Profile For Drew D.

These were the questions I asked myself as well. I am not unhappy with my current work. The only alluring thing is the ability to see my daughter twice a week as opposed to summers and breaks. The **** we do for kids right?

That said, I am honestly leaning toward staying put. If for no other reason than I am in the best shape I've been in since my late teens and, for some reason, I really enjoy delivering to bars. Takes me back to my local musician days.

I'm still willing to consider if they offer to pay my hourly while im stuck or something to that effect. I just still have PTSD over being stuck for days on the 80 in Wyoming not getting paid a dime.

I'd say if you're happy with what you're currently doing just stick with it. Most local jobs go off seniority. If that's the case where you're at there's a reason those above you don't want it. Do you have wife/kids at home? If so, how do they feel about it? Will you have similar hours if you make the switch? If you're looking for the most money it wouldn't make sense to make the switch for an extra dollar an hour if you're getting 5 hours less a week. Are you able to go back to local if you dislike it? Will you get back on the same route with the customers you've likely developed professional relationships with?

Yikes! Yeah there are hotels here and there. Basically you have Ladd Canyon, Cabbage, and Snoqualmie pass being the main culprits during this time. If the company gave me a sleeper, even a slip seater, I wouldn't care as much.

I don't like chaining and I normally adopted the doctrine of "if its too borked that it needs chains, its borked enough to pull the mustard and shut down." But with a lane that is hourly and has strict deadlines, that will not be viable. That said, at an hourly rate, I'll spend 45 minutes throwing chains if necessary.

So unpopular opinion here...

But I learned to like having cameras. I don't have anything to hide from my employers, so they can watch me pick my nose and scratch my balls all day if that is what they get off on.

Partial joking aside, cameras saved my ass from liability TWICE when I worked for AAA. No one spends time watching trucker TV. Safefy usually has bigger fish to fry. That said, as others have mentioned, during downtime, close the curtains. Some trucks have a middle visor that pulls down over the camera as well.

I would not tamper with the equipment, however. Some companies roll their eyes at it while others will outright fire you for it.

Two Amazon trucks took out two of my Conpany's truck on 84wb just West of Boise last week. None of our drivers were hurt, but BOTH Amazon trucks were going way too fast for conditions fishtailing all over the place.

Hey guys,

Couple of questions regarding a potential lane that my company wants to offer me as I have been on the fence regarding this new possible position.

So I'm currently running in town keg delivery in Boise and really enjoying it. Feel healthy, lost several pounds, overall loving life despite all the elbow grease.

My company offered me an additional dollar per hour plus per diem to run a dedicated lane from Boise, ID to Tacoma, WA twice a week. This would be in a daycab and, of course, winter just kicked off.

Now normally, I would have probably said no outright if this were any other lane going to say Wyoming, but since I have close family out that way that I don't see a lot, it has me considering it.

Now having run Eastern Oregon and Snoqualmie pass, I am fully aware of the potential for chaos. I am also under the impression Oregon drastically reduced it's road maintenance budget because.. Well... Its Oregon and have to spend money on other useless programs we won't talk about..

All that said, I have until Monday to make a decision.

So how screwed are you if you get held up/shut down in a Daycab?

How does layover/shutdown typically work on an hourly basis?

Would you personally consider back and forth trips through that area for slightly more scratch?

Yes, I would be expected to throw iron.

Yes, the company does pay for hotels.

Preventive measures.

If you don't want to roll the dice and carry a firearm, then personal convey to a safe location if you are deadzoned in a ghetto area. I would have argued with any safety manager any day of the week on that. No load is worth putting my life at risk especially if my 2nd amendment rights are hamstrung by both company policy and liberal states that go after law abiding citizens before criminals.

All that said, I've never had an issue because I've always managed to make safety my top priority. I would rather do a 10 hour reset 100 miles away than sit in a crack den parking lot with significant risk.

As far as the load goes, padlock and pray. If someone robs the load, it isn't your problem. Make the necessary phone calls, file the reports through the proper channels, and go from there. Let the company deal with it.

My buddy who worked with me at both my OTR companies had nothing but bad things to say about his experience with Schinider. That said, I don't have any personal experience with them. But like my crazy uncle used to say: If it doesn't get your southern blood pumping then you probably shouldn't "F" it. OTR was a boat I wish I caught before I became a father of 3 and a homeowner. If I could go back in time, I would live out of my truck for a few years and hoard a ton of money. I got tired very quickly of "chasing the dragon" for the pay I needed to justify being away from home with the various issues that arise on the road. Personally, I thought trucking was the easiest job ive ever had from an operational standpoint. But, in the end, I decided to go local beer delivery and was the best decision I could have made. Now I sling kegs all day on a bar route in Boise and meet some really fun business owners. I lost 30 pounds since I started and feel great. Get paid hourly. And home every night. Plus its 4 days a week and still manage overtime. Between the overtime, not spending as much on the road, and factoring time spent at job, I save significantly more plus I'm getting in really good shape and I get to have a life. If you want to do some part time local work with your CDL, you shouldn't have too much trouble. But like other have said, put in the two weeks. Its the professional thing to do. I just had to sign a form with my current company that allows for them to contact my previous companies to verify my driving and employment status. You don't want to give them a reason to torpedo you later. Your CDL is worth only as much as the good will, performance, and time equity you put on it. Just my thoughts. They aren't going to put your feet in concrete shoes over quitting properly. They probably receive at least a dozen notices a week. They aren't going to zero in on yours.

Indeed profile and put in that you already have your CDL [and I'm assuming medical card] and you will get offers.

Also, like someone said above, Schneider is always hiring.

More annoyances than stressors for me. I've never once found trucking stressful, but I also dealt with distracted drivers trying to kill me multiple times a day while towing cars and/or changing tires on the freeways of Seattle. So I always found trucking to be a more controlled environment in comparison as far as the situations I've been in personally.

But here is my list:

1: Extended layovers with no trip plan in sight.

2: Getting held up at multiple docks in one day with very little in the way of drive time thus not getting paid well.

3. Companies deliberately abusing policies to avoid paying you the extras like layover and breakdown which devalues your overall time out.

4.RV drivers and people who pull a $100,000 camper with a $1,100 beater they bought at an auction.

5.Wyoming

6.People who expect reefer haulers to find "alternative" parking when parking is already extremely limited.

7.Other truckers who have a holier-than-thou attitude about trivial things. Example: People who shove cameras in the faces of those who pull forward from fuel pumps who run inside for a quick restroom break or complain about people strategically taking 30s at fuel pumps. (Yes, you can do this without holding up the pumps with proper time management).

8.Swapping trailers with someone who stole the load locks and left enough broken wood and dirt in the back to build a greenhouse after you properly maintained yours.

Thats really all I can think of at the moment. Just basic run of the mill gripes you get at any job. What makes trucking somewhat unique is the losing of money through things that may be completely out of your control.

So if someone has a delivery at 11pm, and they get off the door with bills in hand by say 1am. They are also located somewhat near a major city. Every truck stop in the area along with rest stops are filled and backed out onto the freeway, where does the driver park? I'm just curious because unless you get to choose your own pickup and drop off time, we all have had to "rough it" in less than desirable locations. Granted, I never had to use the ramp, but came close a few times.