I deserve better

Like alot of people getting into the biz, you're figuring out why the turnover rates are through the roof and why these outfits have to constantly train, recruit, and advertise...even in a down economy.
You replaced a guy, who replaced a guy, who replaced a guy, who replaced a guy, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc...

Anything with a sleeper truck is pretty-much a ripoff.
To make decent money, you've got to get into a niche area of the biz.
I'm talking private fleets, parcel, LTL, over-dimensional...that sort of thing.

.23 cpm is a joke no matter how you slice and dice it.
It's horrible money for hauling a van around...much less a flatbed.
And they've got you in an 11-year old Clinton-era rig that you have to wrench?

You're a better man than me for putting up with that kind of BS for those kinds of wages.
I'd have told those folks where to stick their .23 cpm and their 11-year old truck long ago.
And I'd have gotten the hell out of Dodge.

Good Lord, this industry's going to hell in a handcart...with no signs of slowing down.

 

I prefer air power, myself. I have an ammo can in the side box that holds a 1/2" impact, 3/8" ratchet, 3/8" drill, and a 3" cutoff tool...all air powered, so I don't have to worry about batteries dying.

Zip ties and duct tape are a necessity, as well as WD-40 and bailing wire. No tool box is complete without 'em.

I also carry a large variety of wrenches and sockets....a few different sizes of channel locks, vice grips, and adjustable wrenches....a couple different pipe wrenches, several hammers & mallets, bolt cutters, screw drivers, multimeter, crimps & crimpers, 8-10 feet of a few different gauge wire, misc. air fittings, etc...etc....etc....

I could probably drop 1/2 ton if I emptied out my tool box.

 

When I was green(wet behind the ear) back in 1979, I worked for an owner/op and was getting about 25 cpm, and did for about 3 1/2 years and learn alot the mechanical part about cause he had a shop/mechanic and I would hang out on the weekends there to LEARN the mechanical part not to mention it was a party shop on weekends AFTER the mechanical stuff was done. But through the years being there I did get SLIGHT raises nothing to talk about and I was some what SINGLE at the time. When I did some local stuff for him I made more money so it balance out. Did I mention I was 18 at that time and who would hire an 18 year old kid. Now to speed up time, I became an OWNER OPERATOR in 1983 and I knew what I was getting into cause I learned those years I worked for an O/O. Lets put it this way, I got paid for learning the business. BE PATIENT or get out cause in this business you have to be PATIENT or your not going to get anywhere with a chip on your shoulder. Paying your dues is not done in a short while.

 

Try UPS and Fed Ex !!!!!!!!!!


Roadway, Estes, R&L, and the rest.

You deserve, and can earn alot more.

 

Yeah, I hear ya about the air power... should've qualified my statement by saying "carry at least a simple cordless drill..." Any drill is better than no drill at all. I also hear ya about dropping half a ton by emptying out your toolbox !!! Gotta have my tools on the road... you save so much time by simply knocking out minor repairs yourself. I see some hands leaving truck stop parking lots with lights out (or some other defect going on), and it makes me wonder... maybe those hands don't know how to operate a screwdriver.

 

What do you do when you have no AIR in your tanks and the truck isn't RUNNING ?

 

I use these:














'course them are old photographs....pretty much all of the empty space you see has been filled with more tools

 

Wish I was that organize. I only manual tools, and of course misc gauge wire, air lines, hoses, etc. you never know what will happen down the road.....

 

Well your sockets are more orginized than mine. lol.

Last week I had to strip down some weight on my trk. over on the drives.
Took out my tools and tarps, plus a few chains and lost 1200 # on the trk.

 

trust me...it ain't always that organized. A few miles bouncing down the road and its a jumbled mess inside every drawer. I had just finished adding plywood to the bottom of the side box to keep the 5-drawer tool chest from sliding around and was putting the tools back in when I decided to snap those pics.

Main thing is to have the tools you need when you need 'em....air tools are a luxury that makes the job a little easier. I notice it most when I tear off a mudflap...air drill to remake the holes, and the air ratchet and a wrench makes short work of reattaching it. With some of the places I go, it's not IF, but rather WHEN you will tear one off...