[truckdriverwh]

i am not seeing the bad attitude thing.. i worked for wh for a lil over 2 years. i seen things were getting terrible so i jumped ship in may or so of last year. i am now working at kreilkamp, which is an alright company. it is mainly reefer though.. they have fully automatic trucks here. if ur not in ahurry to find employment, u can afford to be picky. but with the economy as screwed up right now and and no signs of improvement, i wouldnt be too picky...

[madaxeman]

Originally Posted by Josborn

Don't give up searching for the job you want.

Do your research, which also means asking about different companies on boards like this one. And your gonna run into people who think you have a attitude. This is because they think that with the economy being bad, you should settle for a crappy job. Problem, if things turn around, and the good jobs start opening up in a couple of months, then your a job hopper..... I know, that's BS, but what can you do?

Here a hint when your asking about companies. Just ask about the companies....

Don't tell anyone what you are looking for(pay, miles, hometime, etc..), and never give out your experience/qualifications. These people don't need to know that information, and you will always find a jack**s thinking that they are better than you, or you should work at McDonalds first before looking for a job.

Now the good news. If you can sweat if out for another 2-3 months, the good jobs will open up for the summer season. The real question is how much more they will open....

I wish you the best of luck. Don't quit on looking for the right job. Leave the loser jobs for those who will take them.

Thanks! I will definitely keep searching. I was just informed the hiring freezes should thaw some in April for some of the companies (who currently have them in place).

I couldn't agree more! People, who come on message boards, just for the purpose of cutting others down, to try make themselves seem more worthy, truly lack anything worth bragging about...and have self-esteem issues.

[madaxeman]

Originally Posted by repete

Your going to have to make a job out of looking for a job, don't give up looking, Contact the Co. your interested in and put in an app. DON"T count on the generic on line app that went to all 499 co listed! A lot of them ignore them cause they get them by the thousands. Try Crete, I know i like it here but I don't know if there hireing or not. Also try JB but even JB has a waiting list!!

Thanks! I did have a few contact me through that application. (Barr-Nunn and Sisbro) I've never heard of Sisbro before. I will definitely put in an application to Crete. Glad to hear things are working out there for you! It sounds like a great place to work. I will reconsider JB, too...but I don't want to do intermodal locally for mileage pay. Maybe they have something OTR, regional, etc. I will have to go through their availabilities.

[madaxeman]

Originally Posted by Orangetxguy

You had 18 (almost) months of OTR (sort-of) driving. You have been doing "What?" the last (almost) 12 months? That is going to be the big question, where-ever you interview. "Why did you stop driving?"

You say you hate job hopping, yet you quit one job after almost 18 months...plus what ever job you had before getting your cdl....and what ever job you did the last few months....which puts you just two jobs behind "ME", in my "total jobs" sequence. Three if you count the ranch-hand job I had when I was a kid in high-school. I have 30 years driving experience.

You wrote this;
I'm fairly aware of the numbers of tankers that have burned the last few years. The numbers of those drivers involved, whom died, is actually pretty low. Just 3 that I am aware of last year. I do haul tanker for a living...and most of the stuff I haul...as with most of the stuff Mike3 hauls, is worse than gasoline.

With your self-confidence on your driving ability, why would you raise your nose in the air, and act like one of the primadonnas, when it comes to hauling gasoline? It does not add up.

Almost 18 months of experience, with an almost 12 month break, means you don't have any experience at all...but who am I?
Just a shmuck on this messageboard.

I already stated why I quit WH. I already clearly stated the jobs I had, too. You somehow created extra jobs I had (which I didn't). LOL That's great if you have a job that you have liked for 30 years! A primadonna? Raise my nose in the air? I just stated I don't want to haul gasoline (or hazmat in a tanker)...and that there are a lot of four wheelers who drive like idiots. Don't get all defensive! If you like hauling hazmat in a tanker, more power to you! It's not my thing...and I have no desire to do that ever! I'd consider food grade or grains though. Somehow you equate 18 months OTR with no experience? OK! Your first statement was relevant and useful. I do understand that you have to explain any gaps in employment.

