Alternative to Illegal dispatches

[chuck3507]

Golfhobo--THEY DONT GET IT! I think we need to get back to the Owner Operator forum and stay off of this one. They know it all, thats why they drive someone elses truck, slave for Fridays little reward and hope that they get home when and if promised.

To all of you that enjoy being "forced" into loads and coming here complaining about it, GOOD LUCK and I will see you on the front page of the newspapers and the evening news when you kill a van loaded with college students and you cant explain what happened.

KEEP ON TRUCKIN'

Driving someone elses truck does not make me any less than you. In my case it means that I have studied the situation in depth and have decided that at this time it is in my best interest to stay on as a company driver.

they don't get it, they chose a career path and they don't like it or can't handle. so instead of admitting to there mistake they try to blame others or the industry. i sleep in my truck twice a week, do i like it? no, but it what i choose to do.

[chuck3507]

they don't get it, they chose a career path and they don't like it or can't handle. so instead of admitting to there mistake they try to blame others or the industry. i sleep in my truck twice a week, do i like it? no, but it what i choose to do.

I am happy with my career path. It just happens to be as a company driver. Being happy is all in your own outlook. If you like hauling manure then haul manure.

my layover pay doesn't really cover the TIME I'm laid over, but..... since I'm not WORKING, and am free to do what I want, and since I make enough PER MILE to make my 5 or 6 day trip WORTH it.... I don't care!

But in the previous post, you stated that those who desired to be paid for eating, playing video games, etc should go on welfare. So why should you accept any money from your employer during a layover?!?!?

Bottom line..... I divide my paycheck by the hours I REALLY spent "working" and I make more money than I've made at other jobs....

I agree. OTR is an improvement if you made 10-12 bucks an hour.

My bills are PAID, I have money in my pocket and my savings account, and life is good! And the icing on the cake??..... I don't have to do the same thing day in and day out, like YOU do! If I wanted to do THAT..... I might as well have stayed at my OLD job!

My bills are paid and I have money and savings. If I wanted to live out of a box with no social life away from friends and family and work for free then I would have stayed OTR.

Not everyone wants to hobo around the country all alone. Most normal people have a wife/husband/girlfriend/boyfriend, kids, relatives, and good friends. They want to be there for holidays, baptisms, anniverseries, etc not 1,000 miles away in Eagle Pass, TX waiting on a cross-border load (for no money).

If the job was half as good as you make it out to be, there wouldn't be the 120% turnover rates. Those numbers speak for themselves - OTR is a horrible way to make a living. 10 bucks an hour to live on the job? Better you than me.

[LOAD IT]

Golfhobo--THEY DONT GET IT! I think we need to get back to the Owner Operator forum and stay off of this one. They know it all, thats why they drive someone elses truck, slave for Fridays little reward and hope that they get home when and if promised.

To all of you that enjoy being "forced" into loads and coming here complaining about it, GOOD LUCK and I will see you on the front page of the newspapers and the evening news when you kill a van loaded with college students and you cant explain what happened.

KEEP ON TRUCKIN'

Driving someone elses truck does not make me any less than you. In my case it means that I have studied the situation in depth and have decided that at this time it is in my best interest to stay on as a company driver.

Maybe I wasnt talking to you Chuck, but since you commented. You need to study the situation a little harder unless you are doing specialized work and making better than 60 cpm driving someone elses truck, then you need to go study some more.

[Cat6869]

why when y'all figure pay do you include your time asleep in the bunk. nobody gets paid to sleep. and if yu were even half as smart as you think you are then you would be taking the per diem, whch increades in amount in major areas. sure not income now, but less paid in taxes or a bigger refund. so now you do the math, and only use the time that you actuall work...not sleep.

I figure most include bunk time b/c it's spent in the bunk of a company truck :wink: And I think if a dispatcher was told that at the end of his 8-10 hr day he was to pull out a sleeping bag and sleep at his cubicle with no acess to running water or a toilet he might just count this "personal" time as company time ,and figure it into his weekly hourly pay . :wink:

That dispatcher chose his career and you chose your career! You knew going into the "truck driver" position that you would be paid by the mile, not lines 1,2,3 &4
Your dispatcher wants to keep you rolling, now if you play games you deserve games being played back. If you can't take the load legally don't accept it or accept and state you can't deliver on time and tell what time you can deliver. If you lose the load, well you are making the right choice and if your dispatcher wants to hold that against you go one step higher and complain and then higher if that doesn't work. If you are working for an out law company I suggest you go to a more reputable one

It's also your life on the line when you are running illegal! DON'T DO IT!

[chuck3507]

[

Maybe I wasnt talking to you Chuck, but since you commented. You need to study the situation a little harder unless you are doing specialized work and making better than 60 cpm driving someone elses truck, then you need to go study some more.

I know you weren't talking to me. And I don't mean to pick a fight. But I think you will agree that a lot of guys treat company drivers like we are less of a person or something.

[Fredog]

[

Maybe I wasnt talking to you Chuck, but since you commented. You need to study the situation a little harder unless you are doing specialized work and making better than 60 cpm driving someone elses truck, then you need to go study some more.

