little advice

Hey Robert I know it can be tuff being without your family. I go through the same thing as I have custody of all four of my children. I had no choice but to come back out here after losing my business of 17 years due to the economy. I made a six figure income and had it made.

Now two of my kids are with my mom and two with my sister as I could not find a job to take care of all of us. Therefore I had to come back out on the road because that is the only other thing I have done in my life.

I think about my kids everyday but know I am out here for a reason. There are some days when I really really just wish I was at home but I know that I currently have a job and that this is the first step on getting back with my family again for good.

I know it's hard but you should really stick it out for at least a year. The money you are making you need to talk to your DM because I have been getting checks in the $700 to $800 . And this is almost every week. I think my lowest check was just a little under $450.

I don't know how long you have been solo but I have been solo now for a little over six weeks and I can barley keep up with them. They run the crap out of me.


You need to tell your dispatcher you need more miles and whatever you do don't take any advances. I take every load I don't care if it is 200 miles. I am running it! they always have me load the same day for another run that will deliver in two days

So these short runs add up big time at the end of the week plus you get paid more per mile. The one I got currently will load at noon tomorrow in Southern Utah and will deliver in LA at midnight the same day. Now this load will take everything I got and some luck to get it there ontime if it can even be done. Total miles is around 400 after dead head to pickup after I deliver in the morning.

I don't know why you are making that low of pay unless your DM is taking it easy on you if your new. I should gross around $940 this week even after I took a 34. And that is just counting it at .28 a mile. Some of the loads pay up to .36 a mile that I ran. It all adds up at the end of the week.


keep trucking bud and if you keep getting the same amount for paychecks ask for more miles by phone and qualcomm. If it does not change get a new DM. I might be new but I learn fast and thank god for other Swifties and people on these forums.

 

If you cannot go home, bring home to you. I am a craps casino addict and use the rewards points cards when I play. Then later in the mail I get the 'stay 4 days free Sunday through Thurdsay' offers all the time that I could never take advantage of in my old life. In a few weeks I plan on requesting hometime in Las Vegas, cashing in on a free room, fly my wife and son out to spend time with me, fly them back and keep on truckin. As I can afford it and plan it out, I'd like to take home time in all the big cities and fly my family out to spend time with. My wife is a big Pittsburg Steelers fan, I think it would be the best present I could give her is a ticket to a live game. Or maybe Dallas, I loved the TV show and she is obsessed with the JFK assassination. Or maybe Disneyland when my son gets a little older.

It has been a very tough year for me as well, going through exactly what you're talking about. Turns out I love this trucking thing so I leased a truck to have the option to earn more money and thought of ways to spend more time with family in an unconventional way.

 

Since this is a thread about "ADVICE"....Scottied...let me tell you from the experience of being a compulsive gambler!

THE PLAN YOU HAVE ABOVE...IS A BAD PLAN!

Since you admit you are "addicted" to the dice table...and with your new found "bigger income"...gambling is the worst thing you could do! Please save you and your family the grief gambling will bring...check with Significant Otter..she can tell you some very bad stories of the days when I was gambling...those L/O paychecks aren't as steady as you might want to believe!

PM truckrswife (significant otter) she will tell you I am right on this one!

Sorry all...but I honestly believe that had to be said!

 

You should be averaging with Swift....at least 2800 miles per week. I f you are getting less then you need to have a sit down with your DM and see if you can (together) figure out why you aren't staying with company average.

Most of the time...it is the DM that will make or break a driver and his weekly miles. There are some drivers who don't want to drive as much but instead want to hang around truck stops and terminals to #### chat. those are the drivers that Swift watches...by tracking each drivers miles...

What your take home pay is well there are many differences in each drivers pay, deductions, withholding....you get my drift...so you need to punch out the miles that will produce what YOU need to take home.

 

That has been an issue with ALL...maybe all is a bit strong...lets use MOST drivers who aren't based in Memphis.

That started happening the very first weekend they went to two planning terminals for weekends....Phoenix/Memphis....and it wasn't exactly friendly for us Swifties when Swift bought out MS Carriers....Memphis has always been a "rough stretch".

The only way to avoid that issue is make sure your DM has you on 1 load that covers the weekend...that way Memphis can't get a hold of you and your freight.

 

My miles for March

03/29 LD 2130 MT 418
03/22 LD 2969 MT 131
03/15 LD 2419 MT 240
03/08 LD 1528 MT 140
03/01 LD 2136 MT 365

Looks like I better start working a little harder...

 

It is tough to be away from family. I talk to my wife every day, sometimes twice a day. I try and talk to my son every day too, but he is tougher to get ahold of (he is a teenager). That is how I stay close to my family while I am out on the road. It is NOT the same thing as being there, but at least I am able to talk to them.
Get to know a few other truckers. When things go wrong out on the road, it is great to have a few close trucker friends that you can call for advice or words of encouragement.
How long are you staying out? I suggest that in your case, stay out no longer than 2 wks at a time. Is there a regional route available through your terminal? Some regional and/or dedicated accounts will get you plenty of miles, and still get you home every weekend.
I have not been at this game very long, so those are the only words of wisdom I have for ya. Hang in there.... Maybe it will just take you another couple of months to get accustomed to the trucking lifestyle?!