to Canadian Broker before crossing out of Detrioter into Winsdor in thsoe days. You needed to get specific papers for the import load into Canada.

    Since you are empty coming out you are free to get out when you can. You are not free to stay a while. Oh I'll go to winsdor to chase girls and gamble a month off. Yea right. Although I could. But trucking company would have a problem with that.

    What you don't know yet your first year or two is going to hurt you. Learn everything.

    ALWAYS have money ready to go when you QUIT or are fired from anywhere in America. to lift, uber, rental car, fly home, train home or god help you Greyhound home. Stuffed with 50 other snorting hawking flu sick temperature fever filled people on that bus. After three days you all have had quite enough of each other.
     
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