Trucking companies complain no truckers

[Ray From Cleveland]

Trucking companies complain no truckers

I guess they'll have to start paying money.

sure, if you find a half way reputable company you can start at $36K your fist year, but the truth is you work for an over-the-road company 24/7.

if you divide 10 to 14 hours per day driving, it's like 6.50 per hour.

For some strange reason we use the Karl Marx plan of per mile, so if a driver is stuck in traffic he gets nothing. More Socialist poison in America.

companies start at .17 cents, .18 cents per mile now.

Hmm, interesting. I was in the trucking business for the last 20 years of my working life. Dealt with our company drivers (Teamsters) as well as OTR company and OO drivers. I dealt with incoming and outgoing freight for our company.

Our company drivers started out at nearly $25 per hour (most had dedicated runs) and most Owner Operators (who brought freight into our warehouse made well over $90,000 - 100,000 per year. Most over the road drivers were (when I retired) making between .25 and .47 cents per mile.

Our drivers made (on average) $80,000 per year and up - depending on how hard they wanted to work. Most worked 5 day/night weeks averaging around 2,000+ miler per week.

I don't know what company is paying their drivers (maybe rookies?) .17-.18 per mile - but there is little wonder they can't find drivers. Only a rookie or a damned fool would work for that.

No, somebody just pulled that number out of the air. If anybody wants to see the kind of money that can be made, just go to Craigslist jobs (transportation) and see all the posts there. Nobody would ever find a driver willing to work for that little. Hourly, I have seen jobs pay as little as $10.00 an hour (during the heart of the recession) and up to (as you say) $25.00 for local work.

For us local drivers, the worst part is we are not covered under time-and-a-half laws. My company doesn't pay overtime, but we generally stay around 40 hours give or take, so for us, it's not that much of an issue. But I do know of companies like All-Pro and they will work you up to 60 hours a week straight time.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

Trucking companies complain no truckers

I guess they'll have to start paying money.

sure, if you find a half way reputable company you can start at $36K your fist year, but the truth is you work for an over-the-road company 24/7.

if you divide 10 to 14 hours per day driving, it's like 6.50 per hour.

For some strange reason we use the Karl Marx plan of per mile, so if a driver is stuck in traffic he gets nothing. More Socialist poison in America.

companies start at .17 cents, .18 cents per mile now.

The max you can drive per day is 11 hours.

I was wondering if anyone would point out that flaw in his whine.

And you can't fudge anymore because a lot of logs are electronic

Indeed. We went to on-board computer log books in 1995 (I believe it was). Funny thing? Our drivers LOVED them.

Im an old fart and don't know that much how they worked. One day a highway patrolman pulled me over and said he couldn't understand my log and was getting all pissy. I told him I really didn't know how they worked either.
Anyway he gave me a ticket for, "inadequate training."
He said this won't cost you any money but it will take points off your driving record.
I never heard of such a thing

They wrote me up for not having an invoice number of the delivery on my log. Another time I got pulled over and the guy bitched me out because I only filled out a logbook when I went over 100 air miles; most of my work is under. So I asked if that was the law? He told me "No, but you should fill out a logbook anyway." I said "For what, so you have something to get me on when I make a slight mistake?" LOL!

These DOT guys get a hard-on for something stupid every year. One year it was expired fire extinguishers. Every time they pulled you over, they always checked the fire extinguisher. Now it's fuses believe it or not. You have to have a set of spare fuses available in your truck or you get written up.

It's not the license points that are a concern today. A few years ago they came up with the program CSA-2010. It's a separate point system from your drivers license. One of our guys walked off the job after getting into a fight with my employer. I ran into him a few months later, and he said he couldn't find a good paying job. He had a clean license, but had too many CSA-2010 points.

 

[RandallFlagg]

Trucking companies complain no truckers

I guess they'll have to start paying money.

sure, if you find a half way reputable company you can start at $36K your fist year, but the truth is you work for an over-the-road company 24/7.

if you divide 10 to 14 hours per day driving, it's like 6.50 per hour.

