This message is only geared towards the ones on here trying to change their fields and those who may want to know what the trucking industry is like as this will be boring to the pros..As you can see this is long and each subject is geared towards the individuals it pertains to.
This posting will be very controversial to the pros and I would just like to say that I really do not give a hoot to the ones that complains about how I went around some things.
These are posts from me and folks like TNDRIVER,BIGJOE and ICANTINATURNER almost 2 yrs ago on buying a truck.Don’t get me wrong they were right but I knew my capabilities in what I was doing.
http://www.layover.com/cgi-bin/lounge.pl/Layover's%20Lounge/118215.html#118226
http://www.layover.com/cgi-bin/lounge.pl/Layover's%20Lounge/104344.html#104344
http://www.layover.com/cgi-bin/lounge.pl/Layover's%20Lounge/118152.html#118225
http://www.layover.com/cgi-bin/lounge.pl/Layover's%20Lounge/118215.html#118248
MY CAREER:
I Moved from NY to Ga back in 96.Back then everything was gravy in Atlanta and even employers were begging to hire people.I stepped right into Information Technology field since I had an Associates Degree in EET from NY city technicial college.I was 24 back then, and I started with big shots like IBM as a POS (point of sale) helpdesk analyst.I was helping retail stores with their cash registers ,scanner scales via the telephone.From there, I moved on to another IBM chain doing the same thing.Next was Coca Cola as a Client analyst in 1998.All these positions were contracts without the typical health ,401k etc… benefits.Coke was a typical corporate environment with the shirt and tire requirements and your usual corporate beaurocracy.When the executive of marketing called to reset his mainframe password you better jump in helping him all because of his title.This was a typical call center environment with ACD phones which are monitored or recorded for QA purposes.The phone system also monitored how long you had been on lunch,break and even how long you spent on an inbound call.We the analyst, only had 2 minutes to resolve issues over the phone and not counting the abandoned calls that left the call queau because we took too long to answer.Remember that GA is a “right to work state” and so firings had no explanations and was unexpected.I got fired there for deactivating a mainframe job for one of the head guys while trying to activate another callers job.The mainframe guys will understand more of this process.I then moved on to companies like S1 technology. 3 months after being hired they laid me off with a $2000 severance pay and 6 months of unemployment and this was my only perm position in my career.I was then making $21/hr as a desktop technician.I was soo devasted back then because I had just bought rims for my ride.I then had to end my lease in my apt and move out.I hustled for about 2 yrs before finding my last 2 IT positions.Few of the many hustling included selling monitors, computers and service at my then girlfriend’s empty living room.The invention of the LCD flat screen monitors back in 2000 put me out of business.A yr later in 2002 I went for my taxi licence.I was a cab driver in downtown Atlanta.Back when I started, the money was good and I was making $160/day on a regular day and $300/day during conventions.I picked up the drunks ,strippers and the non tipping riders all over Atlanta.9 months into this gig, the engine and tranny in my 1998 Dodge Caravan went out.Auction cars!Ouch!!
My last two IT positions was a QA analyst.I worked at Bellsouth in this position two months after being a cabby.I had no experience as a software tester and I was making 13/hr.I had convinced my employers that I had experience because I could talk the talk of a Qa Analyst(this is called extensive research).This Bellsouth contract ended and I was off to Home Depot making 25/hr which is the lowest pay anyone can get as a software tester.Ouch!!I got shanked by the recruiter who put me on that contract.That contract ended 4 months latter and I was home for almost a 9 months.
I then had to do something in these bad moments in IT.I also told myself that I could never raise a family working in this corporate world as a contractor.But then that was all GA had to offer in IT.My brother then gave me an idea to get my CDL or Radiology certification.He then encouraged me more on the CDL because it only took 3 weeks and you land a job quick.I started the course in knowing that over-the-road wouldn’t be my thing but rather a local job.While in school the Covenants,Werner,Swift and the recruiters like the JB Hunters all came to give their sales speech.That is when I realised that a local job would be rough in attaining.
