Hahahaha The Last Job!

[Instigator]

OK, so I have been writing on here about the many , many jobs I have had this past year! I don't know why I have had such bad luck getting hooked up with a good company, anyway, I realize now that I am sick and tired of running OTR and all the games that come with that, so I have decided to take ...........one last job! Now I think I set my own personal record here, 8 jobs in 12 months, so here comes lucky number 9 ! Only this time, I will be running LOCAL! Yes thats right, I found a job running local where I can make just as much, well almost as much as I was making running the road, except that I will be home every night!

Just my luck, I put in an application to Pritchett Trucking out of Lake Butler Florida about a month ago, and they recently called me and offered me a job, after speaking with the safety officer, I agreed to come to orientation this past week. orientation was long and we watched many movies on the trucking industry, safety, defensive driving, etc. Monday and Tuesday classroom training and yesterday was road testing and delivery of products etc with a company driver. I did great as usual, and really enjoyed the work. We will be hauling garbage out of Sarasota transfer station to the Arcadia Garbage dump. Once you can get past the smell of garbage, its really not that difficult. Besides, we are all getting brand new 2012 tractors and trailers, all Macks with super tires and auto shifts. not sure how I feel about the auto shifts yet, they told me they have improved them and these are the newer versions of the old autoshift. Well the tractors look great, all shinny and new, cant wait to get some dirt on them.

Three loads per day is what we have to do, the yard opens at 7 and closes at 5 so my days should be pretty reasonable, I am hoping that we can pre load the next days load before we go home, we shall see. So I guess the moral to my story is, he who waits and has patience will eventually get the job he has always wanted! I am looking forward to starting my last job next week, wish me luck! So far everyone at Pritchett has been great and I like what I see, the best of all, every driver I spoke too said they love working there! Now thats a great sign!

Safe driving everyone!
Instigator!~

[Orangetxguy]

Hmmmmmm.




There used to be a guy here on CAD whom works or worked at Pritchett. I forget his moniker.

Good luck.

[Mackman]

Hmmmmmm.




There used to be a guy here on CAD whom works or worked at Pritchett. I forget his moniker.

Good luck.

It was millersod. He doesnt post here anymore. He is over on one of the other trucker forums

[Kentla93]

It was millersod. He doesnt post here anymore. He is over on one of the other trucker forums

Yes it was Millersod, He left Commercial Carrier about the same time I left them and went to Pritchett, He and I lived pretty close to each other for a while so we talked on a consistent basis about the good and bad of Driving for Commercial Carrier. I remember he liked working for pritchett a lot more then he did CCC however he said the money was not much better. I think he talked about making 600 to 650 a week which at the time 7 years ago was not to bad considering at CCC we were making anywhere from 500 to 600 a week depending on work levels.
I would imagine it has gone up since that time..
Good luck instigator I hope it works out for you, I have worked local from day 1 and have never looked back it is the only way to pull... However thank you to all those guys who make that sacrifice...

Timberwolf

[Windwalker]

I have a brother-in-law that did work for them....

[Instigator]

Thanks for the well wishes. yes I too read his posts about working for Pritchett, he seamed to like them and from what the drivers I met the other day at orientation, they all seamed to like working for them. The pay is not that great we are guaranteed about 700 per week, the benefits are cheap and after a year you get a 401 and they contribute up to 1% of your salary or 25 cents per dollar. Its better than nothing and I will be home every day and working maybe 10 hours per day at best. Cant wait to start.

When you figure out the hours you are on the road in a OTR job, you are lucky to make minimum wage so at least I will be making more money for less time in the truck. This whole industry is going down the toilet but at least I can drive now until I retire for the last time.

[Hawk_sga]

I worked for Pritchett a while back. They are not a bad company. If you get out on the road around 0300 or a lil earlier you can be home around 1400 - 1500 hrs. Weekends off. The pay is loaded only. I also drove east coast as far north as N.C. for a short while with them. Thats a good option also if it is still avaliable. Hope you like the company. Come Christmas you'll probably receive a nice jack. I still have mine. It's perfect for the North Fl. South Ga. weather. Good luck with Pritchett. P.S. If ya get a live / shaker bottom go get ya a tarp and a load lock, set the load lock forward towards the cab area and place the tarp over it and let it cover part of the floor. Helps empty more bark or what ever your hauling out the back. Less to sweep out. Less work means happier driver.. lol

[Instigator]

Glad to hear that you liked it. Actually we will be hauling mainly construction garbage. Start this coming Monday, cant wait to get back to work.

