Comments By Andrey

Thank you, PJ. I am not an O/O (and have no intention to become one), so I am more interested in driving power from a company driver's perspective. The guy I mentioned (he owns a small fleet of 20+ trucks) said that his drivers are getting 30% of gross, and I guess neither insurance, nor fuel bothers them as company drivers.

I would appreciate information on power only driving from people who have their own experience. It seems to me that this mode of trucking has much more flexibility in schedule, which matters for me, as I do not drive at night. So far I talked to a company owner, and he told me that they didn't care at all when a driver sleeps. Sounds a bit too good to be true, but who knows?

I drive Northeast regional and get home every week for a FULL weekend and the pay is very good.

Can you tell how many miles they give you weekly on average?

Anyone knows a place to park in 10 miles radius from North Bergen, NJ?

Unions are evil, and my opinion has nothing to do with "anti-union propaganda." (The only propaganda I had been exposed to in the Soviet Union was a pro-union one, anything else was punished.) Any unionized economy is doomed for a very simple reason: unions destroy the very idea of value, making people believe that they can get more money and work less. The truth is the opposite: one has to work more to become richer. And counting other's money is the last thing that can make you rich. To tell the truth, I simply cannot understand how American private businesses allow unions. Asking for a raise is OK, but demanding it? I see it as an insult, and when insults are left unnoticed, they tend to grow into ugly problems.

I have been driving for NFI (Anheuser-Bush contractor) for a year now, and would like to share a few things in case someone considers working for this company. It is a relatively big carrier with several terminals, my information is limited to Merrimack, NH. NFI hires drivers with 1+ year of experience and after a short training (3-4 days) gives you a truck. Also they hire graduates without experience and place them in a 6 week program (pay is $200/day). Management is very friendly, all trucks (automatic Freightliners and a few Volvos) are under 150k, maintenance is done at the yard. All trucks and trailers have super singles. Schedule is flexible, all loads are no touch and most of them are drop and hook. The only minus I can think of is low pay: an average day brings about $250. Those who want to make more, can work on Saturdays (a $50 premium). Hooking 2-3 trailers every day and sliding tandems every time significantly developed my sliding skills - I can look at the load and distribute weight with 30-50 lbs difference on a first try.

I had this test on the first day of training with Roehl in January 2021. It was easy, there were a few women in our group, and everybody passed.

Everyone has a unique set of circumstances, so what can work for one, may not work for another person. Speaking from my own experience, I would suggest not to overthink it and rather have a good rest before your school starts, so you can be in a good physical and mental shape. It is important to remember, that driving school is the easiest part in becoming a good driver. You will be taught one and only one skill at school, i.e. how to pass a test and get your CDL. The real training and learning will start later and most likely will be measured in years. Good luck!

Abigail, trucking is no different from many other jobs, and in some sense even simpler, at least on a structural level - there is you and your truck, and there is your boss (dispatch, lead driver, fleet manager, terms may vary). Each one wants everything to work well, but as we all know, it cannot happen all the time. Problems exist, and your ability to solve them is always a huge plus for a company. As soon as you prove to be reliable, people will start treating you better.

Here is an example. You see that there is an option to change gears manually on your automatic truck. And you feel untrained in using this feature. I am sure that your truck has a manual somewhere in the cab. Reading this manual will answer most of your questions. Another solution is asking drivers at any rest area or truck stop, most of them will share their knowledge. Another solution is to use google. And then apply what you learned in practice. As you see, none of these options imply company's involvement, and that is exactly what many of them like.

Name one thing I typed that isn't reality, Audrey.

You typed "Audrey" which is a women's name, and I am Andrey :-) That was a joke, people do it all the time with my name, I am used to it.

Now to the point. You said that legal consequences are possible. Do you know and can name any real lawsuites when a driver didn't disclose his heart attack?

PackRat, I am not saying that it is OK to make false statements. But life is much more complicated than any set of laws. I think that if someone made a mistake and didn't cause anyone any harm, there is no need to apply the full force of law.