[belpre122]

Originally Posted by Fredog

good luck just go in with a good attitude and try it out, if you ask a hundred people what to do, you will get a hundred different opinions, only you can decide, a few people on here are of the opinion, that only what THEY do is the right thing, what you want now, is just a foot in the door, I say, go for it, do the best job yo ucan and even if you hate it, try your best to stay for at least a year, then you will be in a better position to bargain

Fredog makes an excellent point. Be wary of those who feel that "theirs" is the only way to go in this industry. On that same note. Sit up and definitely take note of the ones who are willing to reveal to you some of the uncomfortable truths about this industry that you are about to enter.

There is no such thing as being over prepared with information! Far too many failure cases come to this board only after they have been stung hard by the 'failure to prepare/garner info' bug. Enabling is the last thing that you need at this point in your journey.

You've got your foot in the door. Now just take the other foot and kick that door wide open and make your own success. As Fredog already stated; hang in there. Persistence, persistence, persistence is what it takes in this industry. Put your "newbie" time in, and then move on to what best suits you. Again, BOL. I think you are going to do just fine.

[Double R]

Originally Posted by belpre122

Be wary of those who feel that "theirs" is the only way to go in this industry.

POT meet KETTLE

[IronRydr]

Belpre and Fred,

Thanks for the encouragement, I do appreciate it! As far as info, I figure I can always learn something new everyday and I'll take all the info I can get.
Thanks again!
IronRydr

[belpre122]

Originally Posted by Double R

POT meet KETTLE

I'm sorry. Is this a cooking show Double R?:lol:

[Double R]

Originally Posted by belpre122

I'm sorry. Is this a cooking show Double R?:lol:

Ya, and it stars the REV:lol: It's the title of his new show. Live from the sleeper

[LightsChromeHorsepower]

Originally Posted by AC120

OK --

"Truck Stop" by Bryan Di Salvatore and Marc F. Wise.
An essay by each writer and portraits of truckers by Mr. Wise. Bryan's (first name because I trade emails with him from time to time) essay is the best thing I've EVER read about the trucking life.

"Pedal to the Metal" by Lawrence J. Ouellet. On the way to a PhD in sociology, Ouellet logged 800,000 miles in big rigs. He poses two questions: Why do truck drivers work so hard even when the effort doesn't result in money or other material gains? and How do truckers make sense of their behavior to themselves and to the outside world? In one form or another, those questions get asked here at CAD. In part, I'm here because the answers interest me. I drove for ten years, but I've never quite let go of OTR; I think--I hope--my memoir about it will be published (not self-published) next year. I've got a nibble from HarperCollins.

"A Thousand Miles From Nowhere" by Graham Coster. Coster rode with truckers in Europe and the U.S.

"Sweatshops on Wheels" by Michael H. Belzer. Economics and sociology. Belzer drove tank trucks in regional OTR operations, logging more than 750,00 miles, before settling in to an academic life.

"Driver--Six Weeks in an Eighteen-Wheeler" by Phillip Wilson. Wilson's memoir of his training days.

"Everything You Will Ever Need to Know to Start Driving a Big Truck or How I Became a Professional Tourist" by Steve Richards.

In "Uncommon Carriers" John McPhee has two chapters on an American tanker yanker. Great stuff.

I posted these instead of a PM because--maybe--someone else will be interested too. You can go to Amazonbooks.com to learn about them and buy them or not; I think they're all available used.

I hope this helps a bit. Want-to-be drivers should do what you're doing: thoroughly research carriers and the industry and ask questions at CAD.

AC- THANK YOU! for the titles. I'm an inveterate reader and a huge John McPhee fan. He has had a couple of pieces in The New Yorker about the tanker yanker. After reading his "Basin and Range" I actually came to enjoy Reno to SLC because I was able to appreciate the beauty of the landscape.

I'm off to Amazon.com to order a couple of the others- I get a lot of reading done during those 12 hour waits at the brewery- which is actually one of the things I like about the job. Let us know if you get published- I won't even wait for the paperback! LOL

[AC120]

Hey, LightsChromeHorsepower --

I hope you enjoy 'em. Yeah, McPhee's great--have you tried "Coming Into The Country"?

I always carried books in my trucks and I used to read whenever I could--at docks, on layovers, when there was no freight, when a truck was in the shop, when an Interstate was shut down for weather. I like having a book in my hand.