After the yard practice and going on the road in school, my instructor, who was sitting on the front passenger side and while driving my right steer tires got caught on the edge of the asphalt as that side of the asphalt was cracking.The instructor never yelled at me because he knew I pretty much knew how to stay in my lane and I just had bad luck on that narrow road.He was then calm and told me not to hit the brakes but gently turn the steering back on the road without oversteering.All the students were in the sleeper while the trailer almost started fish taling but not to the point of jack- knifing.After that ordeal, the guys teased me because I had started to sweat and I had told the instructor to change seats with me because I couldn’t drive .Right after that I kept saying that driving a big truck wasn’t for me and it seemed scary especially on that narrow and winding back road.After getting my CDL no one wanted to hire me without having OTR experience.I remember how the CDL school had threatened me about how UNCLE SAM would come after me for not putting my CDL to use.This was all because I had used the WIAs program to furnish my CDL schooling.3 yrs after I received my CDL(june this yr) I found a technical school who only wanted $400 to give me a refresher course.I had 6 weekends and this included sat. and Sundays of yard work and no road.After the second session I was able to back up the 28 foot trailers they trained us on.School then ended June of this yr.I remember the teacher at the school telling me what everyone here told me not to do.”he said “don’t buy your own truck… get the experience first.”I was still determined to buy my own truck and remain local.I just couldn’t see myself on the road and leaving my finacee home.
HOW I GOT INTO EXPEDITING AND COURIER
I will now go back 15 months ago and how I bought a van to do expediting.
Through what people told me I realised that I could make a decent wage as a courier or expediting.It took me 5 months to find me a 99 ford E350 extended cargo van at that price.This van, 2 yrs ago was going for $5000-$6000 on the street but I won an ebay bid for $2600.I then flew to Detroit, paid for it and drove 12 hrs back to Georgia.I will mention specific names of BS companies in Ga that I do not care about.I had minor things on the van fixed by my uncle who at that time worked as a truck mechanic. at PETRO.My first and worse courier job lasted 3 weeks.This company called DYNAMEX had me run around delivering stats(blood specimens in a tiny bottle).
I don’t know how many of you would like to deliver stats, peoples checks and avon products in a cargo van.70% of the pick up were small items that amounted to being paid less.The settlements on these items were between $10-15 to a 25 mile distance.My first whole weeks settlement was $400 and the second was $480.I got soo mad that I called a meeting with the guy who hired me and the lead dispatch.”Just give it more time to see if your settlements gets better”…blah!!blah!He gave me the sales speech and soo forth.I quit and started with an expediting company called DTH expeditiors.Most of their work was cargo vans and straight trucks.I remember while applying the owner told me to keep my DYNAMEX job while working with them.I then wondered why he said that.They paid cargo vans 90 cents/mile one way with 13% FSC.For example a Birmingham run at 150 one way miles will pay $160 and this will dead head back 100% of the time.They are actually paying 45 cents per mile round trip.The dead head miles were rough but better than DYNAMEX.They kept me busy until last winter.They never dispatched me for about 4 months and in Feb this yr when they started giving me trips it was more like once or twice a week.This was when I realised what the owner meant by what he said.I stated looking again for another courier job but couldn’t find one for a while because all the companies were all the same and not soo much in demand for a van comparing those to trucks.While working for DTH I was also working at Beavex in delivering pharmaceuticals to every Eckerd and Cotton States insurance company.I did all the routes they gave me.I never had my own route but all the guys would call me to run their routes in case they needed to take off from work.I was good because I knew about 15 routes.This job paid $90-$100 per route which included about 14 stops.In every Eckerd store I steeped into, I gave the mgr his mailbag, the pharmacy had their drug and I exchanged the films with the people at the film section.I hated that job soo much and I wanted a change but thanks to the laptop and the power inverter in the van that helped me do my job.Right before buying the van I was a Comcast technician.I would then go to peoples houses and disconnect them or collect the bills they owe.I have been chased by people dogs and even threatened for disconnecting someones cable.I would even get my ladder and climb the poles to disconnect.I also made frequent stops at the back of many apartment complexes.That job paid 4 bucks for every cable that I disconnected and the commission was 5% of every bill plus $4.50 +1 for any cable box and remote that I was able to retrieve.
It took energy to get my 28 foot ladder from my truck and disconnect someone from a pole for only 4 bucks and so I quit within 6 weeks.
