Truck Driving Jobs

countrygirl · Joined: 20 Jan 2005 Posts: 411 Location: Southeastern Ohio

CONGRADS!!!!!!!

now get back to work..... :twisted: :twisted:

nrvsreck · Posted: Sat May 07, 2005 11:01 am Post subject:

Cyanide wrote: Legality:
Tanker drivers never worry about having an overweight load, much less trying to get axle weights proper. No more sliding tandems or worries about a bridge law!

Curious... when I hauled milk tanks company policy was to always bypass the scales. Most of my loads grossed well over 80,000#. This was a small company though, running mainly in TX, AR, and LA. That was a big reason why I quit. I don't like being forced to illegal every day. :evil:

Xelectro · Joined: 23 Mar 2005 Posts: 12 Location: Salina, KS

I am going to start orientation at Bynum Transport on May, 25. I am very excited about the company and the type of runs they got. I still have couple of questions about the Food Grade hauling such as. What time are most pick-ups and Deliveries are done. Like VAN is mostly during normal hours and reefer is done at very early and sometimes crazy hours of the day. Can anyone tell me what about food grade tanker what time are most deliveries and pickups are done. And can anyone tell me what speed are their trucks governed at.

Thanks

Xelectro · Joined: 23 Mar 2005 Posts: 12 Location: Salina, KS

Does anyone have any info about Bynum, I am really excited about my orientation next week and would like some input.

Thanks

Cyanide · Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 10:01 pm Post subject:

Hey gang I'm back already...

Got in late this morning and enjoyed the rest of today off, and will be in until Monday, when I pick up another load destined for California. I then will most likely stay out until the end of June, when I hit my anniversary mark here with Aartman :D. Nothing has changed because as always, I'm loving MY JOB and MY LIFE!!! Anyway, here's the couple of trips I did since last time around...

Week 19:
-Abbeville, AL to Mulberry, FL (swap tanks), then to Haines City, FL (tank wash), then load at Arcadia, FL going to Anaheim, CA (524 empty-2,598 loaded=3,122 total.....live load 05-07/1500-1700, live unload 05-12/0700-0900, then tank wash there in Anaheim).
End of week total: 3,122 miles.

Week 20:
-Anaheim to Fresno, CA for reload going to Apopka, FL (246 empty-2,641 loaded=2,887 total.....washout and live load 05-13/0000-0300, Drop & Hook 05-17).
End of week total: 2,887 miles.

2005 Totals (with leaving out 05-23)
Miles: 54,423
Loads: 27 (54)
Live Loads/Unloads: 44 (81%)
Drop and Hooks: 10 (19%)
Length of Haul: 2,016 miles
Days Out/Working: 105
Days Off: 38

Jim Aartman Totals
Miles: 126,848
Loads: 63 (126)
Live Loads/Unloads: 111 (88%)
Drop and Hooks: 15 (12%)
Length Of Haul: 2,013 miles
Days Out/Working: 250
Days Off: 83

Xelectro, just in case ya didn't catch it before in the very first post of this thread is detailed info about Bynum...

Also, from talking with a driver this past week who's been there almost fifteen years, they're implementing a safety bonus program now. Think he'd said it was going to be $250 per quarter. You may want to go over to TruckNet and send a p.m. to Dak1 and Messyme. Dak still drives for Bynum and has been there a number of years, and Messyme seemed happy with them. Unfortunately she had to recently leave due to personal matters.

Also, check through all of my runs and you'll get a good idea of our load schedules. The nice thing with food-grade is that many of the customers will take you early. Also, we may not make the highest c.p.m. figure, but we have a very consistent freight base and can run as hard or soft as you want. You can see from my personal experiences that I turn almost 12,000 miles per month and still take off a week on average. To the dismay of others (the negative naysayers) I run legal. I do the speed limit, I log things as they happen, and I still make the time to work out constantly, eat properly, and get plenty of rest. Once you learn the freight lanes and customers you'll find a routine that works for you and honestly, be spoiled. There will be times you may have to push, and times when you'll have a funky pick-up/delivery time, but all in all, I think you'll enjoy it. Personally I WILL DO NOTHING ELSE!

Y'all be safe and have fun out there. More later :D :D :D...

