Company constantly asking for favors, but won't get me home.

Time to quietly look around for another job, make any necessary adjustments/or prepare to, then give them 2 weeks notice.
From what you describe, I will bet you will be called in and openly and honestly (in their view) asked Why?? Then outline what you have described, (again I will bet) they will grovel and ask whatever it takes to make it right, just tell us. Tell them no, you are obligated to your new employer.
You are at the top of either of two lists. One is we can depend on this guy to pull our fat out of the fire and he is always seemingly agreeable so use him.
Or the other is someone has the knife out for you for some obscure reason and is slowly riding you down. Neither are worth hanging on till suddenly it is over.
Last one I quit was for them going to a standard fleet specd truck. Told them when I learned of it, "When the one comes in for me. give me my check instead of the keys. Tractor I had made me $ and I could sleep some. Offered was to run wide open as a case knife and make less. (Power and convenience, not speed.)

Circumstances later on two I quit resulted in me doing them/a driver of theirs favors in an emergency. Owner at one and main man at other were astounded and if they were still alive, be embarrassed when they met me. They just truly underestimated me while I was working. Changes; get enough, move on.

 

At my company one of the few valid reasons for flatly turning down a load is for a home time request.
If they say they will arrange a t-call along the way I will say arrange the t-call first. In fact, the t-call should be a part of the 'Next Load Assignment' message.

 

The drivers that claim all companies are the same and the drivers that don't bother to investigate an employer before hiring on are making a mistake, IMO. No drivers works for the industry. Each driver works with 1 employer, not an average of all employers. A driver can deliberately or accidentally work for an employer that respects him or not. If you don't do your company research you can't expect to be treated like more than a number. All companies don't have the same accident rate, safety score, or turnover rate. Make good choices & do your homework. Reading a company web page is not even a first step..it's no more than flipping a coin. Do more.

 

This^^^
If they get you home two days late, I would inform them, I’m two days late getting home, so I’ll be extending hometime two days!

 

All great responses, and we're pretty much in agreement, give them an inch, they'll take a mile. It's a tough call for the driver, on one hand, you want to do a good job, and are actually afraid to say no. My O/O gig, leased to a company, power only, had a no force dispatch policy. Sounded good, but if you refuse to take what they offer, well, we've got nothing for you. I lived in an area that was not on their regular routes, and many times, said, "nothing? Fine by me, talk next week", and as an O/O one can do that. Company driver? If they say you are going to the moon, pack your spacesuit, meaning, they literally own you, and you have to accept "going home" does nothing for the company. Remember, they may have 40 drivers asking to be home at 1 time. The industry just doesn't work that way, much as you wish it would.
Years ago, we would struggle to get home, call the boss on the Watts line from our couch, and say we ran into trouble, might be a day or 2.. Can't do that today,,,

 

I'll call out as a company driver and go home (or stay home another day) if I don't want to work on a given day. They've got 15,000 other company drivers they'll manage to cover it somehow and they won't be mad at me for calling out either. It wouldn't even raise an eyebrow. Now refusing a load while I'm working is a little different. I think that's silly as one load is as good as another and every one of them is a money maker in the big picture. I never refuse any load. But a lot of drivers do wasting time costing themselves earnings in the process.

 

The question is when are you trying to get home. If you're trying to get home Monday through Thursday, you're a dispatchers nightmare. It's almost a certainty that you'll get home late, if at all. I've learned to schedule my appointments on Fridays, or Mondays. I've got an appt on Friday morning. I'm under a load now that can be delivered pretty much around the clock. I'll get home tonight, go to the Dr, then go drop this load afterwards. Money isn't screwed up. I much prefer Mondays because I'll get home Friday, be at home all weekend, go to the Dr Monday morning, and leave out right afterwards. I'm not saying this is you, but if you're trying to get home M-Thurs, it's going to be tough. You gotta fit in the ebbs and flows of trucking. The industry panders to 0 drivers. Drivers must give in to the needs of trucking if they're going to do this job. Also, you gotta look at their freight lanes. If your work for a company in which they have heavy freight coming through your area, it's easy. If not, it could be a crapshoot, and they may take a broker load, which could cause them to lose money, just to get you home. Gotta figure out their system and the industry's system and use it to your advantage.

 

That was very well said

 

You know I’ve been driving a truck for a while . and there are three different types of truck driving jobs. local LTL, company road drivers (dedicated ),and owner operators. Running over the road in long length of time on the road It always seem a very difficult which I can never do. That’s why I ran local my whole life. I tip my hat to you guys running on the road for long lengths of time. It’s not an easy job. I knew a few guys back in early 1974, that ran like that , those guys were good. I tell you , those cab overs were intimidating. I drove one back in the day for a very short time ha ha ha