[Instigator]

Ugh, I hate to say it, but, it does not look so good for Pritchett and me! you know the old saying, they say one thing and when you actually get out there you learn its a whole different ball game. I was made the lead driver, oh boy, which consists of only me having a key to the yard gate so when anyone is running late I have to wait for them, on my dime with no additional pay! I also have to collect all paperwork form all drivers and mail to corporate each week, again for no extra pay! They told me 3 loads per day, thats a joke, I cant get 3 per day only 2 per day and maybe pre load one for next day, so I can only do 12 loads per week. That means my pay is below minimum wage, I will be working for 8.oo dollars per hour!

They are getting paid more money to haul form where i am picking up from (further away from the dump) so I dont understand why they wont pay the driver more money? I think they will have a hard time getting anyone to work for 8.oo per hour for long, I know I wont last very long at this rate. I did not get a choice of where I haul from and it pisses me off when 2 other drivers can get in the 3 loads per day but I cant! Plus I have to deal with the other bull**** of waiting for drivers to get back in???? WTF is wrong with these people? Why do companies think its ok to pay me less than my 18 year old son is making? He makes 9.00 per hour doing bull**** work! Something is just not right here!

Oh ya, and we were supposed to be getting brand new tractors! Not! they sent them up to Jacksonville because they had automatic transmissions and they did not want to spend the 5k to get a pto put on them! So we end up with used tractors, full of dirt and crap (Took me all day to clean mine out) and to boot, I got an old trailer! Piece of crap keeps getting flats! I waited 6 hours today for a tire service so of coarse I made no money at all! Oh they pay you by the hour for service breakdowns, big freaken deal ! So far I do not like this job! I mean I like it and I can do it, but for 8 bucks per hour they can keep it! I will work thruogh the holidays only because no one is hiring now but its back to the job hunt for me. Maybe I should get out of the trucking industry all together since I cant seam to ever get a job that pays more than 7 to 8 dollars per hour, Florida Sucks!

[mitchno1]

think you should get out of the trucking industry Sam (Self appointed manager)

[Roadhog]

Maybe think about working the oil patch. It would be hard work, but you could make some moola in a couple-three years, and be done with it.
Otherwise, maybe construction work, for the time being.

Personally, I'd like to be a cabana boy for Milla Jovovich, at her Milla Villa, somewhere on the Gulf beach.
I think I have too much back hair, and I tend to drag my knuckles... but if it's a matter of money, I'll pay for the job.

[Kentla93]

Ugh, I hate to say it, but, it does not look so good for Pritchett and me! you know the old saying, they say one thing and when you actually get out there you learn its a whole different ball game. I was made the lead driver, oh boy, which consists of only me having a key to the yard gate so when anyone is running late I have to wait for them, on my dime with no additional pay! I also have to collect all paperwork form all drivers and mail to corporate each week, again for no extra pay! They told me 3 loads per day, thats a joke, I cant get 3 per day only 2 per day and maybe pre load one for next day, so I can only do 12 loads per week. That means my pay is below minimum wage, I will be working for 8.oo dollars per hour!

They are getting paid more money to haul form where i am picking up from (further away from the dump) so I dont understand why they wont pay the driver more money? I think they will have a hard time getting anyone to work for 8.oo per hour for long, I know I wont last very long at this rate. I did not get a choice of where I haul from and it pisses me off when 2 other drivers can get in the 3 loads per day but I cant! Plus I have to deal with the other bull**** of waiting for drivers to get back in???? WTF is wrong with these people? Why do companies think its ok to pay me less than my 18 year old son is making? He makes 9.00 per hour doing bull**** work! Something is just not right here!

