Comments By David G.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all! Enjoy this special day!

Guy is right.

It`s just a start up issue. You are actually in a better place than a lot of drivers who are in this business.

My advice would be to keep doing what you are doing and you will be rewarded.

Thanks. It's 12:01am Got to roll!

This is my third month driving truck and the urge to quit is high. But like the advice given, I'm gonna grit my teeth and survive my first year.

Good for you. I have to admit there is some satisfaction learning to drive, getting good a shifting and downshifting and especially backing. I'm trying some blind side backing when the opportunity arises and there no one else around or there is an empty yard and I need to drop and hook a trailer. Just very hard getting started.

First, let me thank you all for the great insight, advice and sharing you have all provided in this post. I'm back for more ........

Tell me if this is just trucking, start up issues or WTF? I've been reviewing my weekly runs and hours, etc. I'm getting up at 2am not getting home until 7pm, driving 425 to 450 miles a day (that is actual miles so according to PC miler I'm getting paid on much less) so at the starting rate I get paid I'm making if I'm lucking $125 to $150 a day. I'm on a home daily program is what they call it but not much quality of home daily and definitely not a survivable wage. I'm told by dispatch I need to be somewhere by 7am; I'm up by 2am get to my destination and then I'm told they don't have anything for me. I'm told to drive to the terminal and wait. After a half hour I call, nothing, after an hour I call nothing, almost two hours later I'm told they have something ready for me, Yeah! I drive over to the location only to find out the load hasn't been started (not a drop and hook as they told me) so I have to wait another three (3) hours to get live loaded. I'm also told by the shipper the load I was sent to pick up wasn't scheduled to be done until 3:30pm in the afternoon and it's only 11am now. I asked my dispatched why I'm there at 11:00am in the morning for a drop and hook when they tell me the order is scheduled for a 3:30pm load time. All they can say is they don't control what goes on at the customer (You know I'm thinking BS). Anyway, this is becoming more and more of an issue. I have to make a liveable wage and have some respect for my time. What is really frustrating is all I hear about is how they need drivers and don't have any drivers and how drivers are quitting. But on the other hand they have a core group of drivers who have these gravy train routes. I know because I got sent out of my normal pattern to deliver something and spoke with a coupe of drivers who are doing simple drop and hooks all day. Four 125 mile runs everyday just dropping and hooking trailers and all highway driving and they are done in 10 hours.

By the way, don't know if you recall but I'm new to trucking, period, about 3 months solo company driver now. I'm really enjoying the driving and the backing. I'm planning on having a discussion with my company to try to improve things instead of just jumping ship. I need to investigate what other types of runs there are and just ask my employer, "How am I suppose to make a living making $125 to $150 a day working from 2am to 7pm". I just have to let them know I can't sustain that schedule especially without a payoff.

What do you think and any advice on situation, strategy, approach or is that just trucking?

Thanks again for all the input.

Overall it's O.K. You make a good point. I'm still trying to figure out what I want to get out of this new crazy career called trucking. I'm new to trucking period. I feel a little like the Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) in field of dreams when he is explaining his life story in the beginning and says until then he never did anything crazy in his life. Well I feel a little bit that way, I never did anything crazy in my life, until I became a truck driver.

I'm sure I get the crappy loads and runs to start, then I get a good load and run while they were fixing my truck and meet up with several other drivers (like 6 or 7 other drivers) who tell me they do the load and run twice a day and they are done. Wow. That's it. All they do is drop and hook to the same place twice a day in a nice clean new complex, nice highways, etc. Like and 8am to 5pm job. (I know they have been with the company for years so I get it)

I on the other hand I'm definitely earning my stripes. Going into the Chicago ghetto at 1am in the morning to drop and hook (areas I wouldn't go into during the day mind you), although there was an unmarked K-9 patrol unit parked in the street near the drop location. They tell me the load has to be at a certain location by 8:30am and then I get there and find out I only have to drop it in the yard and they will get to it when they are ready.

Just stuff like that.

I joined OOIDA to learn more about the business overall, because my wife is more of the path of if you like driving maybe you should do it for yourself. But I'm not so sure. I'm sure there are many perils along they way.

I speak with the guy who hired me every couple of weeks. He always asks if I feel like quitting yet. I tell him there are some days I feel like that. He does say if you can make it a year with our company you will probably retire with us. He also said that at the recruiting meeting he had at the CDL school. That was one of the reasons I chose this trucking company.

I'll keep you posted with more as things go along.

Or you could say, "I tried it once but never exhaled", just kidding.

Why is it so important to stick with your first choice of trucking company for 1 year regardless of how well you like it or how well it is going? I mean, I guess that is really like any other job, but with all the options out there what is your thinking. I believe you wrote a blog about staying no matter how bad ... make that one year mark.

What are your thoughts? I've been with my choice about 2 months wondering if I made the right decision. Thanks.