I'll be sure to get the word out when my book is published (Thank you). Not looking to do a hardcover, though--too expensive. We'll have paperback, e-book, audio, and Kindle versions; audio rentals at truck stops; and ads here at CAD!

If you do get some of the books I mentioned I'd like to know what you think of them. Can't say I liked every one, but they all taught me something.

Reno to SLC -- Driving on Pleistocene lake beds. Grabbing gears and climbing over the Golconda Thrust. Crossing the salt flats on a clear moonlit night. Cool.

Safe Trip

[LightsChromeHorsepower]

AC-

Coming Into the Country was one of the first I read. The Deltoid Pumpkin Seed, Pine Barrens, Oranges, Shipping Out, I think I've read about all of his work.

I have a couple of the books you named coning from Amazon.com right now. I'll let you know when I'm reading them.

Later

[EvenJoe]

Originally Posted by IronRydr

EvenJoe,

I understand that 29cpm is short, if you're an experienced driver. How many years have you been driving? My question is, without experience, 29cpm seems to be the average that I'm hearing for a starting position for a student driver.

The company that I've accepted a position with is starting me at 30cpm, and that's before all of the same extra pay, bonuses, etc. that you've mentioned. At 10,000 miles per month, I would also get a 3 1/2 cpm bonus, plus layover, detention, etc. With the freight that they're running, I don't think 2,500 per week will be an issue to reach. According to other current drivers with this same company that I've talked with, they have as many miles available as I want to run. With the bonus, layover, detention, etc., I would think I'll end up somewhere in the 35cpm range. I don't consider that bad for a starting position, considering that I'm fresh out of school and have zero experience in a big rig.

If you know of a place or carrier with which I could secure a better deal and that has 2,500 miles per week available, I'd love to know about them.

Thanks!
IronRydr

I've been driving for 3 years. The job I have now is the one I landed out of school.

Actually, all things considered you're probably going to do OK. Ignore all the "The Company's Gonna Screw You" guys. You may, in fact, not make all that much money, but it's a tough economy out here. It'll get better.
I'm still a little worried about that 3 weeks out stuff. But that's just me. I've never had to take a 34 hour break anywhere but home.

Originally Posted by Retired in Nevada

EvenJoe, what company do you drive for? Do they hire new driving school graduates?

Action Transport out of Tupelo, MS. Action is the delivery arm of Lane Furniture.
Do they hire new grads?....Interesting question. Their ad says they require 3 years experience, but I called anyway and they agreed to talk to me and then hired me.......[And the moral of that story is; do your own calling!]
I don't think Action is hiring at all now. All Action drivers have to live in the Tupelo area because all our trips are out-and-return.

[GMAN]

The truth of the matter is that there are probably more drivers taking advantage of their carriers than carriers taking advantage of their drivers. Most carriers are going to be fair with their drivers. If it was as bad as some would make you believe these carriers would have gone out of business years ago. There are good and bad companies. It mostly boils down to the employees. The reason some drivers have a bad experience with a carrier is due to lack of communication. There are bad dispatchers, but most problems or conflicts can be resolved with average communication skills. Some drivers would rather walk away from a good job than try to solve a problem. I have seen it happen for years. That doesn't mean that there aren't dispatchers who have a chip on their shoulder or don't know much about this industry or what it is like to be an otr driver. But more conflicts can be solved by talking about the problem. Some people just have a personality conflict. If the problem cannot be resolved then the driver could request another dispatcher. Some may do just that. Others will walk away and then complain about the company and carriers being unfair or that they cheated them out of something. In reality it is the driver who is at fault. If you have a positive attitude you will likely do well with most any carrier.

There will be things you may not like about this business or your employer. That will be true whether you drive a truck or manage a multi billion dollar enterprise. There is no way you will be happy 100% of the time with ANY job. You can make things better with your attitude. We see new drivers talking about "starter companies." Some who come to mind are Swift, Schneider, etc., They find fault with the carrier before they start. I have met drivers who have been with Swift, JB Hunt and other carriers for many years and are happy with their choice. We all start at the bottom. Where we go from there is entirely up to us individually.

You will get out of this business what you put into it. The starting pay could be better but then where else can you learn a new profession where you can earn $40M+ after only a year or so with little training. Most college graduates don't earn that much after only a year on the job.