Good company that runs all 48?

if i dont clear that in my first year, ill punch myself in the face. i was told .34 a mile to start (student) but theyre allegedly giving another .3 cent raise across the board sometime this month. (crete)

 

There is NO way you'll CLEAR 43k your first year. Sorry, I just don't see that being possible, no matter what carrier you go with.

 

If you want money as a COMPANY driver, go with CRETE and run 48 States (not regional, it pays less). Pick up on time and deliver on time! Good Luck and drive safe!

 

I drive for Melton Truck Lines, ya I don't want to hear all the whiners about flat bedding. A lot of you old timers have done it and been better drivers for it.

I get pretty darn good miles and I have really great pay, there is one way Melton shines and that's Home time. being East you can take off every two weeks. plus if you want you can bank your days off and take a month off if you want. The one complaint I have is pre-planning, usually doesn't happen, but it does give you time to eat and shower then bang your on your way again. I love flat bedding because it requires some work and thought into securing your load...and...pissst don't tell anyone this ok it's a secret..."we really do know how to back up, we just prefer to go forward" lol

 

after my first month of training im averaging 2641 miles per week. thats 137,332 miles a year -
$46692 if i start at .34 -
$50812 if i start at .37 -

run closer to 3100 a week but we didnt get too far due to having to get a new alternator and ps pump in week 2

 

That's typical Crete equipment. I made 61k last year, got a .03 raise in 9/06 and another .01 in 2/07, and will only clear 57k this year because of all the equipment failures. I have to say, that is their biggest downfall, that and if you work here, you had better learn to cheat the logs so they can't catch you, or learn how to run legal. But at .46/mi, running legal still pays the bills, if this d**n truck would stay together I wouldn't have any other problems here, ohhh except the OPTI IDLE keeping me awake. But hey, If it weren't for the problems I am having here, I would be bored with nothing to complain about

But they do run all 48, they run a lot east, but I have been west at least a half dozen times this year. Guess I am not at the top of everybody's S*** list here.

 

Greetings fellow Inventory Relocation Experts, and the rest of you Steering Wheel Holding Seat Warmers

I know, I complain about Crete a lot...Mostly when I am frustrated sitting in a repair shop again and again and again. But they are now testing Transflow's new in-cab scanning. I am one of the 50 or so drivers they are using to see if the system works. It takes a laptop and a scanner (I bought a cheap Hp all-in-one scanner/printer/copier for $65, Lexmarks are around that price too.) and an internet connection. I hope this catches on.... so far I love it. If it doesn't, at least I have a scanner and copier for receipts and b/l's. I don't know if any other companies are doing this but seems like it's working good so far. Will keep info coming, hopefully good news without all the complaints.

 

Hey!

I know this thread is a few years old, but the question is still relevant. The big question now is how we determine a "good" company. Everything is changing quickly.

 

With Watkins Shepard a solo OTR driver can and probably will run all 48. Not only do they run all the contiguous states but they run to the smallest towns in the middle of nowhere in every one of those 48, so if you want to see the whole country Watkins Shepard can show it to you. They will also show you the money if you can run as hard and as smart as American-Trucker. The per mile rate may be low, but W/S pays pretty close to hub miles and the fuel bonus can add .04 cpm, on all miles run. I'd bet that a first-year driver running furniture out of the Conover terminal could get home weekly *and* make more than A-T did his first year, if they managed those routes well. Twenty dollars a stop for that LTL furniture is decent money, and the work's really not that hard. Granted, the occasional stop may have 100 pieces or more, but most have 10 or less; on more than one occasion, I've delivered a single box to a customer, with only a single pillow inside. Most drivers won't make $45,000 their first year and some drivers won't ever make that much no matter how long they've been on the road; the point is that it *can* be done, with the right discipline and proper trip-planning.

 

This is a very old thread but you are right about WS. If you have experience they pay up to .37 to start plus all that drop pay as mentioned. They are on my very short list, and at .37 plus stop pay and home on the weekends you can have a life and still make some decent coin at WS.