Any bored trucker want to answer a few questions?

Ask away we'd glady answer buddy

 

The bad thing about just driving (not unloading your truck,building pallets) is the lack of physical work. sitting in a truck for 11 hrs and sitting at receivers makes it easy to lead a sedentary lifestyle. For a new driver its a big change not being home for weeks at a time and when you are home its only for a couple of days. in my opinion its not good if you have young kids. the one exception would be if you plan on getting a local drive job after a year or two OTR. Tons of people try to be drivers and only last a short while its not for everyone and in the beginning there are a lot of dispatchers,receivers that treat you like sheet. ok Im sick of pecking but thats just a the tip of ice berg. Good Luck!

 

Im working your questions list right now. Give me about an hour.

I hope you understand when I identify myself with the old handle given to me by the VA State police when I broke their scales long ago and general area near Little Rock Arkansas.

 

1) Local driver these days, 12hr shifts running local around DFW
2) Time management, ability to work without human interaction, ability to easily modify sleep schedule.
3) 9 years driving, recently returned to college and about to graduate with a BA in Education.
4) Depends on Region and style of work. OTR training pay can be anywhere from 350-500/week for 2-6 weeks. After training 700-1100/week. Again, too many factors to really answer correctly. Local work is the same, entirely based on company and region.
5) Logistics is a 24/7 operation.
6) DFW metro, drivers are always in demand.
7) We are not utilizing full capacity by any means, industry will always be required. Supplier creates, warehouses store, we transport, citizens consume.
8- N/A My current employer is being bought out by a competitor.
9) See question 8
10) Minimal, there really isn't any skill transfer. It's a trade, not a corporation. It's akin to asking a landscaper about his chance of promotion.
11) I enjoyed OTR, some beautiful country out there... Current job is the income, some local gigs pay surprisingly well.
12) Depends on job and region. Some people enjoy sitting in an air conditioned cab all day, I enjoy working on the docks.
13) I like my job, as always a raise would be nice though.
14) Numerous... Health issues if you become sedentary, hard on relationships/family, somewhat high risk profession.
15) It's honest, pays well above other unskilled trades, flexibilty.

ExOTR
Fort Worth Texas
Not a chance
Local pu/delv driver

 

Here ya go. Good Luck!


1) What do you do in a typical day?
Drive, Interact with Customers, Public Relations with fellow motorists, sometimes Law Enforcement personnel as well as other Personnel, Schedule Trips, Map Routes, Maintain Various Paperwork as Required by Law, Secure and Account for Loads/Piece Count, Account for any Overage, Shortage, or Damaged Freight (if Applicable), Inspect All Vehicles used in the course of the day for Safe Operation Issues, Schedule Required Rest Breaks as per Law, Maintain Safe Operation of All Vehicles Used- to include, but not limited to, Height/Weight/Length Restrictions, vehicle operation, Insure Compliance with all Federal, State and Local Laws pertaining to Vehicles Operated and all Laws pertaining to Drivers of such vehicles, deal effectively with any Emergency Situations that may be presented during the course of the day.
2) What skills and personal characteristics do you need to do this job?
Must be well versed in the Rules and Regulations of the Trucking Industry, Math skills, Comprehension Skills, Physical Skills, Reading Skills, Mapping Skills, Computer Operation Skills, Driving Skills, Backing and Turning Skills, Analytical Skills, Customer Relations Skills, Project Management Skills, Time Management Skills, Risk Management Skills, Operational Skills and other Job Related Skills.
Must also have Strong Mental, Physical and Endurance capabilities.
3) How long have you worked in this occupation? 42 Years
4) What is the rate of pay for entry-level workers? Varies by Company
5) What are the "normal" work hours/days? Max 14 per day/70 per week
6) What is the outlook for work in your area? Outstanding
7) Is the industry growing/declining? Growing by leaps and bounds
8 ) How many people have been hired [at your company] in the last six months? Not Available
9) How many people have been hired [at your company] in the last twelve months? Not Available
10) What are the chances for promotion? Poor to Fair
11) What are the most interesting aspects of your job? You can pretty much earn what you want to earn.
12) Do you like the working conditions? Mostly
13) What would you change about your job? Some Regulations, Some Company Policies.
14) What are the disadvantages of this occupation? You lose a lot of time with your Family and miss a lot of great things that happen in their lives.
15) What do you find satisfying about your job? It allows me to use many skills that I have picked up over the years, as well as, allows me a great deal of Freedom to choose how the job gets done.



Name: Ron
Address: Northeast, TN
Position: Trucker

 

What company is this that is requiring such an extensive interview process of random drivers? It doesn't make sense that they would require it.

I'm not going to invest the time in this if there is an ulterior motive.

 

1) What do you do in a typical day?

