If you are a Heartland driver-PLEASE READ!

Hey Chromedome,
Just reading through here, Gotta Dumb question, You Live in Jamestown N.Y but dont like to run N.E Regional, wouldn't that be easier to get you home? or make more sense geographically?

Don't slam me, Just askin.

Ike

 

I am on the Ohio Regional out of Columbus. So the region overlaps in my area.
We have allot of longer runs with drop and hook on both ends in the OH area, up into MI, IL,WI,IN,IA etc.
Most of our loads out of that are are 450-650 miles.
In the Northeast region they run out of Carlisle.
The biggest issue is that the load boards for the company are all regional. So if you deliver out of your region and into another your dispatcher has to use that regions planners and boards to get you out of it.
But since the northeast region is short on drivers they do not like to let you out once you are here.
So while I am here they will give me all the loads that the drivers from this region do not want. Anything that is a drop and hook both ends and going to a good area the drivers from this region get.
I am on my second week in a row stuck here now. I get a 250-400 mile load with an extra 8-24 hours on it. So I pick it up on time (normally a drop and hook) then I have to sit on it for half a day or more for a live unload.
This load I have had to sit on for 8 hours waiting till my unload time.
Then I will deadhead 90 miles and wait till 1900 tomorrow to pick up. But then it will not deliver till 1700 Thursday 480 miles away. So it messes with the clock and wastes time.

Getting home is not an issue. I am home every weekend just about, since we have loads running from Columbus to Buffalo every day, several of them. And we have loads headed out of home to Chicago and everywhere else on Monday and Tuesdays.

Check heartlands website if you want to see how the regions are set up. Each will overlap another at least some. Not much moves out of the East either. Most of it is point to point in the east, north of MD. Passing thru NYC allot and such. Just cannot make good time.
Wastes allot of hours on low Ohio and Chicago any day over that.

 

Thanks for clearing that up

 

It has been a while since I drove for them. My wife and I drove O/O team for them and they never could get us the really big miles. They kept spouting this philosophy about how much better the short miles paid. That is bull$hit because short miles puts more wear and tear on the driver and it all but kills a team. They started out decent and ended up being wack!

 

The short miles pays them allot better.

I have to say that my week got better. Dispatch canceled every preplan I got, since every one had me sitting most of a day or more. And he got me ones that got me rolling and using my hours.
Chose to stay out this weekend. I am going to try the every other weekend home thing and see if it helps. He really was working hard this week though.

 

I find myself in the same shape, I am ready to go to another company also. I seem to have one decent week and then one very bad week, I can not pay my bills like this and my wife is getting very worried also. I have gave them 3 chances and always goes back to this.

 

Ran pretty good this past week. It was just my hours were messed up so I ran against my 70 from Monday on.
My plan this next week is to try and burn off all my hours before Saturday afternoon, then restart wherever I am Sunday and then burn them away again till home.
I do not know if it will work out from a load and planning perspective. But I know of no better way to make money in trucking.

 

Chromedome : how have you been running since your previous post? I have been off the road for two months since quitting Schneider and really need to get back in a truck - though not happy that I would have to be responsible for securing my truck and trailer on my own dime (I live in Chattanooga) I am considering Heartland SE division and maybe their OTR fleet as I see it pay 5cpm more than regional. I'm pretty much pre-approved at several other places like USXpress, Paschall, and Knight, but I'm taking a hard look at Heartland - I need to know I can do 2200 miles weekly and count on that as a slow week.

 

I am not sure on that region, but in most 2200 miles per week is the average. Not a slow week.
The system drivers do not seem to get many more miles than the regional guys, they just stay out a little longer and get paid a little more.
I am averaging 2200 or so a week still.
I have stayed out 2 weeks at a time the past few months. But it does not seem to have raised my miles much. I normally will get as many miles my first 5 days out as I do the 7 days in the next week.
I will start Monday with 1000 miles in, but Friday night I will be at 2300 lol.
So I will be going back to home most weekends next week. Since I get around the same money running 5 days as I do running 7.

The thing to look at when looking at Heartland and the other company's is pay and the miles they are averaging.
If you get paid the same money for running 3000 miles per week with one of the other company's as you will at Heartland running 2200, why would you want to go to them?

Heartland still pays on short mileage pay also, so look and see if any of the company's pay practical miles. This will add on a good 3-4 cpm over what Heartland pays to you.

 

when i work for millis transfer back in the 90's they mostly went from wis. towards the east coust, ct. or ma. jersey down to cartersville,ga, all beer and glass bottles, paper loads to, all nice loads you can del. early on, i'm looking more at them then swift wright now, will be back into it come spring, april is the target month, 6 years in the factory is killing me