National Carriers

Yep, all that sounds great. But do they take all those ingredients and use properly to make a good place to work?

 

Best answer: find their nearest terminal to your location -- & then talk to at least 2 or 3 drivers out of that same terminal.

Your experience will likely depend on what life is like in/with that terminal.

With them....you will likely find out:

• Is the management there "with it"...or a drama machine, instead
• Is the equipment well-maintained...& are problems fixed quickly....or is the shop largely a bunch of "gomers"
• Are loads dispatched too tight time-wise...or are loads dispatched with truck speeds & traffic volumes in mind
• Other drivers with pets...& their experiences with the pet policy
• Is freight steady....getting slower...or what
• Typical running areas....& expectations for driving on snowy/icy roads
• How good are the benefits/health insurance

-- L

 

I dont know how long you have been on the road man, but the industry is not fine. Yes, you can make money, but at what expense. Truck stops are a good example. Overpriced, pay to park for example. Depending on what area of the country you are in, look at parking options or should I say lack of parking. The HOS are a joke. 14hr rule, 30 min break rule are good for nothing. It just puts drivers in a hurry and jams up parking and fuel islands. My opinion, the current HOS has made the roads more unsafe then what it used to be back on the 10/8 system. Training, Seems to be a huge lack of it. Respect, not what it used to be. Drivers used to help each other out and respected each other for the most part. That does not happen anymore.

Thats just a few things where the industry has gone downhill. I could go into more

 

Well....I can concede that there isn't consistent respect all the way across the board. I've been on the road 15 years. In my opinion, parking is only an issue to drivers that think the truck stop is the only place to park. There are too many instances where PFJ, Love's, TA/Petro, all fill up to the point where it's overkill, but the mom and pop truck stop has plenty of parking. Parking is not an issue for me personally, because I will take a 10 pretty much anywhere. The 30 minute break, that's no big deal to me. You can get that getting fuel, then running into the truck stop to pee and grab a sandwich. The HOS doesn't make drivers get in a hurry and the roads unsafe. It's drivers' inability to learn how to trip plan, completely understand HOS, and become more efficient with their time. Drivers also need to become more adaptable to what the industry is. I see it for what it is, not what I want it to be. So because of that, I see the industry as fine. It does what I need it for, and that's to make a living.

 

I respect what you are saying. We may have different opinions on some of the issues, but thats no big deal and I respect that. I am glad the industry works for you and you make a good living off it. At the end of the day, thats what counts.