covenant to start charging drivers for idleing??

I agree with you guys. I could never sleep in a bouncing bed, even if I had the bedbelt fastened. I'm too light a sleeper to be able to do it.

Me thinks the trucking idustry is about to see a bunch of layoffs to weed out those who won't cooperate and run team. Considering that a lot fewer rigs will be needed when teaming starts, expect lots of trucks to be sent back to places like Fruitliner after the laid-off guys get the boot.

 

Ok off topic but did you find yourself wondering Covenant had/needed a corporate plane? They did sell it off but that is a rediculous unecessary expense for a trucking company even in good times.

 

I tried teaming with my brother in law (who as usual,needed a job)while hauling cows...I had ridden with him a few times locally,maybe 3 hour trips in a mid hp coal bucket and I thought he did a pretty fair job driving.... We took off (in a 379exhd w/550 cat and a 15 over.Something with horsepower like he WASN"T used to)and when I turned it over to him and crawled in the back...HOLY HOT MOTHER OF MUD....I was either leaning forward,backward,or sideways,sometimes all at the same time.If I tried to lay down,my feet would be up one second and then my head would be up the next and evertime he gouged it, I would roll to the back of the bunk..I tried to lay back there and let him get used to the horses and the way the truck handled and keep my mouth shut(a near impossible feat for me) and I did a good job for about an hour or so until I heard the expansion strips on the road thumping as fast as a rock drummer under the truck....I eased up and squinted through the zipper and saw that the speedo needle was at 5 o'clock and I had all I could take.....I put him in the whiners chair and figured with him watching me for a bit after he had driven, that he might see where his mistakes were made and learn enough that I could let him have it back in an hour or so...Besides that, I chewed his ### out for about 59 minutes of that hour for running in excess of 80 mph ..I switched back with him,the same deal....It was a miserable trip that seemed to last for decades..And I never slept the whole time we had hooves on the deck..I ended up "borrowing" his time..When we got back home,I paid him and although we used to talk daily on the phone,I told him NOT to call me for a couple of weeks.

I've never tried teaming again.I'll put a pink tutu on and dance for quarters on the corner before I do it again.

 

Well, I drive for a big company - but it's not a trucking company we just happen to deliver the material we sell. I'm not totally guiltless in all of this, but getting paid by the hour is a FAR better deal, in my opinion, than this nonsense of these big companies paying by the mile - and not paying much at that - and taking advantage of the driver in all the "freebies" those companies are getting in terms of wait times and all the other junk that a driver faces on a daily basis.
More than that, though, I feel for the OO's in this land who are eating it badly. I'm sure these giant trucking companies would love to see all OO's go by the wayside, but I have a great hate-affair with the likes of Werner; JB; Swift and such that are simply taking advantage of new drivers - for the most part anyway - making them eat gravel while they're eating steak.
I have no doubt in my mind that if any of these companies went belly up, all that freight they are hauling would easily be picked up by a myriad of other companies and OO's out there, there are just TOO many of them (big companies).

 

trooper,i've been saying the same thing for years,let the cheap freight companies go out of business...and take the lowlife brokers w/ them

 

I think that APU should be in every truck so ideling is not an issue. Our company doesn't have APUs but they do have free idlearie and we are allowed to idle (where it's legal) if the temps are not comfortable.

 

Ok first off I think this is one of those rumors and second off think about the truck drivers in the military I was one of them we would be out driving for 12 plus ours a day no A/C and if the heat didnt work we would suck it up

 

I find it funny when people say when the big company's go out of business the freight rates will go up. Yea maybe for a 60 to 90 days if that. When I rode with my dad in the 60's they said the same thing. stop accepting that dam cheap freight. and now its 2008 and they saying the same thing. Ok a reality check say swift, Schneider, and the other big companies go out of business. There will be others that take there place. Like them or hate them swift started out with 2 brothers and a pick up truck. Now look at them do you think they was saying the same thing when they started out? They could not compete with the big companies. But they toughed it out and with luck some hard work they are one of the biggest. but to think all the problems is with the big companies is misguided and naive the big ones make up about 16% of the total trucks on the road.

 

Teaming may be here. But, how many teams will be willing to have the down time that solo drivers have before they quit and look for greener pastures? I'm hearing more and more teams starting to cry during this slow period about having to wait all day for a load.....sniff... sniff..

Solo will always be here. Besides SOMEBODY has to go to Long Island.

Rumours of Covenant charging for idle time, and charging out OOR? I would want that it be put in writing FIRST. Then I would happily put the truck and trailer under the next low bridge, in route of course.

I'm familier with Covenants routing program. It blows to say the least.

Besides, how many of Covenants loads ACTUALLY go to the local Post Office? None would be my guess.

 

No joke. The drivers you're speaking of will be the Fleece Operator drivers. The drivers who have no choice and can be forced to go to Long Island. In fact, all the fleece drivers should do the right thing NOW and simply move to Long Island. They'd get home very, very often.