Oh ya, and we were supposed to be getting brand new tractors! Not! they sent them up to Jacksonville because they had automatic transmissions and they did not want to spend the 5k to get a pto put on them! So we end up with used tractors, full of dirt and crap (Took me all day to clean mine out) and to boot, I got an old trailer! Piece of crap keeps getting flats! I waited 6 hours today for a tire service so of coarse I made no money at all! Oh they pay you by the hour for service breakdowns, big freaken deal ! So far I do not like this job! I mean I like it and I can do it, but for 8 bucks per hour they can keep it! I will work thruogh the holidays only because no one is hiring now but its back to the job hunt for me. Maybe I should get out of the trucking industry all together since I cant seam to ever get a job that pays more than 7 to 8 dollars per hour, Florida Sucks!

They made you lead driver?? without your approval? When my company made me lead driver they asked and I accepted however they did tell me it pays an extra $75 a week, so it was a no brainer.. Some weeks I do nothing at all for that $75 other weeks I run my azz off for it, overall at years end I come out on top.. I have to think that it is ilegal to expect you to do extra work above the standards of your job with out extra pay, ie. doing paperwork other then your personal daily divers paperwork & waiting on late drivers would all be considered above and beyond duties outside the companies normal job description for a driver which would require you to be compensated by law.. The question is do you want to fight this fight. You could document everything above and beyond that you do for no extra compensation for a year or so and then talk with an attorney who will take the case on contingency, you will get paid for all that time plus extra and attoneys fees. As far as florida suckiing I have to disagree, I am kicking azz in the pay department, its just a matter of finding the right comapany.. Look into pulling fuel, do you have your hazmat and TWIC? You could get trained out of Tampa and at the minimum make 40k and home every night in time you will make much more then that depending on your company and your job mindset..
Regrdless all companies say one thing and then do another just like everyday ppl do, at some point, you just need to weigh the good from the bad.

Hope it ll works out for you...

Timberwolf

[Instigator]

Well, I resign Friday, well almost, my other job running Orange Juice has been delayed for 4 weeks, pay is much better, 75 bucks per load 3 loads per day. Much better than the 56 per load I get now, I have however figured in a way to get 13 loads per week, but I am running my ass off, and if I get any delay I cant get that 3rd load in. Also no extra pay for being the lead driver, talked to them about a raise and fell on deaf ears! Only problem I have now is getting anyone to hire me because of the amount of jobs I have had over the past 12 months. I can see there point, unstable work history, but all I can say is that I found a bad company to work for and why should I stay? Very frustrating getting back in to this industry , not sure why I cant ever seam to get the right job, I do my research in to the company, like Pritchett for example, someone on this sight said they were a great company to work for, I disagree, they seam very un- organized and afraid of change. We have to use com data cards to fuel, no problem except that only truck stops take com-data cards, and we dont have any truck stops here in sarasota, we only have gas stations. You would think that Pritchett would give us credit cards right? Nope, they refuse to do it forcing us to fuel at only one place which is out of our way. Everyday I waste a half hour getting fuel, on Friday my supervisor had top drive 35 miles to get me fuel as my fuel gage stuck and all of a sudden dropped to "E" and I was on fumes with no fuel and no way to buy fuel. Oh well!

Anyway, driving for tanker company in a few more weeks will help me get back in to my last business, hopefully and get me the hell out of a truck for good. I am torn between getting a truck (of my own) or getting back in to the service industry again. Getting older sucks too because I know I cant do the same work I used to do (physically cant). Funny how the mind stays forever young as the body ages and wears out! Cant make up my mind, I guess I am afraid of the bull**** associated with running my own business again and dealing with vendors again, maybe a truck would be a refreshing thing or another nightmare! Maybe I will win the freaken lottery and retire!

