I'm looking for a company to start out with and I had a question about miles. I've noticed a few posts where some of the other noobs complain about the amount of miles they get and that the amount of freight they can find is limited and was wonder if it has to do with where you live versus the companies geographic "epicenter". For example im looking at Schneider National and i noticed a thread complaining about the freight out of Fontana and looking at there website they seem to be more structually located in east half of the country. I was just wondering if anybody had a take on this and would mind taking the time to gimme some ideas. Also I am not above relocation to an area that gives me a better chance at getting consistant freight. THAT IS ALL!!!
To the best of my knowledge the miles you run are based on the freight the company hauls, time of year, dedicated or not..etc....not where you live. Where you live would be a factor in how often or how easy it is to get home.
Yes, location is important. But only if you work for a small company. Even then, a company should be able to keep you moving if they have good load planners, guys who know where you'll be going two runs before you do. Here are some factors that will really determine how many miles you'll get: 1. Your destination. Taking a run to Cally may be great, but a back haul that takes you all the way back may be tough to get. This is because when you arrive in Cally you'll find you're competing with about a million other trucks for those loads. Same goes for places like Florida. You may be sitting a day or two if you go to these places. 2. Your demands. Some drivers want to be home often. This requires some finagaling of runs, some of which may be hard to find. If you want to get home, you may have to sit more, meaning you'll be moving fewer miles. 3. Your dispatcher. Sometimes dispatchers like to play games with drivers. I've had a dispather or two that just had to get their digs in. These guys would have me sit an extra day as "punishment" if I pissed them off. Unfortunately, the vindictive types seem to be common. 4. Your specialty. Got a tanker load going to Butte? You may be sitting a day or two after your unload. Guys who drive those big house-on-wheels trucks for the movers, such as Mayflower and Allied, drive those things for good reason--they sometimes sit a lot. 5. Your company's business health. If your company is going belly up, they may be scaring off customers. 6. Your fellow drivers. Slacker drivers who take three days to run a load from Kansas City to Lincoln will scare off customers. Lost customers means lost miles. 7. Your company's size/the economy. Extremely small companies are very sensitive to business cycles, especially downturns. This is because they may rely on one or two anchor customers who themselves may cut back on production when the economy goes south. 8. Your pay. When you get more experience in trucking, sometimes you see something happen that is the opposite of what makes good sense--your company will actually CUT your miles. This is because as you get raises, you become more expensive. If you are rubbing shoulders with lots of newbie (cheaper) drivers at your company, you'll probably see fewer miles. 9. The "unwritten mileage rule". I swear when I was driving, I'd always find myself sitting a lot one week if I had an extra-good week the week before. It seemed to me, and I hope it was just my imagination, that there is sort of a glass ceiling in trucking regarding pay. I suspected my companies didn't want me making "too much" and would put me on a leash the week after a great week. This was especially true when I worked for Swift. There are other factors that will determine your mileage, and I'm sure some of the other posters out there can pipe up.
I think it all depends on the relationship you have with your fleet mgr. For example, I have been driving for USA truck for 1.5yrs. My 1st 9 months I was a solo and my fleet mgr ran me pretty decent, but I did alot of sitting around sometimes for reasons of breakdown or waiting to be loaded. He got promoted and I am now a trainer. The fleet mgr I have had since then is alot better that the 1st guy. She has me preplanned on almost every load and I never sit around. That slow freight story is a bunch of crap, my other Fm used to say that BS all of the time when i know #### well freight was not slow if other truck are rolling.
I've heard so many exuses for sitting. "Where do you live?" West Virginia "Well that's your problem right there." What the hell does that have to do with freight in Kansas? "Are you scheduled for home time?" No, I'm on my 2nd week of a 4 week run. "oh." ...In my 3rd week of employment... Why am I still sitting still? "We have new drivers to take care of." ??!?!?!?!!? Why am I still sitting here? "There is no freight." So far there has been no freight in Texas, California, Colorado, Wisconsin, Ohio, West Virginia, Oklahoma or Iowa. How have you been in business for 50 years? I delivered my Sat 3 am appt. Is there another load? "No, we don't have any planners until monday at 9." WHAT?!?! So, I guess it comes down to your relationship with the dispatcher. Mine sucks. That explains alot. Then again, I never could comprehend stupid. I mean, I got these excuses BEFORE I started being a ... beech. I think he makes stuff up... I'm in my 8th week of employment here. I'm at 90% live unload/load. Spend 4-8 hours in a dock, do 600 miles and dock again. I'm RAKING it in!!
