local gigs and professionalism

[driver67373]

I recently got off the road and took a local job with Performance Food Group. It's all right and all, but it seems to me there's a lack of professionlam and pride in your job that I found more common on the road. Both of my "trainers" I've been with, if you can call them trainers, one of them had less experience than I do and I've been driving 8 months. The other one has 9 years driving experience. Well both of them have never been on the road, I get the feeling that they don't see themselves as a truck driver first, that this is just their job. Both of them drive dangerously, taking exit ramps 15-20 mph above the posted ramp speed...maybe you can get away with that with a 26 ft trailer? But I was trained that you NEVER take a ramp at that speed, that you want to be going about 5 miles below the posted speed cus those are for cars. Excessive speeding, for example going 50 through a 30 zone that I wouldn't feel safe doing even in my car. I've only been driving 8 months and I drive safter than both of these drivers. They tailgate exvessivly as well on the open freeway often with 1 to 1.5 second following distance. I'm not used to such a relaxed saftey attitude at a company. I do miss over the road and sometimes I do wonder if the grass really is greener on the other side. Is this common though for local gigs to be more relaxed on saftely and allow driving like this? I don't like that kind of attitude so I'm not sure what to do, it just doesn't feel professional, and I am a PROFESSIONAL truck driver.

[jegzus]

The funny thing is I've seen more of what you described in OTR companies and drivers. Local guys usually take their time because they get paid by the hour. At least where I live most the local truckers drive 5mph below the speed limit.

Safety usually isn't AS big of a concern at smaller local companies only for the fact they don't have the resources to enforce it. But the majority of small companies want their drivers to operate safely. Then there are others who could give a **** less, I have worked for both of these kinds of companies both local and over the road.

[Uturn2001]

I have seen the same thing many times with "local" drivers. While many of these drivers are paid by the hour at the same time they can be under some very strict schedules. The may have to make several stops with set appointment times or told they have to complete their run within "X" amount of hours. Then you add to it that they think they "know" every bump in the road because they drive the same places every day or week.

What it really boils down to is attitude and unsafe ones can be found every where.

[driver67373]

I have seen the same thing many times with "local" drivers. While many of these drivers are paid by the hour at the same time they can be under some very strict schedules. The may have to make several stops with set appointment times or told they have to complete their run within "X" amount of hours. Then you add to it that they think they "know" every bump in the road because they drive the same places every day or week.

What it really boils down to is attitude and unsafe ones can be found every where.

I'm getting 20 an hour while in training but once out of training we are paid by the mile, number of cases, and stops. We have got done with our runs much earlier than scheduled so I don't see why there's the need to be in a big hurry. A reminder of this is a tractor on the yard that a driver rolled the other week...it looks like someone put a big sledge hammer to it. Fortunately the driver was ok.

[jegzus]

I have seen the same thing many times with "local" drivers. While many of these drivers are paid by the hour at the same time they can be under some very strict schedules. The may have to make several stops with set appointment times or told they have to complete their run within "X" amount of hours. Then you add to it that they think they "know" every bump in the road because they drive the same places every day or week.

What it really boils down to is attitude and unsafe ones can be found every where.

That's where the driver needs to have some balls and tell his boss that the job will get done when it gets done. There was plenty of times when I was driving the tri-axle pictured below that my boss said I had to get "X" machine to "Y" job site by this time, but I also had to run 4 loads of topsoil to a site across the county first. I just laughed at him and told him it will get there eventually. No one makes me drive unsafe, and if they don't like it I'm sure DOT would love to come pay them a visit or pull their trucks in every chance they get. :twisted:

[dano2006]

I have seen lots of unsafe driving doing local work. What it comes down to is it your liscense/driving record so drive how you feel comfortable. Getting me and the truck home is my number one priority.

[CaliTrucker]

I know what you mean about drivers that are "on a mission."

The owners of the company i am currently working for keep telling me to take my time and get to the jobsite safely. But one the other hand, the last company i was with i hauled diesel, gas, and kerosene to residential and commercial accounts and everytime i seen the boss, he was like "why weren't you back an hour ago?"... Well lets see here, i'm driving a 28 year old Ford F8000 P.O.S. and it only goes 20 mph up ANY hill with more than a couple hundred gallons of fuel on board (2500 gallon tank) and everywhere i go is in the hills :twisted: I think my happiest day was when they decided to let me go and handed me my last check.