For some strange reason we use the Karl Marx plan of per mile, so if a driver is stuck in traffic he gets nothing. More Socialist poison in America.

companies start at .17 cents, .18 cents per mile now.

Hmm, interesting. I was in the trucking business for the last 20 years of my working life. Dealt with our company drivers (Teamsters) as well as OTR company and OO drivers. I dealt with incoming and outgoing freight for our company.

Our company drivers started out at nearly $25 per hour (most had dedicated runs) and most Owner Operators (who brought freight into our warehouse made well over $90,000 - 100,000 per year. Most over the road drivers were (when I retired) making between .25 and .47 cents per mile.

Our drivers made (on average) $80,000 per year and up - depending on how hard they wanted to work. Most worked 5 day/night weeks averaging around 2,000+ miler per week.

I don't know what company is paying their drivers (maybe rookies?) .17-.18 per mile - but there is little wonder they can't find drivers. Only a rookie or a damned fool would work for that.

No, somebody just pulled that number out of the air. If anybody wants to see the kind of money that can be made, just go to Craigslist jobs (transportation) and see all the posts there. Nobody would ever find a driver willing to work for that little. Hourly, I have seen jobs pay as little as $10.00 an hour (during the heart of the recession) and up to (as you say) $25.00 for local work.

For us local drivers, the worst part is we are not covered under time-and-a-half laws. My company doesn't pay overtime, but we generally stay around 40 hours give or take, so for us, it's not that much of an issue. But I do know of companies like All-Pro and they will work you up to 60 hours a week straight time.

Our guys operated off a "Job Bid" That was held quarterly- 4 bids per year. Your seniority was how your runs were determined. Obviously, guys that had been with the company for anywhere from 20-50 years got the "prime" stuff, weekends off, days or nights, as well as vacation periods. Guys with over 6 years got 3 weeks vacation. 8 years - 4 weeks and after 15 years - 5 weeks. They didn't get time and a half - but it really wasn't necessary (for the most part) if they had backhauls, after logging in at the backhaul location (meat plant or whatever) they went on the clock - $25 per hour, although it was 90% of the time drop and hook (which they get paid for also).

They don't get meal breaks - but they can stop anytime they wish (for as long as they wish). Keeping in mind that the majority of the runs were around 200-250 miles UP and the same back. A guy would start say at 5PM pull his load to the stores and be back by 2:30 - 3:00 AM. Put his truck up and head home. Normally, layover pay wasn't necessary, but in the odd event that a load wasn't ready - motels and meals were paid, plus layover pay (hourly).

 

[RandallFlagg]

The max you can drive per day is 11 hours.

I was wondering if anyone would point out that flaw in his whine.

And you can't fudge anymore because a lot of logs are electronic

Indeed. We went to on-board computer log books in 1995 (I believe it was). Funny thing? Our drivers LOVED them.

Im an old fart and don't know that much how they worked. One day a highway patrolman pulled me over and said he couldn't understand my log and was getting all pissy. I told him I really didn't know how they worked either.
Anyway he gave me a ticket for, "inadequate training."
He said this won't cost you any money but it will take points off your driving record.
I never heard of such a thing

They wrote me up for not having an invoice number of the delivery on my log. Another time I got pulled over and the guy bitched me out because I only filled out a logbook when I went over 100 air miles; most of my work is under. So I asked if that was the law? He told me "No, but you should fill out a logbook anyway." I said "For what, so you have something to get me on when I make a slight mistake?" LOL!

These DOT guys get a hard-on for something stupid every year. One year it was expired fire extinguishers. Every time they pulled you over, they always checked the fire extinguisher. Now it's fuses believe it or not. You have to have a set of spare fuses available in your truck or you get written up.

It's not the license points that are a concern today. A few years ago they came up with the program CSA-2010. It's a separate point system from your drivers license. One of our guys walked off the job after getting into a fight with my employer. I ran into him a few months later, and he said he couldn't find a good paying job. He had a clean license, but had too many CSA-2010 points.

