PDS - Almost through

Been driving for PDS for a little over eight months now and to be honest, it hasn't been the best experience I've ever had. Low miles, horrible communication with dispatch/DM's and half the time, I don't even know what division board I'm running on. Now, it hasn't been a complete waste; got to see parts of the country I haven't been to, driven in some of the nastiest weather I've experienced in Michigan and figured out that non-company shops will keep your truck all day for no reason, just to get that per-hour rate.

I'm almost to the end though, they haven't starved me out completely and I haven't lost everything. I've averaged about 2600 miles a week, teaming, since June of 2008. Once, and only once, did I see a mileage of 5000+ and that was because some CEX drivers went off on vacation two weeks before christmas and we had to cover their runs. That was a phenominal week and the last time that I have seen over 4000 miles. In fact, going back, I think the last time we saw 4000+ miles was back in September.

The front office is less than civil with their drivers, and most of the time, the main DM there in the office, if he's having a bad day, you can forget about getting a load to go home, forget about getting your layover pay {which takes almost three or four days to get} and don't tell him that you need time off. He'll make sure than you never get home anywhere near in time to make any sort of important dates. This has happened three times in which a time off request has been sent, ignored, gotten told there are no loads going home, just to watch a truck and team that came in hours AFTER us get one going in that direction. Just have to hope the delivery matches up with where you live and then at the last minute, ask for the time off.

Granted, some of the dispatchers are great and can get you a load going just about anywhere, but trying to get in touch with them seems to be a touch and go deal in which you either catch them or you don't. Everything else is up in the air as no one knows what anyone else is doing and they're seperated by 3 inches of wall in the office. Several times we've been told to go somewhere, only to find that the load is cancelled at the last minute, or a run that might actually get us tons of miles for the week is being handed to another team because they need to keep moving.

I'm sorry...I didn't realize that my truck didn't run team though the last I checked, there is a second driver and we drive in shifts. What's that you say? Make sure that we dump the drop-deck that we're hooked up to and get a van trailer...? We don't run drop-deck...that's CEX. Pardon me, but you're keeping us out for 27 days without letting us go home to do laundry, see the family, hug our loved ones but having us only run 13 of those 27 days and do short hops? Thanks for the 5500 miles spread out over 4 weeks...

Anyone who is currently thinking about PDS, you might want to think about something else unless you just want to sit out here and get the experience of, well, sitting out here. You'll get a prime opportunity to learn Spanish because three out of four days will be spent in Laredo hoping to get a load out. You'll also get used to getting told you're high up on the board Friday night and then getting out sometime Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning. It's almost over and anyone who has stuck with it this long, my hats off to you because even with enduring patience, it cant be over soon enough.