I got back and tried to use my CDL by driving a class B truck through an agency called USA driver systemThey put me in a class B position because I had no prior big truck experience.I was making 10/hr delivering frozen and dry foods to pizza restaurants.
I am not sure how many of you have ever worked for a food distribution company like MBM,SYSCO,PFG,ROMA or any distribution trucking company.Could you imagine having 12 stops and 12,000 ibs on a designated route?I usually had about 30 bags of 50ibs bags of flour and 40 50ibs bags of mazzarella and not to mention all the heavy cans of tomatoe sauce in the carton.I lost about 20ibs doing that damn job.I also heard the agency was making about 30/hr on me and paying me $10/hr .Bari Italian foods wanted to hire me directly but I tuned it down because their perm employees were making only $550-$650/week.The only good thing about that job was that it was local.I sometimes got teamed up with the guys with the big trucks.They sometimes had me drive the FLDs.I only drove a semi twice from Atlanta to Chatanooga and I could never back it up.I almost side swiped another rig while trying to park in front of it.ouch!I truned too quick
How I bought my 1995 FLD with a 60 inch sleeper for $7,000.
In January of this year I had been searching for a used truck from truckpaper.com,trucktrader and especially ebay.It was headache because most of the owners especially on ebay did not even know the history behind the truck or even have inframe receipts.Then again I am looking for a diamond in the rough like a working truck below 10grand with a sleeper.I started bidding on many trucks on ebay but I always came short especially a truck between 1996-1999.I did call a couple of owners on ebay who wanted me to pay pal my deposit to them and then pick up the truck in another state.Another repo guy who worked for the fleet owner’s bank wanted me to pick up the truck in FL and then have someone rewire the ignition to crank it but then again he never stated that in his ebay description.You also had guys who were selling trucks they had just owned and never known the AC worked or not.This was headache for me.I was glued to truck sites and ebay every day and my fiancée was tired of this.You also had the guys who used their trucks to haul logs and the veterans adviced me to stay away from trucks like that.I also almost bought a 375hp cat FLD who claimed he hauled containers with it.My uncle had told me it was too small of a HP for my application.I had owners who even hung up on me because I was asking the color of the truck for that price.
I wanted at least 425HP FLD with a sleeper which came with a DET. engine and direct shift and no super 10.It must also include receipts.
In August just when I had decide to go see Don Baskin in TN and buy a truck which was a 450 mile trip I found an ad in truck paper which read …..
1995 FREIGHTLINER FLD12062, 60 series Detroit 450 HP, rtx14609b, Air Ride Suspension, 3.90 Ratio, 60" Integral Sleeper, 24.5LP Tires, Aluminum/Steel Wheels, Tandem Axle, 12,000# FA, 34,000# RA, 1,173,000 miles, Truck is currently working, running over the road. Leased on to Landstar inway, Truck has 1,174,000 miles, uses 1 gal of oil per 2000 miles. Recent clutch, air to air, turbo,injector cups O rings, within last year. 8 tires 70% 2 40% all virgin,cold air. Been very dependable, Can send photos, Flattop truck, white., Stk #FLD 120, VIN #PH477130, $7,500
These are the pics.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/nurset...gRyZFBpeqIdVwn
I was soo nervous because I was at the point of just giving my money to the dealer in TN and just buy a running truck.I called the guy because it was too good to be true.The guy was in AL and he was getting out of the business because of health reasons.He owned the truck for 3 yrs and was running a dedicated with Landstar Inway hauling a hazmat on a flatbed.He also had all his oil change receipts from speedco with oil analysis.I was scared to buy a truck with 1.1million miles.I was scared when I saw that giant truck and which I seemed 6 feet off the ground when he gave me a 10 minute refresher course in shifting before I had given him the money.The truck had a fridge ,microwave,TV,Randy’s Mcnallys map and even the headache rack with all the tarp,binders,chains and bungee cord.I paid for it and was nervous driving 260 miles back to Atlanta.I got used to the truck after a week.The first thing I did was failed a DOT inspection because I went to some PETRO to do inspection.I had to do the the front brakes at $260 and windshield at $180.Not to forget, the fifth wheel pins had play in it.But they passed me in just getting those two items done.My next step was to rent a trailer and practice for about 3 days at around 500miles of driving.It was soo hard for two weeks to find a trailer renting company who would rent to anOWNER OPERATORS.Metro trailer,xtra lease etc… all wanted some sort of account set up with credit reference.I was shocked when Ryder would rent me a trailer.I asked for the shortest trailer because I was scared of the 48/53 foot trailers.I just felt I wasn’t experienced enough to handle that length.The shortest they had was 48.It now came the day to go get the trailor.At 5 cents/mile +15/day insurance and $29 /day for a trailer was a steal.I got there and I tried to back up to the trailer but something wasn’t catching.I felt I was doing something wrong since I only had a one time session in coupling.I then left ryder and called the owner.he had mentioned the handle had to be in the out position and he warned me not to pull away until I was sure the jaws were locked or I would be calling a wrecker to pick up the fallen trailer.I also told him about the inspection I had failed previously.He then gave me a typical newbie advice to stay away from the TAs and the PETROs and only mess with the small mamma and pappa truck shops.I remember he said, ..”you are new but in everything you do you will learn from experience and you will get it”.