That same shit happened to a couple of our drivers, as well. Our legal department took care of it. the 100 air miles thing is valid. we had "city" drivers and "Country" drivers. City drivers (although not required) ran the same computer logs that the country drivers ran.

 

[tyroneweaver]

Get caught on cell phone by state trooper $300
Get caught by DOT $1900 and automatic firing.

 

[Hossfly]

Trucking companies complain no truckers

I guess they'll have to start paying money.

sure, if you find a half way reputable company you can start at $36K your fist year, but the truth is you work for an over-the-road company 24/7.

if you divide 10 to 14 hours per day driving, it's like 6.50 per hour.

For some strange reason we use the Karl Marx plan of per mile, so if a driver is stuck in traffic he gets nothing. More Socialist poison in America.

companies start at .17 cents, .18 cents per mile now.

Really? What companies are those?

For over-the-road drivers, there is heavy competition. In fact, this year, we need over 60,000 new drivers that industry can't find.

As for pay, if you spend one year on the road and have a good record, you can easily get into one of the major companies and do 60K per year if not better. UPS and FedEx have all kinds of local jobs so you can go home every night if you wish. I have a friend at CCX that says they are doing all they can to find new employees.

The problem isn't the trucking companies, the problem is our government.

Nearly every year, the government adds more and more DOT cops. They can pull you over for any reason at any time. Since truck drivers have no Constitutional rights, they can pull you over, invade your trailer, look in your cab, and even under the hood of your vehicle. And if they don't like the way you look, they can even order you to take a drug test.

If you do drive a truck for a living, you get a pretty good idea of how the Germans lived during WWII. When you pass one of those DOT cops, or in my state that certifies the state troopers to do the same, you always look in your mirror to see if one is going to hunt you down.

Friend of mine in North Texas says his oil company has a hard time finding drivers who can pass a drug test. The drivers he has makes very good money.

 

[RandallFlagg]

Get caught on cell phone by state trooper $300
Get caught by DOT $1900 and automatic firing.

Yep. Right before I retired, the company installed cameras in the trucks, GPS locators, seat belt transmitters, and yes - if you were caught on a cell phone (while driving) the company would suspend you for three days. Another offense and you were fired and no, the union couldn't get your job back.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

It sounds like somebody got a CDL after hearing about good money, and is pissed because it isn't starting pay.

Believe me - I have heard every horror story that can be told. When I first retired from the Army and went to work for the Wholesale distributor in the MidWest (in like 1989) some of these companies were working their guys nearly to death, running two, three and sometimes four logbooks. Being out on the road for 6-8 weeks at a time, never getting any home time - on and on. Then I became familiar with the "company drivers". Our guys had a damn fine deal. 5 days or nights on - two days off. They made great money, had a great health and welfare program, great vacation time. For the life of me, I could never figure out why the hell ANYONE would want to be an OTR driver. I used to see those guys come into the warehouse barely able to stand - they had to drive for two days straight to get to Kansas City - had to hire a lumper, unload and immediately call dispatch to get another load - all before getting any sleep.

No damned way to live, if you ask me....

No, I would never consider it even if it were an option.

The problem before the 90's is that drivers would get a license in every state they drove. If they got pulled over, they handed the trooper their license in that state, and they only got points in that state. They used to drive like maniacs back then.

Today of course, we have CDL's which are national. If you get a ticket in Arizona, it applies to your license no matter what state you are in. The problem with that is when you have a CDL, it's the only license you have. A friend of mine who is a driver attended a farewell party for his supervisor. When the drivers left, the cops were pulling these guys over. They were arresting them for DUI's even though some only had one or two beers. If you have a CDL, you are under the CDL standards for what is considered intoxicated whether you are in a truck or your car on personal time. With a CDL, that's less than one beer.

Of course you can't find people willing to drive for a living. Too much damned government.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

Trucking companies complain no truckers

I guess they'll have to start paying money.

sure, if you find a half way reputable company you can start at $36K your fist year, but the truth is you work for an over-the-road company 24/7.

if you divide 10 to 14 hours per day driving, it's like 6.50 per hour.

