My experience running 100% legal, if anyone cares.

Yeah, that sounds like a job worth getting fired from. Some of these office people just do not get it.

 

Dave,
When you deduct your expenses for the week from your paycheck, do you really think it's worth the hassle? I am really thinking that truck driving has hit new lows, and may never recover, from a drivers point of view. What do You think? I can't justify leaving home for that amount of pay. Just my thoughts !!!!!!

 

You definitely need to keep this thread going, as this stuff is being laid into internet history archives for the ages to see what happens when mega fleet interests and ungodly government regulations collide with the guys who tries to satisfy both of them, before he does himself.

Personaly, I don't run anything like you do, and that's my risk. But I did see your post about the JAX load that your company said to deliver anywhere between 8am-4pm (or thereabouts) and instead of delivering it first thing in the morning, you supposedly sat in a nearby truckstop untill the afternoon before delivering, so as to not start your 14 hour day prematurely without knowing you had another load. LMAO at that one Dave - Not laughing at you, but laughing at the situation that was created by you doing it by the book.

Geezus I am glad I'm my own man. I could NEVER put up with the bull**** you mega fleet drivers have to deal with

But hey good luck and keep the thrread alive. Too late to stop now LOL

 

I may be wrong , but I think the DOT went through the books of your company and rattled their cage, and scared them so they are shaping up for a little while , then it will be back to the same oll ect!

 

Point of order--we do not have a 'free market' in this country as long as the gov keeps saddling us with bonehead laws and traps the driver between a rock and a hard place.

Dave, if there's any way to make money in this business--at least as a company man--LTL is it. You get paid very well and actually have home time, a schedule and a life. And you aren't pressured to put your license, pocketbook and freedom on the line so your company's CEO can buy another Bentley(saw one at the PHX terminal--bet it didn't belong to a driver!!).

Keep on posting your experiences here. If anything, we might be able to send this thread to our 'representatives' and they might see how their ridiculous laws are destroying the industry that is the heart of the nation's economy. Meanwhile, look around for any opportunities in LTL--FX, ConWay...even UPS.* Truckload, as I've found out, is for suckers.


*I cringe at the thought of our biggest competitor(and a union shop at that) hiring a good man like Dave, but better that than seeing him starve to death and his kids growing up not knowing their dad.

 

Dave,
Thanks for that reply, we need to show it to a whole bunch of newbees that have no idea whats ahead of them. You are still young enough to get out of trucking and do something else, or at least get into LTL. You may have to wait until things improve, but don't give-up..Enjoy your thread, THANKS.........Jim

 

I understand why you would drive like you do I just can't understand why you're still doing it with 15 to 17 years experience. Don't get me wrong, I ran like crazy when I was young and I was very lucky to not get caught so my record is clean( thats whistler). But to me the object is to move up and make more money with less work and the way it sounds you guys are killing yourselfs for peanuts.

Before I retired I made $1650 (2000) a week every week no matter what. Sure I hauled gasoline but it was the best job I've ever had and my son was at the right age when I wanted to be home. It took a clean record and plenty of driving experience to land that job but it was my goal. I worked hard at the ##### jobs to move up hauling everything anytime. I never saw my wife but I never stopped trying for a better job.

So the last half of my driving career I was running legal. No more log books ( 100 mile) and I got paid an hourly wage. There was no sense to speed or run over hours because the company didn't want it. You could through a load back and there was no questions asked. If you spent half a day in the shop because you felt something wasn't right then so be it. I know there's more than just my company that runs like that so I believe drivers can set goals and make a good living driving. I'm sorry but I wouldn't even roll out of bed for you wages. You have too much responsibility for that little of pay and you should be paid alot more. So how many years have you've run with your books never being ticketed? And why wouldn't you move on? I know 401K's can be transfered.