Comments By Shiva

Another article was just released regarding this series:

Morgan Southern fires trucker who spoke about 20-hour workdays

Essentially, one of the drivers admitted he was running two logbooks and was fired for it. Naturally, if you admit you're knowingly breaking Federal Laws then you're going to be fired, it doesn't matter what company you work for.

The driver claims the company knew he was doing it, the company claims they didn't know.

What's interesting is a few things:

1) The driver uses an electronic logbook but says he used paper logs when he went over his legal hours on his electronic logs.

2) The driver claims he had no choice but to cheat because he wasn't making enough money otherwise because his lease payments were so high. And yet he had been doing this for the past 4 years. That's a long time to stick with a plan you claim wasn't working

3) This came from the article:

“Can you imagine sacrificing four years?” Flores said of the long weeks away from his wife and two sons, often for pay that dropped below minimum wage. “For all that sacrifice, I thought the truck would be mine.”

That sounds disingenuous to me. After four years in this lease agreement you didn't understand the agreement? It's a lease. You didn't buy the truck, you're renting it. Is he going to get upset after paying rent in his apartment for four years and then walking away with nothing? Did he expect to own it after four year of making payments?

Honestly, I don't think the port situation is any different than the leasing arrangements you find anywhere in the industry today. The thing you have to realize is that there is a 3% profit margin in this industry after paying the driver. People who expect to buy or lease a truck and then start raking in the dough clearly don't understand the economics of this industry. It isn't going to work that way.

In fact, you could easily wind up making far less than a company driver would, or even go into debt, making nothing at all. That holds true for any business owner in any industry. You're not an employee anymore. You're the owner. There's a monumental level of risk and responsibility involved with owning a business.

I thought the same thing, however, I remember when I was looking at the possibility of leasing a truck, some companies offered to sell you the truck for $1.00 at the end of the contract. I forget all the details, but I do remember the leasing contract being around 6 years. That's a long time to be renting the same truck.

Https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/07/10/morgan-southern-fires-trucker-who-spoke-20-hour-workdays/103498144/

For me it's all about outlook bud, your dad may have had reasons that made him hate the job such as being away from his wife and you and the rest of the family and as a family oriented man myself I agree with him a little in that regard however there are good days and bad days in trucking and just starting out I've had my share of slightly crappy days mainly because I've been away from home for 2 and a half months and not by choice yesterday was a rough day for me but at the end of the day as things started to turn around I said I love my life, i love this job for me it's a passion right now I love to drive and I feel that in order to really suceede here you need both to be a good hard worker and have a love of driving, to me no, it's tough being away from my family in a space smaller then a jail cell and surrounded by nothing but people I don't know from a hole in the wall, it's tough but I do not regret any of it hope that helped and I also hope I got my point across there, best of luck bud

Thanks John, besides a few out of state trips he was always local and home almost every night. I think the costs, breakdowns and regulations is what gets to him.

"Bad" is a completely subjective word.

If you're a highly extroverted people person, then you might think the long hours alone in the truck are bad.

If you have a family at home, especially one with young children, then you might think the weeks away from home are bad.

If you prefer constant feedback from your superiors on your job performance, or frequent instructions and reminders as to what your duties or tasks are from one moment to the next, then you might think the hands-on personal responsibility nature of the job is bad.

If you hate being micromanaged, then you might think all the DOT regulations are bad (which pretty much all of us do).

There are plenty of other aspects of this life that you may or may not consider "bad," and any combination of them could mean that this isn't the career path for you. But like all of us, you have to take them all into consideration, weigh them carefully, and ultimately decide for yourself. Nobody else can make that decision for you.

Good luck!

Super introvert here so if I don't have to "sell" jobs to people and talk to people all the time i'm great with that!

I have a fiancee, no kids..during the season we don't get to spend much time together during the week anyway. That is one thing about OTR i'm concerned about, I don't want to spend weeks and weeks away...I'm ok with several nights to a full week.

From what I know, the personal responsibilities of trucking is more preferred than what i'm doing now. (just based on my personality)

Yeah, I don't think there's much getting around the DOT stuff.

