Aside from the guys who have had a different experience on the reefer side - it's got to be the FMs and the freight they have access to - I find I have little waiting. When I do get a break it's welcomed. The big problem is understanding the HOS regs well enough to fit everything in legally. Of course, on the lease side I could care less about miles, in fact the fewer I get the happier I am. Less miles is lower expenses, but the short trips did used to drive me nuts on the company side. I think part of our problems deal with expectations. Hmmm... 70 hours x 62 mph x (insert your rate) cpm = GREAT BIG BUCKS!!! OH BOY!!! WOOO HOOO!!! JACKPOT!!!! First, many folks just don't understand that you're not going to be driving continuously in those 70 hours, there will be times you have to get off the road for fuel, maintance, loading, unloading. On the reefer side, we're controlled by appointments (that's good, because the ol' truck free-fer-all at 0300 really sucked,) and the need of our customers to actually count the stuff we bring to them. Second, that expectation that freight is always available - right now. It isn't - and there is an up/down cycle to it that is going to slap many of the newbs upside the head come December. Third, that NE regional premium that many of the company reefer guys get isn't there because the NE sucks. Its there to make up for the shorter trips. Our greed makes us look at any decrease from the maximum as "I got screwed," rather than that's the way it is and hitting that maximum is something that's not always going to happen.
I think about 75% of my loads are drop and hooks. If I have to wait to get loaded/unloaded then it is normally only during the time they are doing it, about 2 hours, and then I am either reading or taking a nap. Granted I have waited longer, mainly at Kroger DC's. They seem to be the longest. Been thinking about going over to the FB side just for the experience, maybe next year once I see how the economy shakes out. Maybe I will, maybe I wont lol.
I wanna say that I spend a couple of hours reading this blog that Mikey B started since last year and is entertaining to go trough all of the histories..his deception when he got just 200 and the gap between guess january and then start posting again in may or june? Anyways the reason why I started reading Prime blogs is because I asked advice about where or how to start and 1234 Rambo picture guy here recommended Prime with no extra comments. I have close to 7mo over the road experience driving a refer with an O/O driving a 05 10 speed freightshaker but I just have enough here and want a change that leads me to an O/O experience sooner or later. So my question is for all you Prime guys hoping to en-light this post....Before taxes is around 600? what do I had to expect if I already have my CDL? How do youlike to work for the company so far? How did you got your 2012 Mikey B? I noticed you were struggling with the other truck. Are you solo now? Thanks and keep posting dude!!!
Since you already have experience you should be able to go straight to solo. If Prime feels you need to be with a trainer for awhile, you will be placed with one. While in training you would be running as a team making $500 minimum before taxes for I believe 4 weeks, not sure bout that though. After so long youll get $600 a week minimum, as long as youre available for dispatch. Anything over 5000 miles a week is paid at 10cpm/12cpm. Once solo it depends on what division youre in.
