What's the issue with the Northeast?
 

Just curious, lots of posts seem to mention the Northeast and not wanting to run here. We're in CT, the traffic is nuts and I-95 is miserable, but what else makes it undesirable here?

Lack of parking for big trucks, docks made for 45 foot trailers and day cab tractors, union docks every where you go (as in they are slow and have no problems keeping you all day long because their jobs are protected). Lots of ant-idling laws which means you may not be able to get quality rest due to being too hot or too cold.

Wots wrang wi thi North East? Whey Lad, nowt as fae as ahm concerned. Finest people on Gods Urth. Yi are taaking boot thi North East iv England aren,t yi? :wink:

The trash talk on the CB is the worst any place I've ever been. Everyone wants to kill everyone and what's left over the homo's want. The roads are the pits with some sections sending the back of my flatbed flying through the air and to top it off, you have to pay for the privilege of driving on those piece of crap roads. I'm sure the NY thruway tolls go every place other than improving the roads.

1. Very little truck parking.
2. Horrendous traffic.
3. Very, very little truck parking.
4. Insane traffic...seems no one ever stays home.
5. Very, very, very little truck parking and most of the truck stops are sh!tholes.
6. No-idle laws.... Its ok if you die in the truck, but make sure its turned off before you die.
7. The roads are crappy, and instead of having to pay to drive on them, they should be paying us to drive there.

Other than that....its a lot like driving anywhere else....just more fun to bitch about! 8) 8)

Don't forget all the additional tolls they want us to pay, in addition to the fuel taxes. Some of the main roads tend to be narrow. Some areas have restrictions for 53' and 102" trailers. It is usually difficult to get a decent paying load out. New Jersey wants additional taxes for running picking up or delivering in their state. I could go on and on. For the most part, it just isn't worth the hassle or expense of doing business up there.

Even the crappiest of TS expect you to pay them to park. Why?...not one cent of that goes to even buying a new mop for the disgusting restroom floor.

When I'm on the BQE I see guys getting off exits that will really screw them up because the bridge height signs say get off if you are over 12'6'
When you can fit under. I try to help guys if they haven't been in this area.
The roads really do suck. They just finished the LIE not to long ago and it's all screwed up already.
I do enjoy listening to all the idiots on the radio. It makes for good entertainment.
I mostly stay on the Island so it's not bad. Lot of work here though. I have to agree on the bonehead union guys(No offense to you union guys) at the docks that take their sweet time loading and unloading you.
I do plan on moving south in a year or two. I am going South of Atlanta. I hear the traffic is just as bad as NYC there, is this true?

I hear the traffic is just as bad as NYC there, is this true?



Maybe,but at least you won't have to keep stopping for toll booths.

It has nothing to do with the union. I've sat around plenty of warehouses that were non-union as well. The reason these places get away with having you guys sit around all the livelong day is because you agree to do so for peanuts. Then you bury all the wasted time in the logbook on lines 1 + 2.

There's little incentive for any warehouse to get you loaded/unloaded in a jiffy. Why should they? Everyone inside is on the clock, so they're not gonna hurry up on your account. I ran a forklift at a warehouse for awhile and if an OTR driver showed up at 3:00 PM, you can bet your bottom dollar he was gonna sit there until 5:00 PM. Why? Because he gave us 2 hours for free and at 5:00 PM we clocked in our 8 hours and went home.

LTL and local jobs are a different ballgame. If a warehouse dicks around like that than we leave. Maybe come back later if we have time but probably not. When they call up the next day bitching and complaining why their stuff wasn't shipped, we tell em we were there but your guys on the dock were goofing off and couldn't get us loaded. Like magic, the next time we show up the pallets get loaded onto the truck at MACH 5! Union or no!

You can be the nicest, most respectful driver saying "Sir and Ma'am", have the sharpest-looking rooster cruiser, walk in there with pressed shirt and pants and actually take a shower and guess what? NOBODY CARES! And as long as you're willing to sit around for free, NOBODY EVER WILL!