Abilene Motor Express....A New Place To Call Home

Now that you mention this.
Did you or anyone get a call from your DM saying.."The owner of the company is asking drivers what they like and dislike about the company"?

 

Yes... I gave my feedback yesterday... today I updated it with todays “accomplishments”

 

When did that happen,must've missed it,I didn't get called.

 

They save the best for last.

 

Wow! Way to let the locals know how you really feel! Tell me, if you were out on the road and had to wait 3-4 hours to be loaded, or had issues with a trailer-would that not be the same thing? There are about 20 or so “local” drivers for all shifts and you have no idea how many customers we deal with that OTR doesn’t. I’ve been to some crazy places that, in my 6 years here, I had no idea we hauled for. Some are shuttle drivers. Some have yard jockey duties at customers. Some head to Givens and sit 3-4 hours to get loaded making that an entire day with the 3 1/2-4 hour round trip. We can’t be everywhere. And if it’s a heavy load, we can’t go get it because what will weigh legal on a day cab, may not in a road truck. Well, I probably could since I’m in a Mack, but I digress. Yeah, I suppose I did take offense at the comment. We locals aren’t OTRs #####es.

 

I was in the middle of some really bad traffic when I got the call. It caught me off guard. I called back wanting to share some more ideas but no one picked up the phone. I tried calling today and same thing happened.
I understand and agree with what your saying; it's definitely frustrating. I just was very surprised about getting that call with that kind of a question and was wondering if anyone else was called.

 

@RebelChick, with respect,
you took my comment wrong...

I was NOT degrading the Locals...

I was saying that local drivers get paid by the hour instead of CPM... if they were setting here they would be getting PAID... OR ... they could drop a trailer here and go about their productive business elsewhere... and anyone, either OTR or Local could pick it up after it’s been loaded... and roll... Driver Productivity

If my comment came off as meaning or implying anything else, I DO apologize...

And to answer your questions... if I wait for 3-4 hours getting loaded... that’s fine... if I have trailer problems... ya, that happens.... (three trailers in a row now) ... miscommunications... sure... BUT... since 9am I have been waiting... getting misinformation, dealing with multiple trailer issues... AND now waiting to get loaded...

AND, trust me, if that all happened in one day while OTR, believe me, I would be complaining then too...

Now, I’ll get some money tossed my way for this fiasco... but honestly... I’d rather just taken the day off and done something outside the truck... as it is now, I just made 40 CPM for 33 Miles... and whatever they toss my way...

This was not a productive day.

 

Last thing the DM told me was..." I need to call some more drivers before going home".

 

I am glad that they are doing this survey of the Drivers... I’m sure they will get a lot of moaning and groaning (see my posts above as examples ... lol) but maybe, just maybe, a pattern will appear to Management of an issue or two that are legitimate issues and maybe, just maybe, a solution will arise from the process as well.

Whatever the outcome, I applaud the effort!!!

 

I feel you on the misinformation and unproductive day. A friend of mine has had much the same issues-for weeks now. Today was a particularly draining day for him as well. I’ve listened to him vent about the same issues as you-actually for months now. So much so that he is about ready to just turn in his truck and move on.
Just walking in the office multiple times a day every day I see and hear things that make me just shake my head. It’s quite the #### show most days.

I think that the exodus of drivers lately has prompted this “survey”. Not sure how many have actually left. But, must be something in the water for them to be calling to ask what drivers are thinking. I doubt that I will get one of those calls since I’m local, but I can think of a few things, just from hearing porch/lounge conversations (and here, of course). Short runs/miles, equipment left in poor condition, crappy shop, little to no (or slow) communication from dispatch to drivers (or even between each other-you’d think they used snail mail instead of email), the lack of most anyone in the office willing to just take the bull by the horns and make a decision without emailing 15 people to find out what to do.

Thank heavens they figured out that Chris Melton was worthless as local dispatch and stuck him back over at the outbound window (sorry guys). Someone actually made a decision, and rather quickly, on that. You know why? When it’s local, the customers are affected much faster (since 99% of the local drivers would not go out of their way to think-heck most of them won’t even slide the tandems to bring a load back from Hp in Sandston and milk the clock-my opinion). Again-IMO, he shouldn’t even still be here, but I don’t run things in there. As long as I don’t have to deal with him, it’s all good. It’s pretty bad when folks who did not care for the local dispatch guy actually wanted him back because it was so screwed up!

So, MD, I feel ya on all you’ve said. I’m in a unique position. I don’t really fit into either OTR or local. Story of my life-loaner until the end, I guess. And I can see both sides because I’ve done both here. At first I was really mad because I could no longer be OTR. I still have those days, but they are becoming less frequent. I did do an overnight trip memorial weekend. It was ok and close to home, but nah, I’ll take my bed at home any day. Now if I could just make up for some of the pay cut....