Wait for a load assignment. Try to handle laundry and hygiene essentials, plus fueling the tractor, weighing at cat scale to get current empty weight against a loading bill of lading cargo weight going on the trailer. You eat a meal designed to sustain you the day because you might not get to eat again until midnight or later. You tend to the paperwork logs and such to stay caught up. You can find yourself doing 2 hours of paperwork a day if you do not take care. You are smart enough not to log this on duty because it will steal your availible total hours for the week against you. Being out of hours is the same as taking money from your paycheck. There are other activities that mix daily living into that of trucking. You will be disinfecting the cab, cleaning the glass, mirriors, dash, steering wheel, fetching coffee in two of your green stanely thermoses, you will be looking to get a doggie box of left over meal to call it lunch later that day. You check your tires, you check your air lines, you examine your toolkit to make sure you got all the parts, spares for all the bolts, valves etc on your rig, you stock up on gallons of rotella T (I carried 5 gallons minimum because I have experienced in 30 years trucking loss of gallons plural out of the engine a time or two. Oil equals life blood of engine.) you are going over the trailer to make sure your pallets are in good shape, if not you find a pallet shop or mobile provider to deliver them to you. You use the internet to gain information rapidly as to where you are loading, where you are going, routings, low clearances etc. A example will be delivering into Hunts Point NYC later that night for a 4 am delivery meaning you will be going over maps, laptop GPS information on Hunts Point from previous trips with other truckers at your 76 or TA truckstop counter who have never been there and will be convoying with you in number one lead to get everyone there. Might be 30 of you leaving. Might be 300 of you leaving for Hunts Point in the afternoon or late evening calculated to bypass the rush hour going across the GW bridge from the west or the Throgs Neck from Connecticut. It is the same as a military mission or movement into battle to get into Hunts safely. I can go on and on and on and on. But others will fill in.


2) What skills and personal characteristics do you need to do this job?

You sleep next week. Not today, not tonight, not tomorrow.
You eat next week, refer to sleep rule.
You will learn how to run a thousand miles hungry and not whine or complain.
Your skills is what you learned, developed from cold experience over your time on the road. To be newbie right out of trucking school is the absolutely the most dangerous time of your career that might be 90 days from now or 50 years from now. I made it 31 years.
Be able to fend off advances from Hookers and LGBTQ who have no morals or problems straight up same sex proposal to you to your face and that of your gf or spouse if they are in the cab right htere with you.
Be able to learn where not to park inside downtown, you be flooded and disturbed by lumpers, law, parasites, beggards, thieves and predators with guns and blade possibly, most likely.
My trucking experiences is NOT your trucking experiences. I can tell stories, and I share some of the problems. Half of which you think is either ########, story telling tall tale or fantasy. Never happen to you you say... oh grasshopper you know very little of the possibilities....

3) How long have you worked in this occupation?

31 years for me, but I am part of it all my life however many more years I have left.

4) What is the rate of pay for entry-level workers?

Less than minimum wage when caluculated against the 168 hours in your work week. Yes I said 168 hours in the work week.

5) What are the "normal" work hours/days?

There is no normal. None. Period. Dot. Nothing normal in trucking. You LIVE trucking, this is not a place where you clock out and go home after 8 hours no sir.

6) What is the outlook for work in your area?

Forget it. The Nation is suffering a fall off in frieght this year.

7) Is the industry growing/declining?

Declining. It will take a major war effort against another Nation like Russia to kick Trucking into pure overdrive with more work than 50 million drivers can handle.

8 ) How many people have been hired [at your company] in the last six months?

Hundreds if not thousands. You do not pay attention to how many hired. You look specifically how long YOU made it with the company. 90 day burn out quit? Aww poor baby. How sad. Maybe you survive 10 years and be on the wall as a 3 million miler. Only to get killed two days prior to your retirement at 65? Ha.

9) How many people have been hired [at your company] in the last twelve months?

Again, it matters not how many. It's how few remain after 90 days, 6 months, 9 months usually a bonus payout and one year. Anyone still with your company after 1 year is going to be a lifer relatively speaking.

10) What are the chances for promotion?

Ha. You take what they tell you to take. You will work years before you are allowed to be trusted as a trainer perhaps. Or taking gravy high dollar half million to million plus dollars in value. Even trusted and able to go into Canada. This is a asset. Or better yet much much much more valuable is to find a driver wife, marry her and form a team for your company. Maybe split both of you as trainers for your company in a few years, you will see 120K salaried gross per year to your home. Half of which will be consumed in taxes. half of what's left comes out of your pockets to feed the hungry shaking tranee just out of orientation with 5 dollars in his pocket after gambling it all away that weekend or spending it on the strip bar. Or better yet sending his or her pittance home to silence to shrill incessant demands of wife for money honey, money money money and more money. Never enough.


11) What are the most interesting aspects of your job?

There are stories you tell. There are stories you will never tell a soul. Then there are those which no one believes you anyway. So why bother.

12) Do you like the working conditions?

It's not about liking or disliking soldier, you suck it up and get going. Why you still here wasting our time, you need to be loaded and rolling. Don't sit here.

13) What would you change about your job?

Everything. But it will also require a overthrow of the current overbearing Government beginning with the entire dispatcher, brokerage and all shippers and recievers who make promises you cannot keep while governed at 56 mph.

14) What are the disadvantages of this occupation?

Everything. It will kill you just like that.

15) What do you find satisfying about your job?

Everything. You got away with doing what you want to do, living on a mountain of cash while doing it. And enjoying your life around the USA doing what takes away your stress on time off away from home. In fact, you dont go home in the spring, summer or fall. YOu save that for winter. Then go home for a few months while the poor sob's fight ice, snow, blizzards, crappy holiday hours and no income. Poor things.