For some strange reason we use the Karl Marx plan of per mile, so if a driver is stuck in traffic he gets nothing. More Socialist poison in America.

companies start at .17 cents, .18 cents per mile now.

Really? What companies are those?

For over-the-road drivers, there is heavy competition. In fact, this year, we need over 60,000 new drivers that industry can't find.

As for pay, if you spend one year on the road and have a good record, you can easily get into one of the major companies and do 60K per year if not better. UPS and FedEx have all kinds of local jobs so you can go home every night if you wish. I have a friend at CCX that says they are doing all they can to find new employees.

The problem isn't the trucking companies, the problem is our government.

Nearly every year, the government adds more and more DOT cops. They can pull you over for any reason at any time. Since truck drivers have no Constitutional rights, they can pull you over, invade your trailer, look in your cab, and even under the hood of your vehicle. And if they don't like the way you look, they can even order you to take a drug test.

If you do drive a truck for a living, you get a pretty good idea of how the Germans lived during WWII. When you pass one of those DOT cops, or in my state that certifies the state troopers to do the same, you always look in your mirror to see if one is going to hunt you down.

Friend of mine in North Texas says his oil company has a hard time finding drivers who can pass a drug test. The drivers he has makes very good money.

My employer had the same problem. Just so he didn't have to go through the hassle of having drivers fail a drug test, he has applicants tested before he hires them. Most of them just told him up-front that there is no way they can pass a drug test.

 

[RandallFlagg]

Trucking companies complain no truckers

I guess they'll have to start paying money.

sure, if you find a half way reputable company you can start at $36K your fist year, but the truth is you work for an over-the-road company 24/7.

if you divide 10 to 14 hours per day driving, it's like 6.50 per hour.

For some strange reason we use the Karl Marx plan of per mile, so if a driver is stuck in traffic he gets nothing. More Socialist poison in America.

companies start at .17 cents, .18 cents per mile now.

Really? What companies are those?

For over-the-road drivers, there is heavy competition. In fact, this year, we need over 60,000 new drivers that industry can't find.

As for pay, if you spend one year on the road and have a good record, you can easily get into one of the major companies and do 60K per year if not better. UPS and FedEx have all kinds of local jobs so you can go home every night if you wish. I have a friend at CCX that says they are doing all they can to find new employees.

The problem isn't the trucking companies, the problem is our government.

Nearly every year, the government adds more and more DOT cops. They can pull you over for any reason at any time. Since truck drivers have no Constitutional rights, they can pull you over, invade your trailer, look in your cab, and even under the hood of your vehicle. And if they don't like the way you look, they can even order you to take a drug test.

If you do drive a truck for a living, you get a pretty good idea of how the Germans lived during WWII. When you pass one of those DOT cops, or in my state that certifies the state troopers to do the same, you always look in your mirror to see if one is going to hunt you down.

Friend of mine in North Texas says his oil company has a hard time finding drivers who can pass a drug test. The drivers he has makes very good money.

My employer had the same problem. Just so he didn't have to go through the hassle of having drivers fail a drug test, he has applicants tested before he hires them. Most of them just told him up-front that there is no way they can pass a drug test.

That was the other thing - My company did (just like the Army) random drug testing. Hell, even I was subject to it, as a supervisor. Yeah, it sucked (I don't do drugs) but seems like every time I was shutting my office door, the company EMT was there with the "little cup"

 

[tyroneweaver]

Get caught on cell phone by state trooper $300
Get caught by DOT $1900 and automatic firing.

Yep. Right before I retired, the company installed cameras in the trucks, GPS locators, seat belt transmitters, and yes - if you were caught on a cell
phone (while driving) the company would suspend you for three days. Another offense and you were fired and no, the union couldn't get your job back.