Contractor · Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 8:04 am Post subject:

Cyanide,

I was passing a Jim Aartman day cab on the eastbound 210 past Huntington Drive yesterday in thick 15 - 20 mph traffic. I knew it wasn't you because it was a day cab. I happened to be looking in my rearview mirror as traffic was coming to a stop. Just then it look like the Aartman truck "bucked" as he rear ended a full size Ford van. He didn't hit the guy very hard at all and they both pulled of the freeway at the next exit. I wonder if it was surge that pushed him into the van? Too bad for the driver as I suspect it will be recorded as a preventable accident.

Doctor Who · Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 6:37 pm Post subject:

Quote: There will be times you may have to push, and times when you'll have a funky pick-up/delivery time, but all in all, I think you'll enjoy it. Personally I WILL DO NOTHING ELSE!

AMEN to the first part of the quote...

It's really tempting to get back on the "ROCK & ROLL" loads again!!!

Quote: Just then it look like the Aartman truck "bucked" as he rear ended a full size Ford van. He didn't hit the guy very hard at all and they both pulled of the freeway at the next exit. I wonder if it was surge that pushed him into the van?

More than likely, the "SURGE" factor can cause an accident if the driver isn't 100% on top of his "game" so to speak!!!

Cyanide · Posted: Thu May 19, 2005 7:49 am Post subject:

Amen to that Doc! Yeah, I'd say that will be listed as a preventable, especially with how slow things were going.

As to surge factor what's really fun is when you have a thin product...like the 51,800 pounds of grape juice I just brought back home :shock: :roll:. I prefer running just about anything compared to that d*** grape juice (or apple juice). It doesn't matter how heavy you get loaded, it still slams the hell outta the tank!!! Give me upwards of 52,700 pounds of eggs, milk, cream, or deep-frozen o.j...now there's a smooth ride :lol: :lol: :lol:. That may sound odd, but the more product you have, the less slosh room in the tank, equaling a smoother ride. Just remember the old comparison with a partially filled water/juice/soda bottle versus almost full.

Hey Nrvsreck, as to what ya had mentioned, I'd say that definitely was an issue with that company. The big-name food-grade companies have way too much $$$$$ to lose by playing stupid games like dodging scales, and I don't know of any chemical outfits that would try it. That'd be real interesting to try and expain why you're overloaded with HAZMAT!!! But, we know there are some out there that will do it...amongst other things :roll:!

yoopr · Joined: 01 Dec 2004 Posts: 12865

With the Tankers in Iraq we loaded the JP8 right to the top-NO surge which was nice because sometimes we had to make some pretty drastic Maneuvers :shock:

Cyanide · Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2005 5:07 am Post subject:

Hello to everybody again!!!

Hope this finds y'all getting ready for a safe and great 4th of July celebration tomorrow. It's been awhile since I've been online...I pretty much decided to stay out until my year anniversery with Aartman and then go ahead and take my vacation. I can say that the past year has been greatly enjoyed, not to mention much more productive than my fifty-four weeks spent at Indian River...a lot more miles and, a lot more time off. This last several weeks have been particularly good for me, as I turned good miles (same old consistent loads), and also took time off when I needed it (allowing for quite a bit of damn good intense workouts and being able to see a couple of new movies around their release date, amongst other things). I can't really ask for anything more :roll:...

Before I get sidetracked rambling on and on, I'll go ahead and catch up how my runs have been going, picking up from the last week I reported on.

Week 20:
-Anaheim to Fresno, CA for reload going to Apopka, FL (246 empty-2,641 loaded=2,887 total.....washout and live load 05-13/0000-0300, Drop & Hook 05-17).
End of week total: 2,887 miles.

Week 21:
-Apopka, FL to Jacksonville, FL (tank wash and time off), then to Blackshear, GA for load going to Ripon, CA (221 empty-2,652 loaded=2,873 total.....washout and live load 05-23/0600-0900, Drop and Hook 05-26).
End of week total: 2,873 miles.

Week 22:
-Ripon, CA to Lemoore, CA for load going to Greenwood, WI (136 empty-2,216 loaded=2,352 total.....washout and live load 05-28/0700-1100, live unload and washout 05-31/1600-1900).
End of week total: 2,352 miles.

