Isn't that the Pot calling the Kettle Black! I don't have the 800# anymore.

 

my local fleet just downsized to 16 drivers from 25 and gave two trucks to another terminal in minnesota. not good. there trying to utilize the littlest amount of equipment and manpower possible to keep the budget inline. scary

 

wow... i'm hearing all those horror stories and i must say hands down i'm blessed.. as much as i hate this job right now, i'm clearly blessed... 2,500 miles last week and $250 dollars in accessory pay...

 

On a particularly inhospitable day, I watched a (former) Covenant driver removing her personal belongings in an obvious fit of disgust and in an apparent act of abandonment. Before she left, the last thing she did was roll down the windows.

Good luck!

 

Right at the minute freight is bad in all segments of the industry. The best advise, if he want's to stay in trucking, is to stick it out. Cut back on all exspenses while sitting, i.e. eat junk food instead of the buffet and tough it out. If the company sees that you are willing to be a "team player" he will start to get loads. I'm lucky in that my equipment is all paid for and I only haul HH OD loads and can just say "I'm out here (Ca) and going home (Fl) but I feel for the guys I saw sitting in a truck stop on the way out and 5 days later see the same guys on the way home

 

Sorry about that catalinaflyer. I meant to say New Drivers Wife. I suppose that I should also apologize to New Drivers Wife. I had been up since 4 am and guess I should have had a few more cups of coffee. :zzz:

 

You are fortunate indeed if your equipment is paid for and you can afford to sit and wait on a decent paying load. There are so many guys out here who cannot afford to sit but can't afford to take the cheap freight that is being offered. They are taking anything they can put on the truck to keep the wheels rolling. It will be interesting to see the final figures on how many go out of business and/or lose their equipment during this time. I had a truck in Houston last week. My driver told me there must have been 150 flats in the truck stop where he was sitting. A friend of mine counted 75 flats in one stop where he got stuck for a couple of days.

 

Definitely stick with it, the freight will eventually pick back up and it'll probably become the best thing you ever did.
And as far as all these stories of truck-abandonment, it just goes to show that despite hard-times, people will still hawk an attitude and stick to their guns.

 

I do not know how Covenent exactly does things but I can offer a few tips.

1. If asked for on the loaded calls make sure to put in a good ETA (est time arrival) and a good PTA (projected time of availability), and send in updates as needed. For the PTA, even if the is not a space for it on the loaded call you can still send in one by free form message if nothing else.

2. If you do not have a dispatch or load plan within 30 minutes of sending in an empty call send in a free form message saying you are ready for a new load.

3. If after 45 min to an hour you still don't have a new load call your fleet manager/dispatcher on the phone, and keep calling and sending in messages every hour until you get that load.

4. Make sure to send in or make your check calls every day to report your hours status.

This is about all you can really do. Freight is slow. This is typically a slow time of the year anyway and with the economy being what it is things are even worse, but things will pick up some what regardless in a few months though it may not be a big improvement it will still be better than what it is now.

My advice is to do your best to stick it out for at least 6 months. Once he has 6 months of experience he can start hunting around for a job with a different company, but right now the worst thing he could do is quit before finding another job.