Same here.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

Trucking companies complain no truckers

I guess they'll have to start paying money.

sure, if you find a half way reputable company you can start at $36K your fist year, but the truth is you work for an over-the-road company 24/7.

if you divide 10 to 14 hours per day driving, it's like 6.50 per hour.

For some strange reason we use the Karl Marx plan of per mile, so if a driver is stuck in traffic he gets nothing. More Socialist poison in America.

companies start at .17 cents, .18 cents per mile now.

Really? What companies are those?

For over-the-road drivers, there is heavy competition. In fact, this year, we need over 60,000 new drivers that industry can't find.

As for pay, if you spend one year on the road and have a good record, you can easily get into one of the major companies and do 60K per year if not better. UPS and FedEx have all kinds of local jobs so you can go home every night if you wish. I have a friend at CCX that says they are doing all they can to find new employees.

The problem isn't the trucking companies, the problem is our government.

Nearly every year, the government adds more and more DOT cops. They can pull you over for any reason at any time. Since truck drivers have no Constitutional rights, they can pull you over, invade your trailer, look in your cab, and even under the hood of your vehicle. And if they don't like the way you look, they can even order you to take a drug test.

If you do drive a truck for a living, you get a pretty good idea of how the Germans lived during WWII. When you pass one of those DOT cops, or in my state that certifies the state troopers to do the same, you always look in your mirror to see if one is going to hunt you down.

Friend of mine in North Texas says his oil company has a hard time finding drivers who can pass a drug test. The drivers he has makes very good money.

My employer had the same problem. Just so he didn't have to go through the hassle of having drivers fail a drug test, he has applicants tested before he hires them. Most of them just told him up-front that there is no way they can pass a drug test.

That was the other thing - My company did (just like the Army) random drug testing. Hell, even I was subject to it, as a supervisor. Yeah, it sucked (I don't do drugs) but seems like every time I was shutting my office door, the company EMT was there with the "little cup"

It is intrusive. But it's not just drivers, it stems to many careers.

My father is a retired bricklayer. He has a great pension and the union sends their retirees newsletters all the time. He got one from the union asking retirees to find new people to join the trade! Yes, bricklaying is extremely hard work, and I didn't get into it myself, but it is a great paying job with great benefits.

The union found plenty of guys willing to try the trade out, but they couldn't find many that were capable of passing a drug test. That's why they were so desperate as to ask their retirees to find them new people.

 

[Muhammed]

Why are the socialists to blame ?

Are u mad that there are regs against 1/2 asleep drivers barreling down the highway in semi trucks !?

It has nothing to do with that. There are drivers with spotless records that the Obama Administration is punishing.

The DAN should be prosecuted before a court of law and lynched for treason.

 

[Manonthestreet]

It sounds like somebody got a CDL after hearing about good money, and is pissed because it isn't starting pay.

Believe me - I have heard every horror story that can be told. When I first retired from the Army and went to work for the Wholesale distributor in the MidWest (in like 1989) some of these companies were working their guys nearly to death, running two, three and sometimes four logbooks. Being out on the road for 6-8 weeks at a time, never getting any home time - on and on. Then I became familiar with the "company drivers". Our guys had a damn fine deal. 5 days or nights on - two days off. They made great money, had a great health and welfare program, great vacation time. For the life of me, I could never figure out why the hell ANYONE would want to be an OTR driver. I used to see those guys come into the warehouse barely able to stand - they had to drive for two days straight to get to Kansas City - had to hire a lumper, unload and immediately call dispatch to get another load - all before getting any sleep.

No damned way to live, if you ask me....

No, I would never consider it even if it were an option.

The problem before the 90's is that drivers would get a license in every state they drove. If they got pulled over, they handed the trooper their license in that state, and they only got points in that state. They used to drive like maniacs back then.

Today of course, we have CDL's which are national. If you get a ticket in Arizona, it applies to your license no matter what state you are in. The problem with that is when you have a CDL, it's the only license you have. A friend of mine who is a driver attended a farewell party for his supervisor. When the drivers left, the cops were pulling these guys over. They were arresting them for DUI's even though some only had one or two beers. If you have a CDL, you are under the CDL standards for what is considered intoxicated whether you are in a truck or your car on personal time. With a CDL, that's less than one beer.