[Kentla93]

Well, I resign Friday, well almost, my other job running Orange Juice has been delayed for 4 weeks, pay is much better, 75 bucks per load 3 loads per day. Much better than the 56 per load I get now, I have however figured in a way to get 13 loads per week, but I am running my ass off, and if I get any delay I cant get that 3rd load in. Also no extra pay for being the lead driver, talked to them about a raise and fell on deaf ears! Only problem I have now is getting anyone to hire me because of the amount of jobs I have had over the past 12 months. I can see there point, unstable work history, but all I can say is that I found a bad company to work for and why should I stay? Very frustrating getting back in to this industry , not sure why I cant ever seam to get the right job, I do my research in to the company, like Pritchett for example, someone on this sight said they were a great company to work for, I disagree, they seam very un- organized and afraid of change. We have to use com data cards to fuel, no problem except that only truck stops take com-data cards, and we dont have any truck stops here in sarasota, we only have gas stations. You would think that Pritchett would give us credit cards right? Nope, they refuse to do it forcing us to fuel at only one place which is out of our way. Everyday I waste a half hour getting fuel, on Friday my supervisor had top drive 35 miles to get me fuel as my fuel gage stuck and all of a sudden dropped to "E" and I was on fumes with no fuel and no way to buy fuel. Oh well!

Anyway, driving for tanker company in a few more weeks will help me get back in to my last business, hopefully and get me the hell out of a truck for good. I am torn between getting a truck (of my own) or getting back in to the service industry again. Getting older sucks too because I know I cant do the same work I used to do (physically cant). Funny how the mind stays forever young as the body ages and wears out! Cant make up my mind, I guess I am afraid of the bull**** associated with running my own business again and dealing with vendors again, maybe a truck would be a refreshing thing or another nightmare! Maybe I will win the freaken lottery and retire!

Well I hope your not going to Oakley as i have a buddy working with them and he is miserable, to the point he would rather go bck to CCC.. Is it Bynum? I am assuming it is local work, what company is it and I wish you the best of luck $75 a load and 3 loads a day is decent pay... But I tell you fuel is the way to go, if you got a TWIC and hazmat our company is going to be looking for a regional guy (home weekends) to pull a metered trailer with DEF Fuel in the southeast region...

Timberwolf

[millersod215]

Well here's a blast from the past, forgot about all the good times I had over here. I worked for Pritchett nearly 4 years in Tallahassee, times have changed and I'm hauling water for the oil wells in western PA. Personally, I wouldn't give up on Pritchett if I were you, put in the time and you'll see the return with the weekly and quarterly bonuses, and I know all about the 3 loads a day thing you just have to get up early and be willing to bust ass. I put a coleman cooler between my seats and got to the landfill at 2am and went to sleep but you know what, I was first in line every day and pulled 15 loads a week. Is Don Montgomery over your division, if so talk to him before you quit and see what you can work out, if I could do it all over again I would have NEVER left Pritchett, best place I've ever worked.

[Instigator]

Hahahahaha yes Don is still the "Boss" and he knows Im leaving. Apparently they pffered me a supervisory position, only catch is they offered me no more pay for being a supervisor! It's total bull, they want me to deal with 3 pick up sights, oversee 5 drivers, collect paperwork at the end of the week and fed ex to company all for no extra pay? WTF is wrong with these people? Cheap comes to mind, oh and yes I can do 15 loads per week, that is until someone at Pritchett sends another truck to pipck up a load out of my terminal and screws me up for #3. They did this to me twice last week and I only got 13 loads. I have come to the conclusion that you just cant make any money with Pritchett.

Timberwolf, Where do you work? I have a tanker and hazmat endorsement and I used to haul toxic chemicals back in the 80'S. The local tanker work is only part time while the ships are in port out of prot manatee running OJ for Hawaii Intermodel, smooth bore tanks. Anyway, I guess after getting a taste of my old business (Selling Window Treatments) and dealing with the old crap that I hated, I am leaning more towards getting a tractor again. Going to talk to a good friend of mine who has a bunch of Peterbilts and I am thinking maybe he would sell me one of them and hold the note. Not sure but I am going to see what he has in a few weeks. If not I am applying to some other OTR companies in the mean time to get back out on the road and make some money. have had a few offers but they are for 3 to 4 weeks before you get back home and I am not sure I want to do that kind of work unless its my truck. In the mean time, with so many jobs last year on the resume, I have screwed myself from working for the bigger carriers, why I have no idea why they count that against you when I have valid reasons for leaving all of them. Oh well I guess I look like a job jumper to them, but I am really not, all I ever wanted was a good job and thats it! I will keep ya all updated! Wish me luck!

