Any and all questions about Conway Truckload can be answered here!

You admitted to it now...you prob never see CA....LOL

 

Lol....ill go anywhere as long as I can keep food on the table at home.....

 

I'm considering getting into trucking and since I live in Joplin, Conway seems the obvious choice for a job/schooling. Looking into the job there seem to be some fairly universal complaints- Miles, Wait time, and Home time.
Any input is welcome regarding current weekly miles for a solo driver, but I'm specifically curious about the following:
Do Conway drivers have control over managing their 70 hour max?
I've seen drivers for other companies on youtube attempting to explain hour management with the intent of avoiding 34hr resets. I'm sure that for a new driver this type of hour management would'nt be a top priority, but I'm curious whether Conway drivers are able to do so. As I understand it Conway is a forced dispatch company, so is avoiding resets a priority of dispatchers? Do you prefer not to be forced into resets, or would you rather run til you're out of hours and take the break? Any perspective on this?
With regard to waiting time.
There are also videos on youtube submitted by drivers taking the viewer through "a day in the life" of a trucker. One aspect of the job which seems would be particularly frustrating to me is waiting for a customer to unload...worse still, waiting for a customer to even begin unloading. On one video a driver has arrived at a customer, ready to unload, and is forced to wait for 7 hours to do so...with no forewarning about the wait. I imagine this sort of "waiting on-call" would be rather difficult to plan one's day around...not to metion just plain aggrevating, especially since this would cut into a driver's pay considerably.
Any enlightenment on this aspect of the job in general, or particularly with respect to Conway?

 

Doe's Conway truckload run much in the northeast? I see a lot of freight trucks up my way.

 

indeed truckload runs alot up that way

 

Being that you are from Joplin, what better company could you possibly go to? Con-Way Truckload is your best option no matter where you live, if you have no experience. Yes, sometimes you will sit, but not as much as others. They (usually) try to plan your loads based on what hours you have as to not use them all up, meaning they usually give you enough time and dont drive you to death. Waiting at a customer is fairly infrequent with this company, but sometimes it does happen and nobody usually likes it, it is part of the job though. You just have to deal with it. You have to have stuff to entertain yourself during those times...pop in a good movie. Forced dispatch is what you make of it. You could go to a company that isnt forced dispatch and they offer you a load, you dont take it, then you might sit. You just have to take the good loads with the bad ones, sometimes it can get annoying, but once again you have to just deal with it. They dont force you to anything in regards to your hours, you decide, you just have to be on time to pick ups and deliveries. If you really want to drive a truck, then Con-Way is right for you, trust me. Most companies that would train you from start to finish, are not even a quarter as good.

 

Yeah, I pretty much figured Conway's the place to be for a new driver, especially since I live here...which leads to my next question:

I'm a single guy with no kids, so home time would'nt hold the precendent for me that it might for a driver with family. Picking up mail and occasional errands would be the extent of what I'd "need" to be home for. I'm assuming that a Conway driver comes through the Joplin terminal with some regularity...is this assumtion correct?
Also, what's the nature of a driver's visit to the Joplin terminal aside from repairs? I'm wondering if a driver who lives near a terminal would have time/liberty to take care of said errands when they come through without having to use earned home time?

 

I have a feeling, they would take one look at you and start drooling, you are more then likely exactly what they are looking for. The more you are willing to stay out (away from home) the better. "Most" drivers (in my opinion) would love to completely avoid Joplin, because once you get there, your forward momentum comes to a screeching hault. They always seem to find something to throw your truck or trailer in the shop for, which is good, because you need safe equipment, but their shop is very slow in getting you back on the road. But, if you live there and your personal vehicle is there, what better time to go around town and see your friends/relatives, pick up the mail, etc.

 

Something that wasn't mentioned (or maybe with my hasty reading and bloodshot eyes I missed it). While short weeks/runs do happen, a good FM will usually find something better for you on your next run. I've had weeks where it looked week (1000 miles on thursday) then suddenly get a run for 1500+ miles. In all honesty we joke about "smiles for miles", but if you treat the company right, they treat you right. I say this while acknowledging sometimes stuff goes wrong (this last 3 weeks for me), but I never saw a promise from the company or anyone else that things would always fall my way.

 

yes sir i do.does conway have a midwest regional for a newbies and is the training good for newbies[just got cdl a week ago]