Of course you can't find people willing to drive for a living. Too much damned government.

Do you realize we have the same blood pressure requirements as an astronaut........seems they are trying to create artificial churn, then ad in their new kick on sleep apnea. Customer of mine who drives off and on was told by an insider they have a goal of getting 33% of drivers on those machines

 

[RandallFlagg]

Trucking companies complain no truckers

I guess they'll have to start paying money.

sure, if you find a half way reputable company you can start at $36K your fist year, but the truth is you work for an over-the-road company 24/7.

if you divide 10 to 14 hours per day driving, it's like 6.50 per hour.

For some strange reason we use the Karl Marx plan of per mile, so if a driver is stuck in traffic he gets nothing. More Socialist poison in America.

companies start at .17 cents, .18 cents per mile now.

Really? What companies are those?

For over-the-road drivers, there is heavy competition. In fact, this year, we need over 60,000 new drivers that industry can't find.

As for pay, if you spend one year on the road and have a good record, you can easily get into one of the major companies and do 60K per year if not better. UPS and FedEx have all kinds of local jobs so you can go home every night if you wish. I have a friend at CCX that says they are doing all they can to find new employees.

The problem isn't the trucking companies, the problem is our government.

Nearly every year, the government adds more and more DOT cops. They can pull you over for any reason at any time. Since truck drivers have no Constitutional rights, they can pull you over, invade your trailer, look in your cab, and even under the hood of your vehicle. And if they don't like the way you look, they can even order you to take a drug test.

If you do drive a truck for a living, you get a pretty good idea of how the Germans lived during WWII. When you pass one of those DOT cops, or in my state that certifies the state troopers to do the same, you always look in your mirror to see if one is going to hunt you down.

Friend of mine in North Texas says his oil company has a hard time finding drivers who can pass a drug test. The drivers he has makes very good money.

My employer had the same problem. Just so he didn't have to go through the hassle of having drivers fail a drug test, he has applicants tested before he hires them. Most of them just told him up-front that there is no way they can pass a drug test.

That was the other thing - My company did (just like the Army) random drug testing. Hell, even I was subject to it, as a supervisor. Yeah, it sucked (I don't do drugs) but seems like every time I was shutting my office door, the company EMT was there with the "little cup"

It is intrusive. But it's not just drivers, it stems to many careers.

My father is a retired bricklayer. He has a great pension and the union sends their retirees newsletters all the time. He got one from the union asking retirees to find new people to join the trade! Yes, bricklaying is extremely hard work, and I didn't get into it myself, but it is a great paying job with great benefits.

The union found plenty of guys willing to try the trade out, but they couldn't find many that were capable of passing a drug test. That's why they were so desperate as to ask their retirees to find them new people.

Indeed. My best friend from High School, his dad was an electrician and he offered to get my friend (his Son) and me into the apprenticeship program at the IBEW and like a damned fool, I went into the Army and headed to Viet Nam...what a dumbass I was..... Funny thing, though, right after my best friend got his Journeyman license, he was drafted and spent the next two years at Fort Sill, OK. Still.......I was an IDIOT!!!!

 

[RandallFlagg]

Trucking companies complain no truckers

I guess they'll have to start paying money.

sure, if you find a half way reputable company you can start at $36K your fist year, but the truth is you work for an over-the-road company 24/7.

if you divide 10 to 14 hours per day driving, it's like 6.50 per hour.

For some strange reason we use the Karl Marx plan of per mile, so if a driver is stuck in traffic he gets nothing. More Socialist poison in America.

companies start at .17 cents, .18 cents per mile now.

The max you can drive per day is 11 hours.

I was wondering if anyone would point out that flaw in his whine.

And you can't fudge anymore because a lot of logs are electronic

Indeed. We went to on-board computer log books in 1995 (I believe it was). Funny thing? Our drivers LOVED them.