I went back to get the 48’ trailer and I still could not couple the fifith wheel to the kingpin.I was frustrated and contacted Ryder’s mechanic shop to come help me.They refused because they only fixed their own trucks.I was almost giving up when one of their yard guys came to help me.He had a crow bar in his hands and realized the jaws on my fifth wheel had closed while I was trying to back up to the trailer.I must have played with the fifith wheel handle to cause that.I pulled out slowly and wow that damn trailer did look long in my spot mirror.I also almost gave up driving that shit.I turned the first corner from their lot and was on the street.The next street was more scarier because I took a wide turn which I thought was enough, and in starring in my spot mirror, I saw my tandem wheels running on the curb.I drove around the city for about 10 minutes before getting on the highway which seemed much easier.My first stop was the former refresher school’s yard to practice backing up.In pulling into the school I had to block off my lane with the trailer and while the truck was turning from the left lane just to make the right.
The school refused to allow me to practice on their yard but they told me about an abandoned walmart parking lot.With the cones I had bought, I practiced backing up and which was easier than the short trailers we had in the refresher.The total practice driving miles was 250 with that being mostly highway.
I then decided to get the trailer again and put about 200 miles of stop and go traffic and all kinds of turns in my practice.I did that about 3 days after the first practice.The first time I came to return the trailer I had problems backing into my parking spot because it was tight. and I could back up on a 45 degree angle but not 90 degree angle to my target.There was also no room to pull up.Ouch I had to back up in between 2 trailers….ouch!!
The yard guy was my spot and I had to admit to him that I was a newbie but he already knew.
THEN CAME THE JOB….GETTING A TRCUKING JOB WITH NO EXPERIENCE.
I will not advice anyone to do what I did in getting a driving job or even the route I took to buy an almost 11yr old truck with a million miles but I took that risk.
I am not at all using discretion in mentioning any company in this newbie experience.
6 months ago
6 months prior to buying the truck , I had called many companies and some were OTR and which I weeded out and some were local.They all asked if I had container experience and I said “yes”.I then tried to find out what the difference was in containers and dry van hauling.I was wondering if it was a certain driving skill etc…ouch ..I am really a newbie ouch!!
I called about 7 local ones and told them the same thing about my experience.I then had the nerve to apply with BTT.I went through everything online and they approved me and wanted verify my experience.I had my uncle with his business licence as my experience.Then again I had never driven for my uncle but he would say that when they called.They did call but to my surprise they asked for his MC/DOT # and that was when I really understood what the fine print meant ….”verifiable OTR experience”
I felt his answer was good because he told them he was using a third party authority in hauling his freight.They then needed that MC/DOT.This time he said he would call them back.Before I knew what had happened I called BTT to come take a drug test but they told me of their request.After that disappointment I geared myself for the next episode by getting a friend’s DOT #.I then tried to apply with an agency to be a company driver which was paying 14/hr.This was how I tested the hiring process.I passed the back ground/MVR etc… in their case they wanted to fax my uncle a form for him to fill out in behalf of my experience.They never did ask for a DOT unlike BTT.I did get the job after my uncle filled out the form and faxed it right back to them.I never did respond to them after they gave me the job.
