Comments By TwoSides

I fly out to Michigan on Sunday June 16th and landed in Detroit. The company sent an employee to pick up the three of us that arrived and drove an hour and twenty minutes to Flushing. We are staying in a house owned by the owner that is directly across the street from the main office where majority of the orientation will be. There are 5 people in orientation and it lasts for a total of 4 weeks.

The first week m-w is paperwork and details of the company. Th-S will be heading to the load yard down the street to see the duties we will preform. Sunday we will head to Springfield, OH in our trucks for week number 2 to do the actual loading of the equipment. Weeks 3 and 4 we will follow behind a mentor for additional training then head home. The first 2 weeks are paid hourly at $26 a day weeks 3 and 4 we will be paid our cpm of $1.10.

Day 1: The day starts at 7am. Today is paperwork, road test and meeting with the I.T department. After signing away our freedom we have lunch and then head over to the shop down the street to do the pre-trip and road test.

We get to the shop and go over the pre-trip. It wasn't extensive, they just wanted to know if we had basic knowledge of doing a pre-trip inspection. While doing the pre-trip, we were informed that we will do the road test in a 13 speed standard transmission Peterbilt.... my heart dropped to the floor... the only time I have driven a manual was in cdl school nearly 3 years ago and it was a 10 speed. Now I'm panicking because I have no idea how to split gears and downshifting is a major problem for me.

As we sit and wait to be tested, the conversation amongst us was, did anyone know we would be tested in a manual?. The answer was no... the recruiter never mentioned that the road test would be in a manual. He asked me if i had any restrictions and I don't but I told him I haven't driven a manual since cdl school. He told me that it wouldn't be a problem because I would most likely be driving an automatic...

Now the instructor comes in the room and lucky for me, I am the first to get tested. That's great. Let's get this over with so i can go home. No need to prolong this. As we walk towards the truck I ask him why are we doing the road test in a manual? He looks at me and says, you do know how to drive a manual, right? I said honestly I haven't driven a manual since cdl school and it was a 10 speed. He looks at me and says what do you want to do? Well we should go forward with this and see what will happen.....

We get in the truck, I do all my checks, put the truck in gear and let my foot off the clutch. It was bad from the beginning. I started in 3rd gear and he immediately asks me what gear am I in. I told him 3rd. He says why? I say because i am pulling an empty trailer and just thought to start in 3rd. He said wrong answer hahaha. It's going to be a looong test. We haven't even left the lot and already I'm getting yelled at.

Putting the truck into 1st we then start. Nervous doesn't even describe how I was feeling. Shifting through the gears it was going better than expected until I grinded the gears going into 7th. Ouch. Lost the rpms so I went fishing for a gear. Got it to 5th and started over. Coming up to a stop sign I don't attempt to downshift. He noticed that and tells me that he will not pass me if i don't downshift. So now my confidence is shot.

I get to the stop sign, get it to 1st and off we go. Going up the gears wasn't a problem but I didn't split any gears and didn't go past 8th. Now it was time to downshift again... 8th to 7th, good. 7th, to 6th to 5th, all good. 5th to 4th, not so good and 4th through 1st, horrible. I couldn't downshift from 4th to 3rd and was coasting out of gear while grinding the entire time. He reaches over and grabs the shifter and tells me to release the clutch. He puts it into 2nd gear and immediately I knew I just failed. Now I'm thinking about what company to apply to next.

As we are driving he asks me questions like, what color was the car that just past us, the color of the house on the right, what's behind us.. I got all of those questions correct. But downshifting was horrific. I was able to downshift from 8th to 5th fairly good but 4th to 1st I couldn't get it in gear and ended up just coasting until I stopped and reset it to 1st. Oh well I thought to myself. At least I tried.

Finally we get back to the shop and I felt defeated at that point. He looks at me and says, look, I'm going to pass you but you will never touch a manual truck at this company. He tells me what I did wrong and says he's only passing me because I kept the truck straight and showed that I was able to control the truck while driving. Also he says I am lucky because they started an automatic program 2 months ago.

Feeling a little relieved when I got out the truck but not totally convinced that I passed. I won't believe it until I actually move to the next step. The road test was horrendous and I don't see why I would have passed.

After everyone has took the test he handed us a paper and told us good job and sent us back to the office. Now I can be calm. Now I can forget about the tragedy that occurred and focus on the next steps to come....

Hello trucking family! It's been quite a while since I posted here. I'm starting a new adventure and thought it would be interesting to write about this new and different experience.

