Swift...... I enjoy my job

I think there's a difference in the three scenarios but I'm not going to argue with you anymore. Just pm me your driver code so I can check your pay records.

I like you Dick Jones, you may be all up in everyone's business telling them you know their business better than them but at least you are honest about who you are, who you drive for and what you're doing. That's a good thing.

P.S. I don't think the man said he averages 4000. I could be wrong......it has happened before..........

 

Hey Injun!!! I think you're not even in the town you think you're in!

 

This is completely contra indicative of your signature and my attributes of you.....say it isn't so!

To humidify me in front of everyone on TTR....wait that doesn't sound quite right.............

 

I have noticed over time that many drivers like to do this 8-8.5 hours a day running thing.
Thinking that because they will never run out of hours they will get more miles.
This idea is totally backwards. And the DM's and planners see it as well.

Part of the reason for this is late loads. Many times late loads are due to breakdown, tire blew or whatever. Drivers like to put these things down as unavoidable.
Sometimes they are unavoidable. Many times they are to a point, but would not make the load late.
I have had planners and dispatchers tell me before than most loads that are late due to breakdown, the breakdown will occur in the last 200 miles of the run.
If the driver had ran to get to the delivery area as fast as they legally could, then the load would probably not have been late.
Because they would have either been early enough that they could get it repaired and still deliver on time, or enough time would be available for a relay.

The other thing that drivers gain from running this way is the chance of early delivery. ALLOT of the time this will be available, if you run it out and ask.

Drivers that do the 8-8.5 hours a day thing will sit and wait to start there day as late as possible every day, to make sure that they will use the time when they want too, and get to the delivery area an hour early.
This is an ok way to run if you want to risk being late, and you are happy with low miles. If you do not want to be one of the cry baby's at the terminal you will learn to run the load out as quickly as you can.

Another thing that will happen running this way is that your DM and the planners will see that you are a worker. They will want to use that to their advantage, and will give you better longer and tighter loads because of it.
And if you get to deliver early and have a few hours left to run, then run that out also.
If you get to the end of the week and you are short hours, and not getting back usable ones, then take that reset. So you can run your butt off for another 6-7 days.

That is about the best advice I can give to any new driver. Or current driver that is not getting the miles they want.
Run it out.
Use your clock.
Get the miles.
If I was a DM and you came to me asking for more miles. And you were running 8-8.5 hours a day. I would not give you more.
Or maybe I would for a few loads and see how you ran them.
If you ran them well I would hook you up. If you sat allot and got to the delivery area just in time, I would not get you any more miles.
I would place you right back into the lazy drivers group.

 

Excellent post Chromedome!

 

Ms. Nana...I stepped away from the yard for a while to attend personal business...and get a PM done somewhere that I don't have to wait three days. Since it's where I'm at anyway, I'm still off duty. You at the yard? I'll be back later...

 

actually it depends on HOW you manage your clock. I tend to keep it around working an 8 hr day. Now if i happen to have a 2nd load for the day, and its a 500 mi run, but i know i can only run half of that maximizing my entire 14 hr clock....i'll do it. I wont hit the magic number of 8.5 and say "well...my time is up for the day" and punch out. If i'm under a load, i'm being paid to run that load. How dumb would it make me look, to run 70 miles off it, saying "well i got another 8 hr day tomorrow", then end up having a problem 100 miles away, when had i driven half the load, i might not have had an issue making an OT delivery before my breakdown. (knocking on wood now...)

I'm just saying, i'll do my best to average 8-9 hrs a day working. sometimes i'll only work a 5 hr day (because i happen to get a short load or sitting all day at a food D.C. waiting to get unloaded) then i know i got room for a full 14 hr day.

then when you start running up against your 70....you can still maximize your time. you just have to be sure when sending in a mac 10, that it is ACCURATE. if you only got 5 hrs to run that day...be sure you tell em that. Dont tell them 9, in the hopes you get a better load, cause it will end up being LATE. Keep it accurate, and they'll plan you according to what you can do. If they send you something you know u cant do, you can decline it and say HOS.

It really isnt that hard. and neither is making on time deliveries and pick ups. I sat in Gary the other night. And this Nigerian who spoke broken english at best, could not figure out why he got 5 service failures in a month. Found out thru conversation, that the guy thinks that delivery or p/u times are all based on where your home terminal is at...NOT LOCAL TIME. So if he runs out of the midwest, and they say 10a pick up in Indianapolis....he is arriving 10a....CDT...not EST.....so he is an hour late. I just could not believe nobody ever taught him the right way. Sure hope he understands after I told him whats what.

 

for the record Nana.....he did say he averaged 3000-4000 mi. But heck. i could say the same thing, come to think of it. I once had a 800 mi run....gave me a day and a half to get it dropped, then they stacked me with another 650 run. So in two full 14 hr days, i ran close to, if not over 1300 mi. if i could do that for the rest of the week......i guess........welll.........SOOOOOOO......650x7=4550. but i'll round down to 4000.

 

Every time I try to post this, I lose my connection. LOL

I was wrong. I misunderstood Dick Jones. I though he was saying he was going to get the trip planner to show him another driver's payroll records. He didn't say that. I was wrong.

Mark it on the wall people!!! Nana was wrong.

 

I noticed on Swift hiring site they had "comfort zones" What are they? Do they still have them?