Location:
PA
Driving Status:
Experienced Driver
Social Link:
graduated cdl school at DCS school of driving in york, pa
feeding chickens, powering cities and making your waste safe. Who knew limestone had so many uses?
Posted: 2 years, 1 month ago
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What are your preferred hours to run?
Usually start around 0300. Days are all 12-14 hours so gets me home for dinner every night. Less traffic in the morning is a plus and by the time I finish unloading my first run the rush hour crowd is clearing out.
Posted: 2 years, 1 month ago
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Pretty much everywhere I go now we are not allowed in the receiving offices and need to fill out a questionnaire at the quarries. The customer I have been delivering to daily for the past 2 months is making us call and they will meet us at the door.
Yesterday I called and nobody answered. I opened the door and looked in to see if they were out of the office where they put the bagged ingredients in and saw someone sitting at the desk IN THE OFFICE. (This isn't the person I usually deal with and he hasnt always seemed standoffish). I walked up to the door and knocked and he didnt even look up. Opened the door a little just to get his attention and he starts freaking out about how I cant just walk in there. I explained that I called and nobody answered but he didnt care. So I went back outside and after about 5-10 minutes my normal guy came out to do something else and got everything for me, never saw the original guy again. He wouldve had me standing out there all day.
Here's the kicker. The pipes are locked so they need to give me a key or pair of keys and I give them back. They handle the paperwork and have me sign in and sign the bol and receipt. So even with all the office barring there is still 3 chances of transfer. Keys, paperwork and pen(that everyone uses). In the end it doesnt really matter.
Posted: 2 years, 2 months ago
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What does a quarantine due to coronavirus mean for truckers?
Wonder how that will work out. I still have to be out here so are they going to give us permits to be out? Otherwise the power doesnt stay on, waste and water wont be treated and animals will starve because feed cant be made. I'm more concerned that this will force the quarries closed and then we won't be able to do our job anyways. And then everything falls apart.
Posted: 2 years, 2 months ago
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Update and is this coronavirus going to shut truckers down too?
We've gotten busier this week and will more than likely get even busier over the following weeks with people stuck at home using more electricity and water. If we dont keep moving the power plants shut down and water doesn't get purified. Feed doesnt get mixed and animals begin to starve. One advantage to the lime business. Run til you cant run no more.
Posted: 2 years, 2 months ago
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(NEED ADVICE) Local feed & ingredient haulers
I deliver to feed mills daily. Some have tons of space and others make you question the engineering. Couldn't make out exactly what type of trailer you would be using (pnematic tank, open top dump, feed tank with with boom arm).
3/4 of the ones I go to are dirt lots in the middle of nowhere using 2 lane roads to access.
Posted: 2 years, 4 months ago
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1st full year solo and within 2 years of driving I managed to turn out $67k gross for the year. I know that it doesnt touch the number some others have posted but it is about double what I made at my previous career and I'm home every day and majority of weekends off.
Posted: 2 years, 5 months ago
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I run % locally but in dry bulk. Like others have said you can make money either way by being efficient and running hard. A lot does depend on the runs and how much you can put together. I can run 1 load and make $250 for the day or run 1 short load and only make $70. Usually I run 2 loads that total out to $220-250 a day but its longer 12-13 hour days. I'm happy with what I do and my paychecks but there are weeks that slow down and put me off average.
Theres an example of 2 weeks and how the percents are broken down. I'm not at top percent yet so it will go up a little more. I have a little control over how much product I bring that effects the payout per run as well which you wouldnt get with flatbed.
Posted: 2 years, 7 months ago
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I believe that quality carriers trains on the chemical liquid side. I know for sure that we train on the dry bulk side but that's going to depend on your location. Dry bulk is the safer tank route because you dont deal with surge and slosh.
Posted: 2 years, 9 months ago
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F.T Silfirs & J.P. Donmoyer, they also control foundry systems Corp (FSC) in New Jersey. Dry bulk company in central PA with a small van line as well.
We were already pleased to QC and running under their DOT number so it was only a matter of time. Official transition was August 9th.
Posted: 2 years, 9 months ago
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We were recently purchased by quality carriers. Some operational stuff has changed to align with their structure but nothing crazy or unreasonable. Life has gone on the same and still gave the same staff in place and 90% of things have been improved upon. Some people just look for things to complain about. Give it time and make a decision before tearing it apart. Nothing to fear if you do your job correctly and run efficiently.
Posted: 2 years, 9 months ago
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If you say itll be a short, easy day something will go wrong.
Posted: 2 years, 9 months ago
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Tough local backing for a newbie
Got to the customer and to my surprise theres a crane in the way. Had to kick it around the corner of the building, between the crane so I could get to my 30ft of hose to unload. Feels like a 2nd Monday.
Posted: 2 years, 9 months ago
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Are landstar driver still making money??
I trained someone that was a land star o/o. He was telling me the work he was getting was inconsistent and he could make more with us. No idea what he was pulling in with them but hes happier with us atm
Posted: 2 years, 10 months ago
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With a class B you can not drive combinations which is probably why you're being denied. Unless your trying to do the class A programs but it doesnt seem like that's the case. You'll only be able to do straight trucks with a class B (bus, dump truck, box van, etc).
If I'm reading it right that is the issue.
Posted: 2 years, 10 months ago
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Look into dry bulk companies in the area to get the tank experience. You can usually find cement work pretty easily.
Side note on oil field work. I have a friend that does it in the northeast and is gone 2 weeks at a time and putting in 120+ hours a week between driving and other duties. Not sure how it would be down there but that's been his experience. Ridiculous money nut a huge time commitment.
Posted: 2 years, 10 months ago
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I went to a local school for 5 weeks, signed on with a local company l the week after "graduating" and trained for 4 weeks. April-december I still made 40k for the year and in my 2nd year i will hit that by the end of the month. I work 5-6 days but it is definitely long hours and work my clock pretty hard to maximize time. I also take the initiative to take on my work and set runs up differently then they have in the past to maximize earnings and get my DM to look at things differently. Because of that I get options on loads and just about anything I want.
All this comes back to 1 thing. YOU! Plenty of money to be made if you go out there and make it happen.
Posted: 2 years, 10 months ago
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How Many Times Do You ACTUALLY UNLOAD YOURSELF?
Every single day, sometimes twice! I'll even load it myself on occasion. The trailer does all the work though. I only hook up 2 hoses and move some valves haha
Posted: 2 years, 11 months ago
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Tough local backing for a newbie
This is the most fun I have when it comes to local backing. Back from the one way street through the gate into the tan section with the garage door. Theres only at most a foot from the passenger door to the brick wall. It's also very dark in the building you have to back into with not much wiggle room.
Posted: 2 years, 11 months ago
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I'll take a look tomorrow since I have to use a mack for the day while my volvo gets the window replaced (pickup truck coming opposite direction kicked me a present from his little trailer). I know the "truck going uphill" is the hill start disable. Hill start keeps the truck from rolling back.
Click Anywhere To Close
Posted: 1 year, 10 months ago
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Blew a tire!
If you havent experienced it yet wait til you blow a super single. Had a drive tire go and thought I lost the trailer! Luckily what was remaining of the rubber stayed under the lip of the rim and saved it from getting wreaked too. Blew the mud flap in front of the drives clear into a field