HELP!!!!! (otr bug)
 

I have a big problem on my hands. I get in these kicks where i want to go OTR. But i have a good local job. I know if i go OTR i will only last about 3 weeks intill i get my 1st check and say screw you. But there is something inside me that is telling me to do it. I can get a job at www.pekramme.com They are OTR and local company. They are also UNION. But there teamster contract sucks. This was 3 years ago but the rate was 38cpm loaded and 32empty. 15/hr paid after 1 hr of sitting to get loaded or un-loaded. this is an Email kramme wrote back to me 3 years ago when i almost went there.

Brandon,
We are strictly food grade so we do not require 23 yrs of age. As long as you are 21 with a CDL A and tanker that is fine. We offer local and over the road work and the over the road can be anywhere from 1 night to a maximum of 5 nights out. All of our drivers receive a minimum of 34 consecutive hours off at home each week. Our local drivers average about $40,000 per year and the over the road drivers earn from the high $40's to the high $50's per year. We have an excellent health plan that is full family coverage and paid for by the company, all you would pay would be co-pays when you go to the doctor. We also make all of the contributions to the pension plan for you. We offer a $2,000 sign on bonus that is paid $1,000 at 6 months and $1,000 at 1 year. I would like you to fill out an application at our Avondale terminal or call us if you need more information at 1-800-257-7048. We take applications M-F 8AM to 4PM and Sat 8A - 10A.
Thank you,
Scott Kramme, Vice President

why shouldnt i do this again??

BTW this kick has lasted about a week now i hope it ends soon. I might be kicking my self in the azz later.

I see kramme at places when I have to run liquid chocolate loads. That stuff is a pain in the ass and I would imagine you'd be doing a lot of it there. I think they haul a lot of that temperature controlled stuff. I never actually talked to one of their drivers though. Usually takes 1.5hrs to load (if you're not delayed) and 1.5hrs. to unload. Then the receiver might make you scrape the tank. I find that chocolate work to be messy and time consuming. If you want to go food grade try hauling sucrose or corn syrup that stuff is fast. 30 mins to load/unload.

If your anything like me you wont be happy until you satisfy your curiousity (being a bad decision or not). One of those things, hard saying not knowing. Either way, youll be fine because you made up your mind and did what your heart said. Good luck.

Would be interesting if a truck full of graham crackers, a truck full of marshmallows, and a truck full of chocolate all collided, maybe mix in a milk yanker for good measure.

live your dream man,

if its OTR then do it. however if you know it wnt last, then dont screw up the good thing you got going.

i spent 8 years back and forth. finally i realized my dream, and i live t now. i drive a truck when i want and i fulltime RV the rest of the time. I still live on the road, just my own way.

do what feels good.

you knw what you want to do and accomplish, you dont need a bunch of truckers on a internet forum to guide you.

BOL

If you really think its what you want then when you get to work tomorrow morning, open the door to your truck, stick your head inside, then slam the door repeatedly till the feeling goes away!

BTW, I'm not a real trucker, but I play one on the internet.

I know exactly what you're going through, Mackman. I started off with a water truck, working for a construction company, then a dairy tanker straight truck. At that point, I wanted to drive one of the tractor-trailers they had, and ended up pulling food tankers regionally. Then I got to thinking that it would be great to do that across the entire country, so I went OTR. Then I thought it would be great to sleep in my own bed at night, and went back to local work. Now I drive a yard spotter, and make only 85 cents/hr less than I did when I ran a heavy haul tractor and lowboy for a road construction outfit. Bizarre how these things work out :lol:
Just one word of advice, if you do take the OTR route - avoid livestock. Seriously, it sucks. I don't know what goes through the heads of these bull haulers who say they absolutely love it.

They truly live in a world of... S%&@

:shock:

Mackman!! Say it ain't so!! You've got to get a grip bro! I can't believe what I am hearing! Hobo around at coolie campgrounds! C'mon. Wake UP! It's a bad dream!

If only CFM were still around to see this.

Mackman's new ride: :lol: :lol:

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/l...22/mackman.jpg

Seriously? Do whatever feels right for you young man. Go for it if that is what you want to do. You have a whole life ahead of you. Trying new things now, will only help you fine tune in to your own particular specialty.
Gary

well i think the bug is coming to its end. About once a year i get this way. I was talking to my girlfrind who is not going for this idea at all. Plus when i park that truck at the end of the day i cant wait to get in my pickup and burn rubber up out of there to go home. Plus i been reading alot of older posts on here at CAD about OTR and all the BS you guys do go threw. I know i would not put up with it. My girlfriend also told me when i worked at venezia there was a reason i only stayed 3 weeks. Cuz of the long hours and low pay. So i think i just might stay local after all.

2marrow when i end my day i am going to sit in the truck and act like i am at the coolie campground and not go home and see what that feels like. I know i will change my mind. Thanks for everyones input. When i get the bug next year i will make another post. But before my life is done i will do OTR at some point (i think).

