Profile For Tractor Man

Good job Chickie......Congrats!

Susan D, could you please post the model of Dometic you have. I've been through every kind of cooler and fed up.

Also, if you shut down for a 34, do you empty it? I'm now running regional and get home every week, but usually just for a day, sometimes the weekend.

Thanks!

Susans picture appears to be the Dometic CF18. I used the same one when I was driving OTR. I used mine as a refrigerator as opposed to a freezer. I paid around $350.00 on Amazon. Definitely worth the investment. Btw... it is Dometic, not Domestic.

Legal or not, I would prefer to have one. Just an invitation to get pulled over and waste time on your clock. Not to mention a bored DOT Officer that may just want to go over your Rig with a fine toothed comb!

Go ahead and open both barrels, Ryan. You have piqued my curiosity. After spending the vast majority of my adult life in the military it takes a LOT to truly insult me.

He's not worth it Patrick. If we simply quit enabling him, do not reply to his posts, the Troll will go away.

Gladhand. We met at the Jurupa Terminal several months ago. You are a great guy. You have been through lots of ups and downs, but never gave up! Props to you my friend. I really appreciate your honesty and openness on this forum. Best of luck in your 2nd year. This year you can stick a chunk of cash in the bank instead of loan payments. "Live like nobody else, so you can live like nobody else". Some folks will know where that quote came from. I wish I would have learned it at your age. God bless!

Turtle, That is great news. I am really happy you chose Prime. I never saw miles like that with "your other choice" in over 9 months. My best week ever was just over 3100. Keep up the good work!!!!

I thought Rainy might have run him off. LOL

Not a chance. Rainy is one of my favorite people that I have NEVER MET!

I'm here. Training has been pretty intense. On my 3rd day Solo. I posted an update several days ago. It may be on pg 2 or 3 by now.

Thanks for all the responses! I like the steering wheel mount idea! I'd prefer to not use duck tape though!- humm

Not just ANY duct tape. The gorilla works the best. Give it a try. Worst comes to worst, you still have $5.00 worth of duct tape to use for 1000 other things!

I drove Solo for swift for just over 9 months. Just landed a local job last month. I could have written your post. I wish I had a solid answer for you. I had a 100% driver ranking, my DM told me the same things yours is telling you. In my 9 months I averaged about 1800 miles per week. Probably had 3 total weeks in the 3000 mile range, Many in the 18-22, and more than I liked in the 13-16 range. I am convinced that they are content giving many drivers 1800-2000 per week. They have so much freight spread out all over the Country, and spread very thin in many places, that it needs to be moved somehow. They can obviously make a profit with many Drivers in that mileage range. It seems that Dedicated is the way to go with Swift. OTR seems to be Feast or Famine for many Drivers. I came to believe that it is just the nature of the beast with them. There are many other Rookie Drivers on this forum with Prime (and others) that are getting much better miles.; Good luck to you. I know EXACTLY how you are feeling right now!

Well done!

mean isnt that what insurance is for?

All insurance has a DEDUCTIBLE. I'm sure it is much higher on a Tractor Trailer Rig than your car.

I'd suggest to watch your wagon,...but it's barely there. LOL.

I would be surprised if 1 in 5 trucks on the road today have a cb radio. It's frustrating, they can be super handy.

You can buy a basic CB radio for $40.00 on Amazon. Almost every Tractor has a mounting plate on the dash, (or elsewhere). Very simple to connect.

Finished up my training today. Will run my first Route on my own tomorrow. They will give me "Pony Routes" for the next several​ days. Normal routes consist of 400- 500 cases and 8-15 stops per day. I will be given 250 cases or so and probably 5-8 stops. The biggest challenge has been learning the Handheld Computer and ALL of the different products and packaging. Different retailers have different procedures for checking in product, and different stocking and merchandising procedures. I am really enjoying the gig and looking forward to becoming more proficient. My average day consists of 9-11 hours on the clock and around 12 hours from the time I leave my driveway in the morning, until I pull back in in the afternoon. I have been training during the day shift, M-F with weekends off. I will be running the night shift which will be 1600-0400 Sunday- Thursday with Friday and Saturday off. Driving a Single Axle Tractor with a 35 foot Trailer. A BIG difference from a Sleeper Cab and 53 footer. These suckers are very manueverable and will make a U turn on a dime. I spent 9 months in an Automatic while OTR with Swift. These Tractors have a Straight 7 speed manual, I was surprised at how quickly my shifting skill came back. I am floating gears up and down with ease now. It took a good week to get comfortable with shifting again. The last time,(and the first time) I drove a manual was last May and June during School and Road Training with my Mentor. It is real nice to be home daily with 2 days off in a row. Kinda feels like a mini vacation every week. I will keep you all posted on my progress and paychecks! Thanks to Brett, and all of you for the support and excellent information over the past couple of years. I would not be where I am today without "Youse Guyz". Yeah......That's for you Rainy.

Congrats! Let me be the first to load you up on bananas

If I were you, I would stop by your local DMV and ask what they require. A phone call would probably get you nowhere. Use the High Road Training and Practice Questions on this site to study for the written tests. Good luck!

High Road Training Program

I used Gorilla Duct Tape, the Camo colored stuff. Wrapped it over itself backwards, about 2 or 3 wraps, 2 fingers wide, sticky side out, put it on the face of the steering wheel. Stick your phone right on the steering wheel. Lasted about 5-7 days. Just replace the tape when it starts to lose it's stickyness. I learned it from my Mentor. Never came off, cheap, never had to reach for the phone, easy to use Pandora, I heart radio etc. I wish I had a picture for you. It works great! You want the tape to stay stuck to the steering wheel, not the phone!

Shoes and handbags not really required but who am I to say what a girl needs.

You won't say a DAMN THING, if you know what's good for ya'!!!

I still owe my dad money on a credit card

Screw it, He's your Dad, tell him to SUE YA'!!