No company terminals = no hometime?

You always have a choice, always. Newbie or not. You have to decide right up front how much crap you will take. Iam a very loyal employee, However they have to earn my loyality I do not give it away. My experience has nothing to do with it.

 

There are lots of companies like Roehl that will let drivers take trucks home.

 

I live 600 miles from our only terminal. I get home when I need to no problem. Living close to a major freight lane for a particular company can be more helpful than a terminal when trying to get home.

 

That's why you choose someplace that will allow you to get home from the start rather than someplace that treats you like crap. There are starter companies out there that will treat you well from the beginning and it's good people research to find out these things.

 

I was gonna start a thread like this one. I've spoken with a couple of veteran drivers out here and just like many have already said they've told me the same thing, find out the traffic lanes of a company. So, with that said, if a company is smart they'll have those yards along that path; but hey! we are dealing with huge corporations here! As to the driver that said that a new driver doesn't have the right to want to b home, I disagree whole heartedly. I thought the same way when I first started but I've learned that you need a break from being locked up in a truck every now and again. Some ppl only need a few days after 7 weeks, others need more to regain their sanity. Fatigue isn't only about getting 10hr and 34hrs in and then magically you're back on day one. This is just like any other job in the sense that the same thing day in and day out gets old,but its worse cause at least with every other job u get to b home and have that one continued stability. Just as another driver wrote on here in so many words; if any company can not understand that you work to live and not live to work, then that is not a company for you or any other human being. Even God needed to rest ... And He(or She) is God.

 

And if you work for PAM, I've been told that I-40 is a major lane. I've mostly experienced I-40 from mid TN to Little Rock then down to I-30 to Irving and on to I-35 going to Laredo. That I can say by firsthand experience that this is PAMela's main lane, but I've also been told that many company's go to Laredo, having seen yards for USA, Schneider & Conway there. As for PAMela's yards/drop lots; Main company owned are - Laredo, Irving, TX, North Little Rock, AR, North Jackson, OH and Tontitown, AR of course. Shared/rented are - Jacksonville,FL, Charlotte,NC, Bridgewater,NJ, Atlanta,GA, Louisville,KY, Knoxville,TN, Nashville(Whites Creek),TN, Vandalia,OH, Blue Island,IL and West Memphis,AR. I know of others but I've never been there so I won't mention them due to the possibility that they may be no longer in service. Hope this will help someone in their decision making. Be safe.

 

Most companies won't hire you if getting you home will be an issue. There may not be a terminal close by but as long as they have freight going in that direction it shouldn't be a problem. You will have to give ample notice though before taking home time. It can be a real pain in the butt for your dispatcher to arrange this.

 

The day I come out of the house is when I tell my dispatcher when I want to be home next. I'm usually home a day or two after scheduled date.

Like last week I was supposed to be home on the 10th. Got home the 12th, but my dispatcher gave me a full week home even though I didn't stay out long enough to earn that hometime.

Ethan

 

We all know PAMela is not like most companies You gotta love her though!