Comments By Zach

Well...I'm glad I brought my gun to THIS knife fight !!!!

But first things first.....Zach....how the hell do you make $40 and hour driving truck ????????

Having been O/O's, our bread and butter was our relationship with our dispatchers (and we had dozens and dozens of em, they were regional all over the 48 states), and with alot of shippers, and some receivers. Did we have some disgruntled people ?? yup !! I will never be allowed in WalMart Distribution Center outside of Denver CO...It broke my heart...can you see the dripping blood ?? But we had shippers that told our DM that whenever we were in the area, they wanted US to haul their freight. We've had shippers that for some reason always had a reload right there for us...and it amazed our DM...In trucking, PEOPLE SKILLS RULE. If you can't smile while you'd rather choke em, make a joke when you'd rather run them over, and say Yes Sir,and Yes Mam, when you had other words that fit the situation...you WILL flunk the attitude test, and it WILL hurt you in the pocketbook. Redgator is doin' it perfectly.......... So Zach, the super trucker...

First off that Mister Super Trucker from you.... ;-)

2nd, I run only flatbed specialised,oversized and frequently overweight at the same time .My loads are planned weeks in advance including routing,securing permits making arrangements for escorts ,sometimes using local police.Frequently I'm limited to what routes I can take ,time of day I'm limited to running and low speeds .A typical 1000 mile trip you run in a day and half takes me all week.On the plus side ,I usually sleep in motels .Point is I earn my $40 phr.

3rd ,In case you'all weren't paying attention last time ,I'll reiterate for you ,been there done that ,ran the"favors" and very frequently got screwed for my trouble .I signed on to be a truck driver not a yard jockey/shuttle driver.Miles run is what pays the bills .While I'm shagging trailers for 8-10 hours i could have been running 400-500 miles instead.Because of the favors i frequently had to run harder longer to play catch up and still have time to see my family at the end of the week.Which is what its all about anyway .Making a living to support my family .My first carrier was US Express ,I was lucky if I got 1600 miles per week .When I complained ,those got cut to 1200.I switched to Werner ,dedicated services division.Stayed with them a couple years til they lost their contract with a major retailer ,saw a lot of good miles ,never once asked to shag trailers anywhere .Went next to another dedicated services fleet based out of Nashiville hauling various automotive parts /components to the Nissan plant nearby .No shag runs there either.They had a flatbed division as well ,dedicated to Carrier Air conditioners switched to that division when Nissan went by bye to another primary carrier..Been flat bedding ever since always specialised/dedicated freight .I honed my skills and now at the pinnacle of driving carrier .Like you I have repeat customer that specifically ask for me to deliver their loads .Not because I'm willing to bend over and say "here ya go" but because I'm not.Theres only a handful of people in this country that are even capable of doing what I do ,and they didn't get that way by making friends playing yard jockey.

One way to circumvent this ,if you absolutely must have some sort of firearm in your possesion,is to purchase and maintain a flaregun in your vehicle .Legally this is a safety

Of course if the thing goes off in your truck it's going to burn it to the ground. Probably not a good idea.

Never known one to do so.Just like any gun it takes a willful pull of the trigger to activate the flare .

I can see both side of the coin. Yes, you need to take care of your DM so they will take care of you. But I can also see a DM taking advantage of a driver.

If you get the wrong DM that doesn't really do their job right. If you always say yes to that kind of DM, they will always call you when they "need a favor". And other good trips will be sent to other drivers.

Maybe I am wrong, but the following picture comes to mind.

You have a trip, say 1000 miles to be picked at 8pm. Right now it is 11am. You have plenty of time. Your phone rings. Your DM says, hey I need a favor. Such and such needs done. It won't take you long. Well, just like Redgator, it takes all day long. Your 1,000 mile trip can't wait, so another driver gets it. You don't have anything till tomorrow and it is a short 250 mile trip. You have just lost tons of money.

Maybe it will be made back up to you down the road. But maybe it won't. I am not sure I would want to take that chance.

Many comments on TT talk about new drivers having to make their mark before companies will trust them. And I totally agree. But on that, the driver is also "feeling out the company". A newbie driver, their first DM. You don't know if they are good or bad. Shoot, you are new, you don't know what a good or bad DM is yet.

Did everyone here at TT always have good DM's?

Maybe things like that don't happen in the trucking world. But they do happen where I work now. And they happen in other jobs. Who has never had a bad supervisor/boss?

The job I have right now goes that way. I don't yell, scream, or b..... to the dispatcher about my trips. What ever trips I am given I take. I have never turned down any trip. Other drivers go into his office every chance they get and fuss at him about the crappy trips. Well in that, they get almost all the good trips. And other drivers get what they don't want.

A perfect example. This past spring we had tons of trips to FL. Normal thing in the spring. All of our drivers went at least one time. The drivers that are always in the office fussing and b..... about trips went at least 3 times. One guy went 5 times. I sat at home with no work a lot of that time. I am the second most senior driver in my shop. But I wasn't the only one that sat at home with little work.

So there is something to say about standing up for yourself and saying "No" sometimes.

