FFE

There are some of the tractors that have APU's ( I am still trying to get one), but most are only equipped with Opti-Idle (turns on/off at temperatures you set OR at low battery). You are allowed to take the truck home as long as you are outside of a certain radius (100 miles I think but not sure). I will give you this word of caution, if you don't have to go to the yard, DON'T at least not the Lancaster yard as it seems like 9/10 trailers that go in are immediately out out of service.

 

Well, hopefully I'll get a trainer as informative as you. I hope I have a trainer that doesn't mind answering questions. Also, I hope they can find me one that doesn't smoke because cig smoke gives me headaches.

How much unloading do you have to do? For instance, how much do you move. Do you have to unload box by box or what? And how are the areas that I'll have to deliver to.

On a different note, is there things to do out at Pinebluff school? And, is it a clean facility.

I'm sorry for so many questions and I really appreciate you taking the time to answer these questions for me. I just have so many. Thanks again

 

There is absolutely nothing to do once the day is over other than take a few books and read (is what I did with spare time) or you can go to the dining area and there is a tv there.

I have only unloaded freight once since I got my own truck, that is all it took for me to learn that the small amount of chump change you will make isn't worth it for the work (truckload of grapes stacked 12 rows high that had to be restacked to 8 high).
While I was training I unloaded freight everytime as my trainers were both LTL drivers, it was a pain in the ###, but it was worth it as they were both happy to have a trainee who didn't mind busting his ### instead of just whining and they bought my meals for me several times since they got paid for my work as well as their own.

Areas you will deliver to vary widely (this is true for all companies since we all seem to bump the same docks lol), some are so simple that you will have acres of room to screw up in, others will require backing down an alley, blindsiding into the property, and then doing a 45 into the actual dock.

Finally there are trainers that don't smoke, however, you may have to wait longer to go out if that is all you are willing to take. I personally had great luck as being a nonsmoker I didn't have to share a room with anyone while I waited for a trainer. My 2nd trainer had a 5 day LTL run in OKC then to Tulsa, then back to Dallas that didn't require much time in the truck. We actually stayed in a hotel every night except for sunday night (we would park at place we delivered to early am monday).

 

so you don't have to unload the truck once you get your own? I'd rather not either if I didnt' have to. Like you said though, in order to help out the trainers I'd be more than happy to help them.

What year is your truck and how was your truck when you got it? Was it pretty clean? And, Im assuming that it has a 10 speed. Does it have power to pull hills, and do all the trucks come with jakes. Also, when are you up to get another truck (newer) does it depend on mileage or just age.

 

I am told that the trucks are retired at 3 years/450,000 miles. Mine is an 07 with a little over 350,000.

When I got it the truck was a beauty inside and out looked brand new with the exception of a small dogs teeth marks on the airline for the jumpseat. Now I have scratches on the hood from a trailer being dragged over it in Houston (downtown pilot), and the same day my plastic bumper getting hit so I have it hanging on with a bolt and oversized washers + 2 bungee straps.

Pulling power? sure if you're empty lmao, the way they govern these trucks also takes away from your power so if you're going up I15 out of LA then you better make sure you have a good radio station to listen to lol.

 

Will I do almost all the driving or will my trainer and I be considered as a team? Do you have a lot of out of pocket expenses? How about toll roads are they paid by you or do you have a toll pass ( I think thats what its called).

Yea, I understand what you mean. No matter how much power a truck has if you clip its wings it isn't going to pull the hills very well. LOL

 

The trucks have EZ-Pass in them, but that isn't effective in some states such as Kansas and Oklahoma

my driver trainers treated me like a team driver after we had established a trust factor (they were comfortable with how I operated the vehicle). My first week with my first trainer was ALL L.A. traffic so I learned quickly or he told me to get out from behind the wheel and watch him (happened 2x only which I feel was good for having just learned to drive the rig a couple weeks before on a 1 mile loop).

As far as out of pocket expenses besides the tolls in OK, and KS you still have scales, which are immediately reimbursed on the paycheck that load is on. I have paid for my own loadlocks, just because it was quicker for me to do so than to wait for the company to send me a comcheck (weekend crew is incompetent). I was reimbursed for these as well.

 

so you started with the company the same way that I'm going to. You went through the school and then out with a trainer and so forth. can you bank your days off if you don't go home.

LA traffic. Wow. I bet that was nerve racking being that new to driving.

Are you a trainer?

 

No I don't train. (1) I have Cookie who rides with me (see pic by name) and (2) I may be able to give some advice that is relatively sound, but I am nowhere near capable of teaching somebody to drive when I still have so much to learn. I don't believe in the idiots teaching idiots program some companies allow as you need a minimum of 1-2 years OTR before you should be allowed to try and teach somebody new.

 

Well, that was a question that I was about to ask you. LOL. I was wondering if I could take my dog with me. I understand what you mean. I should've looked at your driving time. I totally agree about the driving time. Well, hopefully soon I'll be driving. If I run into you I'll be more than happy to buy you a meal being that I've been hammering you with so many questions. One thing I didn't ask was, how about the reefers. Are they hard to work? And is it easy to sleep with them kicking on and off?

From an earlier post I think I remember you saying something about certain fuel stops to stop at. Can you only stop at certain places to get fuel?