experienced trucker question

You and joseph1135 need to have a candle light dinner some time.

 

My first O/O with Panther. Panther takes two weeks to process payment, but the owner took an extra week. Add, my codriver walked off right after his orientation, and I had already been sitting a week at that point. So, really, I had to wait a month, but officially, it was 3 weeks.

 

That 150 miles is only 3 inches on the map.
The bigger the truck doesn't always mean a bigger pay check.

 

Just how low someone can go in regards to cleanliness in the vehicle, personal hygeine, etc. I feel guilty sometimes about 1 or 2 mc donalds bags on the floor, then I see the truck that could fill a small dumpster, trash litreally stacked floor to window and dashboard level.

Being in the presence of sweaty fat @*=%_; who think showering is a luxury or an option. I am a bigger guy, and after more than a day with no shower I feel pretty grungy, no matter what time of year it is. If your job is too stressful an demanding that you can't get a shower at least every other day...your job isn't worth it and you need a new one.

If you aren't showering as often as you are able, every other day at a bare minimum in my opinion, you are just lazy and nasty.

 

I wish somebody had warned me away from Swift.

 

Several things for me personally:

1. Go into trucking with the goal of being an owner operator. Yes, there is a lot of paperwork, maintenance and responsibility, but you make all the decisions, go where you want and pull what you want. It's your truck! No bus ride for you. You don't start out on the bottom, you start out on top. You CAN negotiate your contracts. You buy a truck set up your way, not a desk jockey's specs. Worlds more enjoyable ride, more enjoyable job. Go ahead and buy that high dollar aftermarket seat...it's worth every penny.

2. Don't pull a reefer. Don't do it. It's the absolute worst wagon you can pull. A dry box may not pay as well, but you don't primarily go to grocery warehouses either.

3. Be the better driver. Doesn't matter what everyone else is doing, bring your A Game. Avoid the negative talk about your employer. There is money in taking the load that no one else wants to pull. Continually push and challenge yourself. It's the only way to keep your skill levels way up. You will never be a slacker if it's you pushing you. Reward yourself. One of the reasons why I think so many people hate their job is because there's no reward.

4.Your name is the most valuable thing you possess. Protect your valuables at all costs, especially in trucking. If you're going to be a slut, don't be a cheap slut. If they see you working the street corners with the crackheads, you will never be invited to the penthouse again. Say no to cheap freight.

 

no one coud of ever told me how hard it woukd be to be away from my girls

 

Yup, nobody mentioned that even the drivers in the front row are too lazy to walk to an inside bathroom.

 

The littering of highways with urine-filled plastic bottles

 

It's the only job that I can think of off hand,that you are in constant jeopardy of your freedom if a weird accident were to happen, and or tickets, points on your cdl bc of an unknown LIGHT going out from scale to scale! No matter HOW many pti's you do something can ALWAYS happen in between the scales!!! And big Brutha is always going to be there watching, lurking and waiting for it!!