In over my head??

Do not update that Rand McNally. New updates are ruining it. Look into it yourself.

 

As I said, it's not worth it.

If I wanted GPS it would be a modern current year Garmin. A bit pricey but thats what I am used to. But why bother, my smart phone knows what room of any given building on the planet I am in. A glance at that solves many questions.

 

Yes! You are in over your head. Run away. Ethical companies make assurances in writing as to what you will be paid, what costs they will cover, etc.. Look up the company on FMCSA's SAFER website. Look it up also on the Secretary of State's website of the state that they say they are incorporated in. Incorporation in a state does not mean the location where they lease office space; it has nothing to do with it. A company is bound by the laws of the state where those papers are filed, called articles of incorporation. Truck companies are getting more and more unethical these days, because the industry is increasingly fragmented, meaning the big companies are continually losing market share to small upstart one truck operations. It is good for the free market and for consumer prices, to keep them down, but not so good for the big truck companies, and very not so good for the hapless driver who is easily taken advantage of. Remember, it is their truck. You have to think, how do you fend for yourself if they do the unthinkable, which isn't so unthinkable these days. You might go get something to eat and go back to the lot and find the company has had the truck towed in order to take it away from you. By screwing you, they make it harder for you to collect your pay. Go with a reputable company that is medium sized to large, and get the promises in writing such as pay per mile, is it practical miles or short miles, or hub miles, pay per hour detention, frequency of pay, how to escalate a concern with your dispatcher if he or she doesn't provide a response to your issue whatever it is. If the upper management has no time to talk to drivers, run away from that company and don't look back. Be a good judge of people when talking to the recruiter. Recruiters can say almost anything. Go no farther than you have funds to get yourself back home, to travel to them. Don't sign anything that makes you liable for their costs if you leave or are let go or fired. Ethical companies do not do that.

 

I have run for 2-1/2 years using nothing but a smartphone and Google Maps. No gps, no costly subscription. Google Maps plus common sense knowing to interpret it circumspectly and not blindly follow it to a low underpass, a road unsuitable for trucks with too many tight curves and steep grades like US 19 down through West Virginia, and so forth! Stay out of trouble and think every moment you are out there and you will be fine. If someone were to GIVE me a gps, I would sell it on craigslist rather than start using it. The less dependent you are on technology, the better, but technology is admittedly a help. But Google Maps is only that - - a help. But it is FREE.

 

A note on that. FFE said they had offices in Tulsa. Well in reality it was just a rented room on the second floor of the old Texaco Truckstop in Tulsa Oklahoma which is always locked and lights off 24/7 it had a phone on the desk which would ring and go to voice mail.

How do I know? Well there were times Ive been sent to that Texaco truckstop for some downtime and rest in position to get another load when rested. It was a very good quiet strong building (Previously lifted by a tornado that killed drivers in the lot in the back) and my FFE hat matched the door on that room. So once in a while there is a bit of talking from those wanting to find out more. Thats where Lancaster Texas came in back in those days.

Its strictly a room, an address, phone number etc to meet Oklahoma's needs at the state level. Technically it's a full service terminal. But that's overstating the situation.

Whatever they paid the Texaco will probably benefit FFE due to benefiting from Oklahoma in the industry at the Motor Carrier level and above.

 

You heard wrong, NM can be way worse than Cali, the fines are cheaper, but they can be royal Prickks, when they want to be.
That said if you are running decent equipment, and do not go in with an attitude, most are not bad at all, just have your ducks in a row when you cross the NM scales. The percentages of them pulling you in are low, but it can and does happen.
I would not worry about a gps, until you decide if you are going to stay with it. I would however go to a truckstop and buy a truckers atlas, you can usually get last years version for around 10 bucks or a little more and it will be fine, you would have to be some what brain dead to get lost between Cali and Fl anyway. lol
You can not ask for a better lane to start out with, all fast trucking, once you get out of Cali, and some of the best running and flattest ground you will find anywhere. You can not find a better lane to get your feet wet if you looked for eternity, and can rack up some miles. if you are to be paid by the mile.
I also would not worry too much about working for a small company, I have lived a long and always preferred a small company to a large one anytime, when you are nothing but a number, and seat meat, it is way too big for my tastes.

 

There were people who insisted into getting into MY Truck all the time raising hell when I spent 10 minutes sleeping in with a coffee waking up.

A brief explosion of profanity and tell them to essentially F-off in UK speak and remind them I dont call their home to see if hey are awake in time to commute to dispatch. Don't bother me. I don't talk to a #### soul unless the truck is broke or the load is running late because the truck is broke. Might be a week before you hear from me, just follow the qualcomm dot on the truck around the USA.

The problems begin when a dispatcher stands on my boots and tries to loom over me, I don't allow that. I simply say get off the boots and shut up, you just lost a driver. And went home within the hour. They explode and scream but aint matter a whit now. It usually has been boiling to that point in time.

Ive actually fired dispatchers via the OM. That creates enemies. The more the merrier. #### few are good dispatchers who leave me the hell alone and get ahead of my needs when I am empty. I don't hardly have to ask for anything at all with these few.

The rest of the parasites can be stacked like bad rotted wood and burned in the pit out back to be disposed of. Its such a shame. All that corporate lip service to teamwork, service etc. just a flaming pile of BS in this industry.

Thats how I developed my profanity over the years, when a angry explodes I fire right back and add to the langauge collection. Then simply say ok are we done screaming lets get this problem fixed or you find another driver to kick around because you sure aint fixing this problem now.

They explode all over again.

What they don't understand is the art of profanity properly applied to the correct person in a way that hurts them is a very stress reliever for me. =)

And you wonder why we lose thousands of truckers to death but dispatchers get super old and overfat decades later. Maybe they are inner abusive people who thrive on that I don't know.

I have not had to use very much profanity here in the south. It's usually yes mam, no sir, thank you, welcome etc. If there was ever a bad word out of me spouse knows to pay attention something bad this way comes.

One time I interviewed to become a dispatcher. Office was full of 30 somethings. Tender young things. Old boss greyhair asked me a particular scenario... when he was through asked me what I would do.

I had two thoughts. The situation is flat BS, the driver effed up. roared with abigmouth.

when the keyboards stopped and the phones stopped across the entire office I started to explain to greyboss how this will be fixed right quick. Eh?

He thought about it for a minute looked at the scared workforce behind me and asked me to evaluate them. I said whats matta wid them?

It's you. You are a dinosaur here.

He's right.

 

That is a compliment.
Forgot more than they will ever know.

I went to Valley Forge Military Academy 1968-1971 in Philadelphia.
A Hillbilly from up "In the woods." - in a City.
I was recently telling a guy about going to the concerts i
n The Spectrum, Fillmore East, and CBGB's
and he said "Wow, you're a Dinosaur, man."

Me too, X1Heavy, me too.