Profile For andhe78

I am even considering starting my trucking career during the winter so I can get the pointers needed for icy conditions with a trainer. It maybe a bit of a challenge as I would think most people start in the spring or summer.

What's funny, I'm from Buffalo, NY, took my road test the first of November in a snowstorm, was at orientation a week and a half later in Arkansas to go OTR for Maverick, and never saw another lick of snow the rest of the winter.

I've actually got a different view on trucking than most here. I literally got into it for the money. As someone with only a high school diploma, there's not a ton of six figure jobs out there. I spent the first twenty years of my adult life at one, but it was very physically demanding and my body was starting to break down. Trucking seemed like a good option. Spent two years over the road, then picked up a local fuel hauling gig. The wife and I were simply going to cruise into early retirement. Then, almost four years ago, we were surprised to find out we were going to have our miracle baby (20+ years of trying). Fortunately, that local fuel hauling job pays great, has union benefits, and I had just enough seniority at the time to snag a day shift. Fast forward to now, I transferred to the LP division, weekends off, ten hour days, and over 30 paid days off a year that I can take any time. I start at 0400, drive three hours, load, drive four hours, unload, then an hour back to the yard-done in time to pick up the boy from preschool. I'm home with the family on the weekends, got enough time to take off any day needed for the family (like a school walk-a-thon next Friday), and can hang out with the family every evening. Here's where I'm weird-to me, this job is absolutely no different from my neighbor who works at the local Ford plant (I just get paid better and have a smaller office.) I've really never felt or needed to feel the romance of the open road, or the brotherhood of drivers, etc. To me, this is just another job, that actually pays well and gives me a fantastic work/home life balance.

All this being said, yeah, I've got a unicorn gig. You're not going to just fall into something like this. It takes time, it takes work, it takes smarts, and it even takes a bit of luck. Your first couple years aren't going to be great for a family, but these kind of opportunities are out there if you are serious about it.

No drug addicts hiding out here yet. My ride-some companies still buy new manual trucks.

You sound like a nightmare to train with as well to be honest

Lol, you're right, I probably am. With what we haul, I am a real stickler for doing the job the right way, every time, all the time. The company doesn't seem to mind though.

As for the FT with my wife, I understand that. She asked me and I said sure, I did not even look though and was completely focused on driving

Honestly thought I was not reading your original post right because nobody wanting to be a driver would think facetiming while driving would be a good idea. Lol, I was wrong. You didn't look though, nice job, you're more disciplined than I am. (sarcasm)

did not offer any advice what so ever

You're right, and I am so sorry. My advice, ask your trainer to pull over, grab all your gear, and start heading home. You don't seem to have the right mindset for this job.

I'm sorry, I can't stop laughing, I love it. Nude facetiming while driving is fine as long as I don't look. Thanks for making my day.

Didn’t Prime give you a number to call if you have problems with your trainer? I’d go that route before asking strangers on the internet-you might not like their answers (specifically my answer.). You sound like a nightmare, arguing over setting the brake terminology and whining over having to pull the king pin release lever??? As for the phone thing, if I heard a trainee have this exact conversation with his wife, I’d check to make sure he wasn’t actually FaceTiming his nude wife while driving too. You actually told your wife to bring the phone in the shower, you just weren’t going to look??? Dude!!! I’d have kicked you off right there.

Worse still, this law puts professional drivers, including CDL holders, in an impossible situation. Use your medication legally and risk your license? Or suffer without treatment?

I think you’re missing something here.

I'm a former Maverick driver who got my start with them and never regretted it. It's been years so my info may be a little out of date, but some thoughts on some things you've said and some thoughts on why I went with Maverick when I was in your position just starting out (had invitations to orientation at both TMC and Maverick.)

TMC's percentage pay-they love to say you'll make more on percentage, but I've talked to dozens of TMC drivers over the years, and at the end of the year, the pay comes out to about the same. Some weeks percentage will do better, other weeks cpm will be better. Personally, while I'm sure TMC is completely above board, I've never liked my pay being based off what the company tells me they got paid for the load-how do I know they are telling me the truth? That being said, Maverick used to pay zip to zip (not sure if they still do.) That can make a lot of drivers angry too, but never really bothered me. The minimum pay was actually started my second year there and by that time was quick enough at the loading aspect of the job, that I don't remember ever getting it. Could be great for a new flatbedder when the tarping jobs are still taking five hours and you're losing mileage pay.

That 60 cent per mile seems low, feel like I was making that and more seven years ago at Maverick.

Tennessee is a great spot for flatbed. Tons of loads in that area and Maverick should have very few problems getting you home every weekend. No need to "uproot" your family or move closer to a terminal. They used to have a terminal in TN if I remember correctly.

The "starter company" and "suck it up" thing. Yeah, they'll hire new drivers, but doesn't mean you've got to suck it up with a horrible outfit. It was a great place to work. They've got hundreds of million mile drivers. There's things I still miss about that outfit and would probably still be with them if I weren't on the very edge of their hiring zone which made getting home hard. I went with their flatbed division because I wanted experience in general flatbed freight instead of just hauling specialized freight, but they actually have a glass division just down the road, and If I wasn't happy with my current gig, would be right back there hauling glass.

Now, the actual reason I went with Maverick instead of TMC (and again, my info may be out of date now days), Maverick's trainers rode in the passenger seat the entire time you trained, at the time, TMC would go to team driving after a couple weeks. Not sure if they still do, but at the time, I felt more comfortable with the trainer always keeping an eye on things.

Do the reset on the front half.

Sometimes I have to run a 20’ hose under the trailer because the drops for different products are on opposite sides. Lifting that hose full of gas and trying to drain it can be tough.

Wow, your trailers are not set up to unload on both sides? That's rough.

We have other customers who placed their drops above the level of our load heads so you’re technically dropping fuel uphill. When those hoses are full of diesel, they can be extremely heavy and difficult to manage without making a huge mess.

Get yourself one of these.

Hose drainer tool

Mental requirements are more important in this job. There’s a lot of fuel haulers around here in their seventies and even a couple in their eighties, so obviously the physical part of the job is not overly onerous. Having the mindset that allows you to do the job for forty years with no incidents is the hard part.

Probably haven’t lifted anything over twenty pound in this job. We do do a lot of standing around in the weather while delivering.

I was a welder for 13years and was fabricating bulldozers for Caterpillar until the pandemic shut the factory down.

By the end of my welding career I was training newbies how to weld like me. I got new guys to be as good as I am in two weeks because my training style is so good that I was the number one guy that my bosses at Caterpillar sent new welders to.

So I do know a thing or two about training.

This is where your thought process is wrong about a trucking career-you are thinking a couple weeks of excellent training and you’ll be as good as a thirteen year veteran. Not the case here-this job throws new things at you all the time and you’re going to have to figure it out on your own (you’ve already alienated an experienced driver you could possibly call for help.). I’d almost guarantee even if you had a year with a trainer, you’ll run into an unknown problem your first couple days. Who’s gonna tell you what to do then?