12 years driving and can not find a decent job...

I looked on Craigs list last night, after much prompting from people, and there were several Columbus companies listed there. You might want to try that too.

I understand about the dog... I wouldnt want to leave mine either.

Yes Dist Trans is a crappy company but better than nothing if you're starving. Was Phil DeSalvo in operations when you were there? Also, Bill Clifton was the sales person, very well known and did them a lot of good. They dumped him too.
About the same thoughts on BST but, again, if you need to work it's a start.

You and I probably know a lot of the same people if you've been in trucking for a long time in the Columbus area.
Don't give up though...

 

Thats so funny. I was told by some 20-something kid at TMC that Im not qualified to drive their flatbeds, cuz my flatbed experience is from 10 years ago. Oh really? I guess in the ten years from that time, when I was driving van and both dry and liquid bulk tanker...I forgot how to throw a strap or stretch a tarps bungie cord. Gimme a break!

 

from what i hear, and this is rumor, so i dont know it as fact... there are some with a grand total of three months... who teaches who?

 

Dang Jay, I guess my advice I posted and CAD drawing on ways to fold tarps and load them is not pertinent either, since I was skateboarding about 17 years ago, when that kid was riding a tricycle.

 

Wow! Send that to me if you can. If I can't get a job as a driver, I can always resort to hotshot driving. Some of that freight requires flatbed and tarps. I'd have to wear gloves though, I don't want to chip a nail. LOL

 

It's on this page:
http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...erienced-truckers-advice/32554-tarping-5.html

For hotshotting I can't say wether or not the technique will work, but I don't see why not. The whole thread was really good; you might want to read it all.

 

You got that right. I'm currently stuck here at JB Hunt, been here ten years. You have that much experience, they pretty much give you a choice, you can either run 3000 miles a week for 32 cents a mile in their "regional" fleet, or stay at the OTR fleet, where I was making 45 cents a mile, and they only give you 800-1000 miles a week. They are trying to starve the experience drivers out so they either quit or take the pay cut. 3000 miles at the lower rate, I take home a whopping $600. That was a crummy 1800 mile week at my old rate a year ago. The days of the $1000 a week paychecks are over, at least at JB Hunt. They have plenty of freight, but they won't pay you to run it. Everyone keeps telling me I'm lucky I have a job, but $400-600 paychecks aren't getting the bills paid.

 

I am in the exact same boat! 7 years OTR (Approx) close to 850,000 miles logged accident free, a family history going back to the late 1920's in trucking, However, I havent driven since 2002 and could not find anyone to take me. I spent about 4 weeks hunting, searching, and digging until I had a brain storm to call a company I worked for about 12 years ago. I told them my situation that I let my CDL expire but I went down got my perimit, paid to use a truck to practice in for a couple of hours and have an appointment Monday the fourth to take my road test. The safety man said "well john, call me the minute you get that cdl back and we will put you to work." lol, I didnt even hesitate in accepting. They are a solid company. Not big, not small but reliable. Thats what I need right now. They are Home-Run inc. out of Xenia, Ohio, a flat bed carrier. I am just happy to have an opportunity to rebuild my career.

The guys here are right, it took a ton of hours worth of research and digging to figure out how to find the right company to give me an opportunity. But it was well worth it for me, I was afraid I was just #### out of luck!

JohnK

 

Well I feel better now that I know I'm not the only one in the sinking boat. 4 yrs local driving a mixer made me forget the 13 yrs of OTR and dedicated driving of backing into the small ma and pa lumber yards off the single lane side streets and off the busy 4 lane roads to get into deliveries along with nearly three quarter's of a million miles accident free and a clean MVR. The only place that would even talk to me was the BLUE trailers also but I too had to ride with a trainer for 6 weeks and for a whopping 400 a week pay. Told the spineless little twitt the first day I'd be training his trainer to drive. It's really a disgrace what it has come to anymore.

 

Don't feel bad I ran into the same stuff. I've had my CDL for about 15 years a no accidents. Flat beds, refer, van, heavy equipment. I got told the same thing by Heartless. Not enough OTR. I went with a small regional company and I'm very happy. I'm a person not a number and I actually see my dispatcher every week or two.

I don't understand it either.

John