I know you weren't talking to me. And I don't mean to pick a fight. But I think you will agree that a lot of guys treat company drivers like we are less of a person or something.

my companytruck is in the shop having a new engine put in which will cost me ZERO. I am driving a spare truck and not missing a beat, I have been an owner operator and a company driver and in my case, I am much happier being company. especially at times like this

[chuck3507]

I agree fredog. Happiness is what you make of your situation. If a guy works for one of the big companiees that is constantly getting bashed, and can keep the bills payed and make what he thinks he needs more power to him!!!

[Fredog]

I agree fredog. Happiness is what you make of your situation. If a guy works for one of the big companiees that is constantly getting bashed, and can keep the bills payed and make what he thinks he needs more power to him!!!

I work for a smaller company. 15 dump wagons and 15 tankers. the owner does all the dispatching and that makes all the difference, he has an incentive to keep me rolling, if I aint making money, he aint making money

[BanditsCousin]

Man, am I glad I don't haul freight!

[headborg]

Golfhobo--THEY DONT GET IT! I think we need to get back to the Owner Operator forum and stay off of this one. They know it all, thats why they drive someone elses truck, slave for Fridays little reward and hope that they get home when and if promised.

To all of you that enjoy being "forced" into loads and coming here complaining about it, GOOD LUCK and I will see you on the front page of the newspapers and the evening news when you kill a van loaded with college students and you cant explain what happened.

KEEP ON TRUCKIN'

Driving someone elses truck does not make me any less than you. In my case it means that I have studied the situation in depth and have decided that at this time it is in my best interest to stay on as a company driver.

Interesting, last night on XM 171 the Trucker's channel someone from OOIDA(owner operators Independant drivers association) clearly stated that the AVERAGE O/O take home pay after expenses is only $39,000 and has NO MEDICAL INSURANCE.

Atleast after 14 years of driving "someone else's" truck- I'm Grossing 59,000 with major medical for my family and in 5 more years I'll OWN my
custom log home and 10 acres of land with a View.
Slave? Who's the SLAVE- Slave to a Truck(that you can't sell or even give away-that you have to set fire to just to get your money back out of)

[headborg]

Back to the original topic;
hmmm, well stated by several posters before....although we seem to have departed the main topic somewhat.

Illegal Dispatch......

First off, a true illegal dispatch is a dispatch which no human being driving the companies equipment as governed at legal speed limits could possible p/u deliver on time.

Truth be told, your dispatch and the planners ARE not up-to-date on YOUR particular LOG BOOK situation. You may have updated your hours(70hr rule) this morning---but that information is keep on a seperate screen in the computer....and it would be "too much" trouble for them to go look at B4 sending you an OFFER.

Yes...I know....I know..."all that S.O.B. had to do was look at my truck movement the last 14hours and that s.o.b. would know I'm about to hit my 14th hour again."


Second, are you sure you understand the hours of service rules enough to
KNOW you can't run that load legal?

As far as "CYA" and send a qualcomm message....this is good solid advice....but, I hate to be the barrier of bad news but that dispatcher can delete that message from the company computer as easy as you can delete messages stored onboard the truck.


And it would take a court order to get a copy of the traffic from Qualcomm.


Now, as soon as you sign YOUR name on the B.O.L you've accepted responsiblity to deliver that load at the appointed time.
It's between you, god, the company......if that actually happens.

Communicate the situation with the company. You're only ONE truck in a Fleet of trucks....

In the old days.....driver's weren't cry babies...we all played the game to make the $$$$. It's called Capitalism. Comic book was a Comic book.
There's no connection between Hours of Service(especially these new ones) and real Safety. Only YOU the driver can truely tell when you're TIRED or not. It doesn't matter if that stupid line on the log book graph shows you're legal to drive the next 11 hrs or not--If you're tired you better take a break.

Yes...in the old days...if you were a cry baby---you'd get nothing but **** loads again from that CSR if you didn't pack the gear for the job.

[Cat6869]

I STARTED THIS POST BECAUSE NEW DRIVERS ARE ALWAYS COMPLAINING ABOUT BEING FORCED TO RUN ILLEGAL DISPATCHES. THEY ARENT FORCED TO DO ANYTHING. THEY DONT KNOW THAT THEY HAVE OPTIONS, WITH THOSE OPTIONS COME CONSEQUENCES. REJECT THE LOAD AND SIT, ACCEPT THE LOAD AND DONT DELIVER WITHOUT COMMUNICATING, THEN YOU HAVE A SERVICE FAILURE. MY ON-TIME PERCENTAGE HAS ALWAYS BEEN IMPORTANT, BUT SAFETY IS MOST IMPORTANT, A DRIVERS PAYCHECK IS ALSO IMPORTANT. EVERY TRUCKSTOP HAS MAGAZINES WITH ADS FOR DRIVERS, SO IF A COMPANY WANTS TO LEAVE THEIR DRIVERS SITTING IN TRUCKSTOPS, THEY ARE HELPING THAT DRIVER TO FIND ANOTHER JOB WHERE HE WILL GO THROUGH THE SAME SCENARIO.

NEW DRIVERS, YOU BETTER FIND YOUR LEVERAGE AND USE IT.

GREAT ADVICE AND VERY TRUE! If the company doesn't want you to run legal then find another job! If you want to run illegal your best opition is a company that is nobody, however keep in mind you are not looking at stabiility you are looking at a job for the time being because once a driver has a major accident the bricks will fall on them and you.

So please understand it's your life you must look out for! Run legal and if the company can't accept that, report them to DOT and find you a better job.