Profile For Robert B. (The Dragon) yes, I breathe fire and other sideshow tricks

Honestly, if I were going to build a sleeper truck, I’d use the Volvo chassis. You can use a larger sleeper on a shorter wheelbase with better steering angle along with saving on weight.

Too many variables. 84” studio sleeper is the largest factory sleeper from KW but you can still order various wheelbase options. Tie that to the sliding 5th wheel and it can vary quite a bit.

Why the concern? A good operator can get it where it needs to go.

Reuben, if you set your mind to it and follow the advice on here, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to make that 70- mid 80 range as a company driver. Going lease after only a year experience won’t put you at a higher wage than a solid company driver. There are so many companies out here now paying $.60, $.65 and $.70 cpm to solo drivers it isn’t even funny. A little quick math will show you how easy it is to make a solid living in a short amount of time. Plus, you mention learning rates etc. As a company driver, you’re not going to learn what the company actually makes on a load, at least not right away and until you get to know the right people.

An hour from Summit, SD, hour and a half from Fargo and a nice quiet rural town is the life for me.

I’m wondering if anyone has been to 160 driving academy.. I had a bad experience at the last driving school I went to and was only able to get a CDL permit out of the whole ordeal.

After having this experience I looked into getting paid CDL training for local routes and from my research this could be quite hard.

I’m located in Louisville, KY and 160 driving academy is one school that stood out to me. If anyone has been there please tell me about your experience and how long courses were.

Please and thank you.

If you can get ahold of Kenny Boyd at 160, talk to him. He’s one of the head honchos and a friend of mine. I’m not sure exactly which school he’s instructing at but he also spends a lot of time working at and with their other facilities. Not only is he an a amazing instructor, he’s a good guy who will answer any question you might have.

Don’t feel bad Lukas, I’m stupid too. So stupid that I’ve bought a new house, a couple cars, winter toys, things that go bang, have great health insurance, retirement and take home 80k a year after taxes. That’s how stupid it is.

As a few have mentioned, relax. The learning curve is intense and it’s meant to wash out those who can’t cut it. If you think training is tough, wait until you’re expected to do this all on your own, efficiently and without anyone holding your hand.

Nobody really “owns” logbooks, it’s more of a responsibility of having them and having them accurate. As a driver, you’re required by law to turn them in to your company and then they kept on file. In regards to the question of can your company give them to law enforcement, that answer is yes and there’s no warrant required. In the older days, DOT would schedule an audit with a company and then go through the logs to assure everything was in order. With the new slogs, they can go in any time they want and then assess tickets for violations found.

Prime is definitely a good one. TMC will give more options if you’re looking to expand your options in open deck work without having to look at another company beyond training. Roehl and Maverick are also good choices if you haven’t looked into them.

If only Chris Spear wasn’t completely agenda driven, his statements might actually carry a little weight. The only data he’s willing to entertain is that which falls in line with his own beliefs. One of the issues with science, especially pertaining to the climate is that while nobody disagrees that we need to be good stewards to the planet, the rate of change and speed at which it’s occurring is constantly being debated among the academics. Unfortunately, they’re all competing for grants from private firms and governments around the world and it’s in their best interests to put forth something drastic.

Definitely replace. Especially because it’s a recap and you have no idea how many miles are on the original casing.

I’ll break down the numbers a bit further when I get a chance but let me throw two quick ones at you and they’re big ones. Say the truck turns 200k as you mentioned. Just in fuel and driver pay, you can deduct 150,000 off the top. That’s not including any sort of maintenance, tires, breakdown costs, your monthly truck payments, putting money aside for IFTA or anything else. A blown tire on the side of the road will run anywhere from $500-$1200. Need a tow? $500 just for them to Show up. Something simple like a starter will cost $1.000 to replace, turbo can run up to around 3k, fuel injectors and head gasket will set you back around $4500 and if you lose an engine, it’ll start at $25,000. Then you have a driver you’re putting up in a hotel while it’s down and you’re paying them to sit. Heck, I spent $17,000 in 6 months on repairs when I was doing a lease and needless to say, I walked away while I could.

Trucking as a single truck or small venture is a bad, bad investment with no experience and will most likely wind up wiping you out with nothing to show for it.

There’s an old saying about how do you become a millionaire in trucking? You start with 2 million. That statement is pretty darned accurate when it comes down to it because risk vs reward is worlds apart in today’s economy. Honestly, you really should be a driver and have several years of experience examining the industry before even considering it because of just how tight profit margins are and how stiff the competition is. I can think of a dozen other business ventures I’d invest in before I’d consider doing it in trucking.

Never had any problems there or in Compton. Common sense, situational awareness, and experience are key.

I'm more concerned around Chicago, Portland, Seattle, and Minneapolis.

Minneapolis isn’t much of a concern. The problem area is only a 4 block section that unless you’re in a box truck or local driver, you’ll never be in.