If you have a good DM that treats you right, there is nothing wrong with doing them a "favor" now and then. Just make sure your DM is treating you right also. If they are the type that knows they can turn to you when things are down, they could tend to lean on you when they don't really need to. If they lean on you, you are the first call made when others could do it also.

Keep it safe out there. Joe S

Thanks Joe,I couldnt have summed it up better .

RG ,believe it or not at one time I was a rookie too and I wanted to please everyone ,most of all my DM.I was the "go to" guy shuttling trailers to and fro ,usually on Mondays And frequently Friday evenings or Saturday mornings When I returned from a run .Back in the day I worked for a company that used electronic logging in lieu of traditional logbooks relying on them to keep me legal,and "optimising" my available hours .My rewards for going above and beyond meant I mostly got no touch freight ,drop and hooks .Unfortunately on many occasions I lost loads on account of my being otherwise occupied working for peanuts instead of miles.I became one of those frustrated rookies that eventually quit and moved on the greener pastures .The next company wasn't a whole lot better.

Regardless of the size of the company ,evey driver is assigned a Driver Manager ,whose primary function is to act as a liason beyween you the driver and the company .In large companies employing thousands of drivers ,its entirely possible you'll never talk to the same dispatcher twice...the favor you did last night isn't going to mean diddly to the next guy wanting to know why you are late getting "his" load picked up .Your DM may be able to interceed on your behalf and get you on another load ,or you may just be sitting there for hours waiting for your number to make it back to the top of the list again.Guess who is going to get called to do another "favor"in the meantime ? My opinions may seem "jaded" to you ,but they aren't entirely unjustified.

Congratulations making it up to the Top spot on your DM's board.Now go after top spot company wide .Thats how i earned my pickup truck after 5 yrs of being "top dog" consistently and my camper after earning my million mile patch 3 yrs later .Miles ,not favors earns the rewards.

Oh GREAT! Another "Debbie Downer" with nothing but miserable garbage to spew about everyone and everything in the trucking industry.

Whats more important to you ? Being well liked or making money?

What are the chances you're going to make good money if you won't do the occassional favor for your dispatcher and you're not liked by your dispatcher? Pretty much zero. So it's not an "or" proposition. It's a "both" proposition. You're well liked because you're a decent person and you do a great job so in turn you make good money because your dispatcher likes you and knows they can count on you.

You are deluding yourself to belief your DM really cares... Yes if you scratch her back maybe she has yours too

That's two opposite statements. Either they don't care, or they have your back. Which is it?

Dispatchers often get paid bonuses based on their driver's performance. When their drivers turn more miles and get loads picked up and delivered on time the dispatcher gets rewarded for that. If they know you'll work hard, get the job done safely day in and day out, and are willing to help them out once in a while a good dispatcher will make sure they take care of you because that's money in their pocket.

Please Zach - if you're just going to spew negative garbage and make everyone cynical and jaded go to TheTruckersReport and "help" them over there. That's what they specialize in.

Im sorry you find my comments to be "negative garbage",the girl asked for comments from more experienced drivers ,thats me and you .Its not all roses out here ...what s the point of this website if perspective drivers only see the positive aspects?

Opposing statements? Reread mine ,I said "maybe " she has yours too.That s not an absolute .My DM knows that when i pickup,... I deliver on time ,as a result I enjoy good miles consistently .He doesnt ask me to do him a "favor" shuttling trailers around for a fraction of what I can earn on the road ,he has plenty of yard jockeys that rather sit around the yard swapping lies and earning just enough to get by on.My "favor" to him is help keeping his mile count high (you are right, a lot of DM's get bonuses based on miles...so do drivers...so far I've recieved a brand new F150 and a camper as bonuses ,never mind the $1000's in cash )

Shuttling trailers makes maybe $10-12 per hour as opposed to 500-700miles OTR@$250-400 .Want to work for peanuts?maybe get a load going by mom's house? ,do your DM a favor, become a PT shuttle driver.

That's why every driver dreads hearing "Can you do me a favor?" from dispatch because they always think there's nothing to it and you wind up spending 12 hours making $30 and having one hassle after another after another.

On a computer screen every task appears simple. Just run over there "quick", grab this trailer "quick", take it to this other place "quick", and you're done. Ah the beautiful world as it appears on a dispatcher's screen.

Or my favorite - all miles are created equally on a dispatcher's screen. "Why do you hate the Northeast so much? This load has good miles" they'll say. Yeah, because on a computer screen the miles from Philadelphia to Boston look the same as the miles from Dallas to San Antonio - must be equally good then, right?

That's why it's awesome having an experienced dispatcher. Even though they haven't driven a truck they know a whole lot more about what they're asking us to do and how we'll feel about it. So they know when they ask a great driver to do something really lousy they're prepared to reward you in return. That's all you can ask.