Im an old fart and don't know that much how they worked. One day a highway patrolman pulled me over and said he couldn't understand my log and was getting all pissy. I told him I really didn't know how they worked either.
Anyway he gave me a ticket for, "inadequate training."
He said this won't cost you any money but it will take points off your driving record.
I never heard of such a thing

Well, the first system we had - each driver had a "card" actually looked like a battery box (?) that they put into the onboard computer. They each had a password (I believe that it was the last 4 of their SSN) and then they would follow the prompts. When the prompt said "pre-trip" you would type in "Yes" so on and so forth. At the end of the night again, you would be prompted with "post-trip" and then you would log off. After a couple of years they went with a voice system.

 

[WildBillKelsoe]

Trucking companies complain no truckers

I guess they'll have to start paying money.

sure, if you find a half way reputable company you can start at $36K your fist year, but the truth is you work for an over-the-road company 24/7.

if you divide 10 to 14 hours per day driving, it's like 6.50 per hour.

For some strange reason we use the Karl Marx plan of per mile, so if a driver is stuck in traffic he gets nothing. More Socialist poison in America.

companies start at .17 cents, .18 cents per mile now.

The company I work for starts at 43 cents a miles.

 

[WildBillKelsoe]

Trucking companies complain no truckers

I guess they'll have to start paying money.

sure, if you find a half way reputable company you can start at $36K your fist year, but the truth is you work for an over-the-road company 24/7.

if you divide 10 to 14 hours per day driving, it's like 6.50 per hour.

For some strange reason we use the Karl Marx plan of per mile, so if a driver is stuck in traffic he gets nothing. More Socialist poison in America.

companies start at .17 cents, .18 cents per mile now.

Drove a Semi for a short period, and never again would I do that!

It is not a job but a way of life, and it is like the old cowboy life on the wagon trails...

Yeah, trucking fucking sucks. I'm hoping to be out of this bullshit business this time next year. I can't believe it took me so long to get fed up with it.

 

[tyroneweaver]

The max you can drive per day is 11 hours.

I was wondering if anyone would point out that flaw in his whine.

And you can't fudge anymore because a lot of logs are electronic

Indeed. We went to on-board computer log books in 1995 (I believe it was). Funny thing? Our drivers LOVED them.

Im an old fart and don't know that much how they worked. One day a highway patrolman pulled me over and said he couldn't understand my log and was getting all pissy. I told him I really didn't know how they worked either.
Anyway he gave me a ticket for, "inadequate training."
He said this won't cost you any money but it will take points off your driving record.
I never heard of such a thing

Well, the first system we had - each driver had a "card" actually looked like a battery box (?) that they put into the onboard computer. They each had a password (I believe that it was the last 4 of their SSN) and then they would follow the prompts. When the prompt said "pre-trip" you would type in "Yes" so on and so forth. At the end of the night again, you would be prompted with "post-trip" and then you would log off. After a couple of years they went with a voice system.

they would review ours in the office and if obvious mistakes were made they would change them.
There other systems that were better, but they were cheating us out of money we earned.
I think the system they used when I was driving was the same as DOT foods. I think in was PPL or people somehting like that.
I wave at my old buddies as they drive by....from the golf course fairway.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

Trucking companies complain no truckers

I guess they'll have to start paying money.

sure, if you find a half way reputable company you can start at $36K your fist year, but the truth is you work for an over-the-road company 24/7.

if you divide 10 to 14 hours per day driving, it's like 6.50 per hour.

For some strange reason we use the Karl Marx plan of per mile, so if a driver is stuck in traffic he gets nothing. More Socialist poison in America.

companies start at .17 cents, .18 cents per mile now.

Drove a Semi for a short period, and never again would I do that!

It is not a job but a way of life, and it is like the old cowboy life on the wagon trails...

Yeah, trucking fucking sucks. I'm hoping to be out of this bullshit business this time next year. I can't believe it took me so long to get fed up with it.

Agreed. If I knew what I know today and how the government was going to be so intrusive, I would have been a plumber.