I don't understand

It, most assuredly, is. i got out about 1.5 years ago due to it. God help you all in it now...its going to get worse. Sorry to here that, michaelmtc. I deeply feel for anyone going through that hell now.

 

trucking is what it is. the good and the bad. just do your homework b-4 u go to these companies maybe even trying a mom and pop company, or something local. van wyke out of sheldon,ia is pretty good people i didnt like them because i dont like percentage pay. its a refer company,like i said really nice folks. i havent heard nothing on here about them though so thats one good sign. they only have like a little over 100 trucks last time i had count. but that is my opinion

 

It is unfortunate, but most dispatchers are not known for honesty.

They will tell you what they want, say they don't want you to run illegal, but will expect otherwise.

As a company driver this is bound to happen.

There are many good companies discussed on here as well. They have very good dispatchers.

Check them out before you make a rash decision.

 

I used trucking to pay for my college tuition, and after I graduated, I drove for about another year and then walked away. I would have stayed on longer, but I was so sick of driving, especially in the winter, that I quit for good and handed my CDL back to the Utah DMV. Living in a cab in the ice, snow, and cold is a pain in the ### even if you're driving for a great company. I don't miss trucking one bit, either.

 

Out of curiosity, not meaning to be offensive in any way, but if you don't drive anymore and you don't miss it, why are you interested in a forum like this? Is it your desire just to warn everyone away from the business?

Suzi

 

No offense taken. We have a winner.

Let's see....I've had to talk my brother out of getting a CDL this year. I had to talk my cousin out of getting a CDL about five years ago. I've talked two friends out of getting a CDL in the past ten years without really trying. I'm kind of on a roll here, and this website is a good place to get serious about warning people about trucking. At least the OTR segment of it.

But lately, I don't have to do much to warn people off....the insiders are doing it for me. Just read the JB Hunt recruiter's sticky here and you'll see what I'm talking about. This guys posts are an instant classic and were posted by someone with "foot in mouth" disease. If I were high up on the ladder at JBH and ran across this sticky, I'd find out who did the posting and hand him the pink slip. Someone with this attitude towards drivers and the industry as a whole has no place in recruiting, at least in my opinion.

But this guy isn't alone. Most insiders look down on drivers as this guy JB Buddy does. This is one reason I come here. I remember the reamings I used to get by pansy insiders while driving. Now it's payback time.

 

But have you ever considered that every profession is messed up in some way? Also, have you considered that not everyone wants to hear ALL the garbage? It's one thing to be honest and realistic with people. I'm certainly not telling anyone to lie or make things sound better than they are. But maybe you shouldn't take it upon yourself to try and talk people out of doing this. Just because you didn't like it doesn't mean someone else will.

Again, every profession has it's downsides. But they all have their positives too. I keep saying this in this forum and people either ignore me or make some smart alec remark. I'm not 18 years old. I've been around the block a few times and I've tried a lot of things. I have gone to costmotology school. I've sold life insurance 3 times with 3 companies. I've sold real estate. I've sold cars. I've driven for Schwan's frozen foods. I've run a daycare for 20 years. I've worked in a bank, delivered phone books, worked in a car wash and at Wendy's. I've sold just about every MLM business under the son and I've done telemarketing. I've even made an aborted atempt at becoming a mortgage broker.

Without a doubt there is just about one thing in common with almost all of them. Each of these professions are filled with newbies that are filled with hope, old timers that are happy and successful and old timers that hate it but don't know how to do anything else. Some people last, others quit or get fired almost right away.

I'm not afraid to try new things. I'm also not afraid to decide that something is not for me. I'm truly hoping that in the next couple of years I can find a legitimate way to get a realistic feel for the trucking industry. I'm not looking for tons of money or freedom. But I know what reasons I have for considering this. Maybe if I keep coming here and reading these forums I'll decide against it. Or maybe I'll have the confidence to try something new with a clear back up plan in place in case I do try but hate it. I want to hear legitimate current news of what's happening to people right now. But I will also have to realize that we are hearing only one side. No one wants to admit if they did something wrong or had a bad attitude.

For instance.. Someone might come on here and tell us they deadheaded 200 miles to pick up a load and when they got there it was given to someone else. But if this person stopped off at a Casino on the way and was a few hours late because of it, would they tell the truth about that? Would they admit that they have been complaining to their dispatcher that they didn't like the last 3-4 loads for some reason or another? It seems like a lot of really stinky attitudes are pervasive around here.

I heard something once.. When something goes wrong we will tell 7 people. But when something goes right we will only tell 3. The people that are driving and loving what they do are too busy to sit around here and write about it. So it stands to reason we are hearing all the complaints here.

Suzi

 

Trucking can be a pain . I'm checking out the good companies on this site myself.The company I left is needing drivers so bad that they'll help you get a loan for a truck buttt you get shorted on your pay and the interest rate you pay on a truck is sky high and this company can't provide the loads .They use free loadboards which has mainly cheap freight . I looked at a company called Tango they list their pay on their site and all their fringe benefits .Haven't heard a bad thing about them but check it out anyway and I wish you the best

 

I atually dead headed 100 miles made my appointment went to load and found out my boss at ATF lied to me and the customer about my equipment .I told the truth left empty and let's say it will not happen again to the customer with ATF . If you screw with your customers you will pay that's why I call for directions ahead of time and give my expected arrival and if I breakdown I call customer first then company . Being in the military when I was young taught me not to bite the hand that feeds you and that is your dispatcher and customer .