Reddaway

I worked for Interstate in 2007. They were really good and I was making a lot running teams. They were paying 51 cpm for reefer teams back then. 48 cpm for dry van. Came out to about the same pay. Were averaging 1500 a week. However they went down hill. They got hit hard by the recession and pissed off all their drivers. A lot of them left including me. Now I work for Reddaway and I'm making even more. It is harder work than OTR and a lot more time sensitive. Pluses are pay, sleep in your own bed or a hotel. Home every other day and for a reset or more if not busy. Been good to me and great benefits!

 

I just transfered from Kent to LAX as a Line Driver,there is a few slow weeks after the first of the year but for the most part they dont over hire and try to keep guys busy so they dont leave,my only complaint is Kent has some of the oldest trucks in the company,most are 98 to 03 Freightliners with 1.5 million plus mile,they are load and rough riding,also hope you saved some of your old casette tapes as they have lousy stereos,if you are use to driving nice newer trucks you are going to be disappointed with the equipment,as the other poster stated it will be years,probably 5 or more to get a decent bid if that soon,let me know if you have any other questions,will be happy to help.

 

reddawaydriver is right.plan on sitting by your phone at night and taking every run they offer no complaints,also SEA has alot of weekend work you can sign up for to make up for a slow week,you can expect to make 40-50k your first year and nothing out of pocket for excellant medical coverage,most OTR companys make you pay a portion and have big copays,SEA has a great group of LineDrivers,mostly old hands and are more than willing to help you out,give you good advice and will make you feel welcome,LTL is not for everyone and is much harder than a steering wheel holder job but hang in there for a year or two and you wont ever want to give it up.

 

The extra board is rough. The trucks are even rougher. Just try to get a Volvo. They might not pull as good but it is worth the smoother ride imo. I bring my ipod. That's all the music I need. I've been working days and nights. I prefer nights myself, especially on the I-5. Being a slave to the phone is no fun but I'm just waiting for that bid to come up.

 

There is no Volvo's in SEA or the entire NW for that matter,only a handful in PDX cause they run Redding,all the newer trucks that were there got sent to California because of the EPA/CARB Regulations,newest trucks are some of the 9400 IH but all the Bid drivers have them,extra board gets 1100-1200 number trucks as well as downgrades the city drivers use,most are pretty beat up and wore out,they maintain them but they are rough.

 

Yea saw two newer volvos running the independence, ca meet yesterday..Saw that cabover pulling triples from the carlin, nv meet. I would not want to drive that thing, though it is sure faster than my cascadia.

 

although Im a YRC driver, ive been at this terminal for 2 months and got a bid... Theres some bids that people dont want, its not a great bid but I can make it a good one as long as I play my cards right

 

Yup, got acouple in our yard. They have no plans on getting rid of em either. Their mainly extra trucks.

Well extraboard might get ran like a bid cause when that new restart rule comes in july no more running 6-7 days a week. Get all the money while you can.

 

Im surprised at how many people dont know about this,even our TM didnt know...?not only are we going to have to start recapping like the old days but have to take a 1/2 hr break off duty before the 8th Hr,ATA and OOIDA are fighting the new rule offering to give up 1 Hr of drive time to get back the 34 Hr restart we enjoy now. The OTR companies love the restart cause they run there drivers all week and them poor drivers sit all weekend at truck stops complaining they cant get any miles,imagine all those new drivers that have never had to recap and figure out how to work off hours they will pick up 8 days prior,going to see a lot of trucks O/S at the scales for Log Book violations..lol.