After months of research and careful thinking, I have decided to apply for Wheeler trucking. Wheeler is a specialized trucking company based in Flushing, MI. they haul cab chassis of Ford, GM, Isuzu and also sprinter vans.

I have seen their trucks a few times while on my travels and thought that it looked kinda cool, a mix between car hauler and flatbed. I traveled the Midwest a lot and saw their trucks more often and even saw them in PA around Harrisburg. I have been looking for a new company and seeing them close to where I live sparked an interest in me. One day in April I parked at a small truck stop in Ohio off of I-70 and saw two Wheeler trucks. So instead of me closing my curtains and going to sleep, I decided to walk over and have a talk with them. It ended up being a two hour conversation. They told me about the company, the job duties, the good, the bad and everything in-between.

One guy named Bill told me to fill out an application and he would call the office to get my application pushed forward. So I filled out the application the next morning and received a call in the afternoon. I spoke with the recruiter and he seemed to be honest about the company and not feeding me lies just to get me hired on. They had an orientation comong up for May 20th but we decided that I would come in for the June 17th orientation.

After speaking with the Wheeler drivers and the recruiter, I felt like this company could be the change I needed. Hopefully I am right about my decision...

Hey Davy congrats and good luck on your new journey. Sometimes change is necessary and I'm glad to hear that you are advancing in your career. Good luck and safe travels!

Davy, it's the same. We are paid zip to zip also. But the calculations for paid pratical miles are running the turnpike. They then set our paid miles and route us going around the turnpike. The route suggestions are routes avoiding the turnpike but our pay does not reflect that. Ending up with us driving an additional 50 to 100 miles more without compensation. It wouldn't be a problem if they paid us pratical miles avoiding the turnpike but they don't. Our paid miles are based on us running the turnpike.

I have asked other Knight drivers from different terminals if they are going through the same situation and they say they are not. But to be fair, the drivers I asked were dry van, not on a dedicated account and from out West.

Rob T, of course Old School is right. What he said is spot on about my terminal, DM and TM. Yes, I have approached my DM with facts and logic. It's hard for me to figure out the exact cost to run the truck on each load but I have shown him from my records how avoiding the turnpike is not logical. You are correct in saying they have blinders on and from my records I can only assume they are being "a penny wise, dollar foolish" but I'm pretty sure I'm not wrong in my assumption. My DM cares nothing about the drivers 70 because it is up to us to, and I quote "manage your clock better"....

Everyone's input has been greatly appreciated. I first want to say I'm not trying to bash my company, I'm just looking for information and knowledge on this topic from different drivers. And you all have provided that.

I just want to vent and say this is insane. It's insane that billion dollar companies disrespect, rob and take advantage of drivers. Dont they know without drivers they wouldn't have a business? The driver is the foundation of the company. Take away the driver and the whole thing crumbles. The body cannot walk without legs, cannot function without a brain, cannot move objects without arms. It's foolish for one part of the body to degrade another part. Everything has its function to make the body whole.

I was employed in Nov. 2021 and my first solo run was Dec 2021. My DM told me the turnpike was unauthorized in mid Jan. of this year. From Dec. 2021 to mid Jan 2023 I have ran the turnpike with no problems. While I was in orientation they did not mention anything about "unauthorized" routes. Nowhere in writing did I receive notification about the turnpike being unauthorized before mid Jan. The economy is bad and the companies solution to save money is to make the drivers do extra miles for free? That is ludicrous! Oldschool you are 100% on point about my terminal and my DM. There is no forming a relationship with him, I tried. He is only concerned with himself and I have come to the conclusion that he despises drivers and his coworkers in the office. I say that from what I have observed being here.

I am a very productive driver. Im not saying im the best driver at the terminal but I am a hard worker and I bust my ass at this company. Productivity is not an issue for me. I have told my DM that avoiding the turnpike is unproductive and not efficient. I have a notepad where I have taking notes for 6 months and shown him the difference in time, miles and I did bring up the fact that it is unfair to the driver. Also that it is burning more fuel and putting more strain on the trucks with those hills on I-80. But he response in the utmost corporate way.

From the responses I have received here I understand that this is a trucking issue. Some companies are worse than others but all in all this is a industry situation. This has to change, it is very unfair to the driver. Also how is this not illegal? Do the labor laws not apply for OTR truckers? I do understand being paid pratical miles over hub miles, I don't like it but I can eat that. What I can't do is drive 60 plus miles for free. So now I have a decision to make.

Thank you all for the responses. It truly helped

I'm having misunderstandings about "route suggestions" Oldschool, Davy, you guys have been with the company longer than I, so maybe you can explain their policies better. But I really need feedback on this topic from everyone...