Hello all I started my trucking career last October and was terminated for frequency of accident may 25, 2021 I am currently looking for another driving position but no one I've contacted is willing to give me another chance and I understand why. I will list accidents below so everyone can get the complete picture of my situation, any help will be greatly appreciated. 1. During training I attempted to make a u turn at a truck stop and bent the driver side panels behind the sleeper happened around December 12, 2020

2. I was in Dunn, NC at a loves while I was pumping fuel another truck pulled into the fuel isle from the wrong side his trailer was partially in my way, after waiting about 30 min I decided to try nd squeeze past his trailer so I could deliver my load. While getting through I grazed a fuel guard. Yellow mark on front passenger side bumper

3. In pontoon Beach, IL I was attempting to back into a spot and hit another truckers mirror.

All accidents I called dispatch immediately and reported them, all accidents I was at fault, all accidents dot nonrefundable

Charges on my DAC report are 1. Accident - turning 2. Accident- struck a fixed object 3. Accident- property damage

Again any help is greatly appreciated, I understand I was wrong and really jus need another chance. Thank you

Will Western Express take you? I gotta say three incidents in such a short time like the ones you mentioned are minor and it’s crazy companies will not hire you. I’m not sure about this but I believe after 1 year experience you can work around finding a job with multiple accidents as insurance companies are willing to take you. My boy got hired no issues with NFI with three minor accidents, but he had one year.

Within the first year I believe you’re screwed by most mega’s because they can’t hire you because of insurance. I could be wrong.

I bet if you look on craigslist you’ll find a good job. I would even take a class B job if it will pay the bills seeing as those accidents won’t really be gone until three years.

But for real don’t hit nothing else. Try your best to think before you act. Watch bone head truckers and see how truckers every week have accidents in the most insane ways and learn.

Your second option is owner operator but you’re likely not fit to take up your own with no proven experience.

I’m definitely saving to own my truck outright these companies have to many rules for me. Luckily with what the gig I landed recently I’ll have my truck paid off in three years to avoid these carriers who will ding you for minor accidents.

You can say a driver is basically non-hire-able but everyone deserves to have a fair shot at getting better. You didn’t hit anyone or injure anyone. It’s amazing how mega’s will do everything to stop a rookie from even improving. There is countless stories on here and truck report of drivers who had three accidents or more only to land a job through luck and never had a accident again.

But these mega’s will literally make that most will give up by their standards. But I’ll say this OP no more accidents man. You gotta nail it down if you land a new gig.

I’m honestly baffled reading this. I don’t think I’ve ever even heard anything so ill informed and stupid while sitting at the counter of an Iron Skillet.

All of these posts are A1 Spot On Correct!

This is the stuff I'm following every day while I'm driving. Personally, I am not making any big ticket purchases any time soon. As a matter of fact, I've actually downsized and sold off two of my side businesses to the managers that were already running them. We are in for some very turbulent times in the near future.

One prediction I've told a few members on here is that by Labor Day, diesel will be at $5 per gallon for the national average. People won't need to worry about cars then because gasoline will be right behind it. "Save the planet through ultra-high, artificially-inflated prices and phony crisis"? That's one of the directions I see things heading.

I’ve moved a few things around myself just to protect arts and such based on what I’ve been listening to and reading. I have equity in our house and enough cash stashed away to pay all the bills for a year. The biggest thing was cashing in half of Bitcoin and investing it in precious metals and a couple other things. Other than that, just enjoying time at home playing with toys and going to the range to break in a couple new rifle builds I’m hoping to start doing competition shooting with.

There’s another thread talking about the current state of the economy and things to come. Now is absolutely not the time to start up a new business, especially in trucking which is risky enough when things are good.

Bad times are definitely coming. The big uncertain among the economic gurus that I’ve been reading up on is the question of deflation or hyper inflation. Since 2008, the federal reserve has been padding the market to soften the blows when the market falls and that’s a very very bad way to do things in order to keep interest rates low and flat. The markets go through huge waves of gains and losses and while painful, it works. Right now, there are so many amateurs working in what they think are big gain areas that they’re about to lose it all when the bottom drops out and it absolutely will. The low and middle money investors will disappear and the big money will survive like they always do. I follow Harry Dent pretty extensively and he has a very solid record on his predictions and his current one is a massive crash followed by a very robust and relatively quick recovery.

Maybe, just maybe focus on getting rid of all the additional driver distractions in the cab and actually teach drivers to drive the truck. Teach them that the most important things are paying attention to surroundings, checking mirrors, being aware of weather conditions before they start the day along with many other factors and ffs put down the damn phone, tablet, and gps. It’s honestly mind boggling that these groups push legislation under the guise of safety, knowing darn well what the real objective is. I’m not the biggest fan of OOIDA in many ways but in this case, they got it right.

Pay averages are always misleading, I think. Top performers are always going to smoke the average Joe, often making it look easy in the process. Look at G over there crushing it at a supposed lower tier company. Proof that performance pays.

That said, Sysco can have the top honor. I still prefer my gig. I'm crushing the average here too, and all I have to do is drive the truck.

Just do your best wherever you are, and the money will come.

Totally agree with this especially in the case of ATS. They should break down the dry van vs flatbed vs heavy haul side. The heavy side of things generates significantly more revenue and will raise that average above what normal dry van and flatbed will see

Take a hard look at economic trends currently. They aren’t promising and the last thing you want is to be responsible for truck payments, fuel etc and there’s no money to be made. Big companies have investors and will survive economic struggles whereas you with one truck will not. Go company and take every penny they’re willing to throw at you.