[madaxeman]

Originally Posted by Biscuit Lips

I PROBABLY WOULD NOT HIRE YOU TO DRIVE A STRAIGHT TRUCK, LET ALONE A TRACTOR-TRAILER. SO YOU HAVE NO EXPERIENCE DRIVING ANYTHING BUT AN AUTOMATIC, WITH VERY LITTLE EXPERIENCE OVERALL AND YOU ONLY WANT TO PULL A DRY VAN?

Thanks! You have a been a big help in my job search, too. I'll put you down as a reference on my applications.

[madaxeman]

Originally Posted by truckdriverwh

i am not seeing the bad attitude thing.. i worked for wh for a lil over 2 years. i seen things were getting terrible so i jumped ship in may or so of last year. i am now working at kreilkamp, which is an alright company. it is mainly reefer though.. they have fully automatic trucks here. if ur not in ahurry to find employment, u can afford to be picky. but with the economy as screwed up right now and and no signs of improvement, i wouldnt be too picky...

Thanks, ex-WH! Yeah, I saw that ship going down like the Titantic, too. I will check out Kreilkamp. I do have some time to search. I am in IL so i don't know if that will work. Their trucks are fully automatic without clutch (as opposed to the auto-shifts with clutch that we drove)?

[Orangetxguy]

Originally Posted by madaxeman

I already stated why I quit WH. I already clearly stated the jobs I had, too. You somehow created extra jobs I had (which I didn't). LOL That's great if you have a job that you have liked for 30 years! A primadonna? Raise my nose in the air? I just stated I don't want to haul gasoline (or hazmat in a tanker)...and that there are a lot of four wheelers who drive like idiots. Don't get all defensive! If you like hauling hazmat in a tanker, more power to you! It's not my thing...and I have no desire to do that ever! I'd consider food grade or grains though. Somehow you equate 18 months OTR with no experience? OK! Your first statement was relevant and useful. I do understand that you have to explain any gaps in employment.

Where did you state those jobs clearly at?? I don't see anything...except the WH reference. And this statement;

Basically, I've had 3 jobs over the last 14 years. The first and the last one closed down. The middle one, I was injured on the job (and then they proceeded to fire me illegally). I hate job hopping!

After you left WH....What were you doing? Were you driving locally in Chicago...or were you selling "hotdogs" at sports events?

If you were not drivng since you left WH, you effectively eliminated your driving experience, as far as any INSURANCE company is concerned. There may be plenty of trucking companies that would cut you some slack on the driving experience. There are no INSURANCE companies whom are going to cut you even a liitle slack.


You want valid advise...tell the whole story.


As far as HazMat goes....exactly what is the difference between a truck hauling hazmat and a truck hauling grain? A grain hauler usually weighs in at 80,000 pounds, is running as fast as he or she can possably run, and fudging the book as much as that book can be fudged, to make a living.
My truck usually weighs in at 77,000 pounds, and I have set loading and unloading appointments. I don't have to stretch my hours, especially in the current economic climate, and even now I make enough money to pay the bills and live comfortably. I would like to be turning better revenue...but the economy doesn't support that.

A truck is a truck is a truck. If you are driving safely, the "Idiots" of the word don't matter. If you are safe, and you operate the truck safely, you are negating the actions of those whom are around you. So...HazMat or not...a truck is going to kill people in an accident. An 80,000 pound grain truck can kill just as many people in an accident as a 77,000 pound hazmat truck. They both travel at the same basic rate of speed. A Hazmat truck, in theory, is better maintained than the average dry van pulling tractor. I know plenty of van haulers, reefer haulers, flatbed haulers, bedbuggers, and heavyhaulers, whom are just a safe as any hazmat hauler...and I have known some hazmat haulers, whom had no business behind the wheel of any truck.

