Gilster Mary-Lee

Ya i didnt no much about them the guy at the trucking school am thinking of going to was talking them up say they pay really good but I wasn't sure. I heard you get home on weekends with them is that true in your case?

 

Thanks........I don't think Henderson hires new drivers i did look at them but wasn't real sure. A friend of mine told me Central Refrigerted Is a good company to start with and work for but i got time to look around.

 

I have always carried a set of basic tools including zip ties, duct tape, electric tape, all temp tape for air hoses and anti freeze lines, screw drivers, set of sockets in a box.....Most minor repairs I can do myself to get myself back to the yard. Walk around any truckstop and you can probably find a mudflap if you don't keep one under your bunk (hint hint). Punch a few holes in a used one with a screwdriver, remover the bolts with your socket set and presto!

 

If a marker light is your only infraction , it's csa points against the company not you. If it's a blowout on the driver side trlr tandem. Rubber flying all over and you're running 45 with the 4-ways on for 60 miles to your stop before you tend to the tire and a cop pulls you over , and feels you're ignoring an unsafe condition , you may very well end up with csa points and a hefty fine , "you and the Co.". There's a difference between an unsafe vehicle and moving it in violation of the FMCSR for highway safety and a minor equipment violation . A seat belt infraction is csa on both you and the company , even though listed as minor. Forcing your company to do a service call for a marker light out is a disservice to both the company and your fellow driver man.
Imagine , if every driver did that same exact thing for every minor little thing that arose in route , companies would be dropping like flies , not being able to service customers in a timely fashion and losing major clients as a result. Not to mention paying a million per year in service calls. But don't worry about it , your license is squeaky clean you can go elsewhere , til they flop.
I also agree that the lights should work however I will drive to a T/S call breakdown and get a po to get it fixed. I'll also in the event it's a front marker light , cant the trlr so the left or right is close to the back of the tractor , pocket the screw driver , scale the back of the tractor and change it myself in favorable weather conditions. No , not during and ice storm or thunder storm.

 

Actually it is csa points for you too.

 

I drove for Gilster but don't any longer. It's a decent job but certainly not great. As others have stated, the equipment sucks!! Maintenance issues are a real problem and you WILL break down a lot. Only have a few late model trucks and those are given to the favorites and believe me, they are a "good ol boy" network. Certain good ol boys get the good loads and the others get what's left . Lot of northeast too, including NYC. Solos rarely go west, you have to run team to have a chance to do that. You deliver to grocery warehouses, and unloads typically take forever, especially in Newburgh, NY, Cheshire, CT, and Brattleboro, VT. Usually anywhere from 4-10 hours at most places because the breakdown of their freight is hell. Here's the kicker. YOU get stuck paying the taxes when using lumper services. The only company in the world that does this and believe me, it really adds up over time! You can unload yourself, but you'll find out most of the time, it's not worth the $120. You WILL run illegal a LOT and if you get caught, you'll be suspended and relegated to working at the shop or in one of the plants 5 days a week for $9/hr. If you tell them you can't or won't, they'll starve you out or give you a hellish load into NYC. Their safety rating is #### so they recently turned the trucks down to 64-65 mph from 69-71. Newer trucks are getting Qualcomm but everyone else still running on paper for now.

They do have good bonuses. You get a Christmas and anniversary bonus every year which is 2-4% of what you grossed the previous year, depending on how long you've been with the company. Paper logs can help you too or really f you at times. You bring inbound loads back to terminal so it's just drop and go home, which is nice. Have a profit sharing program as well but it doesn't build up like it used to.

You can definitely do worse than Gilster but can also do better. Mileage pay is fairly low for a new driver and raises are not great but do add up over a long period of service. It's all about what you're willing to put up with...

 

The blister truck that past me today looked pretty rough.

 

Dag gum auto correct I meant Gilster.