Comments By Lucky13

Dry van for one is "contained" no need to worry about tarping or tying down the load. Flatbed loads always need to be tied down, and may need to be tarped due to weather and cargo. Flatbed is just usually considered more of a hassle due to the extra work by many drivers, however a lot of drivers prefer flatbed so its just a matter of preference really. Flatbed loads being exposed are also more of a liability due to things that could fall off the trailer and cause an accident, as well as a liability for theft or vandalism. We have a few flatbed drivers here as well as dry van drivers, not to mention refer, tanker, and hazmat drivers too. There are just many different types of loads, and they all have their unique positives and negatives.

I would only add a bit to Charles' reply by saying that generally, flatbed loads pay a bit more per mile for OTR loads, though the rate varies from company to company. Also, flatbed drivers usually get "tarp pay" per load for the extra work of chaining and tarping different loads. Flatbed loads are usually a lower height than van freight and tend to be less box-shaped than vans, making them less susceptible to wind and making clearance hazards less of an issue. Flatbed loads are usually on the heavier side, though, and are subject to more regulations by the shipper, carrier, and last but not least, the DOT. They have to stop at scales more often and their weight is watched very, very carefully. Like most jobs that pay a higher rate, flatbed work is just that-more work. Some flatbed drivers have told me they feel their work is more rewarding and offers more variety than pulling a van every day, and for them, maybe that's enough in itself. I've never done it myself. Didn't feel like getting dirty and sweaty then driving for 10 or 11 hours, but that's just me.

How is everyone? Been a long time....sorry I am not around much, seriously Brett, my CPU doesn't like this new forum!!!! BUT I think I got it fixed(who woulda thought you could have bad cookies in your cpu?????)

Anyways, thought I would let everyone know I am not dead, and still driving, and should be around more.

Hey Jakecat! Great to see you returning. I've been gone awhile myself. Still driving, fortunately! In fact, I'm switching away from Swift again-hopefully for good this time! How ya been? Are you still with Schnieder?

The perks of the travelling lifestyle are what make it worth doing.

Yep, you said it Brett. The trucking lifestyle is unique and difficult in it's own way, but carries with it rewards that don't come any other way. I've seen the sunrise in Searchlight, Nevada and the sunset in Laredo, Texas only because I was an OTR trucker. I was able to have a really honest conversation with my wife about a week ago about how I'm just not as happy doing local stuff as I was a year ago. Yes, I was gone for periods of time, but I got home for every major holiday. I got home for Memorial Day, Father's Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, etc. Plus, I took 4 days home time in Phoenix last year and bought my wife a plane ticket so we could have some time out west together. We were apart sometimes, but we also had some really good times enjoying the traveling lifestyle. I think we're going to do some more talking and I'm going to do some soul-searching over the next 30 days or so and see what I come up with. The traveling life is definitely not for everyone, but for me, the adventure of trucking and traveling are worth the hardships. There is truly nothing else like it.

During my OTR days I ran out the clock several times. I ran right up to 14 hours on-duty once just as I pulled into the entrance at the terminal in Memphis. I stopped the truck right away and switched to off-duty. Once ran right up to 14 hours on-duty delivering a load just outside of Austin, Tx. I got in a truly awful traffic jam going west on I-20 about 40 miles east of Dallas. There was a semi-trailer that caught fire and traffic was diverted onto 2 different state highways which immediately backed up for miles. I was going to try and shut down in Austin but there isn't squat for truck stops right in Austin. I delivered the load just as my clock ran out. Another time during my first month on the road I had to have a load repowered when my 14 hour on-duty clock ran out. A 2-hour live load turned into 4 hours, then I got lost on some country road in N.Carolina in the middle of the night. Not fun. The good thing was my company understood what happened after I told them straight up what was going on. I would advise any new driver to plan trips very carefully so as not to run out of hours before you can pick up or deliver your load. Whenever I could and it was permissible, I would try to shut down either at the shipper or receiver or really close so I would have maximum drive hours for the next load. With the presence of electronic logs, accurate trip planning becomes very, very important.

Now that I've been driving local for about 5 months, I sometimes find myself missing the sights and experiences that only come with being an OTR driver. I saw some truly unique and beautiful places last year. From the mountains of West Virginia, to the red desert of Arizona, to the California coast; it's a great, big, beautiful country out there. Lately I've been wondering if I was happier waking up in a different place every day or if I'd rather get home every day. With my schedule of working nights, I don't get much time with my wife anyway. Right now I'm off on Wednesdays and Thursdays, so weekends are still work days for me. Sure, the money is good and steady, but I have to say that local driving can get monotonous. Same roads, same docks, same work every day. I'm thinking about looking into maybe the regional Intermodal fleet. That would get me some longer runs and I think it still pays pretty decent. I have the phone number for a manager on that fleet. I may give him a call and post what I find out. Stay tuned...

Hey everybody! Thanks to all for reading and weighing in on this important topic. After thinking about my experience in trying for the new job, as well Brett's response, I have to agree. The company can ask for whatever records they want to ask for, and it's my decision whether or not to provide them. In my case, the new company didn't feel comfortable putting me in one of their rigs without a detailed history from my doctor regarding the medication I take. That's their right. I just felt that the multiple medical releases I had provided should be enough. That's where we disagreed. Brett, I appreciate your perspective. Thanks for taking the time to address issues here for new and experienced drivers alike.

It's been quite a while since I posted here. Last December or January, I believe. I like the new Forum, btw. Well, at that time I had decided to leave Swift for another company which promised a regional route, better wages, and decent home time. I'm sorry to say it didn't work out that way. I won't mention the company again. I've heard many drivers are happy there. I wasn't. For starters, no sooner did I get signed up for orientation when I was told that the regional position had been filled and that I was to be assigned to the Intermodal division. I was not thrilled to learn that. Then, after passing a DOT physical as well as a fitness test, a drug test, road test, and a backing test, the safety manager demanded a whole lot more medical information than I was willing to give. Basically, because of an ADD medication I take, the safety manager wanted all of my doctor's notes for the past 2 years. That basically meant I had to release my medical records in their entirety to the company. I wasn't going to do it. In fact, my doctor even advised me against it and offered to send any approval they needed. The new company wouldn't let me work until I handed over the information, and refused to e mail or fax my doctor and state exactly what information they were looking for. This was after my doctor had sent every medical release the company requested. Finally, after 2 weeks of sitting at home not making any money and little or no communication from the new company,I called Swift back and said I wanted to work. Fortunately, Swift took me back and reinstated me in the same local fleet with the same schedule and pay as before instead of making me go through the re-hire process. It was a costly and upsetting ordeal to go through. I don't like to complain, but I have to say I'm not impressed with being treated the way I was. The safety manager's attitude and actions just said to me-"We don't care. Give us everything or go away." I went away then, without even being assigned a truck or doing anything other than going through orientation. I was a bit surprised that they spent money hiring me and then didn't give a rip what I did. I could see that reaction from them had I lied on an application or had tickets or accidents on my DOT record. Neither was the case. I also passed all of their physical and driving requirements. To tell the truth, it made me mad and really soured me on some of the promises that trucking companies are making right now. Some of them are desperate for drivers and with that comes desperate promises. I still love driving and am glad to be a trucker, but thinking about whether or not I want to stay local. More on that later. Anyway, I'm glad to be posting again in the new Forum.