Pay,Risk and Talent

We need to defy the establishment!

I’m coming, and hell’s coming with me! Hell’s coming with me, you hear?!

 

Sometimes the free coffe aint worth it

 

Idk much heavy equipment operator makin 40 an hour atleast not where i live, i was an equipment op for 7 years before trucking and barely got to 16 an hour...

 

You and Lucifer make up, did ya?

 

I just got my CDL, I am finding it very difficult to decipher which are good companies and which are not. I have reserched for a few months and every company that hire new drivers have bad reviews and horror stories. Now, I am not so naive to think all of these reviews and stories come from good, honest, hard working people and realize that there are a lot of losers out there that expect the world to give them everything without them first working their butts off...... when I owned my own business, I would ask myself, is this employee entitled or empowered? It's easy to tell the difference. So I suspect that many of these authors feel entitled and when they don't get what they think they are entitled to, they quit and head to the forums to share their greavinces.

On the other hand, there must be some good, hard working folk out there sharing true perspective on these companies, after all, it is clear that there are some real slime ball companies out there, taking advantage of their drivers, especially the newer ones that don't know any better. Young folk that have never been to a multi level marketing sales pitch or a vacuum salesman hiring event where they tell you about the tremendous riches to be made going door to door, or the guys that run around in a truck with freezers full of meat.
I tried them all as a young man that didn't want to go to college. I once took a job that was advertised as a manager trainee for a convenience store, it was nothing more than a clerk job with no future, but they lure you in with the idea that one day you will be a manager and you will get paid a good wage, but it rarely happens and when it does, it's years down the line. It's a way to lure someone that has ambition and might make a good employee.

Anyway, I am 47 years old, my life choices, some not great but most not bad, has lead me to a place where I can no longer afford to wait for my entrepreneurial aspirations to give me the retirement I will need.

I realize, I may have to work for crap money for a few years, but I don't want to do it for a company that is going to lie, cheat and steal from me. How does one find a job in this industry that isn't going to waste your time and or starve you? I am smart, hard working, honest, have great work ethic and I do not have unreasonable expectations as a new CDL holder that doesn't want to waste time working for a crap company.

 

I am smart, hard working, honest, have great work ethic and I do not have unreasonable expectations as a new CDL holder that doesn't want to waste time working for a crap company.

You have the tools you need right there.

I've always believed you can make the best out of the worst companies for your own situation by displaying the above properties.

If you find you've risen to the top in a 'less than desirable' company - you are now armed with valuable knowledge, and move on to a better company.

I made good money at my first trucking job by listening, learning, working hard, being pro-active, solving my own problems, negotiating pay, being available to do what others didn't etc.

Example -

I washed my own truck engine included. they had a wash bay. After a while, a mechanic noticed and thanked me. "We like servicing '5128' - it's always clean". Turns out the head of the shop is the owners' kin, and is on the 'board'. The 'board' is who decides a lot of 'stuff' like "Do we fire the guy because he hung his trailer up in a ditch trying to get around a back-up?" (rookie mistake, we all make them). I kept the job. In that critical 1 year period that most screw up royally, resulting in 4 jobs in 12 months.

I needed them about 2 years later for about 4 months, in a situation that I won't bore you with. The 'board' decides upon 're-hires'. Very dismal prospects - but they allowed me back, and I was up-front about the short term nature. they knew they'd get their moneys' worth.

Not saying washing the truck makes you employee of the month, but as part of a 'good attitude approach' . . . I think you see where I'm going with this.

 

Unfortunately there is no easy answer. My advice is do your research and the one thing I will tell you not to do is DO NOT get into a lease purchase right off the bat, or anytime really, but especially just getting into the business. There is plenty of information on here to help you out it just takes some time. You do not "have to work for crap money for a few years". There are plenty of companies hiring new drivers that pay decent. Don't cut yourself short, if you are a good hand and have a good work ethic to offer then the sky is the limit.

Do you want to do Flatbed, Dry Van, Reefer, local, regional, OTR? Let folks know what you are interested in and someone can steer you in the right direction. If you've worked all those types of jobs then you know when someone is BS'ing you so use your instincts when talking to people or reading the poor me stories. I would suggest when you have narrowed it down, go to truck stops or wherever you might find a company your interested in and talk directly to a driver. Likewise on here, you can figure out who knows what they are talking about and who doesn't. Who the whiners are, who doesn't want to work, who blames everyone but themselves, you just have to start reading the forums and threads.

That's my .02 worth, good luck to you!

 

That’s at least 10 c worth right there!

 

Thanks, hope your starting to feel better, lol.

 

Lol! Thanks man - getting used to the ‘sling’ the doctor prescribed.

Living vicariously through others for the rest of 2018!