Comments By Steve B.

1) Benefits: I'm still able to purchase affordable health care. However, being p/t it will cost about $60 more per month. Raises will continue on performance (delivery on time, safety, fuel), however, I won't acquire vacation paid time off. Where else can you average a 3 1/2day work week and have the opportunity to purchase decent health care?

2) I'm able to continue to gain OTR experience while looking for something to open on the local market. But I can be choosey (is that a word) and not have to jump quickly.

3) The enjoyment/fun of driving OTR. There is a fun factor in driving a rig and seeing the country. I was really getting burned out driving a school bus and the pay I was making driving bus is about 1/2 of what I'll make p/t on the 7/7 plan.

4) The family is important to me. I just want to head out and spend a weekend at a campground w/ them, do a little fishing and be able to take that after breakfast nap in the tent with my wife by my side. Being home only 3days ever 11 that wasn't going to happen.

Starcar, thanks for the encouragement - these are hard choices but this is the life I have the opportunity to live.

I'm in the situation as most of you. Not semi-retired, don't have extra cash, and this company pays the same as the others. I just know my children are a priority, my marriage is something I treasure & being gone so much does have an effect on every part of that. WE can use the extra cash if I were to continue at the same pace i've been running but at what price? I just take each day now and I'm thankful for the people around me.

Slip seat - YES, you're sharing the truck with someone else. I'll have to commute from my house to a drop yard where there are others who are also on the 7/7. Not sure how far/close you need to be to a drop yard or terminal for this to work. There is also a 7/4,7/3 option. What I have been running is National and it was 11/3 or around that. Of course, at each of these levels there will be more cash that can be made so a person need to think about that. Being on the 7/7 I'm thinking right now that I'll be at the bottom of what a person can make. However, for me the trade off is worth it because of my family.

Average miles for the 7days is 3000. What the Fleet manager/dispatch is going to be doing is keeping you running hard for 7days and working hard to burn up ever bit of your 70hrs. A person has to be ok with putting in long days and driving long miles.

Since leaving for orientation I've been home 17days in the last 107days. There was a family obligation where my wife and children picked me up from a terminal and I was with them for 2days. So that means I was out trucking for 88days of the 107. This last tour I was averaged right at 400miles a day. I keep learning all the time and I am totally amazed at how much I've learned since starting CDL school back in Jan. I so much enjoyed being one of three trucks at a rest area in eastern MI for a night where I could open the windows and hear the night sounds while in the sleeper. A lot better than being in s. AL with the heat & humidity while at a dollar DC and many trucks in the staging area.

Bottom line it has been a long & challenging time to get to where I am now. One of the reasons I chose the company I chose is to eventually switch my home time option or get something local after putting in the time needed (1yr - right Brett?) So I'm home for 3days and starting next WED I'll be on a 7/7 fleet. I've got children,4, and a bunch of projects here at the house.

AGAIN, thanks for all the encouragement from this site!!!

Very very cool - or should I say cold.... what temp does that refer's set point need to be at? When I see the central trucks I'll be wondering if that is you!

I do not have a slidding 5th wheel. What I'm understanding then is the 12,000 is the limit in almost all cases.

Steer axle? Is the max based on tire rating? I had a heavy load and when axleing out my steer was just below the 12k, I think it had to do with how the trailer was loaded. If I was over the 12k I'm not sure what I would of done.

You are ready, just get it done & know there is a cheering section rooting for you!

APPOINTMENT SET -- yeah for a time that the consignee doesn't receive loads. They only unload during bus hrs between 7am - 3PM, I showed up at 830 on a sat morn, last weekend (holiday weekend) - anyways they did have someone there trained to run the fork and got me unloaded. If that person wasn't there I was going to have to sit until Tues morning. ended up doing a lot of sitting anyways b/c of the weekend but hey "why did an appointment get set" - message given to me and they don't take appointments on weekends - again, the day and the life of a truck driver....right?

I was gone from home from MAY 1 - MAY 31. I got "home-time" for a couple of days to attend a family event with my family and extended family and all worked out. So during the month of May I my daily ave was 383miles per day for my actual working days. I had a couple of ZERO days and a couple short days. One zero day was because of the memorial day weekend. I ended up sitting from 6pm on Sun until 10am Tues morn - that just was soooo frustrating. Oh well... It seems each week (if not daily) there is a small mistake or a challenging situation I learn from. The craziest thing however was hauling 44lbs of peanuts to Georgia from Arkansas. What the heck, doesn't GA grow their own peanuts?