That's where im stuck. Just weighing the options and figuring out which route to take. I do know I would want to drive for myself.

You might want yo look at vompsnies that offer more regional work. Out 7-10 days home for 2-3

I've been driving now for the same company for a year now and now I'm thinking about trying to get a TWIC card and my hazmats I just want to get people's opinions on the pros and cons of having a hazmat and TWIC card . Thanks

Do you need a TWIC card? Unless your going in and out of the ports, I see no need for it. HAZMAT and Tanker definitely.

Extra job opportunities if you ever decide to go local. My local tanker gig requires a TWIC card, but I still have never needed to use it. But they require you to have it just in case.

Besides, it was so easy and simple to get why not?

I work in Chicago Local Intermodal, so no need for a TWIC CARD. But if you would be going to the ports, then yes. You should get 1. It's just expensive, unless your company will pick up the cost.

I'm currently looking into either doing my refresher course through KLLM or Schneider. Right now I'm leaning towards KLLM because of the reviews that they have on their training program. I spoke with the recruiters from both companies and had most of my questions answered. I understand that the recruiters are sales people and need to do their job. So, with that said, do any of you have any experience with either company that may help me in my decision? I drove for Schneider 9 years ago and thought they were a good company to start with. Again, from what I have been reading, it seems as though KLLM may be a better choice this time around. Any feed back would be appreciated!!

KLLM is about 70% lease drivers. I know Schneider is a very good company to work for.

I like how this thread has turned into sales pitches for the companies people are currently driving for. That's encouraging, and I sincerely mean that.

I'm a little confused by your mention of "no touch freight" and having a tänker endorsement. Most tanker jobs require some physical work, including handling hoses to connect for loading and unloading, and for some, climbing up to the top of the tank to vent it. What do you mean by "no touch?" Anything less than flatbed, or literally 99% drop and hook box work? (I will say that a buddy of mine just started a sweet job hauling drop and hook hazmat tankers for a subcontractor of Quality Carriers, but those jobs are few and far between.)

Some customers have liquid loaded in totes, barrels or just plain bottled water and won't let you pull there freight without a tanker endorsement.

I've been driving now for the same company for a year now and now I'm thinking about trying to get a TWIC card and my hazmats I just want to get people's opinions on the pros and cons of having a hazmat and TWIC card . Thanks

Do you need a TWIC card? Unless your going in and out of the ports, I see no need for it. HAZMAT and Tanker definitely.

I recently attended a seminar held at the local NJ unemployment office featuring two gentlemen from Winsor Tractor Trailer Driving School in Linden. Among other things, they said that their biggest client was Werner Trucking. A question that I forgot to ask an obvious question: If I get a cdl and am hired by Werner, do I need to pick up the truck and starting driving from Werner's nearest terminal in Allentown, Pennsylvania? Allentown is a better than two-hour drive from where I currently live in northern NJ. I'll move closer to Allentown if I must start driving from there. I wondered if they have some sort of facility/facilities in NJ. I've seen few Werner trucks on my neck of the highway. Thanks. Elizabeth

Research more companies. Werner isn't the only fish in the sea

This FAA bill is scheduled to be voted on THIS MONTH. Truckers are urged to call the Govt. switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask their reps to REMOVE Anti-Trucker wage amendments.

Yes, speaker Ryan has dreamt of this since he was going to kegger parties in college

I am in the middle of my life and I have made a few mistakes. I am not a career criminal. I just went down the wrong path for a short minute. I have always wanted to drive a truck and I will do what ever it takes to make it happen. I would like some advise form anyone on how to go about this new career. Is there anyone out there that has had to overcome the hurdles that go along with being a convicted felon? I have never had a CDL on any training. My driver license is in good shape with 1 DUI that is almost 10 years old. Do things still drop off your MVR after so many years? Please forgive me if this is the wrong forum for this type of question! I am just starting to reach out and research what I need to do. Thank you in advance for your help!!!

It all depends on how long ago your felony conviction was, and what kind of felony. However, you won't know til you start talking to trucking companies