I'm going to do something different this time so that this Thread can come to an end (as far as my travels are concerned). Basically what has happened since Christmas, I have told already in the prior postings. Miles were good, I achieved the 1st Quarter Mileage Bonus, and went all over the country. The only big difference was I had a lot of "34 hour restarts" which was normal this time of year (Jan 1 - Feb 15). After that time period, didn't have as many and that's why I was still able to get the Bonus.
What I'm going to say now holds true with any Company and Industry you work in but really is true in the Trucking Industry. Always, Always tell the Truth. Your Company will back you up if you tell the truth. If you lie, you will get caught at some point and it will not be pretty. I have seen it happen. Enough said.
If a person wants to make it as a Driver you have to discipline yourself to be on-time (or early) for pick-ups and deliveries, have a good attitude, be courteous with your Customers, the driving public and other Drivers, and most importantly; get to know your Dispatcher and others where you work. The last one is key. You're out here to make money and the only way to do it is follow the above and you'll get the money. Your Dispatcher will see that you are a good worker and will let the Loadplanner know it and get you better miles. If you don't do the above, you won't get the miles and you'll leave for another company, maybe.
Now as far as getting those miles there is one drawback for some people. In order to get them you have to be willing to stay out away from home longer than you might want to. At some Companies doing OTR 48 states, the minimum is 3 weeks out. They will say 2 weeks out but actually it is 3 weeks. You can be out 2 weeks and they will honor that but they will keep you close to your home (which means shorter hauls). If you can stay out a minimum of 3 weeks, you'll get better miles and more money, simple as that.
One other piece of advice is definitely get a Cell Phone with Nationwide Coverage. I have called Customers to ask all sorts of things from verifying directions to coming in early for pick-up or delivery. They are more than willing to help and most of the questions I ask can be simply answered by either a Yes or a No. Also I ask if they have overnight parking, some do and some don't. You just have to ask. And lastly on the Cell Phone, the calls you make or receive dealing with your job is tax deductible (if you itemize). If it is for personal use, it's not. So ask your provider for an itemized bill so you can go through it and mark what was job related and what wasn't.
I hope this Thread has helped you see at least with one Company what to expect. I have to say that I have been fortunate. I have found what works for me. Plus I must admit, I think I was at the right place at the right time to get all those miles I got. When I reached my 1 year date, I looked back at my notes and tabulated total miles on the Truck. It came out to be 134,850 miles in one year. Subtract 8% for miles not paid and the paid miles was 124,062 roughly.
Tah Tah and Happy Truckin'
KLLM; Back Where I Started
Discussion in 'KLLM' started by Ledbetter, Apr 15, 2007.
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Thanks for the updates Ledbetter, I'm looking forward to getting my feet wet soon; will probably go with KLLM after I get out of school.
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That doesn't sound like the KLLM I work for!!!!
Sure Company trucks are set at 62, but what the hell. They pay me to drive... they don't pay me to drive fast!!! They pay me to drive freight, safely from point A to Point B, get it there on time (which is never a problem). I find I'm passing alot of other guys on the road, including a hell of alot of owner/ Operators in the Big Pete's. They are self imposing speed restrictions on themselves trying to overcome fuel prices and the economy too. TMC and a few other companies are in the process as we speak of turning their trucks down to 60 and 62. Several KLLM Lease and O/O's tell me they had there trucks turned down to 65 as a choice, some 68, but they set the control at 65 and use the extra 3 mph to get around someone if they need it. Get used to it. It's happening all over. By the way, my last time out I saw 3 roll overs. They were all the big Pete 379's and Kenworths driving like bats out of hell. One of them was in Pennsylvania driving up and down the hills and around the curves at 80 mph, telling everyone to "get out of his way, and quit driving so slow" and "you need to get you a real truck that you can drive", and "JB Hunt and Schnieder are always in the way of someone who needs to drive". Seriously, the loudmouthed idiot rolled over at the bottom of a hill in a curve about 5 miles ahead of me. But it sure shut him up. Funny thing is, now he can't even go to work for the people he always badmouths and rags on the CB.
As far as Dispatchers, I talk to mine almost everyday. Night and Weekend Dispatch gets a little busy, if you call on the phone, but hey, what's the Qualcomm for anyway. I get a response back in seconds or minutes if I use it. If it's something I just have to talk about, it will take several minutes to get one on the phone on nights and weekends.
Terminals - it depends on when and where. Atlanta during the day is busy, as is Jackson. But I pull up directly to a fuel island with no wait, walk in, take care of any business, stay the night if I need to, and leave. Never had the nightmare getting in or out you speak of. Fontana is laid back too. I just don't understand your complaint.
Don't know about your miles, but I've never had to sit for more than 5 minutes waiting on another load, that is if I don't have the pre-plan beeping on the "Qually" before I deliver. Driving 2700 to 3000 miles a week is no problem, even for a Newbie. This Labor Day weekend on Sunday after delivery is the first time I've had to wait more than an hour for my next load. That's because most shippers and receivers are shutting down for the holiday weekend. You can't haul what ain't being loaded. So maybe I'll start a 34 hour reset to have my hours ready for the comming week when everyone is back at work and trying to catch up on the work they left behind during the holiday.Last edited: Sep 6, 2009
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