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Quote:

Originally Posted by Bumper

I called Old Dominon here in Fontana once and they said I would be low man on the pole but might be able to work loading trailers while waiting for a route to open.

I turned them down, at my age it wasnt what I wanted to do in life.

I hear ya Bumper. Keep looking. Right now it's slow, economy sucks. When its busy you can get hired as a driver right off the street. Spring is the best time to get on but with this economy who knows?

Well I have changed my plans and I am now moving out of CA and heading East to Arkansas. I start with a new company OTR on Saturday and will stay with them for a year or two and then pull the plug for good.

Then it will be just me and a bass boat. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snowman7

It's just the nature of LTL. Its not specific to union or non union. When I was at Conway (non union) I was starving some weeks and working 60 other weeks. Then they laid me off. This current job has been steady since day one. It takes alot of luck and timing to make it in LTL. The first couple years may go smooth or it could suck. The way the economy is right now very few companies are even hiring, some are laying off. I wont say LTL works for everyone. A single income family would have a hard time in the beginning. If you have a second income or low monthly bills its alot safer bet. Down the road the pay is well worth it.

These guys have no clue how LTL carriers work, but that doesn't stop them from constantly spouting off about it.

Sure it sucks being low man just like it does in any organization that respects seniority. Do Airmen and PFC's get royal treatment in the military? They sure didn't when I was in the Air Force.

OTR has no respect for seniority. At my last outfit, they were giving out brand new trucks to newhires while guys with many years with the company were riding around in 5-year old rigs.

Seniority is king in LTL...as it should be.

Some carriers do reward their drivers with new trucks and higher pay. I know of a couple who have had some of their senior drivers pick out the truck of their choice. That doesn't happen at all carriers, but these guys had been with their carriers for a number of years, kept their noses clean and done an outstanding job. You cannot judge all carriers the same. Companies are as different as people. While there are many similarities, they are different. I know of a couple of carriers that I worked some years ago that treated their drivers with disdain. I know of another that treated me extremely well. If I ever decided to take a company job again, I would call them before any other carrier.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orangetxguy

Snowman......I am simply fed-up with that mouth-piece belittling men and women who do the best they can, with what is available to them.

Union jobs may pay well. But he never acknowledges that one pitfall you did acknowledge...which is "Low-man on the totem-pole sits". The junior driver's at an LTL company starve, due to the union work rules.

My numbers are too low. Part of that is the economy. Part of that is truck repairs. If I weren't waiting on mechanics to do the work (I'm not a mechanic, and pulling the stuff I do, I'm not gonna play mechanic) that the truck needs, I would be closer to what Mike3 makes.
This turn through the shop, I had to get the front A/C fan in the dash replaced, some other electrical issues dealt with, as well as the overhead run, along with jakeheads adjusted..
After having 3 alignments done in the last few months, 3 tires are cupping bad on my drivers. Finding the cause was on my list of repairs. Just before they gave the truck back to me, they got a suggestion from Volvo in VA, and jacked the truck up to test the bearings in the drive axles. Found two that are bad. So I sit and wait some more. The mechanics all evacuated from the storm that didn't come here.

All total, I have 3 months of down time, due to no loads and truck repairs. I also took a 3 week vacation..but that I look at as "By choice" down time. So when you look at my numbers...you have to take into consideration the no work days. That is one reason I have remained leased where I am...I took a look at the "Repair" time, and cooled my jets on the $$$ issues. If the truck was up and running, and I was still sitting..then I would have a valid "Get out" reason.

When LBJ/CFM spouts off about how great the money is doing LTL, he never mentions the fact that low man makes far less $$$ than even the mid level people.

Hey Stan, I'm just curious....

If you were to annualise your repair expenses so far, would a monthly payment on a new truck have cost you less than it did to fix your truck ( including the cost of downtime ) ? I hope you realise that I'm not trying to be a smart-ass with this question...I'm genuinely interested in knowing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graymist

It would, but he doesn't have the capital to invest in new equipment. Most of these independents and small-fry fleets are dying a slow death. The number of repossessions and bankruptcies this past year are staggering...and it's just the tip of the iceburg.

The era of the independent trucker is coming to an end. Fuel costs, insurance costs, maintenance costs, etc are killing them off in droves.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeBron James

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graymist

I don't think so! Just like deregulation the fleet owners who make piss poor business decisions and take cheap freight all the time will run out of business while the fleet owners who make smart business decisions will continue to be successful! Just some food for thought. :wink: If the ones that don't change their business habits will suffer greatly if they don't get their act together and start running a profitable business instead of trying to look good while going down the road and running cheap freight on a continual basis.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeBron James

Most of these independents and small-fry fleets are dying a slow death. The number of repossessions and bankruptcies this past year are staggering...and it's just the tip of the iceburg.

The era of the independent trucker is coming to an end. Fuel costs, insurance costs, maintenance costs, etc are killing them off in droves.

It isn't just the small carriers that are having problems. It is industry wide. The independent has a much greater chance of making it through these tough times than the owner operator who is leased to carriers. The independents and small carriers haul something like 80% of the freight in this country. Some will fail, but not all of us will go out of business. It is about as likely you will see more of the mid sized carriers and even one or two of the large ones who will fail. Sometimes the size of a company can work against it, especially in difficult times. Large companies, regardless of industry, tend to respond slowly to changes. Independents and smaller companies can respond quickly to met rapidly changing market conditions. The small business is the backbone of this country.