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Originally Posted by mbadriver
You are in for a big surprise. I enjoy working with Superior, but as anyone will tell you, it has its drawbacks.
Equipment -
Underpowered Internationals. You won't find ANYONE bragging up the Superior fleet. None of that "all our trucks are 05, 06 or newer."
You're right...not all of them are 05's or 06's.... some of the terminals have older trucks....but they are in a replacement cycle right now. I have been in an 07' now for about 6 months...and the 08's are coming in soon. Superior "buys" their trucks...they don't lease them. My first truck had well over 500K on it...but it ran well, and got the job done.
For me...the "drawbacks" are negligible....because my every need has been met, I'm home more often...pay is better than prior, and my blushing bride see's me much more often...so even she is happier now. But thats just me...
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Take your Crete Freightliner Century Class and cut about 2/3's of the sleeper. They are tiny, they have no aux heater. The engine runs from the time you start it until you return to base.
You're right...the sleepers are smaller. But then considering how we don't spend nearly as much time on the road as box haulers...the need isn't there. I shut mine down whenever I can...sleeping in a shutoff truck down to 25-30 degrees doesn't bother me. But in the summer...it runs.
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As a new driver with them you whatever truck is laying around the yard. The Best of the Worst. It will be filthy, and most likely leaking something somewhere.
Ouch....that was harsh. Mine wasn't filthy...it fact it was pretty clean, and it didn't have any leaks. I guess I was lucky in that the driver who had it before me was actually on top of the maintenance of the truck and kept it fixed. But I guess it will depend on the terminal and who drove it before you got it.
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Administrative:
If you need a lot of hand holding (trip routing, directions, fuel stops) forget it. You are definitely free to think for yourself (i like that!)
True enough...."needy wimps" need not apply. If you need your hand held....you'll have problems. I route myself, I choose where and when to fuel....and I definitely think for myself all the time. I get my load papers from the terminal, grab the tank....and run the load. I'm left alone to do my job, and I do it. No-one bothers me...and I love that!
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Support: They leave at 5pm.
True enough...but a call to any terminal main phone number will be routed to either the terminal manager or dispatcher on call....and it hasn't been a problem in the 15 months I've been at Superior.
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Miles: That story has been beat to death. You don't need a lot to make a good living at Superior.
Dat's right!!
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Downside - to low miles = a lot of work. You gotta do a throrough pre-trip you never know what the condition is off the trailer you just picked up at the tank wash, or was pre-loaded. Climbing on top checking all the caps and seals, dome lid/seal, clean dry odor free. Internal valve pump, external valve. You just can't trust or assume anything.
The upside to me is this: Many of my best paychecks have been weeks where the mileage was lower, but the compensated hours were high. A thorough pre-trip is a necessity anyway... it goes with the job. You're right...you can never assume anything.
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Unloading - its compensated, but still is work. Up and down the ladder, sling hoses, air up, air down, inspect for heel. Buckets, caps, plugs, velcro strips. A bit of change from opening doors.
Thats where the big difference comes in...being actually compensated for what you do. No more bumping a dock after opening doors and giving time away free! I love it. $20.00 for the 1st two hours and $13.30 for each hour after that!! Biggest problem I've had lately is...my last couple of loads...all I did was open the dome!! They loaded it, and the consignee unloaded it...less than two hours on both ends!! No extra $$!! Just the $20.00 for the two hours on both ends of the load. But the $10.00 a night to sleep in the truck adds up too.
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Also the rumor is tank yankers suck at backing. Baloney, the places you off load can be a riot. Back around a 90-degree turn, down the hill, another 90 to the blind side - all the while the product is bouncing you around like a pinball.
How right you are!! I wish I could take some pictures of the places or racks where we back into....and how we get to them.... gets pretty interesting sometimes. But you get really good at backing real quick. Its the flatbedders who can't back up... 8)
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It's a change from being a door swinger. The money is decent. I like my job and the weird little challenges. Not having some dimwit dispatcher sending me routing information devoid of any common sense is probably the best benefit :lol:
I think the money is better than decent....and the work is far more interesting to me...and the people we deal with are a lot nicer and more fun than the average "warehouse worker".... and the directions are 99% correct....
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It's almost worth hiring with Superior just to spend the training week with Sharp and McPeek :lol: They are a hoot :wink:
Yep, Jack and Mike are a real piece of work!! Frankly....I was alittle worried before I went to school....I was trying to figure out how they could keep us occupied and entertained for a solid week in class, etc.....but they darn well did it....and with a lot of good laughs to go along with it.
Just so everyone knows...I'm not trying to be contentious with mbadriver, just showing a a little different viewpoint...a different perspective if you will.
Right now... I'm in a nice motel in Markham, IL... I had a good week and pretty much ran out of hours, and I'm picking up a couple of zeros... so the company sent me to the motel for two nights....and they pay for it. I'm doing a reset in a motel....not a truck. I NEVER had a box company do that. And I'm getting layover pay on top of it. So, while there may be a "drawback" or two to this....to me the Pluses outweigh the negatives. My biggest negative is the smaller sleeper....but then I got used to it.
I have absolutely no plans to leave Superior any time in the future... unless I hit a big lottery
8)