US Xpress

[crb]

Now sky if those tanker companies hired teams, I haven't seen any yet but haven't looked too hard.

[Cyanide]

crb wrote:

Now sky if those tanker companies hired teams, I haven't seen any yet but haven't looked too hard.

My question to you is...why are you wanting to run team, when there is more than enough money to be made as a solo driver with our pay packages? Especially where you obviously do not have to run non-stop as a team. With what we do we are able to get lots of quality sleep, and more importantly, while the truck is parked!

You won't find many companies hiring teams for tanker work. Our customer's products simply does not require teams, and are scheduled for solo's with more than enough time to complete. :wink:

[Piece Of Work]

Driving a tanker takes guts.

[Skywalker]

Now sky if those tanker companies hired teams, I haven't seen any yet but haven't looked too hard.

First, ....Cyanide... I think I know who this is. If its who I think it is, he's an experienced driver who runs team right now with his wife.

crb...I think some of the chemical tanker companies have teams. But I'm not really sure who they are. Do this...talk to mine and Cyanide's Terminal Manager. I'll PM you her name and number. She's a very nice person....and if anyone would know about the subject...particularly where "Superior Carriers" is concerned....I'm pretty sure she would know. Tell her "Rob" told you to call.

But you need to be aware that chemical tanker drivers normally drive smaller tractors...sleeper wise...than you may be used to. The reasons are: Our loads are almost always 45,000 lbs, and with the shorter length of the tankers....and not being able to shift axles, weight is a concern. Also, we do not stay out as long as you probably have to before going home. So, while the trucks have all the goodies in the cab, the sleepers are not quite as big.

[crb]

Thank you sky and you were right you know who it is. I am considering tanker with the pending transitions taking place here and low miles which are now solved due to a couple calls. Anyway I am thinking of teaming maybe just a short while if we switch till we find a house to buy in Ohio after our sells. This way wifie can return home to a normal life, and I can make good money and be home more. Thank you sky for your input as always your advise is greatly appreciated also thank you cyanide for your input.

[flood]

Flood just wondering if your miles are still running consistantly at 5,000+?

it was a little slow starting this year but yes for the year the avg is over 5k a week

[flood]

CFI's fleet is set to 70 mph....and teams get 43 cpm Practical Miles, + 3 cpm Hazmat placarded loads + 5 cpm premium pay in the 12 NE states. You need a faster truck? IF yours is faster than that....you are driving an O/O truck, and being paid some other way than company standard. But if you are getting paid by USX....you're getting screwed, pure and simple. Maybe you should get honest about your pay. If you are getting paid by an O/O....and not USX, be honest about it and stop misleading people.

cfi's pay is good i never said that is wasn't but to be fair usx only list just base pay on the web site. it is true that drivers (team) get .40 cpm but that is base only new teams right out of school get .40, .42, .44, .46, or .48 cpm cfi starts at .43 (is this with or without has-mat endorsement..?)and usx starts at .40 without has-mat endorsement with has-mat thy start at .44 cpm. cfi pays .03 placarded loads usx pays .02 so thy both pay .46 for placarded loads. cfi pays 5 cpm premium pay in the 12 NE states. now this may matter to some drivers but as we only go up that way every 5-8 weeks for one day. true if we ran the NE then it would matter to us,
usx doesn't put all of the pay on the web site for teams or solo's like what does a team with one driver with 10 years and the other driver with 4 years make...? or what does a solo get for tarp pay...? i don't see the split (mt-loaded) for solo's, i don't see refer...? when usx saids you will make X cpm that is the least you will make. also usx will tell you all trucks are set at 65mph and thy are BUT that is only for driver's just starting with usx.. i know some company drivers that are set at 75mph and i know the driver that has a company volvo 880 set wide open. btw o/o's are set at 70mph
and yes we are a company team driving a company truck making company standard


as every one can see this is a company truck.

or maybe i sould go with them and move out of a volvo 780 and move into a little kw......?

How little you actually know. CFI's teams run in KW T-2000's. Which is about the same size as a V-780. SO, your point is without merit. The KW T-600 has as much sleeper room behind the seats as a Volvo...... But, what the heck....if you or anyone else would rather put the truck ahead of income....kewl! Its your life....

sir WADR i have driven a T2000 and i didn't like it also the sleeper is bigger on the vn780. 77" it's bigger than the T2000, and the T600. the volvo is just much bigger any way you want to look at it.
sir you are a solo so storage room is something you don't care much about but as a team it is something we need to think about.
http://www.wheelingtruck.com/vn780.htm
http://www.kenworth.com/2100_vir_t2000.asp
http://www.kenworth.com/6500_arc_pre_mor.asp?file=1835
and if we wanted to drive a new T600 usx has them also.

[quote]two weeks vacation pay to boot that was the weekly average of my past years pay..[/qoute] that is good and it is the only way that vacation pay should be, to bad all companies don't do it that way.

When my truck broke down in LA...they footed the entire bill for a week. $90.00 a night. They didn't expect me to stay in a "crack motel". I also got paid $60 a day in layover for the week.

we have only been down overnite 2 times. if we are going to be down longer we get a new truck.

