How would you handle no detention pay for something out of your control

Really?

When I come back from home time I have my PTA set for 1000.
I hate getting up early on my last day at home - and there are loads going out at all hours, not just early in the morning.
There are things I need to do before I get back in the truck. Like take time for a couple cups of coffee, maybe get a shower, and relax a bit. Not to mention getting all my stuff together and back in the truck.
Then I have to find the empty, which can take a couple hours sometimes.

So I plan my time accordingly. I seldom accept a load that has to pick up before 1200.
And I don't accept loads that will have me drive later than 1800 that night. After that time, parking is too difficult, and I intend to stay on my daytime hours.


But then, I am not at a forced dispatch company that gives me too little time to get the job done, the way I like to do it.


"Learn the system and identify the trends and indicators, then make that system work for you."

That was your best line in that entire post.
Especially the first 3 and last 7 words.

At my worst of the bottom feeder company (in most peoples opinion), I have options and people working for me.
In a forced dispatch company - I would have no one.
That is why I have been here for 9 years.
No choices, no options.

 

I freaking jinxed my whole company by joining this conversation earlier. The computers went down company wide and there are currently 600ish trucks with drivers sitting in them that can't move yet and I just punched out and haven't done anything since about 12:30. But we don't have to worry about someone saying we were late this or didn't do that and don't have to ask to get paid....we are on all the clock. It freaking sucks but there is no chance of anyone not getting paid.

 

And that works for you. You know how to communicate with your company to get what you want.

As to forced dispatch - Schneider tells me when the would like me to be someplace, I tell them when I will actually be there. I can't turn down a load, but there isn't a penalty for missing appt windows - within reason. And if I don't want a load, or want to run short hours, I can do that. So if i wanted to start at 1100, and be down by 1800 on the day I come out of the house then I show available at 11:30 with 6:30. If it takes a few hours to find an empty, that is on the company.

If you are showing available at 0700, and don't start loading your gear into the truck until 0650, and don't check the work assignment until 0702, then that is on you if you are late.

 

You're changing the equation.

If there is a road worthy empty at the yard, I can get hooked and be at any plave in Wilmer in under an hour. Finding an empty takes less than 5 minutes - open Compass and click on the empty trailer button in the work assignment, chose which one and go.

Now if the mt is tbo and I need to go to the shop I just push out my eta and send a message letting ops know what is up.

If there are no empties and i have to go on a search, same thing. Push out etas and roll.

Why did you ask Schneider if you could come back the next morning? If the customer doesn't have facilities for me and its been a good bit, I will ask the customer if I can drop and come back. If the customer is fine, then I drop, bt over to the Loves, then return. If the customer isn't okay, then I uber and expense it out. Still haven't asked permission from schneider.

 

You have to also realize that not everyone would be happy at a local job for any amount of money. I had a 4 day route for Pepsi with Saturday, Sunday, and Monday off and it was the most miserable two years of my life. I didn’t like having a meeting in January and picking your vacation weeks and knowing that you had no other time off until that time. I didn’t like not being able to take time off around any holidays because they were blackout weeks for vacation. We all have to do what works for each of us, hourly local isn’t the be all end all for everyone.

 

Thats funny , I am in the middle of going to work for Pepsi (I Hope), as a PM driver doing shuttles... Pay isn't as good as the last gig, but it's not real hazmat either. Just CO2 cans on some loads. I do like running the southern states, between the oceans but I also love my home time,, keeps the battery charged on the ol'Panhead. Sometime the Dyna gets jealous.

 

I'm jealous of the panhead. Someday....someday. I'll just have to live with my road King like a peasant for now lol.

 

Just an old bike for an old rider, it does have a 6 speed stuffed under her though, so she can get out and stroll quite proper, my son's Dyna S with a 114 S&S kit does kick my butt on either of my bikes, but I have pink_slips he won't see for many more years.

 

Like I said, to each their own. The week before and the week of any major holiday was blacked out for vacations, and choosing the other weeks went in order of seniority (which I have no issue with at all). For me it was tough going to work knowing I didn’t have any time off until my vacation week came up, which was some random week that nobody else wanted. So I chose to give up being home and having three day weekends for being gone during the week, having weekends off, and being able to take as much unpaid time off as I wanted.

And now I control my own schedule and couldn’t imagine ever being an employee again.