User Tag List

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools
  #11  
Old 10-27-2014, 09:53 PM
bubbagumpshrimp's Avatar
Rookie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 11
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Useless View Post
Bear in mind that I've been out of the industry for quite some time now, (nearly a decade) and I was never a "career driver"; I drove for a few years because it was something I had always wanted to do, and I had a very limited window of opportunity in which to do it. That was also before fuel hit $2.00 per gallon.

I was much luckier than most noobies, as I worked for a fine, family friendly, midsized carrier (N.D.I.; National Distributors Inc., which is now N.D.L; National Distributors Leasing) out of Sellersburg, Indiana. They were small enough to know me by name and kind enough to care about my family, yet they were large enough to keep me running steadily. I also had an honest recruiter, an incredible trainer an excellent dispatcher, and yes, I was able to spend Christmas at home. How did I get to be so lucky?? I can only say that The Good Lord watches over children and fools, and I was no child!! Once again, that was about a decade ago, and much has changed in the industry over the last ten years.

After the economy entered into recession in the latter part of 2007, and entered into free-fall in 2008, the dynamics of the industry shifted most dramatically. In addition to the recession, fuel prices shot upward, and quite a few long established trucking companies shut their doors. Many experienced drivers suddenly found themselves on the outside looking in. Since that time, the overall economy has recovered, and the trucking industry industry has recovered to varying degrees, with certain parts of the industry being hotter than others.

In the oilfields, the demand for drivers is screaming, but even that boom won't last forever. While those jobs pay well, you'll earn every dime they pay you. The hours are long, the weather can be horrendous, and a lot of things can go wrong. Those industry jobs are usually filled by experienced drivers, and even if it's possible for a rookie to get hired, I'm not sure that attempting to begin your career in that industry would be a good idea.

Please understand that I'm not trying to discourage you, nor am I trying to be overly pessimistic. Here's wishing you the best!!
I've got two pre-hire letters from "mega" carriers at the moment. The only reason that I'd lean towards a mega carrier (that has a VA approved vocational program) is that I'd stand to get an additional $1,000+/month in benefits.

One thing that gets me is that people (by people...I mean people at the CDL school) seem to encourage students to take OTR gigs, rather than local ones. i.e. Werner vs. Pepsi. Someone like me (values downtime)...would rather make a bit less and get (pretty much) guaranteed time off each week with a local carrier than go somewhere where a weekly 36 hour reset is considered doing drivers a favor (when it's required by law).

I appreciate your advice. I don't take your input as being pessimistic, but realistic. There's one carrier in my area that pays ~$20-25k/year more than more of the others (for newbies). The catch? The shift is 1500-0300 and it's VERY labor intensive. The labor doesn't turn me off so much (it would be a chance to have an active job), but working a shift like that would suck. I can't say that I have any interest in dealing with a set shift like that.
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 10-28-2014, 05:18 AM
Useless's Avatar
Senior Board Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 3,589
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by bubbagumpshrimp View Post
I've got two pre-hire letters from "mega" carriers at the moment. The only reason that I'd lean towards a mega carrier (that has a VA approved vocational program) is that I'd stand to get an additional $1,000+/month in benefits.

Solid!! If that's the best way for you, then go for it.

One thing that gets me is that people (by people...I mean people at the CDL school) seem to encourage students to take OTR gigs, rather than local ones. i.e. Werner vs. Pepsi. Someone like me (values downtime)...would rather make a bit less and get (pretty much) guaranteed time off each week with a local carrier than go somewhere where a weekly 36 hour reset is considered doing drivers a favor (when it's required by law).

First, bear in mind that wholesale freight relocation universities are largely geared towards preparing students to become OTR drivers, and there are sound reasons for doing that.

1.) Most of their students are planning to embark upon careers as OTR drivers, which puts the school in a more favorable position where job placement assistance is concerned. IIRC, the wholesale freight relocation university that I attended (Roadmasters) graduated about 15 to 20 students each week, 52 weeks every year. There just aren't enough good local gigs to place that many students each week on a regular basis. Having graduating students (somewhat) prepared and trained for OTR is largely in keeping with market demands.

2.) Another matter to consider is that it's far easier (and generally safer) to transition form OTR work to local driving than it is to transition from local driving to OTR driving. Local driving offers greater risks for mishaps than does OTR driving. City streets, freeways, and parking lots, can be very unforgiving, and a rookie driver will encounter many more possibilities for trouble than will an OTR driver. Add to the mix, you're dealing with local drivers who may be distracted while texting, looking for streets and addresses, or lackadaisical driving habits. Those are just some of the reasons that many local employers will offer preference to OTR drivers who are looking to come off the road.

3.) Regarding the 36hr. reset: Unless HOS laws have changed since I came off the road (and they may have) employers are not "required" to offer you a 36hr. reset. Hours are logged on a rotational basis; if you hit your limit on driving/ on duty hours, you may have up to 14 hours of driving/on duty time from the previous week that will drop off, thus allowing you to keep running legally. Logging hours will be covered during your training. Here in Texas, I don't believe that driving local route sales/delivery work requires you to keep a log book; not sure about other states.


I appreciate your advice. I don't take your input as being pessimistic, but realistic. There's one carrier in my area that pays ~$20-25k/year more than more of the others (for newbies). The catch? The shift is 1500-0300 and it's VERY labor intensive. The labor doesn't turn me off so much (it would be a chance to have an active job), but working a shift like that would suck. I can't say that I have any interest in dealing with a set shift like that.
I understand where you're coming from, but I'll offer you some points to consider. By nature, my circadian rhythms have always favored evening hours; from the time that I was a teenager to now, (I'm in my mid 50's). It's far easier for me to work late into the night than it is for me to awaken early in the morning. Having said that, "graveyard shift" hours have never agreed with me. Working until 11:00PM or Midnight is fine. Working at 4:00AM doesn't work so well for me.

