Comments By PJ

I have to agree with OS. Four months is nothing toward your overall experience.

Tankers is a whole different animal. I did it for years and loved it. If I was still younger and had more time on my career I would still be doing it. Most companies require 1 year OTR experience before they will hire you.

The overall experience you will get between now and that 1 year mark will be invaluable espically with winter driving.

I would highly recommend hanging in there and refinning your skills. That time will pass quickly.

Buying a used truck is always a gamble. The cummins is a good motor. I would want to see the maintance records on it and an oil sample first.

With over capacity keeping rates depressed and interest rates still crazy I would certainly not be buying anything right now. Equip prices have come down but are still high from where they should be.

At that mileage range it will no doubt start having emmisions issues and those are costly not to mention some parts are getting hard to come by again.

I talked a bit with my mechanic when I picked my truck up this afternoon. He has a 22 Pete in the shop and needs to replace the dpf/scr filters. 4 week back order and have gone up 30% in price from last year.

We went through parts shortages 2 years ago that saw some parts taking months to get.

I read this through a couple times to be sure I was reading it correctly and not missing any points so I don’t sound like a crabby old guy.

I’m going to assume the OP already has the knowledge and skills necessary to run a business.

Make sure you save money because when, not if anything on that truck breaks you will need money to pay for the repairs. Even new trucks will breakdown. I hear folks preach about it being under warranty. That can help, but will not replace lost revenue.

I’ve lost count how many people I have seen go down this road and not have the skills, knowledge, or drive to be successful.

I wish the OP well.

What type of freight do you prefer to haul?? Makes a difference with the companies you listed.

Mcelroy is flatbed only. The others have 2-3 different divisions.

This is an employers market right now. They are pickey. I would recommend you take whoever offers you the job first.

I will make this very short and concise. Every person has a right to defend their person and property. Included in that defense is the right to use whatever amount of force that is reasonable and necessary.

Nobody can script that out. Every incident will be judged on its own merits/facts. Every situation will be different.

That is why you were unable to get anyone to give you a specific answer.

Your remarks regarding the criminal justice system is probably close, but not for the reason most regilar folks would think of. Reality is DA’s are elected in CA. They always have and will use caution when filing a complaint. They review the facts and then assess the probability of winning in court. If they think a win is not possible or a long shot, they deny the complaint. In other words they only file those cases they strongly believe they will win.

Defense attorneys use the same rational in determing if a client should take advantage of a plea bargain. It is there job to get their client the best deal possible.

I have to agree here, 6 months at one time gave you options and 1 yr really opened the door.

The industry has changed dramatically the past 2 years. With companies going out of business each and every month, plus the big one, Yellow Freight closing the market is flooded with experienced drivers many of which have spotless records unable to find another job.

Many companies that are hiring are being very picky about who they hire. Anyone with any issues at all will likely be turned down.

Every quarter with hear the same thing from the expert’s, company CEO’s, economists, companies that track trucking meterics that the next quarter will be better. That has been going on over 1 year. We have had a few minor bump ups here and there, but it disappears as quick. I firmly believe at this point we will not see much difference for at least another year.

Capacity is still way overboard and volumes are staggant or down some as much as flatbed being 50% less than 5 years ago.

If you find a job, do your best and stick with it, you may not find another.

Me ELD system, Motive has the safety stuff built into it. I honestly never think about it and in 2 1/2 years looked at it twice. I drive what I believe is safe for conditions present and I really don’t need a computer to tell me what I should or should not be doing.

I have a friend that his company has the same ELD system I have. He also has a person that calls him every time he has an event. The guy has never been in a truck. My friend has been driving trucks since 1973 and only been in 1 traffic collision and was hit by a merging driver and was not the at fault party. His biggest event is hard braking. When a stop light in any speed zone above 35 mph flips fast you have a choice to make. Run the yellow that may go red or stop as safe as possible. He like me chooses to stop. He is the only reason I have even looked at mine. I also have dings from the computer for hard braking. We both run alot of backroads and state highways.

Since you are at GA Tech maybe in your study you can find a way to encourage GA DOT to equip stop light controlled intersections with the light systems that flash and say prepare to stop. I have seen a couple in oconee county but that is it. MS has them all over and they are very helpfull for truck drivers.

That is why I have locking caps. Won’t stop it, but sure slows them down and discourages it.

Bob Cat I sure hope your money was well spent and it helps you!!

Susan great to hear from you. Sorry to hear about that wreck. Glad your ok. Seems things just keep getting more stupid everywhere we turn anymore.

Kearsey sounds like you came down to GA. I left out yesterday running a few general freight box van loads, due to weather and time of year my business has fallen off. Still gotta pay the bills.

I agree with Kearsey you are here asking for help and have thus far come across very poorly. We also don’t get into bashing anyone, just try to get factual information and help folks if we can. Not everyone really wants help, but rather validation of their thoughts. There are plenty of those types of sites online.

I am a bit confused how doing LTL your sitting so much. Those folks operate alot differently than regional or otr truckload. They also relay loads between yards.

From what your describing in your example that sounds like regional or otr truckload.

You say you have 3 months experience but are in training. That is how I read your original post. My question is what type of training and by who? Reading your entire posts I don’t get the sense you are with a trainer.

It is important to effictively communicate with your dispatcher. Polite and proffessional conversations always get the best end result. They hold alot of power over you. This is where most folks go wrong.

Keep in mind the dispatcher probably has many drivers depending on company size and many tasks to juggle at any one time. In the grand scheme of their day your issue may be very small to them, but very important to you. A positive working relationship with them is paramount. Could be they are new at their job, like you are at yours. It takes alot of willingness and time to build a good relationship, but well worth it.

Closed customers isn’t much can be done about that, unless your company has a drop yard close by, that load could be dropped there and another driver could deliver it on monday. Again the more specific information is the better advise could be given.

Your proffessional conversations with your dispatcher can make or break your earning potetional. IE: sitting times. If you come across poorly then they will be much less likely to be helpful, just human nature.

I have known 2 people in 11 years that were such a nightmare that dispatchers left them sitting like you describe on purpose hoping they would quit.

In the end, the decision is yours to make. You will be the one that lives with the consequences.