Now for the big picture I applied to another company which mainly do containers.They also asked for container experience.I went through their whole process and even watched a tape you would usually see from Kelly assoc. during CDL training.I also took their written and hazmat test after the video.When it came to the references, my uncle was not responding to the vm messages they had left and I had to take matters into my own hands.This was crucial because I had just quit my cargo van courier job which was paying nothing and I had been out of IT because of lack of work.I then called them back and disguised my voice as my uncle, I had them fax me the same form these companies out here do use and finally got the job.They currently pay about 1.02 cents/ mile with a 25%FSC.
I waited 3 days after I got hired to get my first trip.
MY FIRST TRIP IN TRUCKING WAS A NIGHTMARE.
This company had a local agent for dispatch but they were based in the mid west.The agents here are the ones who do all the dispatching corporate does their accounting and payroll.I had never heard of something like that in trucking until I met them.
They called me for a 220 mile one way run and 150 miles was back roads.The first stop was Lowes in SC and the second was I believe it was hainesville , NC and this was a city around Ashville and all those damn mountains.I drove about 150 miles of back roads, construction sites rain and the worse was the 12 % grades.That was worse when I had no experience in these conditions.The company I picked up the 53’ trailer was Owens Corning.This is a good company for light weight because they manufacture insulation for homes.It was rough when I got to Lowes.I used my laptop which has the MS streets and maps to get there but when I got there I just pulled into the the side of their dock and it was almost impossible to turn around.I realized that I should have backed up from the street to their dock.Then again their dock was soo messed and I should have stopped before entering.Then again I had no one to spot me.I decide to back the who truck around to their dock by making a big C.This took 20 minutes and the dock workers shut their doors to go do something else since they knew that maneuver would take a while.I was sweating when I was done.Just to back up a bit, the dispatcher had adviced me to slide the my trailer tandems all the way to the front before leaving Owens Corning.I never knew what that meant because I had told them I knew how to drive etc…
I saw truck drivers doing this at times because of weight issues but I never knew how.Thanks to the creation of the internet.Before I left on that trip I researched on how to do this on the internet.I was able to do so and I had to slide the trailer back to were it was upon returning.The next Lowes was worse with the 12%grades and the truck was struggling in those high gears.I must have been going 30 mph with my flashers on.
It has been 2 months since I have been driving and no I am not a pro like all the guys on here and yes I did cheat my way into this field for desperate reasons.My fiancée and I are expecting and I am home every night as a truck driver.I usually leave home 4am and return about 6pm.It has always been a 12 hr job for me.I just did get my base plates after paying uncle sam for his 2290 at $551 and $945 for my base plates.I also had to pay ad valorean taxes to my county.Ouch!!The trucking industry that I got myself into is not easy but it is better than most of those bullcrap jobs I encountered.
EXACTLY HOW MUCH I MAKE AND MOST ON HERE WILL NOT DISCLOSE THAT
Just like earlier, I make 1.02 cents/mile with a 25% FSC.For example when I get a load to AL which is about 300 mile round trip the settlement will equal around $400-$420.
The amount I make is actually on the bottom of the chain because there are many guys on here with the big guys like Panther II making 1.41/mile and they are not dead heading like me.Daily, I average $350-450/day I gross $2200 and about $800 being for fuel.$350 fills my tank on those 2 100 gallon tanks.I also pay $60 a month for Bobtail/non trucking insurance and physical damage.They also take out $100 each paycheck for escroll for up to $2000 or 10 settlements.On a slow week I can take home about $1000 after fuel.I try to use their comdata fuel card once a week and my credit card to balance out their fuel money and some fees they take out for using their fuel card.
REALITIES OF THE JOB SITUATION IN GA AND DIFFERENT CAREERS.
If I really had to reverse time, I would never have put my ass in college and take all the calculus, match and all the chem..I would rather have either gone to a real tech school for a trade or just dealt with college to be an RN.I feel the math,chem, phsysics is all crap because most of college graduates have no jobs because in these present days there is not enough intership programs for college grads.Not just that but there are not enough companies out there hiring college grads without the experience.It even gets worse if you graduate from a college that most companies do not recognize for being a good school to recruit the grads from.