Ah yes the girlfriend! Yer not going anywhere!

Thats what she keeps telling me :?

Remember to shut off the "pay clock" also when you end the day. Then sit there for a couple of hours, listen to the CB, catch up on paperwork. Eventually when you are hungry enough, walk in and have the Double Chicken Fried Steak Dinner Special with all the trimmings. Take a shower in a filthy shower stall.

Drift off to some form of sleep. Supplemented by the rattling of the 500hp motor under the hood, the roar of the reefer parked beside you on the left, and the aromatic smell of diesel exhaust pumping directly in to your air intakes from the car hauler parked on the other side with 'grass-burner' exhaust.

All restroom needs will either be performed in a Mountain Dew bottle, out the door, or will require dressing and returning to the truck stop and the spic and span restrooms.

The alarm clock (the pleasantly named 'SCREAMING MEANIE') will be the pleasant kiss on the cheek for you to arise from your coolie slumber. Pee out the door, or into the Mountain Dew bottle and your ready for the next day.

Oh, I almost forgot. I'll be happy to take care of the ole girlfriend Mack. No problem coming over and hanging out while checking in on her everyday while you are gone. No problem if I get too tired to drive home and go ahead and crash at her place is there?

See ya in a couple of weeks my brother Mackman. I'll keep everything (everyone) in check while you are out hoboing around.

Oh yes. Finally. You will probably need to sell off some assets rather quickly. The money that you bring home will not nearly be as much as you brought home (every day, brought it home every day, GET IT) as your road expenses are going to be unbelievable.

Good luck my brother. Everything is in good hands back on the home front. :P :twisted:

Thanks for getting my head stright. I needed this post. :wink:

Come on now, get into the 'lifestyle', go BBR all the way! :) Live life on the road, wear your clothes for weeks at a time, strategically buy your fuel based on where you want to shower, and eat that lovely heat lamped food. Listen to the chitter chatter of 'I'm not wearing any panties' and 'bobba bouey', and even the occasional name calling war with lots of threats of whoopin someone, as well as the 'lizard sightings' over the CB all night.

There is no other way to exist outside of it :)

You had me believing you for a minute. I was thinking we could team drive.

Wha-wha-WHAT? They make you go in the tank? One reason I started driving tanker was that I didn't have to fingerprint freight. Now, I haul chemicals, so I don't deal with that, but I never thought food grade would get you in there. Eww...

I'm still a little hazy on this part, cuz afaik, my road expenses aren't much more or less than I spend when I'm not on the road. Of course, we pretty much feed off the drive-thru every other day of the week.

Also, I prefer a widemouth gatorade bottle for my pee jug, but if the hole on a mountain dew bottle will accomodate, I won't judge ;)

And 500 hp? I wish, try 475 :(

ROFL! You know I was thinking along the same lines but didn't want to say anything, haha

Hey!! I'd been swimming when I wrote that post! C'mon, cut the brother a break now, would ya? :lol: 8)

What are you trying to say "George"? You just got out of the pool?

"You mean they shrink? I don't know how you guys walk around with those things!" :lol:

Yep, they sure do. But, you know what? I'd rather scrape molasses out of a food tanker than clean out a bull rack any day. It's much more difficult to complain about something when you've since done something much worse.

You should be content with 475. Imagine how I felt when I went from a truck with a 500 Cat and 3.42s to a truck with a 430 Detroit that had been be-balled, and cut back to 370. Think of how many coolie carrier drivers are out there, wishing they had a 475 to work with.
Then again, I started off on a water tanker with a 215 Cummins.
But the one you really need to fear is my Ottawa Commando, with its 5.9 Cummins. All I need now is a leather vest and some chicken lights, and I'll put all the rooster cruisers to shame :lol:

Must be convenient. Do you know how difficult it is to find a convenient spot in a sleeper to store a 55 gallon drum?

Suggest you cut down on the COFFEE!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

[quote="Phreddo"]Wha-wha-WHAT? They make you go in the tank? One reason I started driving tanker was that I didn't have to fingerprint freight. Now, I haul chemicals, so I don't deal with that, but I never thought food grade would get you in there. Eww...


LOL...they don't make you go in the tank. You have a long pole with a squeegee on the end of it. Then you push and pull the last couple of remaining inches of chocolate out of the tank. That stuff is thick so it won't drain out all the way on it's own. Most chocolate tankers have to openings on the top for this reason. But you still get chocolate all over that pole and it ends up getting all over the place.

Yummy, why not go pick up load of Milk, drive to Nestles and deliver ready mixed,sloshed and shaken chocolate milk :D

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Now, that's funny right there! :lol:

I was actually being a bit conservative. I putt around the Hoosier with a 525 Detroit. She gets around quite well.