Week 23:
-Greenwood, WI to Fair Oaks, IN (swap tanks and time off), then to Chaseburg, WI for load going to Fortuna, CA (746 empty-2,282 loaded=3,026 total.....washout and live load 06-05/2130-2230, live unload and washout 06-08/2145-2305).
Was originally scheduled to reload in Tracy, CA going to Greenwood, WI but that cancelled, so I did a couple of West Coast regional runs during the weekend to keep busy...
-Fortuna, CA to Ripon, CA for reload going to Medford, OR (330 empty-373 loaded=703 total.....Drop and Hook 06-10, live unload 06-11/1645-1730).
End of week total: 3,729 miles.

Week 24:
-Medford, OR back to Ripon, CA (to swap tanks), then to Pixley, CA for load going to Fortuna, CA (538 empty-495 loaded=1,033 total.....washout and live load 06-12/1330-1445, live unload and washout 06-13/0830-0950).
-Fortuna, CA reload going to Milbank, SD (2,105 loaded and total miles.....live load 06-13/0950-1200, live unload and washout 06-16/1830-1945).
End of week total: 3,138 miles.

Week 25:
-Milbank, SD to Fair Oaks, IN for load going to Spartanburg, SC (660 empty-643 loaded=1,303 total.....live load 06-18/1800-1830, live unload and washout 06-19/1400-1545).
-Spartanburg, SC to Blackshear, GA for load going to Ripon, CA (339 empty-2,652 loaded=2,991 total.....washout and live load 06-20/0730-1045, live unload and then across street to yard for tankwash 06-23/1730-1955).
This load completed my first year with Jim Aartman. I'll post these results after the next week's numbers.
End of week total: 4,294 miles.

Week 26:
-Ripon, CA to Hilmar, CA for load going to Greenwood, WI (29 empty-2,155 loaded=2,184 total.....washout and live load 06-25/0815-0930, live unload and washout 06-28/0620-0730).
-Greenwood, WI to Fair Oaks, IN for load going to Braselton, GA (384 empty-685 loaded=1,069 total.....live load 06-30/0130-0200, live unload and washout 07-01/0610-0730).
From there came on home and began my vacation :D!
End of week total: 3,253 miles.

Now to the numbers...
June 25, 2004 to June 24, 2005
Miles: 143,243
Loads: 71 (142)
Live Loads/Unloads: 124 (87%)
Drop and Hooks: 18 (13%)
Length of Haul: 2,018 miles
Days Working: 277
Days Off: 88
Workouts: 106 (Approximately one-third done at gyms across country, remaining workouts done in truck)
72,425 x .29=$21,003.25
54,432 x .30=$16,329.60
16,386 x .31=$5,079.66
143,243 x .02=$2,864.86
Holiday Pay x 4=$400.00
Layover Pay x 4=$200.00
Gross Pay =$45,877.37 (not including vacation pay, will add in for 2005 totals when that time comes.)
:P WORKS FOR ME! :P

2005 Totals (with leaving out scheduled 07-11, will adjust as necessary)
Miles: 74,071
Loads: 37 (74)
Live Loads/Unloads: 62 (84%)
Drop and Hooks: 12 (16%)
Length of Haul: 2,002 miles
Days Working: 138
Days Off: 53

Jim Aartman Totals
Miles: 146,496
Loads: 73 (146)
Live Loads/Unloads: 129 (88%)
Drop and Hooks: 17 (12%)
Length Of Haul: 2,007 miles
Days Working: 282
Days Off: 99

I'll get back with more later. Y'all be safe and have fun :wink:...

:)

Niagarafallss1 · Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2005 8:46 am Post subject:

I chatted with an OO from Michigan a few days ago. 28 yrs driving, 12 as an OO. He's a Landstar contractor, and loving it. Has a late model Pete almost paid off already, said his longest day is 8 hrs, gets to pick and choose his loads, doesn't get hassled if he decides to go fishing or golfing for a week and let the rig set...and he's close to retirement, he's made his money, just getting a few more years in before hanging it up and spending lots of time with his sweetheart.

Averages 4800 gross a week, said 3100 after all expenses and dicking around are taken out.

Sounds like a blast to me, however I have to remember this is a 28 yr driver with experience that is priceless.

