Hey old hands, got any recommendations?

Sorry about the wife, hope you're doing alright, @Chinatown is your best bet.

 

What's your home base?

 

Not a small company but the driver treatment and culture is good at Walmart. The pay is as good or better than advertised too. They're currently hiring & offering qualified drivers a $10,000 sign on bonus out of the Seymour, IN DC. The Coldwater, MI DC is closer to you and also hiring but not offering the $10,000 sign on bonus.

 

Okay, look, the "vultures" aren't circling, so knock that off. I think you may be trying to fill the void in your life by your wife dying with what made you comfortable. If I were you, since you still have a hankerin' to drive, I'd go with a Greyhound or tour bus. Those guys don't work that hard, pay is so-so, but you may just meet someone in the same boat as you. Not likely in a truck. Trucking, it seems, has gone from a good job to a highly over regulated one, a last game in town for many, with sub par drivers that will test your patience. "Small" companies are going down fast, and if current trends continue, and there's every indication it will, pretty soon you'll have Nat. Guard driving AM Generals pulling Swift trailers. Not much can replace the Mrs., and I feel a lonely job like trucking may not be the best course of action.

 

Very sorry about your wife. May she rest in peace.

I can recommend Oakley Transport out of Lake Wales, FL. Food grade tanker, including food grade hazmat (alcohol and lots of it). I’ve been here a year and my experience has been great. No micromanagement, easy going work. Pay’s average to good, depends on how hard I’m willing to work usually. Equipment is usually pretty good, they gave me a ‘22 579 with 124K on the odometer. I have heard some of the Volvos can be a bit ratty, especially in the dryvan/reefer side, but I think they’re also swapping out those older units regularly.

I left home on Jan 1 with a load of alcohol (hazmat) from the terminal in FL to Chicago, drop and hook. Then loaded vinegar in Chicago, took that to NY. Loaded alcohol base in NY and took that to California (2660 miles). Loaded vegetable oil in Corcoran, CA and took that to Illinois. Hop and a skip load from IL to KY, then KY to AL. Heading to load today in AL, then going to FL. They usually dispatch loads with lots of time to spare so you rarely feel rushed. Hometime is 1 day off / 1 week on, kind of sucks but they sometimes leave me home a little longer to set me up with a good load, so it works out. I was home for holidays on 12/21 and was scheduled to leave 12/29, but they gave me some extra time. Finally left 1/1.

Insurance is Aetna. Generally pretty good enough for me. l

We do have runs of alcohol to Canada if you’re into that. Pays a little more for the crossing. Some of our loads are pumpoffs (rarely pump ons too), they’ll teach you that stuff. Not too hard and those loads make things a little more interesting lol.

If you’re not looking for something that has more hometime/pay like Walmart (probably the best option out there), I think this is a good spot. I plan to stay longterm until I want to settle down and get off OTR.

Good luck to you.

 

Oakley Transport -- out of Lake Wales, FL?

STAY AWAY from their reefer fleet.

And thus -- you have been warned.....

-- L