You are right about the Starbucks. If there is big truck parking nearby, I'll be there.

I had my truck at orrientation, you needed to go to Wal-Mart to get a few items before you were going out with your trainer later that day.

I do wish you luck. I don't have you phone number anymore. I changed my phone a couple of times and lost a lot of numbers I didn't save to my sim card.

PM Sent :)

any updates??

Ahh, updates. I guess I have been remiss. I am still with Anderson, for some 9 months now. Still doing good. I listen to other drivers doing not so well. I can't explain it, I am doing well. I work hard and I seem to be doing better than most. I can't figure it out, is it me or is it them.

I moved up to Class 3, I can haul up to Class 2, if a Class 2 doesn't take the load. I have been offered only one class 3 load, but someone else grabbed it seconds before I did. With this economy I suspect I will be a Class 3 for a while. Competition is fierce for these loads, because they pay better and there is a shortage of the higher classified loads. So Class 1's are pulling my Class 3 loads.

When my lease is up in March, I will sign on another lease with them. A new improved lease. At the end of my current lease I can purchase my '05, 387 Pete, Cat C-15 for $36K, or on the new lease put $5K down, make payments of $298.00 for 50 weeks with a $1K buyout for a total of a little less than $21K, a $15K savings.

terry, would you mind defining the 1,2,3 classes, you were refering to.thanks!:thumbsup:

I do mind. It is a lot of work.

:) Give me a chance to look it up.

The following are the Load Classification Guidlelines:

Overall Overall
Class Weight Width Height Length Value

Class 4 Legal - 55K Legal - 10' Legal 80' Up to $125,000

Class 3 56K - 60K 10'1" - 12' 13'9" 85' Up to $200,000

Class 2 61K - 65K 12'1" - 14' 14'3" 90' Up to $300,000

Class 1 66K - 70K 14'1" - 14'6" 14'4" Plus 95' Up to $400,000

Class 1A 71K Plus 14'7" - Plus 14'7" Plus 95' Plus $400,000 Plus

Everyone starts at Class 4, unless they have verifiable experience and then an evaluation will be made on a case by case bases. It won't let me do it as a table, it jumbles it all together.

Copied from a previous post I had made on a different forum.

Drivers haul at least five loads in each classification before they are eligible for the next classification. You, then, fill out an applicaiton with your fleet manager. A decission will be made based on several critera. For Class 2 and above you will need to take a test.

Moving from Class 4 to Class 3 could take as few as five loads, afterwards it will take longer.

thanks terry...i sent you my email address...i wanna stay in touch with ya.

Terry....I suspect it is a lot of both. If you work hard the entire time you are out "working"....and those that are failing only work 3 or 4 day weeks.....who makes out?

Continued good luck to you young man!

It is good to hear that you are doing well, Terry. Carriers will often push better loads on those with a better work ethic or those who can get the job done with the least fanfare. Some guys whine to their dispatchers about certain loads. Others just take things in stride and do what they must to get the job done. It sounds to me as though you are in the latter group. Keep up the good work.

Hey Terry...is that new lease on the same truck or a different truck?

For me, it will be on the same truck. I want to keep this truck. I think I could do it on a different truck if I wanted. The payment would be different on every truck. One of the requirements is to complete your original lease.

so if you lease a truck...for the year...then lease the same truck again....it is yours after 50 weeks...not a bad deal i dont think...Arrow's leases were new trucks for 5 years....had we still been with Arrow we would have lost our truck with just a year or so to go....

No, that is not how it works. Only for me and my truck, because I''m special, my mother told me so! Actually, my odometer is above 600k, they were reluctant to allow my truck on the new lease, I persisted and we worked out it would be for one year, not longer. I was willing to offer more, but this is what they wanted. I plan on paying it off in less time, with no penalty.

I'm still hanging on at Anderson. I paid my truck off last week and I'm in St. Cloud getting all the paperwork changed over into my name. Of course I get a new truck number and have to have another DOT Inspection. I was able to pay my truck off eight months early.

Damn, good for you Terry. Hows work going at the moment, are you staying busy?

