Good, me either, but another view...

Some similarities, kinda the same but...there are alot of very crappy trucking jobs out there offered by abusive companies and owners. And yes I've done both OTR and 6 years of military service.

Actually CFM has done OTR. As boring as he may get sometimes I think newbies need to hear his contradicting views on OTR life. There is a reason the washout rate is over 100%. But I will agree he could do it in a manor that does not bash those who enjoy it.

 

when did CFM give any information??? anybody can get on here and spew his sh**. did i miss the day when he actually gave out some useful information? what is CFM did this?

OTR really sucks but in order to get a gravy job like mine you need to pay your dues. do a year or two and then go get an awsome job like mine. things are not great out there but try to make the best of it because in the end it will be well worth the hassle you put up with to get things as great as i have. just remember what you are striving for, to better yourself. maybe to help out hang a picture of your wife and kids in the truck to remind yourself of what you are out there for.

I wonder if CFM could ever do something like that. that seems more helpful than his chronic pain in the ass OTR, coolie carriers suck, bullshit.

 

Jed, the only things you post are comments bashing CFM and anyone who has an opposing view to yours. Dumber than a box of rocks? LOL! All anyone has to do is read one of your posts and see your constant spelling errors and poor syntax that you are an uneducated, belligerent redneck.

People need to hear the bad more than the good. If all people hear is good things they will have false expectations and will rush to a decision that more than likely will lead to disappointment. Hearing the negative causes people to really think and do their due dilligence before making a final decision. The new people on here are mostly just looking for sugarcoating and reaffirmation of a decision that they have already made. Once the cold hard truth and negative aspects of this industry hits them, well you've seen the numbers.

The negative aspect of this business is much more of an important thing for newbies to know than the warm and fuzzy side.

 

Yes CFM can sound like a broken record on here at times; but as someone who has done both OTR and LTL he speaks the truth.

You don't necessarily have to sell your soul to Swift or Schneider to break into driving. Now the "training" carriers of the US would like you to beleive that you should be a team driver for $200-400 week while you magically learn from the "instructor" with 6 months of driving under his belt snoozing away in the sleeper.

Perhaps I was super lucky but I got to skip the 1-2 years of crappy long haul indentured servitude and skip right to the local job.

I spent almost a year on here and other sites researching before I got into driving.

Many of the LTLs in bigger areas have a formal or informal path for Dock-to-driver. I high quality training (4-6 students in a 6 hr per day class for 3 months) in exahange for doing 4 months of dock work. I could have left the day I got my CDL with zero liability but where else would I have found $18hr and .41cpm with the ink still drying on my CDL?

Now LTL has its own version of paying dues; I've worked 70hrs in 5 days, suffered through being on the bottom of the call board, ran in chains for an entire week etc etc etc But I was paid for all of my time and slept in my own bed every night. I made $35k my 1st year and about $45k my 2nd working ~ 40hrs per week. This year before I quit I was on tack to make 55k with a rather grueling bid.

 

gee, sorry about my spelling everyone. but tell me i am an uneducated redneck? how do you figure that? i never said i totally disagreed with CFM, just that there may be a better way to get his point across. yes i am a smart ass. but my question is, do we help people here or tell them that trucking sucks and don't do it? or tell them otr sucks don't do it? or...could we tell them that to get a good job like CFM has that you will have to pay your dues as an otr driver for about one year maybe two? then we could suggest certain companies that would best suit there needs. i am pretty sure that CFM did not get a CDL and the next day he was a local driver at his unnammed ltl outfit, but i might be wrong. if it suits you best to insulkt my spelling and syntax errors then so be it. i will be taking my associates degree in business administration up the road in my fed ex ground truck. any thing else you wanna act like you know about me colts fan? or is that your way of making yourself feel better. and i stand by my point about being dumber than a box of rocks, and now include you in that statement. how long did you work at baylor trucking, 2 weeks or 3?

 

Well..... this one is getting out of hand pretty quickly! :lol:

Sbaston: The very FIRST thing I would say is this. All these "tricks of the trade" have been mentioned on many threads. Did you do any real searching on this site before asking such a broad question? Regardless.... I will try to answer you.

Some quick background: ColtsFan TRIED OTR for a short while and it didn't work for him. No harm no foul in my opinion. He may have joined opinions with CFM to some extent, but I'm pretty sure he is openminded about it. CFM.... on the other hand.... is different. I didn't KNOW he was union, but he has a history of bashing the OTR side of the business NONSTOP! Most of us ignore him, but even HE has a point or two now and then.

His reply was tongue in cheek, and represents everything he hates about OTR..... but I will quote him here to show you just what he means, and what you can do, if you want to make a living at OTR.

ColdFrostyMug says:

Although his syntax is primordial, what he means is to log as much time as you can as off duty or in the sleeper, since you will be sitting around alot doing nothing but waiting. This is a GOOD idea! The DOT doesn't CARE, and there is NO SENSE burning up your 70 hour limit if you don't have to. If the shipper or receiver isn't ready for you when you get there, call it sleeper time and catch a nap! It's TRUE that you probably aren't getting paid for it, (under HIS method of calculation) so why log it against your "cash earning hours?"

Actually, a cheap calculator will work.... my cellphone even has one.... and why NOT get the maximum miles that you can get, or that you are COMFORTABLE getting, during a shift of driving? If I want to get to a particular truckstop at a comfortable distance of maybe 650 miles for the day, I'll be damned if I'll let a little slow traffic make me shut down 15 miles short.... on the side of the road....with no steak dinner or shower!