You had 18 months and maybe 180,000 miles of driving experience, that you have identified to us. I know of over 100 drivers, each of whom has more than 5 years (many of those 100 have over 15 years), current driving experience, whom also have clean records all the way around, whom are out there in the market, looking for the same driving job YOU are seeking.

What makes you special?

You won't do hazmat...that is a limitation. Will you run in Canada? If not....that is a limitation. Your driving experience is dated. That is a limitation. Do you have your TWIC card? If not.....that is a limitation. Do you have a Passport? If not, there is a limitation. You said your seeking a dry van job. That is a limitation.

Your seeking employment in a job market that is saturated with experienced drivers, many of whom are exceptionally versitile. What makes you special??

I have enjoyed driving TRUCK for the last 30 years. In those 30 years, I have held 6 jobs(one of those was for 2 days, I left because they were and are, an unsafe company) ....7 if you count the ranch-hand job I held as a kid (That was where I learned to drive truck).

So...again...What have you been doing since you quit WH ???

[madaxeman]

Originally Posted by Orangetxguy

Where did you state those jobs clearly at?? I don't see anything...except the WH reference. And this statement;


After you left WH....What were you doing? Were you driving locally in Chicago...or were you selling "hotdogs" at sports events?

If you were not drivng since you left WH, you effectively eliminated your driving experience, as far as any INSURANCE company is concerned. There may be plenty of trucking companies that would cut you some slack on the driving experience. There are no INSURANCE companies whom are going to cut you even a liitle slack.


You want valid advise...tell the whole story.


As far as HazMat goes....exactly what is the difference between a truck hauling hazmat and a truck hauling grain? A grain hauler usually weighs in at 80,000 pounds, is running as fast as he or she can possably run, and fudging the book as much as that book can be fudged, to make a living.
My truck usually weighs in at 77,000 pounds, and I have set loading and unloading appointments. I don't have to stretch my hours, especially in the current economic climate, and even now I make enough money to pay the bills and live comfortably. I would like to be turning better revenue...but the economy doesn't support that.

A truck is a truck is a truck. If you are driving safely, the "Idiots" of the word don't matter. If you are safe, and you operate the truck safely, you are negating the actions of those whom are around you. So...HazMat or not...a truck is going to kill people in an accident. An 80,000 pound grain truck can kill just as many people in an accident as a 77,000 pound hazmat truck. They both travel at the same basic rate of speed. A Hazmat truck, in theory, is better maintained than the average dry van pulling tractor. I know plenty of van haulers, reefer haulers, flatbed haulers, bedbuggers, and heavyhaulers, whom are just a safe as any hazmat hauler...and I have known some hazmat haulers, whom had no business behind the wheel of any truck.

You had 18 months and maybe 180,000 miles of driving experience, that you have identified to us. I know of over 100 drivers, each of whom has more than 5 years (many of those 100 have over 15 years), current driving experience, whom also have clean records all the way around, whom are out there in the market, looking for the same driving job YOU are seeking.

What makes you special?

You won't do hazmat...that is a limitation. Will you run in Canada? If not....that is a limitation. Your driving experience is dated. That is a limitation. Do you have your TWIC card? If not.....that is a limitation. Do you have a Passport? If not, there is a limitation. You said your seeking a dry van job. That is a limitation.

Your seeking employment in a job market that is saturated with experienced drivers, many of whom are exceptionally versitile. What makes you special??

I have enjoyed driving TRUCK for the last 30 years. In those 30 years, I have held 6 jobs(one of those was for 2 days, I left because they were and are, an unsafe company) ....7 if you count the ranch-hand job I held as a kid (That was where I learned to drive truck).

So...again...What have you been doing since you quit WH ???

I haven't worked since I quit WH. As I said, I have been living off of the cash I saved while working there. My aunt had terminal cancer...and passed away months after that. WH's safety manager (who took over the last six months I was there) wouldn't even give me time off (even though I had time off due to me). The guy didn't care about any driver. He was a huge part of why drivers quit in masses and WH's van division is no longer!

