am i being realistic

Most companies absolutely WILL get you home every 14 days. The day you leave on your first dispatch you will be asked when and where you want your next hometime, You enter the time and place you want to be, and they will usually get you there, sometimes even early. Occasionally things get messed up, but that's life, not just trucking. Some companies Guarantee home time now. Anyone who tells you that you'll be out 6 weeks or more against your will is either an idiot that let himself get abused, or a liar.

 

Dispatch will NEVER send you home out of the blue. Weekend dispatchers in particular just LOVE to mess up your plans so keep that good load and don't answer that Qualcom until you deliver that load. Being a good boy in the trucking industry just earns you sucker status and a poor paycheck. You constantly have to play their games against them. If you want to visit Florida then tell them you want to go to Washington and you will be a lot closer to Florida when the time comes. Honesty is the WORST policy with most dispatchers. A smaller trucking company might be better in that regard. But keep on asking. You may find that positive truthful answer you are looking for.

 

^^That is why I could never work for your run of the mill mega company . Having some clueless idiot who knows nothing about trucking or transportation dispatching me would drive me insane.

 

Sounds like you never drove for the bottom feeders.

 

Some companies take your truck away if you are home for more than a day or two, then you have to wait around for another truck when you come back.

 

Werner likes to use other company's advertising points. They sound so much better that way.

 

The first company I worked for I only got home when I said "I QUIT!" The second time I made it permanent. Too bad, Dick Simon had a reputation for being good to his drivers but his sons didn't hold to those ideals. They sold out to Central Refridgerated Transport.

 

I've had the same truck for 200+ thousand miles. I get two weeks vacation this July and plan on using a week. My company said I could keep the truck, but largely due to my DM and particular fleet. I got my truck almost brand new, and don't like the idea of switching out. Once you've been in one truck for so long, it becomes home. I'd have a problem if they made me turn my truck in. If you work hard, and are dependable, you should be taken care of.

 

Yes, you should be, but as most of us know, you usually aren't. You have a good thing where you are.

 

I'll be the first to tell you......You can find a good job in trucking just be realistic in regards to entering into any industry. Trucking is a hard job bottom line. Your first year is generally the hardest because you just aren't proven yet. Think about it from the company point of view. I have to entrust you with a large equipment investment and thousands of dollars of freight. Everyday drivers leave trucks and trailers all over the US and walk away. It is a industry reality. I've hauled reefer, van and currently flatbed. If you do some decent research you can find a decent company to start out with. Just know this industry has seasonal ups and downs. Dead areas like Florida for instance do exist. You might get out of there with a reefer but a van could be a problem. Keep your head down and learn to play the game that is the only way to longevity. Any driver worth his salt has had those days when you just want to give up and call it quits. THIS TOO WILL PASS.......If you manage to keep your license and CSA score clean then you can have your pick of the jobs. I been trucking for almost four years now and most would say I have a gravy job. I am flatbedding these days. I am home every night, I park my truck in my yard, I get stop pay and mileage. I generally start at 6am and can be home anywhere between 12:30 - 6:00pm. My first year with them I grossed 51,000. It is local P&D and a daily grind but it works for the family. Sounds great but even this has it's days because I am taking 48 foot of rig in and out of the nations capitol on a daily basis. This can be any driver's worst nightmare. I say all that to say this.........I started out with OTR and worked my way through all the ups and downs this industry can throw at you. Touched every state and that experience I couldn't put a price on. So it can be done just don't go thinking it is going to happen over night or that hometime is an exact science. This occupation takes more #### patience, self reliance, determination and confidence then any other job I have ever had. You have to know when a company has run it's course and when it is time to move on. Be realistic with what it is. If your dm ain't getting you miles or hometime..... switch dm's. If that doesn't work then maybe switch company's. Just realize it will take you almost a year of running for an outfit to really get a feel for them. I have worked at company's that a dm may run you until the wheels fall off but hates to get you home. Then you have some that can reach a good medium for you. Regional may work better for you if you like hometime. As far as 6-8 weeks in a truck. With all due respect that fella may want to check his truck for cameras because he might be being punked. Nothing that excessive happens unless it is by choice. Get has much info has you can on the yards and truckstops you frequent but even that isn't gospel truth. Just realize no job is perfect but in trucking the imperfections seem to be magnified because you are on your own. You might be parked in no man's land on a weekend layover. Mark my words no matter how often you check that qualcomm It will feel like it is only you. Your whole fleet might be catching hell getting out of an area. Just remember most people can't see the forest for the trees. It happens, it's part of what you signed up for. An OTR guy might get a run before you do because it doesn't matter where he goes you may have to wait if you a regional. It isn't a rose garden by any means. Just don't break the cardinal rule and call into dispatch talking all kinds of crap to your dm and anyone who can listen. You never know who answers the phone. These short of things get you on the "drivers you love to hate list" faster than anything else. Think big to start off with if you must. But the smaller companies are always the better one's in the end. Ask driver's how long they have been with the company. The average for my current company is five years. Use that to gauge whether it would be a good fit. Go on there website look at their freight lanes. Freight lanes too far from you could mean it will be hell getting home. This industry is a meat grinder and will spit the faint of heart out like it's nothing. It's all in how you are built. Nobody even calls you a trucker until you have made it a full year or two. To sum it up For the love of God just be realistic in what this industry has to offer. I am living testament to that.