Knight Dedicated NC NJ???

Yeah..but for how long?! Sounds like a burn out job... A good way to find out if a job is a burn-out job is if it becomes 'available' OFTEN....ppl who have your attitude are always in line for those kind of jobs..but, just like the many Knight daycabbers I met in Fontana over the years, the turnover is regularly OFTEN!

 

Remember those big city drivers were probably born and raised there so the traffic and BS is normal to them.

I'll take my dedicated gig over that OTR crap anyday. I see Miami and Atlanta all week and it doesn't bother me a single bit.

 

I found out over the years in & out of the trucking industry that jobs that are advertised are usually burn-out jobs that most ppl dont want. If someone does leave a 'good' job (health reasons, death, etc.), the local ppl working there will get a friend or family member in it w/o having to advertise the opening.

I had almost the perfect daycab (home every night) job for almost 3 yrs running the border out of Tucson. M-F w/occasional Sat or Sun, and 3000 miles/week (paid by the miles). Supported the 6 borders crossings between Calexico & El Paso, with the main challenges being 'rebuilding' raped trailers, navigating sandy/muddy drop yards w/sunken trailer landing gear, some in ravines w/trailers leaning on each other, etc. But put up with all that for the miles & home every night. Was working for an o/o fleet that supported Swift, who lost several customers with their bad mgmt, and ended up running 3 times/day between Tucson & Nogales (60 miles)---got old after several months and left. Also is when they opened up the border to Mex truckers and they eventually took over that route also after I left (saw the handwriting on the wall to further aid me in looking for another job)

Swift offered me being a part of the Walmart Grocery fleet (Casa Grande, AZ) they had on site with promises of 5 days on/2 off just 1 hr from my house. But found out quickly was 5 1/2 on, 1 1/2 off and no weekends off, carrying 3-section reefers that had to be configured/reconfigured after every live unload and each multiple stop at Walmart stores...a lot of 'work' & live unloads w/o many miles and no weekends off.. Had to standby logging the unload, so no sleeping while live unloading either--still being 'paid' by the mile. Also had to be on call, which most drivers moved to Casa Grande so as to be at home while on call---I couldnt even being just 1 hr away, but had to hang around the onsite Walmart term!

..that's when I tried for the best of both worlds as a Knight Express driver, with 7-10 days out and 3 days off driving regionally. Started out good and got home when I wanted to most of the time. But w/DM turnovers and quickly expanding business with their 'Home Town' localized philosophy, that job went down hill also.

So most of trucking jobs in the industry if one doesnt get with a small, local co., do have the good & the bad, and turnover as drivers get burned out and move on...it's "the nature of the industry."

 

After ten years of doing this job, I'm pretty sure I have a good idea of what I want and what I don't want. I've worked local in Dallas. Would everybody do that? No way! I moved 45 minutes out of Dallas so I found my current job. It's OTR I guess but it's 100% round trip anywhere in the 48. In fact a load that DOESN'T return to Dallas is a rare treat because it so seldom happens. Fairly sure I know what particular jobs I would and would not like.

 

Having lived in Dallas for many years, and later working for Knight and usually having a hard time getting 'out' of Dallas, I agree that round trip loads going to 'various' places would be enjoyable long term. Would get miles w/o the boredom! Why Express was good starting out until Knight started growing and giving all the 'good' loads to drivers out of the various regional terminals that started cropping up with their growth, thus giving the 'left overs' to us out-of-area types.

EDIT: Met a couple drivers (not Knight) who did & liked doing the Dallas to Chicago run.. Running long runs as in coast-to-coast would break up the monotony also. But fewer of those available with the p/u in modal train freight and lessening of just-in-time deliveries.

 

Speaking of Dallas:

btw, DNA, having lived in Plano as I did, but I moved there b4 anybody ever heard of 'Allen, TX,' just north of there; Allen has now grown with the further expansion of Plano and Dallas north suburbs, with a new $60 Million stadium for their Eagles football team!



Makes YOU appreciate Greenville even more, huh! <wink>

 

Yes it does. I heard all about that stadium and it's causing quite the ruckus at the local Starbucks. I remember when there was country between Plano and Allen. As of now the growth runs east out highway 380 and stops at Princeton but its slowly making its way past Lavon and onto Farmersville. Then you have good old Greenville where time stopped back in the 1980's.

I've always had the mindset that I work for what I have and pay no attention to what others do with their money. But apparently many don't. I heard that stadium is nicer than some NFL venues. Ha Ha much to the dismay of several people obviously.

 

I used to bike the service roads between Plano & McKinney, passing thru what was called Allen at that time--bet would get run over now!

Also, speaking of 'Football being King in TX," you know the story of "Plano Sr HS" with only the 2 upper grades (a more like college campus with about 2000 kids) designed to garner all the football talent in that area and become a state powerhouse!

 

I went to Plano Sr High then it was known as Plano West Sr High. As the growth went west they have since built a new West. I liked that college campus approach. The purpose was to give the feel of college to prepare the students. Worked out for me too, I didn't go to college. Got my CDL instead and went to work. No doubt that many are way more successful than me but not all of them. I have plenty of friends that got real nice college degrees and to this day they have jobs with fancy titles, low pay, horrible commutes, and jobs they detest. I would never discourage anyone from college but you can certainly make it without.

 

I agree completely. College does develop one's brain, but does not guarantee a 'happy life!' I found out as I left the corporate environment and started my own small business, that I 'had' to work for myself..OTR trucking gives one the 'illusion' of working for one's self! ha ha And if down the road in that career with your own rig, you can have your own small business and actually work for yourself..met several truckers from days past that lived on 20+ acres in nice homes with RV's etc that did it! Think today tho it would be harder to get what they have(??)