I know many people who went to DEVRY and ended up with a degree and a 50grand school loan and only to take a 12/hr helpdesk job in IT.Some friends I have are default on their school loan.The national unemployment rate is 4 points and some change and Georgia’s unemployment rate remains higher than the national average.About 150,000 residents move here every year to find out that GA is not what they thought it was.Oh yes!The jobs are here but the people do out number the jobs.Not to mention not having luck in looking for a career position and then you finally decide to get a Wendys,Taco or Mcdonalds.You then have to compete against the kids that are constantly applying during the break.There are many residents who put themselves in a hole by moving here and end up moving back because they never had their 4-5 months rent in hand before relocating here.I personally feel that I could never raise a family doing courier work,Comcast or the cabby but I could probably do this being a trucker.Then again the trucker has it’s CONS and they are also many.
IN MY SHORT EXPERIENCE:PROS AND CONS.
PROS:
1.The gross settlement is decent
2.I sleep in my bed every night except for few circumstances.
3.No touch freight and I am not hauling some jack ass agency’s freight from the trailer with a hyraulic jack and which will pay me pennies.
4.I have my own truck and I control which freight I want and which ones I don’t want
5.I park my own truck underneath my nose.
6I have a sleeper in which I sleep while they unload me.
CONS:
1.It is easy to get lost if you make a wrong turn.Avoid “main streets” in every metro city.
I went in to a town in Boaz, AL(431) and after unloading the guy gave me directions back onto the highway and which he wasn’t sure if trucks could take that route.I took a chance and went by his directions.In passing a “no trucks “sign a saw a cop and a resident look at me but damn I am already moving I cannot turn back.I then understood why they put the sign there when I saw a pole almost brush against my trailer on a tight turn.
2.It takes soo long to unload and after 2 hrs of waiting I get paid $50/hr for detention.
3.Avoid highways like I-24 in TN at night or in the fog.Truckers speed there without caring and then you have others crawling to make it up the hills.It is hard driving a big truck at night on back roads because your trailer is almost invincible in your mirrors.
4.Log books are a must every day and it is easy to forget to do it if you drive everyday.
5.It is scary for the non trucker to sit behind the wheel of a truck and trailer and just imagine driving because you sit high up in the air and you see little cars come pass you in your blind spot.It is also scary to see two trucks side by side for the average non trucker.
6.Some spots are tight to back into and some shippers will not give you room enough to even pull up.Doing containers is worse.My wheel base is 250inches and I find it tough trying to park in tight spots at the yard
7.Containers are heavy and a 25,000ibs freight in a container feels like you are pulling 45,000ibs of freight in a dry van.
8.Costy of repairs is like owning a lexus and taking it to the dealership for all repairs.
9
9.Oil change which came around 2 weeks ago costs $175 and this will be every 2-3 months for me.
10.The big truck junk yard will be my friend.Ouch I need pins on my fifth wheel ouch!!
11.Avoid asking directions to a shippers yard from the “no sense of direction” secretary or customer service.They know how to come to work but not give others directions to their dock.Avoid those shippers who give directions like HWY 411 in Morristown TN.Those damn numbers are not addresses.I am sometimes looking at my laptop while driving but I just installed a printer to my laptop and I never follow the turn-by turn directions but rather the geographical map.I usually zoom in to the widest and closest street to the shipper and find the name of it.
12.There is no real health insurance in trucking and as a O/O except for some crap called workers occupational hazard etc..
13.You have funny shippers like the Bridgestones who want you to sweep your trailer because they don’t want their virgin truck tires to sit in dirt.You also have those shippers who do not give you real estate to park and sometimes want you to jack knife your parking and that is the only way because your nose wouldn’t fit the isle.You also have The Owens Cornings who want you to slide your tandem back when you return the trailer.
and the others who want you to hit their docks on the blind side.
14.Doing containers takes patience because you have to thoroughly pre trip a box or else you will be stuck on the rode side with a bad tire or with a ticket for tail lights being out.Not to mention how heavy they are and that is wear and tear on your suspension, motor and tranny.It sometimes feels like you are driving in land fills when doing containers because some yards are muddy.
MY DRIVING EXPERIENCE IN ONLY 2 MONTHS.