Some folks have business savvy and others don't, this guy apparently has alot if it :)

sanchez498 · Joined: 24 Feb 2004 Posts: 2777 Location: Arkansas

Quote: Starting Mileage Pay:
0-1 year: .28
1-2 years: .29
2-3 years: .30
3+ years: .31

They dont pay very well for that kind of work, Do they!?

Cyanide · Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2005 6:53 pm Post subject:

True indeed! Please remember those starting pay rates are for drivers that have no prior tank experience. I also know that Bynum will start an experienced tanker-yanker higher than a regular driver. But, also remember that in food-grade several companies (mine included) have it the easiest. Being said, we as drivers do only that...drive to the shipper or receiver, weigh in, and pull or back into a bay. We absolutely deal with no involvement of physically loading/unloading, and our freight/customers don't usually entail long waits, not to mention are pleasant to deal with.

Job satisfaction plays a major role in being successful and happy doing this occupation. There's much more to it than the money aspect. Many drivers I encounter in this realm of trucking are 20+ years older than I and have been around the block many times over. There's an overwhelming, unanimous agreement that this is the best kept secret in the business. Having consistent, long runs and being able to, over the course of a year, legally run many less trips but with more miles than the usual company driver freight-hauler (not to mention a very relaxed, laid-back work environment with much less b.s.). This makes it very attractive to a driver who doesn't feel the need or want to make a sky-high c.p.m. figure and doesn't want to do short-to-medium length runs. Once again, it's not always about the money...

Our customer base is so small here that you could almost call it dedicated. Once you've been with a company several months to a year you quickly learn the freight system, and can accurately predict where you'll pick-up and deliver to. As for my company, there aren't many customers remaining that I haven't been to! The other nice thing is that many of our customers have no issues with us showing up early to get unloaded, much less parking at their facility and staying overnight. Dairy (milk/cream) and eggs are outstanding in this regard! Almost every run I do is scheduled the day after I actually arrived to unload and have entered in my journal here and on the other site...

Now here's a touchy issue for many but I have to mention it (not trying to insult anyone's intelligence or start an argument either so no offense is meant by it). Being that many companies pay per diem helps out with the actual bring home each payday vice waiting until tax time to get it back (I know many who hate it, I personally like it). In a nutshell this means that true, a per diem driver will make much less gross income than a straight rate driver, but depending upon how great the difference is in pay rate, can actually bring home the same or more each payday, but will bring in less at tax time!

Let's do a comparison for fun :roll:. Let's say that I was a driver with two years experience and decided to go along these different options for companies...Shaffer where I'd be making .38 to start (my former high-paying employer of a couple years ago who currently advertise that drivers are averaging 121,400 miles and $53,800 annually...hey, that works out to .443), Heartland Express .435 (including bonus), Bynum .28 (.07 per diem), and then we'll use two sets of numbers for here at Aartman to see the difference (first will be set as a newly hired driver who will only take 75 days off annually, compared to my 88 days for the per diem allowance). We'll use the averages for mileage of 122,000 for the high payers, and 140,000 for Bynum and the "new" Aartman driver, and my figures from the past year. We're going to take into account that all things will be equal as to say this will be based upon mileage and milage bonus only. That no extra stops or unloading will be done for the two freight companies, no cash advances will be taken out, no insurance is being purchased by the driver, no 401k contributions are being made, and the tax rate is 25%. Figures will be rounded up/down when necessary. Here we go....

Heartland Express
122,000 x .435 = $53,070 Gross
$53,070 - 13,268 = $39,802 Net

Shaffer/Crete
122,000 x .38 = $46,360 + $200 quarterly bonus (averaging quarterly mileage against bonus program requirements) = $46,560 Gross
$46,560 - 11,590 = $34,770 Net

Jim Aartman (using new hire figure first)
140,000 x .33 = $46,200 Gross
290 Days x $41 = $11,890 Per Diem
$46,200 - 11,890 = $34,310 Adjusted Gross
$34,310 - 8,578 = $25,732
$25,732 + 11,890 = $37,622 Net

(now with my stats)
$45,277 Total mileage pay (went through old pay scale with two raises)
277 Days x $41 = 11,357 Per Diem
$45,277 - 11,357 = $33,920 Adjusted Gross
$33,920 - 8,480 = $25,440
$25,440 + 11,357 = $36,797 Net

