Profile For Max E.

Howdy everyone.. its been awhile. thought id give you all another update.

I interviewed with my local town a good 4 or 5 weeks ago to drive a garbage truck. The interview went super well. A long time family friend of mine is #2 in seniority there so i had someone on my side to put in a good word for me. Which is a great thing since i had no garbage truck experience and relativity a low amount of CDL experience (3.5 years). they said they would contact me in the next week, well i never heard from them. Until this afternoon! i start training there in 2.5 weeks which is great so i can put in a proper 2 week notice at my current job.

This is defiantly a game changer for me.. this is a place i could spend a long time in and starting out young i should be able to move up into management in time. Not to mention its a great hourly wage, I work four 10 hour days and the 5th day you can work OT if needed. Not to mention its government so i get those benefits and state retirement.

Although I have not posted in awhile i still feel like i need to thank all of you. I have no idea how i would have started in trucking if it wasn't for all of you guys. So thanks again!

Well.. Dr Pepper is clearly the best drink. If that factors into your pick at all.

They have 2 armed security guards.. I'm talking security guards packing heat. (Guns)

This was the Pilot off exit 276 on the I70 in Denver.. glad I just got fuel there. Definitely one of those truck stops where when you park you lock your doors tie a strap from door handle to door handle and don't get out for anything. Hahahaha

Hey.. I went to that school. The Phoenix branch not the Tucson one.

I know Eagle transport is based in Tucson they have like 120 trucks I think so it's smaller family owned and all their trucks are leased on to Werner. They hire from Southwest to.

Oh and the only reason to move to Bozeman is the college girls there... LOL Other than that, those have to be the worst drivers in the state. Traffic there at 5 is worse than going through Billings.

I forgot about a few others.. Sysco and Wheat Montana.

Ya.. I'm probably wrong but I lived there 5 years ago.. without a CDL. All I remember is no one had a job. Even those with a CDL. But I can't remember what they were looking for and this was right in the middle of the economic crisis. So times have changed. I was just chiming in with what I know about the area.

And college girls.. you know exactly what I am after Pat. Hahahah

Personally.. if I were to move back to Montana I'd pick Bozeman to live. But that's just me. Hahahah

This is a valid point.. however outside of OTR trucking there really is not a whole lot. That's including local CDL jobs. Butte Montana and the area around it is a dieing town. So if you ever want to eventually get off the road you will have a very hard time finding a job.

But to answer your question Anaconda is pretty dang cheap. I can't really remember how much open land will cost.. but I know like 60% of the houses in town are empty and you can buy one for VERY cheap. Ever since the cooper mine out there shut down its been going down hill. The state mental hospital is also in Anaconda.. you know in case you have a mental breakdown. Hahahhaha

I actually lived near there for a couple months.. it is pretty dang cheap. Good luck finding a job though.

So.. as some of you know I have been driving local. Its been whatever.. its a job. grateful for the opportunity. However this same company also does regional runs. So.. starting this Sunday they are flying me out to LA to pick up my new truck to start a regional route. It will cover Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and sometimes Wyoming.

It will be kind of different then most Regional/OTR Runs though. Its paid by the hour not the mile. Time and a half after 40 which is always sweet. I also get 25 bucks a night for detention pay and get paid for every stop I make. I have to unload the trailer myself which is cool.. Exercise is always a good thing. I also get paid for my 34 hour reset. It will be about 8-10 days out then 4 or 5 days home depending. During my hometime I can run local if I want/need more hours.

So its a good opportunity. I'm excited for this new chapter in my life!

This is one of the most confusing parts of the log book.. this is how I understand it.

If you use an 8/2 split this is how it works.

If you take 8 hours in the sleeper then it extends your previous clocks.. for example if you had 3 hours driving time and 4 hours left on duty at the end of 8 hours you could start again and have 3 hours driving and 4 hours on duty.