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

I got my first Alaska load. I'm in Billings, MT and will deadhead to Ft. Greely, AK to pick up a truck and trailer and deliver to Killeen, TX. That's some serious miles. This is a Raytheon load and has to be tarped, but I get a decent tarp fee for that. They are flying a crew up to load two of us next Sunday.

Because of the miles involved, I am getting a 34 hour plus reset before I go and will arrive early enough to get in another before I load. I'm using the down time to get a lot of the maintenance done, a PM fixing a coolant leak, check everything out closely. I'm picking up a good coat, one I wanted anyway, I found my Pewag chains at a dealer in Billings, I spent a pretty penny, but they are the best chains and I have a feeling I will be running in the North this Winter. I still need to find some 123A batteries for my Surefire Flashlights and some MRE's for emergencies. I have my Military Sleeping Bag good to -40F so I should be good.

Grats on getting your tuck paid off. and nice load. still wishing you the best of luck. i might need your help soon, b/c I'm debating to leave the northeast, and live down south somewhere. I'm sick of this part of the states. so hit me your phone number over a pm again if you can. I'd like to call you sometime.

That is AWESOME! What I wouldn't give to do that in a truck. When I was in the military I drove the ALCAN and on down to Anchorage ('86). Three years later I drove back out but jumped of the ALCAN, I think at Dawson Creek, and came down the Casiar Hwy into Washington state, and then on to Delaware. I think it was about 6,000 miles or so. I would LOVE to do it again.

God's Speed! Have a GREAT trip!

Yeah, you have to jump off the Alaska Highway at Dawson Creek, that is where Mile Marker 1 is. I haven't been on the Casiar Highway, I want to do that someday. Hopefully, the rumors are true and ATS will be having more Alaska loads and maybe I will have the opportunity.

Terry Davis ATS Specialized FB
 

I have just joined CAD and came across your journal with ATS. It appears that you have what it takes to make a good driver there, and had some very interesting details concerning your daily logs. I see that there are no recent posts from you. The last log was your trip into AK. and it ended. Did you start a new thread or just to busy to bother. I left Western Express FB division and have opted to go with ATS Pad Wrap Division. I tried to get into the FBD but was turned down for some reason, but was accepted in the PWD, and will be heading for orientation soon. I've never had any tickets or accidents, 30 mths. of FB experience and no tickets or accidents, so I'm assuming they either didn't have an opening or just needed to fill seats in the PWD. I told them that I would give it a go. I'm a go getter and hard charger, no need for excessive home time and like money. I was told that they haul mostly commercial equipment that has to be unconventionally packed, but I was also told that it's the shippers responsibility to load and secure their equipment. I was also told that the average loads were between 20 and 30k and while that is good on the fuel economy It worries me because I've been in a lot of bad road conditions where the heavy weight on the FB gave good traction. And I've seen so many Vans sometimes for miles torn up or off the road, while hardly any FB's were wrecked. So with very little experience pulling a van and none in Bad road conditions, that's the only part that I'm dreading. The lease purchase deal doesn't worry me at all, because if I can't make it pay off with my work ethics, then I'll believe some of the don't do it guys. I'm out of N.C. and it appears to be a lot of freight from Fl. to Mary. in the PW division, but I like running anywhere that pays, and will. I'm hoping that you can give me some heads up, since you seem to have a good out look and shooting with straight talk. I'm not looking for people that have had bad experiences because of you thinking that this job or any trucking job is without fault. I am not expecting to get rich, but I try to work and push myself to get what is available or feasible for that week while understanding that we can't control everything that can go wrong. So hope you get this and send me a reply. Be SAFE all Truckers and AiM HiGh.

I parted with ATS in June. I got my own authority. I am running mostly Texas with a few side trips into the surrounding states. Once I figure out how to get PARS, PAPS, ACE Manifest, CVOR and whatever is needed for QE, I will be heading North again, mostly in the Western states and Provinces.

I don't know anything about the Dry Van side of ATS. I have sat and talked to a few and our ideas of what good pay is was worlds apart. When I left ATS I was averaging $5K per week net. I am not doing quite that well under my own authority, yet. I am still learning the ropes and expect to be there soon, if not more.

That's where the revenue is...at least the loads going up that I have seen are all above $4 mile recently!!