Comments By Seabee-J

Good post . It begs the question of whether the O/O will cease to be in America. With rising costs and sooo many recommending AGAINST this idea of ownership in your own vehicle and business even if you are a knowledgeable veteran of it . My father was an O/O for a while many years ago when I suppose it was a little more profitable but with the way things are currently and the direction we seem to be going in it makes me wonder if an independent trucker will go the way of Blockbuster video. Personally i'm a bit sad for that .

I would reccomend getting a TWIC as well especially if you get a hazmat it may even save you some money if you already have the HAZ endorsement. I'm actually renewing mine tomorrow.

Where is the push for more male kindergarten teachers , receptionists, nurses , clerical workers , home health services?🙄

Definitely keep it , theres a lot of possibilities you can have with a cdl . There are construction companies that NEED guys with it simply to transport equipment or paving compartments with dump or cement trucks. You invested in it so it's in your best interest to hold on to it.

Very cool , I don't have Sirius but hope to find a rebroadcast after . This should be good especially with some of the newer rules recently. Itll be interesting to hear some opinions. Good luck!

As far as the equipment goes it's a mix bag of Macks. KWs , Freightliners and a few Sterlings . The newer tractors go to the Road drivers and older are P&D . It's a mix between Autoshifts and Manuals but ABF seems to be phasing out their manuals in the near future . I did my training on a 10 speed Mack myself though and I believe they still train everyone in the DDP on standard shift tractors presently . The Maintenance Program is pretty good but I think this varies based on location and Terminal size more than anything else . I think I've touched on all the main points so if you are looking to get into LTL I would say that ABF is a pretty good way to go with a caveat though . You may not do much quality driving after you complete training and depending on your terminal location it could be a while before you drive regularly , again filling in when necessary while spending most time loading and unloading trailers and that might not be the best thing in the beginning which is what I saw from guys ahead of myself. Some terminals may not be as busy so you may be considered a casual worker not working every day . I recommend researching your terminal as best you can to see if work is consistent. Anyway I believe that covers it and hope it helps out some folks considering LTL and ABF .

When in training you'll be paid at trainee rate which is $16.50/hr and when training complete it moves to $20/hr plus change. Its Teamsters union and local shops change terminal to terminal so I want comment too much on that as I only knew my local . With any union there is good and bad but if you are in it you are fairly well protected if involved in minor accidents. If you are thinking about starting P&D local this is probably the safest way to do it. again not the most recommended route but better than almost any other local job in regards to staying employed. You may be on that dock for awhile if there's a few people ahead of you and that may mean a year or two or three even . All dock work at my terminal was overnight 11pm - 8am .You'd go out on a run if someone is out sick or on vacation. Everything is done on a bid system for P&D just like the Road Drivers for routes and schedules though most start at 8am . Again this may vary based on your terminal .

I saw some people with some ABF questions in another thread so I figured I post my experience with the company. DISCLAIMER I'm not working there anymore as I had a few personal reasons ( nothing bad ) but will detail as much information as I can for those interested . I originally was not going to start but had a few things change and decided to interview . I spoke with the recruiter and terminal manager, liked what I heard and decided to give it a go . They have 2 positions in the DDP. Road Driver and P&D it depends on availability so not a lot of Road positions are available.I was P&D. In order to be considered you need to have your A permit with Hazmat and Doubles/Triples or a least ability to obtain Hazmat , I'd recommend getting your TWIC as well as it's a good selling point . . .The Program was 6 weeks long and I trained at my home terminal about 20mins away M-F 8-430 doing everything from inspections and maneuvers to on the road driving and P&D work in my local area. The training they offer is excellent as its 1 on 1 and you are the only student , not in a class sharing with others so I would have the truck all to myself for the entire time. There is a possibility you may get sent to Ft Smith Arkansas or another main terminal if there are no instructors locally . When you test you must make the appointment with the state dmv and they'll conduct your road test from a state site .Terminal to terminal is different greatly in regards to seniority for how long you will have to wait to move up . You WILL spend a lot of time on the dock early . You are in the union after a 30 day probation period . The medical benefits are very good and fully paid for but retirement benefits and pensions are busted from what I learned. You get OT pay for any hours over 40 and also after 8 in a day , So if you work a 10hr day you'll get paid 2 hours OT .

ABF does train new drivers without exp as long as you have your A permit with Hazmat/Tanker/Doubles. Look for positions in the driver training Program either road or P/D options whichever is available. Its approx 6 weeks long and they will send to either Arkansas or possibly your local terminal if there is a trainer available there . The health benefits are very good probably best in industry but the pension system is broke and are going the 401 route . Seniority is a huge deal on what routes and hours you'll get but this changes terminal to terminal and you WILL have to do dock work possibly for a year or two depending on location . Youll get training on a 28' pup as well as 48' and also put together sets . I know this as I decided to go through the Program and finished but left the company after a short time as I had some personal issues and could not continue working overnight dock for the foreseeable future and continue with my other job as well . That said it's a very good Program and solid company but be forewarned that P/D is quite a difficult way to start . I'd recommend the Road driver option if its available but they dont seem to come up as often. If anyone has any related questions , I'll do my best to answer them .

Just saw this , we all appreciate the support ! Thanks. 👍

Class A training vs Class B is quite different in scope and depth. There is simply just more aspects involved with the A training which leads to longer programs and higher costs. You can pay a private school for a B and likely find a job quickly depending on what you'd like to do be it Concrete hauling aka ready mix , auto wrecking , Bus driving ( which is what I do , btw there are quite a few different types of this just like in trucking . You can also do local straight job deliveries in box or flatbed. Some of these pay well and most are by the hour but they are a lot of physical work and usually are long days as well not unlike OTR . Remember class A is usually more of a lifestyle at least in the beginning.

Duel for sure , Maximum overdrive as well .Convoy is one also . I even like the 97 tv movie Trucks which is really just Maximum Overdrive lite but still cool .

Congrats , that's awesome , I don't think most people understand the difficulty of food service with the hours and hands on work involved. It's a great accomplishment and character building milestone.

Not an OTR Driver myself but from everything I've researched and heard Reefer generally does longer runs and will go coast to coast, especially CA . I dont know if it'll mean more miles overall as you'll do more waiting than dry van on average but when you run its usually longer .

Well, I guess that's what insurance is for sucks though .

Make sure you get an updated medical card so you can have your cdl status active . You may have to do a refresher course for the A depending on what job you are seeking.

You could look into driving a mixer or dump trucks for a construction outfit though winter work may be slow . I believe mixers require a N endorsement for tankers in NY , not sure about your state . You could also look into tow truck operations as well .

You sure can in NY , but I say take a few at once, who really wants to make more trips to the DMV than necessary ?

I second that thought , being a GA pilot myself. As long as nothing gets broken or someone gets hurts your good , like all the vet drivers here say GOAL and take time . I too struggle with frustration wanting to excel quickly .

Using a die cast model is a great a idea , I use that method and it really helps to understand what's going on and helps you visualize what to do with the different angles and how it will react. Spot on tip .