Well.... if you're a COMPANY driver, MOST repairs can be done in a shop at COMPANY expense! But, I've met very FEW Truckers who weren't fond of their own tools! Bring them along "just in case." You COULD be "stubborn" and sit on the side of the road waiting for the service truck.... or you could be having steak and beer at the Ruby Tuesday's across from the truckstop tonight.... and leaving out early tomorrow for MORE MILES!

Not a bad idea in case you want to "change" what you said happened today, so that you don't end up 15 miles short of a truckstop! I don't use them currently, but I've been known to tear out a sheet and do it over!

I don't have this problem, but MOST truckers I talk to ARE able to get home when they want or NEED to. It will be more difficult during the first year or two WHEN YOU ARE PAYING YOUR DUES! This is an area where you NEED to be flexible..... not rigid and crusted like CFM. And, if you want to make money, GO WHERE THE LOADS GO.... and only go home when it is desirous. You will get shorter miles/pay as they try to work you back close to your home.

ONLY if you like doing dockwork for less than you make driving! Your company will PAY for lumpers. But, if you NEED the extra money, it is worth looking into. But, be sure you understand what you will have to do. It's NOT just pulling the pallets out of the trailer!

It is my experience that an Owner/Operator will make more money in the long run than a company driver. But, this is NOT for the newbie! Take your time and learn the business before making such a decision, and THEN only after getting all the advice you can get from the O/O's on this board..... which do NOT INCLUDE CFM!

Here is where we divide the Lions from the Sheep! You can DO this if you are "skeert!" Or you can find a truckstop or restaurant with parking NEAR your shipper/receiver, and shut down THERE for a GOOD nights rest with facilities! If this qualifies as the SAME city.... according to the regs, you can "move around" the city on line 4, as long as you include the miles and time into your logbook entry for the day. I'm not saying this is TOTALLY legal, but it will PASS! You wanted a "trick" well here it is! If you can get from the truckstop to the shipper without HITTING something, you can start your log just before you get loaded/unloaded. Just add the miles and the time into your log for the day. Personally, I always have my log "set up" so that I could draw a line at the REAL time if I saw some blue lights. If NOT.... I refuse to START my 14 at 6 a.m. if I'm gonna drive 2 miles and then take a 3 hour nap before loading (because I wanted to be early!) YOU have to make this choice for yourself! Someone once told me that there are TWO kinds of drivers out there..... the CAUGHT.... and the UNCAUGHT! True, there is also the LEGAL BEAGLE who makes no money..... but otherwise.... the statement is true. The regs, as they are now, make it nearly impossible for us to get our jobs done. The TRUTH of the matter is that MANY of us "bend" the rules just a bit.... not abusing them to drive tired and dangerous.... but just enough to get our jobs done. If we are wrong for doing so.... I can only point to DUBYA as my example! :lol:

MANY drivers eat foods of their OWN choosing that they keep in a cooler. Personally, I try to eat ONE good meal a day at a truckstop. I eat a salad for greens and regularity, and a steak for protein and energy without fat! Occaisionally, I WANT to eat a burger at Wendy's.... but I find myself mostly eating "odd" meals at the everpresent SUBWAY. It worked for Jared.... I think it will work for you! Most of the drivers that I see who fit the description CFM gave.... HAVE a job like CFM has!

THANKS, CFM!!! I didn't know you thought so highly of me! :lol: :lol:

Sbaston: You asked for tricks of the trade. I've given you most of what I know. If you want to have hours available under the current system, you must learn to "conserve" those hours on your logsheet. I dO NOT recommend that you use two logbooks, or completely ignore the 11/14 hour rules! They are there for your safety and for others. But, we all know that 15 mins here or there can't really matter. That is just MY opinion!

All of you who feel we should not give out such info on this forum..... stick it! There's no rule against it. This is a FORUM for the exchange of ideas and knowledge. The man asked a question, and I didn't "dance around it."

For what it is worth, I drive TEAM.... and therefore have little reason to EVER cheat my logs! But, sometimes I STILL find it helpful to fudge a bit. I've also driven SOLO, and I know the temptation is much stronger in that case. I've done what I needed to do.... but I have ALWAYS made sure that I stopped and took a nap when I needed one! I have not/will not drive sleepy and dangerous! My company has never forced me to. If a company IS forcing you to run illegal and especially without rest.... I implore you to get away from them!

 

You said I was dumber than a box of rocks. You already included me in that statement. You may have an associates degree, but you certainly do present yourself as an uneducated, belligerent redneck. It doesn't make me feel good to say these things to you, but I have a low tolerance for ignorance.

I was with Baylor for 8 weeks. Terrible company, crappy training, bare bones trucks. Trainer wrecked with me in the sleeper. Your Fed Ex Ground truck? I didn't know you owned it. How are those bennies and 401(k) that they offer their contractors?

How did you do at Baylor Jed?

You certainly prove my point about being belligerent.

You should tell people whatever the hell you feel like telling them about the industry. The people seeking advice or opinions can use their brains and weigh them out as they see fit. You offer no real advice yourself. You just criticize the opinions of others. You don't disagree with CFM, you personally attack him. You probably didn't know he was OTR for 3 years before going local, so he does have credibility on his side.

As for me, I'm glad I got out of OTR when I did. I'm very happy with my local gig and am making more money than I did at Baylor. Although I will say that my experience with Baylor makes me appreciate my current gig all the more.

 

Thanks guys for all the advice and it did get a little off track but I thank you alot and have decided to go with central refrigerated and start Monday in Irving I will let you know my experience with them.

 

Okay ...so what I ma getting here ...is I am an Idiot if I think a Log book is just a log book ? Does anyone " Not " change them ?...know what I am sure this has been covered ...its sunday I got time to scan for other posts ...thanx guys


Ogre