Bynum
140,000 x .21 = $29,400 Gross
140,000 x .07 = $9,800 Per Diem
$29,400 - 7,350 = $22,050
$22,250 + 9,800 = $31,850

We all know that these numbers can be adjusted up or down, but from personal experience I ran 118,045 miles my first year at Shaffer and when I left them was on pace for maybe 110,000 my second year :shock:! I do know drivers there who had no problem getting 130,000 miles annually, but it was not the average or norm. In food-grade 140,000 miles annually is not hard to achieve, and many drivers get upwards and above 150,000.

Basically it still all boils down to what works for one individual will not work out for another, based upon needs and wants :wink:...

jamesinge · Joined: 06 Jul 2005 Posts: 202 Location: Corn Patch

This is a great post. Top notch outstanding info , thank you.

I have a few questions however.

I went to Aartmans page and not a whole lot of info there about some things.

I live in Northwest Iowa on the border of Nebraska, South Dakota and Iowa, in Sioux City. Where is it that you live? Do you think I would have much shot at getting hired on living in this area? I have relatives and grew up in Southern Cal and wouldnt be too awfully opposed to having to change domicile.

My experience is from 1992 until 2000 I drove mainly over the road. In 2000 I went to work for a Local Asphalt Company and have been there now 5 years driving a semi pulling a side dump, belly dump and asphalt tanker. Do you think my OTR experience would be enough for them or does it get washed out by 5 years local?

What really intrigues me about your posts are the very nice long hauls from Fla to Ca. My goodness if I could just do that every day I wouldnt really want to get home heh.

Any way it really looks very appealing to me and wanted to get your thoughts on my chances of employment with Aartman. I have pretty much decided that this will be my last season in construction and long for the big road once again after all this city traffic.

Thanks again for the outstanding posts.

Cyanide · Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2005 3:30 am Post subject:

Hey there James!

Where the webpage doesn't give answers, I do :wink:... The area you live in is actually good, and your experience should slide you right in if you want to come here. We pull LOTS of eggs outta Iowa (Rembrandt and Thompson). Mind you though, those runs can be fast-paced, and many drivers don't like doing them because you have to run 11-10-11-10 to get them to California. However, once you get unloaded you're going to have the next day off anyway to rest up. Again, you'd have no problem getting hired from where you're at now, and especially not if in SoCal.

Our main freight lanes for drivers running off the California board are I-80, I-40, and occasionally I-10, the last one only if you happen to run a load south. We don't run I-70, and of course are paid to run via Salt Lake City when going to/coming from the Midwest from/to SoCal. A small note of interest, our miles are paid using P.C. Miler Practical Route :)! It's nice knowing that what I actually drive, I'm getting accurately paid for.

Technically, I live in Florida but split my time off between there and Indiana with family and friends. I also tend to take a day here, day there in California also. They're very flexible with your time off, provided you stay within reason, and pick-up/deliver your loads on time. You can scour my posts and see that from the amount of time I take off.

As for the long hauls, yep, we have plenty of them. Theoretically, someone living in California or the Midwest could run back and forth between there almost exclusively, which would keep you around an average trip length of 2,000 miles. You could almost never go to Florida, unless there were no Midwest stuff available, and then you'd run south and work your way into Florida then for one of the really long runs!

As for our equipment, you can click on the links and see what we run (we also have a few older International 9200's and Western Star 4964's, but they're very few and far between). Our trucks are serviced every 15,000 miles, and the trucks are all spec'd the same...

-Cat C-12/C-13 set at 430 h.p./1650 ft.lb. torque.
-10-speed trans., 3.70 ratio (Petes are 3.56, new KW's are 3.36).
-75 m.p.h.
-Sleeper sizes: T-800 and 9200 72", Columbia 70", 379 63", Western Star 50" (All single bunks).
-Jake brake.
-Fixed fifth wheel.
-Cruise control.
-Tilt/telescoping steering wheel.
-AM/FM/CD/Sat radio ready receiver.

Anyway, if you need contact info shoot me a p.m. and I'll give ya the man to talk with. Please feel free to ask any questions you have about the company, loads, equipment, etc. Be safe :).

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