Seems like alot of the double bottom dump driivers around here are always in a hurry, but most of them are paid by the load or percentage. So there are always trying to get one more load in, and some of the trucks they are running around in is scary, to say the least.

[Mtc_Is_Hell]

I recently got off the road and took a local job with Performance Food Group. It's all right and all, but it seems to me there's a lack of professionlam and pride in your job that I found more common on the road. Both of my "trainers" I've been with, if you can call them trainers, one of them had less experience than I do and I've been driving 8 months. The other one has 9 years driving experience. Well both of them have never been on the road, I get the feeling that they don't see themselves as a truck driver first, that this is just their job. Both of them drive dangerously, taking exit ramps 15-20 mph above the posted ramp speed...maybe you can get away with that with a 26 ft trailer? But I was trained that you NEVER take a ramp at that speed, that you want to be going about 5 miles below the posted speed cus those are for cars. Excessive speeding, for example going 50 through a 30 zone that I wouldn't feel safe doing even in my car. I've only been driving 8 months and I drive safter than both of these drivers. They tailgate exvessivly as well on the open freeway often with 1 to 1.5 second following distance. I'm not used to such a relaxed saftey attitude at a company. I do miss over the road and sometimes I do wonder if the grass really is greener on the other side. Is this common though for local gigs to be more relaxed on saftely and allow driving like this? I don't like that kind of attitude so I'm not sure what to do, it just doesn't feel professional, and I am a PROFESSIONAL truck driver.

Was it hard to find a local job after 8 months? I"m at near 7 months otr and dieing to pay off my loan and get a local gig. Have saved 8,500 so I won't be in a huge hurry to find one.. I'm in St Louis MO

[driver67373]

I recently got off the road and took a local job with Performance Food Group. It's all right and all, but it seems to me there's a lack of professionlam and pride in your job that I found more common on the road. Both of my "trainers" I've been with, if you can call them trainers, one of them had less experience than I do and I've been driving 8 months. The other one has 9 years driving experience. Well both of them have never been on the road, I get the feeling that they don't see themselves as a truck driver first, that this is just their job. Both of them drive dangerously, taking exit ramps 15-20 mph above the posted ramp speed...maybe you can get away with that with a 26 ft trailer? But I was trained that you NEVER take a ramp at that speed, that you want to be going about 5 miles below the posted speed cus those are for cars. Excessive speeding, for example going 50 through a 30 zone that I wouldn't feel safe doing even in my car. I've only been driving 8 months and I drive safter than both of these drivers. They tailgate exvessivly as well on the open freeway often with 1 to 1.5 second following distance. I'm not used to such a relaxed saftey attitude at a company. I do miss over the road and sometimes I do wonder if the grass really is greener on the other side. Is this common though for local gigs to be more relaxed on saftely and allow driving like this? I don't like that kind of attitude so I'm not sure what to do, it just doesn't feel professional, and I am a PROFESSIONAL truck driver.

Was it hard to find a local job after 8 months? I"m at near 7 months otr and dieing to pay off my loan and get a local gig. Have saved 8,500 so I won't be in a huge hurry to find one.. I'm in St Louis MO

Look up Performance Food Group in St. Louis. They have a distribution center there. Starting training pay is 20 an hour....they hire people straight out of CDL school. I just signed up for my health benefits today and they are the exact same plan that FedEx Express had when I worked for them, it's top of the line, and cost me 13 bucks a weak. Company pays for short and long term disability. They offer tuition reibursement if you want to go to college. Great stuff. Hell they even have insurance for your pet. But be prepared to work hard, move a lot of boxes around and get up at 3:30am every morning. It's a 5 day work week though. http://www.pfgc.com Also you can check out other compraoble companies like Sysco Foods, US Food Service, MBM etc. In addition to those, a lot of local beer and soda distributors will hire you though your pay is probably going to be low. Best of luck.

