A few questions for System and TWT drivers

You'll need to pack 100 lbs 14 feet high.

I don't think I've ever seen a load go by that wasn't tarped.

 

I've been driving for System since November the first week in November. The physical ability test is not that big of a deal if you're in decent physical shape youre going to have it not have any problems with it. I'm 56 years old when I took the test I was in pretty crappy shape and I didn't have any trouble with it.

All the newer trucks are going to Auto I'm driving a four-year-old t660 with a Eaton 10 speed and I'm going to really miss the 10-speed the manual.

In two months I've only had one load that I didn't have to tarp. And I'm not kidding. So if you think tarpings going to be a problem for you go find a dry Van Company.

Another thing if you do go with System or TWTor JJW you definitely want to notice problems with your truck when you're as far away from the home shop as you can, and get your problems fixed on the road because the shop at the terminal is so busy they have usually at least one day of wait time before you can get your tractor in there so get your s*** fixed out on the road somewhere at a truck stop.

 

Also a brief note about automatic vs. Manual.

If you look at my some of my old posts from like I don't know 6 months ago or something when I first came onto this forum I was a big fan of automatics.

And I still am I don't hate the #### things but I've been driving stick now for since last spring and I'm digging it.

I've been hearing a lot of complaints from other System Transport drivers about the way the new automatic are programmed, that they spend a lot of time climbing really slow because of the programming in the automatic.

Now that's just that's hearsay, I haven't driven a System Transport automatic yet so I don't know but I do know that I'm dreading it.

 

Not sure why you mentioned Missoula because I live a hundred twenty miles from Missoula and there ain't no System Transport anything there.

Cheney Washington is the terminal I drive out of. I went with System Transport for the flatbed experience.

I'm getting good experience and honestly for the most part it's a really good company. Usually when things go wrong they get right on it.

I'm really just going through sort of a disillusionment phase right now. I have had a lot of problems with the shop and I've had I had a lot of problems with a driver manager that I had for 2 months but I just got her to replace last week so we'll see how that goes.

All in all honestly really pretty good company. Any companies made of people and people are not perfect so there's going to be problems any company you go to, it's not going to be perfect.

And again like I said I'm sort of in a disillusionment phase, sort of getting the dose of reality after that first two months of "I love this place" and now it's sort of you know I'm seeing through the shine just a little bit but I'll probably be sticking around with System, it's a good company, they pay me well.

I work my butt off but they I feel that they pay me fairly for the work that I'm doing so you know what more can you ask for. The benefits are decent and there's a lot of really good, decent people.

 

Sorry I didn't address your question about do I get to take my truck home for home time.

No.

And I've been told it's absolutely out of the question.

Although that was my old driver manager and quite frankly she was a blowhard anyway so we'll see if anything changes with the new one but I live up in the Flathead Valley around Kalispell and supposedly they've got like seven or eight other drivers up there and so trying to juggle people to take their trucks on home time when let's face it the Flathead Valley isn't exactly a cargo Hub it's a bit a bit of an issue so I was prepared for the four and a half hour commute one way each time I go home.

Which has started making me look a lot more closely at local jobs.

 

Maybe not, I think it depends on where you live. I live in a freight blackhole, so that's why I can't take my truck for hometime.