[millersod215]

If you have no ties to the area really, have you ever thought of going where the gas is, specifically here in western PA where the marcellus shale is booming. I'm hauling clean water up here for 16.00 an hour with OT after 40 and this is on the lower spectrum of pay, there's other water hauling outfits up here paying 18-20 an hour, if you were to own your own truck with a blower you could haul frac sand, those guys are making serious cash.

Back to Pritchett though, aren't your weekly bonuses helping to increase your revenue, plus you've yet to see your quarterly's, they're a big help. You can comfortably make 44,000 a year with Pritchett, I was doing it off of 50 dollar loads, you're getting 18 dollars more per day on your 3 loads than I was getting for mine. With that said maybe that's not the kind of money you're looking for, if you need more you have to do what you have to do. I had heard that Don's brother was coming out of west Florida to run the show down south once it all got established, that could just be here-say.

Whatever you do I wish you the best, if you want any more info on what's going on up here in the frigid north feel free to call 352-279-8513, my name is Zach and I'll do my best to answer any questions you might have.

[Kentla93]

Hey Millersod,
Its been a while... I know you really miss the days of driving for CCC dont lie now!! Those were the days 60mph (now its 57mph) eaton vorad attached to our bonus plans and dispatchers who had no clue. Just like the old days and I have not looked back since.. Glad to hear you are doing well up north..

Instigator I work for a fuel supply company that also inovates, creates, supplies & delivers as well. We are called Mansfield Oil. We are #50 on Forbes top Private American Companies 2011 with over $6 Billion in Revenue. Very heavy in the North American Market and continuing to grow by leaps and bounds daily. Since I have been pulling fuel for the last four years I have not looked backed and continue to look to the future, this is by far the best job I have ever had and I am extremely happy with the company. Very family oriented as it is family owned, very pro employee and they are constantly looking for ways to increase work into many arena's. Check out the web site Mansfieldoil.com to get an idea of what they are into nation wide. Just like any other jobs they to have their quirks but that is to be expected so I pick and choose what to speak about and do my job to the best of my abilities and it seems to pay off. If you have your Hazmat and Tanker and are pulling out of Port Manatee then you should have your TWIC, I would say look to getting on board with a fuel company and spend some time gaining bck some work rather then jumping regardless of the BS you indure. I pull product daily out of Cape Canaveral, Port of Tampa, and Orlando going anywhere from 150 to 550 miles in a day. There are a lot of fuel companies on the West Coast pulling out of the Ports look into and then stick it out for a year or two, that is what I did Florida Rock Trained me on how to pull fuel I worked with them for 23 months and then made the jump to Mansfield when they came rolling into Orlando two years ago, the central florida market has not been the same since...
Good Luck you will find something that fits your needs soon enough..

Timberwolf

[millersod215]

Well I'm maintaining up here, I don't like it all but it's helping me learn alot about driving. My wife is in a nursing program here until September and then it's back to Florida for us, this is a boomtown if I've ever seen one though. There are so many drilling rigs in this area and it's amazing to see the opportunities it's presented to the people around here, I'll be glad to move on though and just chalk this up as a life experience.

[Instigator]

Thanks for the reply. I did find another job hauling yachts for Julie Yacht Transport out of Clearwater Florida. I did an application months ago and kind of forgot about it and someone called me last week for an interview and road test. Got a job offer that day and I accepted. they run all 48 and Canada hauling yachts of all sizes, the one thing I like about them is the pay goes up for hauling the oversize loads. I will be driving an older Freightliner Coronado for the first 90 days, then I am supposed to be getting either a Kenworth T9000 or another Freightliner FLD that they are putting a new engine in. So I will suck it up and drive the older Coronado for now, I drove it on my road test, its a little beat up on the inside but the outside looks ok. In all a decent truck for now. I am looking forward to getting back out on the road again, especially since I will be hauling on both coasts.

Another thing I really like is they dont have any idle policy and the tractors are not governed to 65! Thank god because I cant stand a governed truck, way too dangerous for my liking when you cant pass someone on the highway. I start on Monday for orientation and head out on Wednesday for 2 to 3 weeks. Busy weekend for me getting ready for the road again, cant wait!