Having said that, while I was running OTR, I ran at night as often as I could, and for some pretty good reasons:

1.) There is far less traffic on the highways, freeways, and streets, and fewer traffic jams. Less traffic means a couple of things:
a.) Fewer risks for collisions.
b.) More miles due to the lack of traffic and other delays; more miles each night equaled more miles each week. Being able to cover more ground in less time equaled more favorable and more lucrative load assignments. It also endeared me to my dispatchers and freight manager, which translated into MO' MONEY!!
c.) Very few traffic jams. Of the traffic jams that I did encounter, most were due to road/highway construction, which meant that where traffic jams did occur, the delays were far fewer and far shorter.
d.) Where trucking is concerned, the drivers who ran at night were generally more professional and courteous than those who drove during the day.
e.) My truck was far from being new, although it ran pretty well. Problem was, with a Freightshaker Classic XL with over 600,000 miles, it had a tendency to run hotter that I would have liked. Many of my runs were from SoCal and southern Az. to Springfield/Peoria, Illinois, which meant driving the mountains and the desert regions. Traversing the deserts and mountains during the day in all but the winter months was an open invitation to overheating, and that's something that you really want to avoid as much as possible. Driving the deserts and mountainous regions at night kept overheating issues from becoming a problem.
g.) When it was time to shut down, I didn't have to clamor for a parking spot. Trying to back a dry van or reefer in a tight parking space after 10 or 11 hours of driving and a tired mind offers more risks for something to go wrong. By running at night, when it was time for me to refuel and shut down, most other drivers had vacated the TS parking lots.

Was there a downside to me running graveyard hours?? Most definitely. I was almost always tired. Very, very tired. I never handled freight, and as result, my work was excessively sedentary. I gained weight, and my blood pressure and cholesterol levels shot through the roof. By the time I came off the road, I LITERALLY looked and felt like I had aged from 5 to 10 years.

As far as a "labor intensive" driving gig is concerned?? I don't know how old you are, but I will tell you this much. The kind of labor that is involved with some local jobs (Beer/wine/soda/ etc. routes) will help keep you in good physical condition. Yeah, it means working in the summer sun, the cold of winter, and sometimes crappy weather, but it beats the hail out of being out of shape as result of years of long haul driving.

Hope this helps!!

Last edited by Useless; 10-28-2014 at 11:10 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 10-31-2014, 12:44 AM
bubbagumpshrimp's Avatar
Rookie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 11
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Default

I totally get that night driving would be a good thing for some people. I've done many 12+ hour drives...starting out at all hours of the days and night. As you mentioned...from a traffic standpoint, it was great to start off in the late afternoon and run through the early morning. My issue though is that by 1:00am...I'm dead tired. The whole circadian rhythm thing that you mentioned. I'd prefer to be off the road by 10pm or so, if I can help it. Now if I'm getting paid to drive and I'm told to drive xxx miles and arrive by 8:00 am to my drop-off location, I'll obviously just have to shut up and color (unless of course I can manage to get there early enough to camp out for the evening).
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 11-17-2014, 02:32 AM
bubbagumpshrimp's Avatar
Rookie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 11
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Default

Made in through the course. I'm trying to make up my mind about where I want to work at the moment.
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 11-17-2014, 03:58 AM
Useless's Avatar
Senior Board Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 3,589
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by bubbagumpshrimp View Post
Made in through the course. I'm trying to make up my mind about where I want to work at the moment.
What are your options??
Reply With Quote
  #16  
Old 11-18-2014, 01:15 PM
Blacksheep's Avatar
Senior Board Member
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: In the bunker
Posts: 2,676
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by repete View Post
CRE wouldn't even make my top 100, let alone the short list.
They make my list, I call it the **** list.
__________________
Reply With Quote
  #17  
Old 12-04-2014, 02:59 PM
bubbagumpshrimp's Avatar
Rookie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 11
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Useless View Post
What are your options??
Hey...sorry for the delay. I was leaning towards TMC, but I decided that I'd rather be home more often. I'm leaning towards the LTL thing at the moment, as that seems to be the best "local" option for someone with no commercial driving experience. I've got it down to SEFL and ABF at the moment.
Reply With Quote
  #18  
Old 12-05-2014, 06:38 PM
golfhobo's Avatar
Board Icon
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: the 19th hole / NC
Posts: 9,647
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by bubbagumpshrimp View Post
Hey...sorry for the delay. I was leaning towards TMC, but I decided that I'd rather be home more often. I'm leaning towards the LTL thing at the moment, as that seems to be the best "local" option for someone with no commercial driving experience. I've got it down to SEFL and ABF at the moment.
Those sound like good choices. I drive for FedEx... but long haul. Don't ignore the possibilities of Schneider, though. They do A LOT of regional runs that get you home often.

Best wishes... and keep us posted.
__________________
Remember... friends are few and far between.

TRUCKIN' AIN'T FOR WUSSES!!!

"I am willing to admit that I was wrong." The Rev.
Reply With Quote
  #19  
Old 12-07-2014, 08:44 PM
Useless's Avatar
Senior Board Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 3,589
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Default

What Hobo said........... only I don't run long haul or drive for Fed Ex!!

Best Wishes To You!!!

Last edited by Useless; 12-07-2014 at 10:21 PM.
Reply With Quote
Reply





Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On



All times are GMT. The time now is 03:14 PM.


User Alert System provided by Advanced User Tagging v3.3.0 (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.