Magnum ltd - fargo, nd

Sorry misread it I thought you said you did 829 in 11 my bad. Either way that hardrunning

 

Or, you could save the 30 min break by doing 8/2/8/2 split log leap frog like I did last week.

 

It's all good. Yeah, just very careful clock and bladder manipulation. It sure ain't easy and requires 2 sperate driving "days" to overlap on one log. Now, I ran paper at both previous oilfield jobs, but I know you can't just pencil-whip elogs. And my truck goes to driving almost instantly, so I don't have any wiggle room like some do.

 

I used to rip out pages and re do them

 

Don't believe the scale at the Masonite-Wahpeton ND plant. I was just under 34k on my trailer tandems 1 pin past 41' on their scale, got to a CAT scale, I was 32,100 on the trailer. I guess if it's going to be off, over is better than under. And it zero'd out with snow on it, so snow load wasn't a factor.

 

Last January I had 12500 miles with no hometime ..... This one will be more like 9500 with about a 5-6 days of hometime.
Freight has slowed some. Also I think we are experiencing some growing pains. I hope the amount of freight catches up to the amount of drivers.
Last year, it was RARE to sit for a day after getting empty. It was RARE to ever not know where you were headed before you got empty. I would go MONTHS without a layover day... I can even remember wishing to get a layover day so I could get a break....
Not so much this winter. I am still very happy here. I like the option of flexible hometime and time on the road. I know that's not for everyone. I don't make top dollar... But I like how they don't micromanage every minute of your day. I like going home for 5-7 days a month. I put 120,000 miles on my new truck last year....and have put on another 30,000 since mid October... So I am averaging 10,000 a month...
My healthcare, life, disability and vision insurance is about $300 a month. Much cheaper than when I was self employed.
Everyone's situation is different.
Magnum has lived up to every promise they made to me.
The big BUT is.... We ain't blowing smoke up anyone's ###... Obviously some people aren't happy here... That's cool... Just proves that no company is a good fit for everyone...
I encourage everyone to email Chad and get in on the conference calls and meetings that the plans for 2016 Magnum will be discussed. He sent out a Peoplenet message about it on Friday. Get involved. Driver input is imperative. We need to represent ourselves. Be vocal. Voice your concerns. #####ing on here does nothing but build discontent... Be proactive... We are the blood that flows through Magnums veins....

 

@ncmickey that is why I am still optimistic and still largely happy here. Equipment is nice and the APU and fridge are something that you didn't get a lot of places. Pay isn't bad and on par with what I was going to get for sticking with flatbeds for much easier work. Home time is far more flexible and generous than everywhere else I saw where you only earn 1 day off for every week you are out up to a certain number. Here, if you want time off just say something alone they will do their best. You want to be gone a month and home for a week, no problem. You have a problem, speak up as they are very receptive. Many places, you can't say that about at all. You want a dog with you, pay the $500 desposit in installments and you are good to go. I've had drivers with other companies tell me that they are jealous because they can't bring theirs, or the desposit is as high as $3k. I used to be forced to run no matter what my hours looked like or how many 24 hour days straight with zero sleep I had worked. If you said you were out of drive hours, you wouldn't work and they would try to run you off. Not here.
Sure the trucks are governed, but it's not that big of a deal except for the rare occasion you have a drive that is just a few miles too long to be made in one day, but it's not like we can load or unload whenever we want. It is what it is and I don't own it, so I deal with it. Overall I have been and still am very happy here and have no reason to believe miles won't pick up. And like I said before, I'm still meeting my budget.

 

I have had 5 reefer trailers running Mid West to the NW for 5 years and Jan - Feb has always been slow and freight gets cheap. This year is looking the same. I will be dropping reefers after 2016 and concentrating on LTL flats and heavy haul. Magnum is one of the good companies, there are several good reefer companies in ND/SD but they have to compete with the Mega trash that come up here for the pork loads.

 

Great! Statement, Magnum was my 1st company out of school. I've been here 1 year. Unfortunately I'm leaving next week for a job closer to home with more time, but for a a new driver it might not get any better than magnum compared to most other training companies. I've learned a lot working here including some skills I will use when I get my own truck in the future. No micromanagent was the biggest plus, I basically felt like I've been a owner op over this year choosing were to fuel and when the best routes to take and when etc. Other than the dispatchers telling me where to pick up and delivery I've never needed anything else and I liked that

 

If...and that is a big IF...they get me something that can deliver by Sunday, I might crack 10k miles this month...but as it stands, my delivery to Aurora will put me around 9300 with 0 days at home. Like I said, I'll give it 6 months to balance out. That's a fair length of time to see how the seasonal freight fluctuates to make a fair assessment.

On the insurance...to get all that for that amount, I'm guessing you either have a high deductible, or are just insuring you. For my wife and I, I am going to have to spend somewhere in the neighborhood of $250/check for just health insurance. And no way I'll be able to afford anything else like life, dental/vision or disability. And since my wife uses the insurance semi-frequently, an HSA type plan is out of the question.