believe me Johnc, you are not the only one out there with bad weeks and horrible days. example. today i loaded in Laredo. problem 1; bills say load weights 44,540 however my gages say otherwise. problem 2; load cannot get wet, but i am not allowed to tarp on the shippers property and it is sprinkling. i have to call safety about a possible claim. i went to scale the load since i thought i was heavy and sure enough 83,134. the shipper swears that the load is not that heavy. i ended up running it. fortunately i can get away with 84000 in Texas. but i didn't get home until 9:00 pm tonight.

 

johnc

Yes, it isn't peaches and cream, that's for sure. I wish to remain anonymous with those at the mother ship, who monitor this thread, so I won't go into much detail about my misfortunes.
The 1st week you are terrified.
The 2nd through 8th it still can be frustrating. Mostly the mistakes are mine but the company (crappy directions, slow response to needs) can be at fault too. It is very hard to drive a 65-70 foot truck and not miss turns and get lost.
The other TMC vets and newbies like me might disagree but about week 6 things kind of come together. You secure and tarp faster, know routes and directions more, and just plain work more efficiently. Maybe you just get calloused, don't know. I see other veteran drivers that just calmly get the job done and there I see hope.
Flatbedding and working for TMC are not for the faint of heart. This is tough, dirty, and sometimes frustrating work. The learning curve is steep. I asked the orientation instructors out of the 20 in our class how many would make a year. Their response was 3 or 4.

I didn't go through all the crap at orientation and 6 weeks with a trainer to give up without a fight. Hang in there. We are with you and like Clinton said, "We feel your pain..."

 

yeah its a large learning curve and yeah u can see the vets and a lot of times they make it look so smooth but i've seen some new guys that work efficient as well but one things for sure like u guys said u gotta be thick skinned sometimes and basically relax because it is what it is u can't control certain things

 

It gets better John! My driver friends and I all laugh about our mistakes the first few weeks, and how different and nerve wracking it is without your trainer. I know its hard but stay calm. Its alot easier to figure things out when you go slow, read the signs, survey the situation. I have been known to turn on the 4 ways and just creep along so I dont miss what I'm looking for. Screw the people behind you, dont let them make you nervous. You cant find what you're looking for watching your mirrors and worrying. Try to get phone numbers for shippers/receivers when you get a load. Dont be afraid to use the CB.

Tcurr,
I assume you mean Steel Warehouse in South Bend? I refuse to go there. 4-5 hrs is average. :evil: I hate that place. Last time I was there was a Fri evening trying to get home and they put the wrong coil on me. Had to get back in line, man was I pissed.

 

Yep the steel whorhouse in south bend never again shall i grace there drive.

 

and lest you forget...truckers are second rate citizens there also :cry:

 

Tcurr, what is your OOR since you have been using the Garmin? i just got a Cobra 4500 for real cheap and wonder if it is worth it to clutter up my dash.

 

And you thought Clint would be dead by now :P .. he is pretty happy (and so am I ..) working at W&S :wink:

Now Clint is going to move over to the W&S flatbed division .. I suspect he will do well there but .. it will be interesting comparing experinces between TMC and W&S flatbedding ..

 

where is w&s located at and how many trucks do they have
8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)

 

tcurr, seen a TMC truck exactly like yours, earlier in the week near Newport Delaware on 141 near I95. Truck was pulling out of a gas station...was that you and were ya lost?