This industry has a number of ills. Some have gotten better over the years. But pay and benefits for drivers has not improved as well as it should have. Its well behind the inflation rate, and probably actually less than it was years ago...considering the purchasing power of the dollar, or rather how pathetic it is.

you said this very well

one thing i wonder is what's going to change when conway takes over cfi,

I simply advocate truth and proper representation of the truths that a company or its drivers put forth. Thankfully, forums such as this can function as a watershed or breakwater to help keep things level. One man's "sow's ear" is another man's "silk purse".....and so it will always be.

so true all i will say is i see more driver happy at usx than unhappy. i see driver that quit and a few months later thy are back " the grass isn't always greener" not my words that is what a team told me.

peace

[crb]

Looked hard at usxpress but they don't pay practical miles. I think the volvo 780 has more room, but there is not a standard way to measure a sleeper some manufacturers measure with the seat all they way forward while some all the way back. Any way you cut the pie hhg miles cheat the driver. While my paycheck would should more cpm but I would still be taking a pay cut.

[crb]

Looked hard at usxpress but they don't pay practical miles. I think the volvo 780 has more room, but there is not a standard way to measure a sleeper some manufacturers measure with the seat all they way forward while some all the way back. Any way you cut the pie hhg miles cheat the driver. While my paycheck would should more cpm but I would still be taking a pay cut.

[sgtmujica]

From what I have gathered USX has a lot of technology on their trucks that is supplied from the company.
- Vorad
- Blind backing camera system
- Commercial vehicle GPS system
- Auto transmissions

My question is has USX completed intergrading this technology into all of their fleet?

For those of you that have used the GPS system USX has installed...how do you like it?

If you purchase a XM/Sirrus radio will USX install it for you?

Does USX trucks normally have the wiring already set up for a CB?

Sorry about all the newbie questions... Thanks for your information!

[flood]

From what I have gathered USX has a lot of technology on their trucks that is supplied from the company.
- Vorad the new trucks don't have it
- Blind backing camera system all the 05 and newer trucks have it
- Commercial vehicle GPS system all the 08 have it most of the 07 have it ( not ours) most of the 06 have and some of the 05 have it none of the 04 will have it (the 04 will be gone in about 6 months) all the trucks will have it soon
- Auto transmissions all the trucks have them

My question is has USX completed intergrading this technology into all of their fleet?

For those of you that have used the GPS system USX has installed...how do you like it? when we picked out our new truck we found one that didn't have it. i like my laptop gps better but to be fair we haven't tried the new driver-tech system. when thy send the load info it auto-programs the route into the gps for you but as i said we have never used it
If you purchase a XM/Sirrus radio will USX install it for you? most of the time if you ask the shop thy will
Does USX trucks normally have the wiring already set up for a CB? again the shop will install it for you and thy will install your inverter up to 1750w if yuu have one. the shop will install most things if you ask, every time we change trucks i jusst give the shop a list of what we need moved to the new truck and thy call us when it's ready
Sorry about all the newbie questions... Thanks for your information!

[sgtmujica]

Flood -

Do you have any actual pictures of the sleeper interior set up of your truck? I took a look at the Volvo brochure but I'm sure there are different set ups a company can choose. Just curious how USX has theirs set up. Thanks.

[flood]

Flood -

Do you have any actual pictures of the sleeper interior set up of your truck? I took a look at the Volvo brochure but I'm sure there are different set ups a company can choose. Just curious how USX has theirs set up. Thanks.

http://www.wheelingtruck.com/pdf/780.pdf go to page 5 lower right, it's not our truck but the set up is the same.

[Skywalker]

flood, thanks for your answers. I'm sure that we can debate the issues "ad nauseam" 8)

I'm sure that USX has its good points as does CFI. You guys are a team, I'm a solo. I understand your need for more room. I myself was amazed at all the stuff I emptied out of my T-2000 when I left CFI....some of it I hadn't seen for months or forgotten I even had :?

I guess then, my biggest bone of contention would simply be the fact that they pay HHG or HHG hybrid miles, and have that sliding payscale that works against the driver....simply because while it is fair on shorter runs, it penalizes the driver who gets more miles per run...by lowering the cpm. I can't accept that a driver's skill level value diminishes over 300 miles. If they do it to solo's, then should they not do it to teams? The answer is NO, and they should not do it to solo's either.

Also, as a solo, and pragmatist at heart....the size of the sleeper is not the most important thing to me. I drive an International 9200i with a smaller sleeper. Its not a coffin sleeper, but then its not their biggest either... I'm here for the money and the conditions of the job....thats all. I'm a capitalist at heart, and I can't eat or pay my bills with chrome 8)

I'm glad you are happy there, and if a driver is happy...they should stay there. One of the other posters here on the forums said something like "Finding the right company is like a marriage...." and its true. You have to find your comfort zone and we all have different comfort zones.

Peace, friend...and stay safe out there!! 8)