Switching companies help

Take your home time then give notice. That way you will not have to worry about being away from area. Trucking companies are not use to 2 week notices. Some will terminate the minute you give them your 2 week then you are stuck. 3 days should be enough. If they were to terminate you for some reason they don't give you any notice.

 

When I quit the first trucking company I worked for I gave them two weeks notice. I was three states away from home and they had me finish the run I was on then routed me through home to drop my truck at the nearest terminal.

I think two weeks notice is appropriate, but I have heard of some companies terminating you as soon as you give two weeks, so you might keep a backup plan in mind (to get home). Maybe be in a big city (plane/bus tickets available), or somewhere near home when you tell them.

You know your company better than I do..

Leadfoot

 

If I was in your situation, I would take my hometime first. While on hometime, gut the truck out and only leave a small amount of necessities in it. Have some backup money just in case you'd have to buy transportation home.

"Do what thou wilt."

 

Just give a notice and move on. I worked for a couple of companies that immediately fired any driver that gave a 2 week notice. Leave your present company and move on; it won't be the end of the world. Turn your truck in to the terminal and leave.

 

Be sure to travel light. Swift had a bad habit of running drivers far from home, routing them into a terminal and firing them. You'd see some driver with all of his belongings piled up near the door of the terminal. Seen it quite a few times.

I stayed out running the bigroad from September to December. I wanted to take a week off during Christmas so I could go on a hunting trip. Swift said that was okay. The weekend before Christmas, they loaded me in Houston with a load going to Chicago, scheduled to deliver on the 26th. I called my dispatch, "I'm supposed to get a week off. I got a hunting trip planned. What gives?" She says, "Well, at least you get to be home for Christmas. Be happy about that." No I wont...not if I have to be in Chicago on the 26th!

While up in Chicago, I had a motorist go underneath my trailer. Cop cited the motorist, Swift listed it as preventable. They wanted me to do some 'close quarters training' and I refused. I told my dispatcher that I had some more 'hometime' and I wanted to go back to the house. She got me a load to the house. I went to Burns Harbor to pick it up and the shipper told me that something was wrong with my load numbers. Another Swift flatbed comes in and the shipper tells me, "Driver, they gave your load away!" I called Swift and they told me to go to their Gary terminal. I sat at that TA down the road from Burns Harbor. I knew they were going to fire me. They got me a 3 stop load from Ottumwa to Gainesville, Fl, north Georgia and finaled in Columbia,SC. My home terminal was in Greer,SC.

I got the load and called my brother, had him meet me in a picklepark and we unloaded the truck. Kept a small duffle with 1 change of clothes and an overnight bag. My current company had been calling me and I had plans to work out a notice. I would finish out this load on a Thursday and catch the graydog to my new gig.

I show up in Greer, talk to the people at the window through the bulletproof glass, they let me in to speak with my dispatcher. I had given the truck to the shop. I walk up to dispatch and hand her the permit book for the truck.

"Whats this? You're going to quit?"

"I'm already gone."

"You cant just..."

"Sorry, gotta run. My cab is here. Bye!"

"But..."

Loaded the graydog on Thursday, got to Gary,IN on Saturday.

 

Why are you quitting after 6 months? A lot of people get into this buissness & dont realize trucking is not like other jobs(crazy hours ,away from home,ect.) I think you should try to do your 1st year with same carrier but that said word of advice : The grass is always greener on the other side but, there is guaranteed to be a pile of crap in it somewhere!! Take your hometime,quit before they assingn you a load,dont give 2 wks they will probaly strand you 1500 miles from home! Make sure to turn in all fuel cards ect, take pics. of trk. when you turn it in, good luck!t