This whole story is boring to most but I think non-truckers who might want to take on this field may want to read this and decide for themselves.Employment in the corporate world is never getting better.You step into an office with a suit on for your interview.You then see another candidate waiting for his turn to be interviewed and you get nervous because you are thinking he might be better than you.You then strike a convo with him or her to break the ice but you know it is soo unprofessional for a company to schedule you to come meet your contender.Gone are the days when I sat in the corporate conference room where I thought only Mr. Duggan was interviewing me but he brings his corporate entourage.They then take turns in drilling me with technical questions.They then ask questions like …”How can I add a printer on a network using static IP and not DHCP”…”Why should we hire you”.
Those days were soo frustrating in being in that field.
When I, drive I never pull into TAs or PETROs except for when I bobtail.Those places are soo crowded for a newbie like me and not to say I cannot back up in between two trucks but I try to avoid that.Just like when my passenger side tank was leaking and I went to Petro to have it JB welded.They promised they could do it and after they saw that the patch did not hold they asked for their $60 for labor.I left that damn place almost telling them off.They all have mechanics who know nothing about trucks and besides that they are unprofessional.One of my first trips during my first week of work, I had a trailer full of grocery items which I back hauled from AL.I had to deliver this at the publix distribution center in Duluth , Ga.They would not let me drop that trailer there because the wharehouse had closed.I argued with the security guy at the guard shack but I later dropped my fiancée home and came there to sleep in my truck until the wharehouse had opened.Earlier that day, I had parked in a “no parking “ zone on the street shoulder.As I was pulling into may apt with my van the cops and wrecker was there.The wrecker had coupled my truck and was about to take off.I then steeped in and the police insisted I pay the guy to release my truck or I would have to pay more at the impound.I then dished out $300 on my credit card plus the damn ticket the asshole cop gave me.This actually forced me to deliver the load earlier than the designated time and that was why I slept at the publix property.
DON’T DO IT! THE END!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I bought the truck for $7000 with no warranty from a private party and I ended up spending $1300 for repairs and those I consider minor.I used my credit card for this purchase and my interest rate is only 6.99% on the card.I am about to sell my Ford E350 cargo van for $5000, which will pay for most of the credit card bill that I owe.The remaining 3grand will be paid off in a year at $300/ month payments.
A friend of mine bought a 2000 model FLD with no warranty at Arrow Truck in Ga.The truck had 800k miles with DET. 60 series and 450hp at $23k.That is way too much for such a truck with that mileage and besides that there is no history behind it.His payments are $1100/month on a 30 month finance.
Trucks now adays are over priced and I would never put myself in such a bind.He makes the same money I make and if I would buy suck a truck then I would be willing to run OTR and expect to gross not less than 3500-$4000 a week.Most truck payments are around $850-1200/month and no bank will even finance an old truck more than 5-6 yrs old unless you go to a “buy here pay here” truck dealer.Big Joe and others were right in telling me not to buy a truck that old but I went a different route and that they never knew about.Luck was also on my side in this purchase after 8 long months.Through my experience in owning many cars, I knew how much my maintenance would be.Many people get caught up in lease purchase programs from the big companys and only to have it repossessed in a yr.
My credit was 775 before I took out the money from the credit card and I am conscious about my expenses because it is my money and no one elses’s money.I will not go pay some dealer $1100/month for some truck note that I am running local with.I don’t even do the “Old Mammas Cooking” and those fancy truck stop restaurants because they are over priced and even unhealthy.I have my own cooler and even stove that I keep my home cooking in, and not to forget the microwave.I do not even idle the truck but I turn on the standing fan which is hooked up to the 2000watt power inverter.
If my Det. engine goes out within a yr then I know I lost but if it goes into the second yr without issues then I know I gained.Even if I do a clutch job next yr I will also know that I am breaking even on my investment.
In starting off in such a business I feel the Petes and the KWs should be left for the guys with the heavy belt buckles.My next adventure will be to haul my own freight after enough experience in dealing with the middle man.At $72k /yr for gross and bringing home $52k/yr is comfortable to raise a family and sleep home at night.
ENUFF SAID!
ALL NEWBIES LET’S UNITE! I BOUGHT A TRUCK.Very long!!!!!!!
