So whats with the mid west?

All of the above. I started keeping my operating area to the Upper Midwest starting in '99 and have not regretted it. Fairly study freight, decent rates, easy on driver and equipment, decent fuel costs compared to rest of the country, and usually good parking when need to stop. Stuff has shifted around in the Midwest during the recession, but Midwest still great place to operate. I really don't consider much that goes outside of Nebraska to Ohio north of I-70.

 

A driver who lives in the middle of the country is more useful to a company (especially if he expects to get home on a somewhat regular basis) than a driver who lives along the borders. Why? It doesn't matter if a load is going from Miami to Portland or from LA to NYC, or Laredo to Detroit...the driver who lives in the middle of the country can get home with minimal out-of-route mileage. A driver who lives in LA only gets home when he's got freight going to LA. The driver from Miami is only going to get home when freight is moving to Miami. When they know that most drivers prefer to get through the house from time to time, it's easier for them if they hire drivers who they can get home with the freight lanes they typically run. Sure, there are some guys who like to stay out for 2 or 3 years at a time....but they don't account for a large enough percentage of the trucking population for a company to target them with their advertising dollars. An ad claiming "Home every weekend" is going to get far more responses than "Home 2 weeks every 3 years".

 

It is real simple nothing can go to the right side , left side , top or bottom without going through the middle !! Just that easy boys and girls

 

Can go across I-40 and I-10 and not hit the Midwest. Isnt that the left and the right? LOL. Be safe out there drivers.

 

New York measures their bridges in some funny way that no pithy state does. Try going up the BQE. It's got a lot of underpasses marked 12' 9" that have more room than you will ever need. I do it all of the time.the biggest problem I've ever had in NYC is the traffic and the tolls. 75 bucks just to cross the George Washington bridge! Being a company driver with an easy pass takes away that worry though! As for parking, that's another story. Get in and get out! That is my philosophy when going into NYC.

 

Look out the plane window. You can see a cluster of ants moving slowly. The only birds you see are hanging out a window.

 

It's a hub. Watch for buggies. I have almost run over one.

 

WATrucker - I just moved to the Midwest from Seattle a few months ago. There is an unbelievable amount of trucks going down the road here compared with all of the West Coast. Lots of industry / factories compared with the West Coast. You have to see it to believe it!

 

without the heartland the east coast would be living off tuna