The issue with the route suggestions, specifically is with running the pa turnpike. My DM says the pa turnpike is unauthorized, I cannot run it and I must take the way I am routed. The problem I see is it adds an astronomical amount of extra miles and it kills the clock.

For example, I get loaded in Cressona, pa delivering to Cincinnati, OH. Instead of starting my trip heading West towards Ohio via pa turnpike to I-70w, they route us to go North to I-80w then come South using I-75 to get into Cincinnati. Also going to St. Louis, MO from Cressona. Take I-80w to I-71s to 70w into Ohio. Another route that is suitable for them is to take 81s to 68w to 79n to 70w.

Apparently I am having a hard time seeing the logic in starting my trip heading North to I-80w when I have to go West and deliver to a place that is South of Columbus, OH. The explanation my DM told me was because the economy is bad, the pa turnpike is too expensive and the company has to save money. I told him that taking the route suggestion way adds an additional 50-100 miles onto the trip. His response was I get paid pratical miles....

About pratical miles, I have delivered freight to the Northwest and South where taking the pa turnpike was not an option. I have compared the paid miles with my hub miles and they are never more than a 30 mile difference. Is that not pratical miles? Is it still pratical miles when they calculate our pay by taking the turnpike, then route us around the turnpike and add 50 to 100 miles extra? I don't think that as a fair deal....

So now I have made this into two questions. Pratical miles and route suggestions.

Is there a cap to pratical miles or is it at the company's discretion?

Am I wrong for not thinking a route suggestion provided by the company is mandatory? That the word "suggestion" is actually a suggestion?

I appreciate everyone's input on this. It's becoming an issue with the company I am with.

Yea OS, I'm still surprised we haven't ran into each other yet. It would be a pleasure to meet a legend. I keep an eye out for you and Davy also, just not sure if Davy runs the East coast and Midwest. And Slick is my guy over there at Cressona lol, always an interesting conversation with him.

And I'm still with Knight because I don't want to rage quit lol. I understand trucking is frustrating at times and every company has its own set of problems. You know what I'm going through over there at Carlisle so you understand. I try to be understanding of the job the office folks have but it's really frustrating dealing with them.

Banks what's up man! Bad days starting out is an understatement lol. It was rough but it could have been worse. Things have calmed down since then and yes I have become more familiar with what it takes to be a professional truck driver. Learning and adapting everyday is a must.

I will also try to stay in touch more often. Stay safe out there drivers. Keep the rubber on the road!!

Howdy Old School!!! Turtle what's up man!! Yea it has been quite some time since I last posted. I really appreciated all the help from this site and I still use what you guys taught me out here on the road. I'm staying safe with no accidents or incidents.

Okay, so an update on my situation lol. I'm still with Knight and yes still skateboarding. A lot has happened and I don't know where to start.... Of course there have been many stressful days, times I wanted to quit on the spot. Seems like its been more bad days than good but I'm pushing through it. The only thing keeping me in good spirits are the friendships I have made at Knight with the other drivers.

Had my job threatened from my TM over "route suggestions" which are actually mandatory according to the TM, that meeting did not go well. A lot of back and forth with my DM, I can admit that sometimes I need to just stay quiet and not respond back to him. And im also taking into account that he has a stressful task with dealing with drivers and other things but his incompetence cannot be ignored any longer.

Waiting 2 or more hours for a backhaul after every single run. Problems at the Hydro plant in Cressona, "I do not Iike that place" problems with equipment, freight, 4 wheelers, dumb drivers on the road and my settlements. Yes!, my checks are still continually missing tarp pay, detention pay, layover and reimbursements to this day. But hey, that's trucking right?

Okay I know I'm whining but I had to get that off my chest lol. I did get my triple/doubles and tanker endorsements, studying for the hazmat now and should receive my twic card my next home time. Thinking about trying out tankers but I love flatbed, just hate the summer time and tarping most days lol.

All in all I'm good though and I can't thank this site enough from what I have learned.

Hey drivers, its been a while since i was on this site. Just came on to say hello. Hope everyone is safe, well, getting good miles and enjoying life! Keep the shiny side up!!

Great to read that you have stuck with it in flatbed for an entire year. That's a major accomplishment! Sean still your DM?

How did th hose two tires problem happen?

Thanks Pack. Yes Shawn is my DM. I remember when I first started and drivers were telling me bad things about him. I ignored them because I thought they were disgruntled drivers but now I see the truth.

I have no idea how the tires blew. Maybe I ran something over in the street?? I was on US-30 in Indiana carrying 40k. I heard two consecutive pops. The second being louder than the first