[Snowman7]

There are some offenders amongst the hourly guys but they aren't as bad as the local guys who are "flat rated", by that I mean paid by the mile, the cases or percentage. They get paid the same whether it takes 12 hrs or 10 hrs. They run the same routes everyday so they know every turn, hill, pothole and ramp there is. They know where the bears hang out and what they let you get away with. They push the limits to get done faster. I'm also guilty of it and I try to govern myself and next thing you know I'm being passed by one of my coworkers so he can beat me by three minutes. Its funny because the LTL trucks are governed pretty much around 65 and they fight to pass each other. I've had Conway guys stay in the left lane for 10 minutes trying to get around me. These guys would rather cut their foot off then lift it off the accelerator. They have to work the dock when they get there so they figure if they save fifteen minutes driving thats an extra couple hours a week "on the clock".

[Mtc_Is_Hell]

I recently got off the road and took a local job with Performance Food Group. It's all right and all, but it seems to me there's a lack of professionlam and pride in your job that I found more common on the road. Both of my "trainers" I've been with, if you can call them trainers, one of them had less experience than I do and I've been driving 8 months. The other one has 9 years driving experience. Well both of them have never been on the road, I get the feeling that they don't see themselves as a truck driver first, that this is just their job. Both of them drive dangerously, taking exit ramps 15-20 mph above the posted ramp speed...maybe you can get away with that with a 26 ft trailer? But I was trained that you NEVER take a ramp at that speed, that you want to be going about 5 miles below the posted speed cus those are for cars. Excessive speeding, for example going 50 through a 30 zone that I wouldn't feel safe doing even in my car. I've only been driving 8 months and I drive safter than both of these drivers. They tailgate exvessivly as well on the open freeway often with 1 to 1.5 second following distance. I'm not used to such a relaxed saftey attitude at a company. I do miss over the road and sometimes I do wonder if the grass really is greener on the other side. Is this common though for local gigs to be more relaxed on saftely and allow driving like this? I don't like that kind of attitude so I'm not sure what to do, it just doesn't feel professional, and I am a PROFESSIONAL truck driver.

Was it hard to find a local job after 8 months? I"m at near 7 months otr and dieing to pay off my loan and get a local gig. Have saved 8,500 so I won't be in a huge hurry to find one.. I'm in St Louis MO

Look up Performance Food Group in St. Louis. They have a distribution center there. Starting training pay is 20 an hour....they hire people straight out of CDL school. I just signed up for my health benefits today and they are the exact same plan that FedEx Express had when I worked for them, it's top of the line, and cost me 13 bucks a weak. Company pays for short and long term disability. They offer tuition reibursement if you want to go to college. Great stuff. Hell they even have insurance for your pet. But be prepared to work hard, move a lot of boxes around and get up at 3:30am every morning. It's a 5 day work week though. http://www.pfgc.com Also you can check out other compraoble companies like Sysco Foods, US Food Service, MBM etc. In addition to those, a lot of local beer and soda distributors will hire you though your pay is probably going to be low. Best of luck.

Ty for the reply sounds like something I could be into, really need to get into shape again, I'm not gonna lie I eat the same as I did when I a physical job, Put on a good 10 pounds and lost most normal muscle, I'm tired in the middle of the day for no reason.

The guy my bro works for is offering me a job Driving a Truck and Trl for Landscaping, Building water falls and stuff, Drive class A truck and equipment to site and drive bobcat all day... Looking to pay 18 an hour.. Won't be as much but I will work with family.

[silvan]

That's where the driver needs to have some balls and tell his boss that the job will get done when it gets done.

Back when I poured concrete for two horrible weeks, one of the more memorable guys there told a good tale. He was running a dump truck, and his boss sent him out on some horrible black ice night to pick up a load of something or other. He said "OK, I'll go get it, but your ass is coming with me." He took the boss out up some twisty country road in an icy hell, and the boss was begging him to turn around and go home, but he plodded through anyway. Scared the boss out of his skin, and taught him some respect for what we do for a living.

Could be a tall tale, but I got to know the guy well enough that I believe he did it, and I admire him for it. (Although it would arguably have been smarter just to refuse to go in the first place!)

[INKTOXICATED]

if your tired in the middle of the day for nothing pfg will probably make you tired the rest of your day as well.