Picking my own freight baby! My journey to & of being on Schneider choice, the Adventure & Numbers!

That one has a Hella corn on it...lol

 

I'm at that point as well, but not so sure about a reefer. Not against it, but haven't decided which route to go yet.

About to start looking into what loads are available around where I live, seeing if i can get into contact with some brokers in the area and such before making the plunge into buying a trailer.

I'm also at the point where I am ready to pull an air ride trailer again. It sounds wimpy, but I wish I had known that Schneider had spring ride trailers before I came here. It had been many years since I pulled these things, guess I just figured that everyone had basically phased them out.

 

They started this sometime in the last year or so I believe. It wasn't in my lease purchase contract for the junky t680 I had, so I had no problem dumping it back on them and buying another truck. Talked to people since then though who had it in their lease contracts.

 

That right there is why I missed most of actual orientation. Spent most of the time I was supposed to be in orientation going over my truck, and going over the lease. Barely had time to do the computer work and quickly see the load board, and sign a few papers.

 

Buy the truck, even if you need to go get outside financing. I hate to see anybody give a truck back after making a ton of payments on it.

 

Newer truck gets you better rates, at least with OOIDA. They quoted me $9300/year.

I figured all my additional expenses, including a trailer payment (leasing a new trailer, which I likely wouldn't do), and I needed about .15/mile to cover the things that Schneider provides me, which is basically the trailer and cargo/liability.

That insurance quote covered me to haul virtually anything you could haul in a reefer or dryvan, as I wanted to make sure I was covered for high value loads and hazmat.

 

I spent 6 weeks trying to schedule my last one. I would put in a request for an open date, then it would be rejected because it was submitted too soon.

Why was it even listed if you couldn't request it?

Then, there was never anything that was within their timeframe for requesting it.

Finally, I was past due by over a week. Called in, only to find out my most recent request ended up being denied.

All along, nobody would inform me that I had been rejected. I had to call in and find this out.

After the last rejection, they also informed me that I would be shut down that Friday if I didn't have the recert done.

I snapped.

Told them I was on my way through Edwardsville, would be there that Friday morning, and needed to Recert there.

Again, no openings.

I responded that if they didn't do it, I would let them yank the qualcomm out, and be on my way to the house.

hour later, I had an opening for that morning.

I hope I am not here by the time my next Recert rolls around. Wasn't that difficult in the beginning to do these things, had actually just showed up and got worked in for them in the past without a problem.

 

I was one of the last ones I guess to get in with a Glider. Won't be getting rid of my truck anytime soon, but it is deflating to know that if I decided to go trade this in next year or so for another new glider, I would have no choice but to find a new place to lease on.

My intention is to be gone from here pretty soon anyway, but the changing rules are really messed up.

 

The annual recert is just a way for them to remind us THEY'RE in control.

Absolutely no other reason.