This is where it gets tricky.. at the end of this you can take your 10 hour break and reset all your clocks. OR if you take a 2 hour break it makes it so where you started your split after the 8 hour break becomes the start of your new 14/11 hour clock. For example: you had 3 hours drive time and 4 hours on duty left.. you take an 8 hour break and start moving to get to an appointment. You start after your break at 6am. You have 4 hours of on duty and 3 hours of drive time left. It takes you 2 hours to get there and an hour of unloading so now it is now 9am. You take a 2 hour break so now it is 11am. Your current clock reflects your 6am start time so you would have 9 hours left of on duty and driving time left.

Hope this makes any since at all. hahahaha this is complicated.. but this is how it works.

Here is the problem with being 18 with a CDL.. Insurance, and lack of Experience. Unless you have a connection within a local trucking company it will be very difficult. Insurance rates for a CDL driver are already insanely high.. add in that you are 18 that could be a cost that a company isn't willing to pay. So unless you have a connection to a company it could be hard before you are 21. I am 24 and some companies still won't hire me because of my age. 25 is when you finally graduate to the "I'm a safe driver group." (at least according to insurance companies.) Just try getting a rental car before you are 25.. It is insane the fees I have to pay.

If you are paying money to get your CDL I would defiantly hold off training until you get a for sure commitment from a company that says they will hire you out of school. 3-6,000 dollars is a big bill to pay for CDL school if no one hires you.. Even if you get your CDL and just wait till your 21 to find a job most companies will make you take a refresher course.

Just adding to what has been said before.. don't believe the internet when it comes to a lot of these major companies. Plenty of people on these forums have worked for those companies and have loved it. Trucking like most other jobs in life is all about what you put into it. Are these companies 100% perfect? No. But nether is any other company. Find a company that works for you and your situation and make the best of it. Get your experience and then find a new company. Most of those companies are "starter companies." Be grateful they are giving you up to a 150,000 dollars worth of equipment and a load that can be worth a million bucks.. its a lot of responsibility for someone who has never driven a big rig before. You will quickly understand that on this forum we don't put up with company bashing.. 95% is what you put into it. Work hard and this career will bless you. Blame others for issues that come up? You will not last in this job or in most jobs.

Best of luck to you.. Like you I wanted to start driving at 18.. probably would have if they let me but it is very difficult at 18 to find a CDL job.

Those private fleets seem like awesome gigs.. I hear Walmart treats there drivers very well also. I'm hoping to do transfer and regional type work with my company instead of local. It would be paid by the hour which is almost unheard of for regional work. They would be a private fleet and they also have overnight detention pay. Pretty much guaranteed 70 hours a week.. time and a half after 40 plus detention pay makes a good paycheck.

Just wait till winter. You will be begging to go down south. Hahaha

The only thing I don't like about winter is ice. The temps are right up my alley.

Speaking of winter....does reefer freight drop off in the cold months?

Never pulled reefer.. but from what understand it stays pretty constant year round compared to van. People always need food

Just wait till winter. You will be begging to go down south. Hahaha

They will not let you do that as long as you are wearing the Dbacks gear....

Watch yourself.. love my Dbacks hahahaha

Saw the season premiere, but have been on the road since.....no mention of the Polar bear in that episode........is he off this season?

This is the first episode I have seen in over a year.. but I haven't seen him yet.

Ice Road Truckers is on right now, Its interesting watching this again after about a year of driving and a majority of a winter spent in North Dakota. All though some of this show is dramatized I still enjoy it. Its a good watch. Plus.. this show really spiked my interest in trucking and made me want to hit the road. Would like to hit the Ice Road for a season still.. Maybe one day.

Hopefully this works out.. I was very interested in working for them but they don't hire out of phoenix. Bummer for me. Are you still going to team if you make the move?

I always new I was going to hear a rant about something stupid whenever a driver comes up and begins a conversation with "When I started driving." I knew I was going to be stuck listening to this guy for a half hour while trying to watch Sunday night football in the TV room

Hahaha this guy ran the oil fields where I was for awhile. All I could think was if he was complaining about being tired before.. can't imagine he will be here for to long. Well.. he wasn't after about a month he said the company fired him because of his youtube video where some news lady came and interviewed him. Just more excuses from him really. He is just one of those guys where nothing is his fault. Last I saw he was back with some OTR company wanting to lease and or buy his own truck. All I could do is laugh. He is a fool.