Comments By Eckoh

G-town brags:

Chickie, I have a tremendous luxury running Walmart. Y'all going to hate to hear this...

Our terminal driver's area has a full kitchen, full recreation room. We also have several drivers with seroiously good culinary skills. I have never had the need to cook on my truck, so I don't know how to answer this. Even if I am parked at a Walmart for my 10, I show my id and I can use the microwave in their break room.

I want iiiinnnn!!!!

I know!! I could make some Walmart drivers very happy as I possess some pretty mad culinary skills myself. It's always been a dream of mine to attend the Culinary Institute of America, more for the experience than the career.

I told my hubby when we were in NY: if I ever receive a load headed to Hyde Park (where the CIA is located) dispatch will be getting a message saying that I'm gonna be taking a reset here, then grab an Uber and take a campus tour! Hey, I wonder who delivers the food to the campus?!?

I have multiple degrees from Johnson and Wales University. trust me don't waste the money in that industry its actually a hinderance to employment as you will then cost too much for most places. (running restaurants is what i did before trucking)

ChickieMonster wants to know:

G-town how does it work with inverters without having an APU? I've seen the crock pots that plug into a 12v, but they are pretty small. I have a larger one that is a standard plug that my inverter runs no problem. That's what I use to cook on the road because I usually have leftovers for another night or two.

I have done a week on a Walmart reefer run. That's the Country Club of assignments if you can handle it! So I'll fill in the inverter question. I think the maximum wattage you can get out of a 12v auto socket is 300 watts - maybe enough for a tiny microwave. Maybe even for your crock pot.

I haven't "needed" an APU, either. Closest I've come is to the ones on the truck next to me, running all night long!

If you can't have any type of inverter get the Max Burton Oven to Go, its got an adjustable temp so you can use it as a crock pot or a normal oven. Its can be set anywhere from 75 to 350 degrees.

there is no microwave out there that will run on 300 watts anymore. However most truckstops do have one inside that you can use.

IMO having a reffer and an inverter in your truck is one of those things that once you have it you never want to go back to not having it. I do not think an APU is something to require of a company but a strong inverter and an opti idle or no idle policy is something they should all have.

Also remember if you are allowed pets that exempts you from idle policies from both the company (they may not like it) and from local laws as pets are not allowed to be vehicles without AC/Heat.

One thing some drivers do is to manage their hours so they can drive nearly every day. Yes the maximum of 70 hours in 8 days seems weird, but it's from the Government. 'Nuff said.

If you go crazy and drive a full 11 hours a day, you can drive seven days like this, (11 x 7 = 77), but on that eighth day you have 3 hours you can drive, and you must stop. However, at midnight, your pumpkin turns back into an 18 wheeler, and you "get back" all 11 hours you used a week ago, on the first day of your run. On Qualcomm Hours of Service, that's the part on the right side of the tab.

The 70 hours and the midnight thing work differently from the 14 hour day and the 11 hour daily limit. So, if your 14 hour day ends at 3am, and you need another 90 minutes to get to your destination, you might could wait till midnight and move on.

I made up a little activity where you can practice this, I called "70 in 8™": 70 Hours on Duty

not quite, remember on duty not driving time still comes off your 70. You have to add in pre trip time time at a customer and fuel.

Eckoh wrote:

If you can make it to 4 months Crete will take a look at you, they pay better then every company you listed by a mile.

A mile? Please quantify that in CPM for those of us "not in the know".

Crete start drivers with 0 experience (thoes from one of the schools they accept from) at 45 cpm for the dry van side and 48 cpm for the reffer side (shaffer trucking) i do not know what hunt (last best div) pays but i do know its 80% no tarp. This is for the 21 day national fleet, pay is reduced for the 12 day and 7 day fleets, regional fleets i believe are 43 cpm and i know the Northeast regional fleet is pay per day.

Crete says drivers average 2800 miles a week and its close to it overall you will rarely get under 2500 a week (i got 3690 last week)

They allow riders and pets all new trucks come with 1500 watt inverters (old trucks can have them installed at if driver pays for it and the inverters is yours and follows you into future trucks)

All trucks have some sort of climate control though the use of Opti Idle in the freight shakers and the smart start in the intertrashinals.

Average length of load is 700-800 miles but like with all companies some are shorter and some are longer, and its 99% no touch freight.

Just to add if you are going to move BEFORE you make any choice on company DO NOT just talk to recruiters. Go to truck stops and find drivers getting fuel, not the one sitting around in the truck stop, you will not really get to have a long conversation with them but you can very quickly find out info from them.

From what i found is of you HAVE to move ask a few simple questions you need real answers on:

What is the base pay (so you know what the starting point is) What are the average miles that driver gets (that way you get info from drivers not the recruiting party line)

then ask questions that are important to you, for example i will never work for a company that does not allow inverters or does not have some sort of climate control option (apu or opti idle) as if i am on the road i will be comfortable my way not how some desk monkey in an air conditioned office this i should be.

By all means if you do end up switching jobs make damn sure its a move up, not just a side step or even a step down. Also keep in mind without 1 full year behind the wheel you will most likely have to go out with a trainer again so that they can make sure you know what you are doing. Dont make a rash choice and end up worse off then you are. I started at swift and had my reasons for leaving on top of the fact that i couldn't pay the bills i needed to pay driving an average of 3000 miles a week with them. I now drive for crete and have had issues here as well but there is not another large carrier out there that comes close to paying what this company pays and can get you the miles they get you.

Like Old School said everything you have been though is part of trucking, it just sucks its all happened to you early on and all at once. If you end up still wanting to change do a truck ton of research before you move, the last then you want in this industry is to look like a job hopper.

If you can make it to 4 months Crete will take a look at you, they pay better then every company you listed by a mile.

They are dot illegal

If you got a trolly valve and are empty just pop it down really fast if you are empty... it will lock the trailer tires just enough to make lots of smoke and they will back off

DO NOT REALLY DO THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They will find automated trucks will be in lots of accidents... computers cannot anticipate what that minivan driver on a cellphone is going to do.. even with a driver in the truck the time needed to turn off the auto truck and have the driver take over provided hes even paying attention will take too long.

Many of the auto cars have been in accidents... there is no such thing as a harmless fender bender with an 80k truck

I've been out nearly a month solo and have never taken a reset. If you work your clock right you don't have too.

While this means working every day, I have had days where I was off duty nearly 24 hours.

Keep in mind, if the wheels aren't turning, you aren't making money! So taking 34 hours off can potentially hurt you financially.

it can also make you more money. burning your 70 and doing a reset can get you over 80 hours in a week.

Resetting is not bad when you are not getting hours back for a few days.