My dispatcher is awesome and I know we both knew what to expect. Id talked to other local TX drivers that forwarned me. But I did it anyway. Thats just me. I go above and beyond which is why everyone in my company seems to like me so much:)

I know from your POV you probably consider my comments to be downers ,...BUT ,in a previous post you did express the desire for more experienced drivers to weigh in with their comments .After 18 years ,2 million plus accident and ticket free miles spread across 5 different carriers I believe I meet your qualifications.Whats more important to you ? Being well liked or making money?You were hired to move freight from point A to point B .If you make a few friends along the way thats great .But yours and every trucking company out there primary focus is moving freight .truck drivers come and go .To most companies the drivers are just another piece of equipment that eventually needs to be replaced.You are deluding yourself to belief your DM really cares... Yes if you scratch her back maybe she has yours too .Sooner or later you'll realise she'll say /do anything to get you to do what she wants/needs done for the moment .

Getting you to pick up that extra load was one less phone call she had to field later from an irate shipper wanting that load gone .From a shippers POV ,once that load has left his yard ,its on its way to its destination even if it is just sitting at your company's drop yard .Your DM has just made her job a little easier,and yours a little more difficult .Remember that load you got to pick up at 6 pm? You are still expected to deliver it on time .Even if it means you have to drive thru your next break to do it .You just spent the last 8 hours On duty.What do you suppose the next DM who comes on at 6 is going to say when you take your break only a few hours after you p/u the load?Never mind 5-6 days down the road sitting in some truckstop waiting on your hours to "catch up" with you ,those 8 hours just might come in handy when you are trying to get home for the weekend ,or you are behind schedule on your current load.Were the brownie points earned worth it?

Zach I had just come off vacation. No one knew I was back because I have an apu and it was on all week. I had put myself available at 8 am even though my load loaded at 6pm. I did go thru extra hassel put got paid FOR EVERYTHING that I did including the trailer repair. I didnt have to but I take care of my DM and she takes care of me. I rarely say no and am relied on hevily which is why im #1 on her board for miles. Yes I can say no but I wont because I like to help and it benifits me in the long run. If I ask for anything I get it:) Guess it pays to be nice.

Well hun ,it all comes down to compensation.I'd rather be paid my $40 per hour driving my rig down the road instead of $12-15 per hour playing local shuttle driver .Taking "care" of your DM is great grand and wonderful and if it gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling ,then go for it; sooner or later though ,you'll realise he/she doesnt give one wit about you ,his/her only concern is moving the freight.

One other thing ,(just curious) In your OP you stated your original P/U was slated to be 6pm and because of your extra duties you were late picking up ,did you hit the road immediately with that load ,fresh and ready to run the miles ?Or tired from a hard days work shuttling trailers and spending time in the shop?

Zach I had just come off vacation. No one knew I was back because I have an apu and it was on all week. I had put myself available at 8 am even though my load loaded at 6pm. I did go thru extra hassel put got paid FOR EVERYTHING that I did including the trailer repair. I didnt have to but I take care of my DM and she takes care of me. I rarely say no and am relied on hevily which is why im #1 on her board for miles. Yes I can say no but I wont because I like to help and it benifits me in the long run. If I ask for anything I get it:) Guess it pays to be nice.

Well hun ,it all comes down to compensation.I'd rather be paid my $40 per hour driving my rig down the road instead of $12-15 per hour playing local shuttle driver .Taking "care" of your DM is great grand and wonderful and if it gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling ,then go for it; sooner or later though ,you'll realise he/she doesnt give one wit about you ,his/her only concern is moving the freight.

Ok I give up trying to make this post on this thread work at this time.....

The short version is please point out what law (I want the number of the law in the green truckers book in the truck) that states its illegal to carry a gun in a truck.

There simple is not one and you will not find one. What makes it a bad idea is the LOCAL and STATE laws.

Not only is it against almost every company's policy out there but the minute you pull into a weight station it is illegal to have a firearm on that property. Not to mention most customers forbid firearms on their propery.

As you stated ,the moment you pull into the scalehouse property with that firearm in your possesion(in the truck) you've violated the law .Nuff said.

One way to circumvent this ,if you absolutely must have some sort of firearm in your possesion,is to purchase and maintain a flaregun in your vehicle .Legally this is a safety device even though the flares are contained/propelled by a cartridge very similar to a shotgun shell.Personally I wouldn't want to be on the recieving end of a blunt object hitting me at high speed and clinging to my body while burning at 2000 degrees...;-)

I was just going to post a question about some of this so I will just tag a long on this post. I read all of whats needed except for the size of the duffle bag. I have been looking at some online, some have wheels some dont they range in size. What would be sufficient? would it be 36" 40" 50" etc? can it have wheels and a handle?

Thanks, Kevin

fyi, the 50" is HUGE .... might consider something smaller. I could easily pack my 16 y.o. daughter in the 50"

Whatever duffle you end up with,make sure everything fits in it ,clothes /sleeping bag/ pillow etc.Chances are good ,you'll be traveling VIA greyhound bus at some point and its much easier to keep up with one parcel instead of many.

Unless things have changed ,its a felony to have a firearm in your possesion in a USDOT regulated vehicle .That said ,personal protection has been at the forefront of my mind in many different locations thru the years .While you may get some looks ,If you are truly concerned for your safety ,buy and carry with you whenever out of your truck, a flat bedders cheater/binding bar....i gaurentee nobody will mess with you.