Post Gordon ~ Thoughts, Commentary & Reflections

Hi, double yellow. You came in while I was editing...

I've been reviewing examples in an FMCSA HOS Logbook Examples pdf: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/documents/hos/logbook.pdf
Thought I would discuss those in a future post as I try get my head wrapped around implications of the 8/2 Split in the new July 2013 HOS.

Also the FMCSA Guide to HOS: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/truck/driver/hos/fmcsa-guide-to-hos.PDF Arenace posted it in your thread 'logging pti's with rolling 8/2 splits' and I picked it up there.

So we continue this detour, sort of winging it. My narrative is back in Terre Haute at page 20, message #196. I'll pick the narrative back up from there when we get a firm handle on the 8/2 Split. In the meantime:

Trip and pay details of my first 3 weeks.............. page 2, message 17.
Trip and pay details of my second 3 weeks.......... page 9, message 81.
Summary of loads............................................ page 14, message 139.
Best short summary of trucking for Gordon........ CougFan, page 16, messages #152, #153.

This narrative tracks my trips and pay and my learning curve at Gordon; I think it exposes Gordon warts, blemishes and strong points. Sometimes I will write from the point of view of hindsight but I will also write as I saw it and felt at the time in order to show my learning curve. Hopefully less braggadocio and more facts and epiphanies (discoveries).



Written August 23, 2013 at home, six miles north of Spencer, IN. All rights reserved by author.

 

Hi Rasec, If you were a newbie looking for a good place to learn, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Gordon for Gordon's excellent equipment, driver support and concern for safety. With your 18 years of experience, though, I think your Gordon DM will forget in 10 seconds your 18 years when he/she has a stinker load (0-300 miles) and somebody's got to run it. And that hits you in your pocketbook. That's my opinion.

I believe that in order to get the mid-west Wal-Mart and Wal-Mart related business, a whole lot of cheap, short runs came along with. IMO Gordon hasn't figured out a profitable way to fairly compensate its drivers for these short runs so your 'free-to-Gordon' time to load/unload, fuel and scale take a big bite out of your hours and pocketbook. The Trainer I had for 24 hours said that Gordon knows the pay issue is there (and he meant vis-a-vis the industry) and needs to do something about it. He had 5 years with Gordon and I think 18 or so years with Barr-Nunn; and that was his opinion.

On some of the short runs I had a buck a mile wouldn't have been enough. (Find a place to shut down in the afternoon, wait until morning, drive 40-odd miles, move a trailer one mile... Drive 75 miles, wait hours in line to get to guard shack, wait for your door to open up inside, wait again in line to get to guard shack to leave, an all-day affair... ) Pennsylvania isn't as easy a place for Gordon to get you home to either, I think, compared to IN, IL or Ohio.

There's probably a small-ish company with a great CSA score and good pay right near you that you haven't thought about. That's what I'd be looking for.

Just my opinion.

 

That was the 'standard' pay for the 5-and-5. Where Gordon would get me home after 5-1/2 days out. Out Monday, home Saturday and 2000-2200 miles/week. I call it the 'Mythical 5-and-5' because more than one DM said it didn't exist and pushed traditional (out 11-14, home 2).

IMO 5-and-5 is a recruitment promise that Gordon can't/won't live up to. Home time was never a problem unless I wanted to get home. Then it was. Gordon has excellent equipment, a very good CSA score and a well-deserved reputation for driving legal. I liked driving for Gordon; did not like the pay.

Check out summary of loads, page 14, message #139. Of my first 30 loads:

Them's small potatoes. (Shows 29 loads. 2 one-way loads were combined.)

My target was at least $750 net/week. First six weeks gross pay/week:

(Driving part-time now, out of Indy. Load last week to Philly pays over $500 plus unload/load time @ $18 after first 2 hours for entire run, load in Indy, del/load Philly, del Indy--drop and hook, we touch nothing but there's wait time--plus breakdown time at $18, I had 3-1/2 due to a bad tire. So that one load beat most of my weeks at Gordon... Much better $$, low stress.

My 92-year-old Mom is in a Memory Care Unit at VA in California and can't hear me on the phone so this winter I may head back out that way for a few months. Haven't decided. I spent five months out there and tooting around the country with 3 dogs in car before signing on to Gordon.)

Gordon is a large system with tons of freight. Those who come over from similar lanes, stay out 3-4 weeks or more will do fine--I think. We haven't heard back from a seasoned driver, chowick1966 who started a brief thread, 'Pastures New @ Gordon' and hasn't been back for a long time.

A rookie to Gordon's lanes and system has a steep learning curve ahead, even if an experienced driver. IMO it's a two-tiered system. IMO rookies get the burden of the short runs. Check out Joseph1135's thread, 'My New Adventure with Gordon Trucking' for a different viewpoint. Joseph came over to Gordon recently with substantial similar-to-Gordon OTR experience. Did not come into Gordon as a rookie like I did. IMO rookies get most of short runs.

I didn't have a clue how different driving for Gordon was from the type of driving I had done. That made me a rookie. Gordon is a new race every load; it took weeks before I hit an account I had been to before. My previous job paid hourly ($23.67), ran nightly from Bloomington, IN to Cincy. 2 possible stops in Cincy! I knew every pothole. Paid well. Lousy equipment, driver support.

Twice a night I ran that two-lane, 18-mile roller coaster through the woods between Bloomington, IN and Nashville, IN full bore in all kinds of weather and always prayed never to kill a deer--and didn't!

Gordon's CSA attracted me. I don't at all regret my time with Gordon. A great learning experience. Not a great pay experience.

 

CougFan, anytime you want to chime in here you are always welcome. Vic

 

Joseph has a very moving and motivating personal story. So do you, CougFan.