As far as previous jobs, I haven't had good luck with companies. I think 6 out of the last 7 places I worked closed down my job location or closed down completely (over the last 18 years). Only the last one was a driving job. And no...I wasn't the CEO and had nothing to do with that happening. LOL

I've seen plenty of drivers who shouldn't be driving a truck (hazmat or not). For the very large majority, serious truckers are very safe (a lot safer than four-wheelers). They are also very courteous to other people on the roads. Very true! I don't mess around or take short cuts when it comes to that. As far as the difference between hazmat haulers and non hazmat haulers...it depends what you are hauling, if, in the rare instance something does happen. I'm not saying, it will definitely happen, but it is always a possibility. You can only slow a truck so fast or 'swerve' to avoid so fast (no matter how safe you are). I saw a flatbed on I-285 (yeah it was not hazmat)...but anyway...a four-wheeler cuts across four lanes of traffic to exit the highway from the left lane. Obviously, the flatbed couldn't slow down and by no means was the cause of the accident. Long story short...the flatbed driver didn't make it. Half of the truck and cargo ended up on one side of the highway, half on the other. If it was a hazmat load, then the associated problems related to the wreck would've be far worse. If it was gasoline, or chlorine, etc...we are talking massive problems! That is all I am saying in regards to that. Nothing implied there!

I understand completely that there are drivers who have been driving longer than me. They are looking for jobs, too. True. There are also A LOT of drivers who either have less experience, had accidents, tickets, duis, misdemeanors, etc. As far as insurance goes, I don't really know that area except for my personal insurance. I have never been an owner-operator before (just company driver). I am over 25 (and then some), clean MVR and criminal record (no DUIs)...and I get a rock bottom rate on full coverage for my personal insurance because of it. I just leave that up to whoever I work for...along with plates, reg, permits, etc. I might consider becoming an O/O down the road, but I don't know what things will look like down the road (pun intended).

From what I remember, most tanker companies require 2-3+ years experience. I'd consider a tanker position. I do have the tanker endorsement (and doubles/triples). I am open to getting a hazmat endorsement. I got my license in NC and had to transfer it back to my home state. Money was tight before I started working (because I paid cash out of my pocket for a PTDI school). I didn't need hazmat for WH (because they didn't haul any hazmat). So...I never bothered to get my hazmat at the time. I have no background that will prevent me from getting it. The same is true with entering Canada. I don't know what a TWIC card is. I don't have a passport because I have never left the country.

I don't know if I could drive is a reefer. They always wake me up...EVERY SINGLE TIME THEY KICK ON...the noise, the vibration, etc. At least for me, that would be like a suicide mission (always driving tired). I would need serious ear plugs and a semi-motionless waterbed or something to get any sleep. I know some truckers sleep like they are in a coma. I wake up fairly easily with a lot of excess noise.

On another note:
The Sisbro recruiter called and seemed anxious to talk to me. Anyone familiar with them?

[Biscuit Lips]

From reading all your post, I believe you would make an excellent taxi cab driver.

[eddie23949]

Originally Posted by madaxeman

Sarcasm is as helpful...as say...no help at all. It's not like I asked for 3 days off every week...with 3000 miles a week...and .50/mile...with an ungoverned truck that does 90 mph! I have 18 months experience and a clean record (no accidents, no tickets, no DUIs, no felonies, etc).

I just want these basic things:
Company dry van driver (no lease/maintenance$)
No-touch freight (consistent freight to keep trucks moving)
Good weekly miles/good pay (35 cpm or around there)
NOT being out 2+ weeks at a time and then getting no home time
Actually pays you detention time after 2 hours in a dock
(doesn't just say yeah we will put you down for it then you never see a penny)

Dude,

As you've no doubt figured out, MOST (but not all) of the guys on here are *****s that get their rocks off on the difficulties of others.

There ARE, however, a very few on here who will steer you in the right direction. It's easy to differentiate between the two. Listen to the latter and completely discount the former.

Good luck.