New Dedicated Account "m-f" Need Advice

Rachel, one of the things TT suggests for brand new drivers is to take the loads - crappy or golden - don't complain, pay your dues. And sometime in the future your DM will recognize you as a quality driver. You will get your reward - more of the good loads.

You are in the middle of setting up a new account. That's more complicated! Your DM did get back to you "there is a lot of confusion and changes being made right now that is making things crazy" You are one of the few drivers on this account. You use your patience, do what you can to clear the rough stuff, you will stand out as a flexible, git-'er-done driver way better than the "regular" new OTR drivers.

Rachel, one of the things TT suggests for brand new drivers is to take the loads - crappy or golden - don't complain, pay your dues. And sometime in the future your DM will recognize you as a quality driver. You will get your reward - more of the good loads.

You are in the middle of setting up a new account. That's more complicated! Your DM did get back to you "there is a lot of confusion and changes being made right now that is making things crazy" You are one of the few drivers on this account. You use your patience, do what you can to clear the rough stuff, you will stand out as a flexible, git-'er-done driver way better than the "regular" new OTR drivers.

In the past I've dealt with short runs, low freight, new fleet managers ect . The experience taught me to: manage my time wisely, communicate efficiently and take the good with the bad. In the past I paid my dues and reaped the rewards (good miles and a good working relationship with my FM. My last FM asked me to come back to his board if this dedicated position doesn't work out.) There's no doubt, in this industry you have to prove yourself but there is a point at which you must draw a line. In the past I took what I was given and made due, but I feel after nearly a month of "paying my dues" (less than 1000mi/wk, +weekends) and seeing no change in sight i needed to speak up. There is a difference between paying your dues and being used. If I'm on a sinking ship I won't be going down with it.

I talked to my FM briefly today but I'm going to talk to him tomorrow at length in the morning. Whether I stay on the account has yet to be decided. No one knows what the future holds.

It's true, your dues "payment" lasts only so long. I remember my miles went up about 5 weeks into my first OTR. No one wants to be, and is really expected to be a permanent doormat/trash can.

Then again, in your new situation/dedicated account there are still the wrinkles & hiccups. It's a good sign that your FM is going to talk with you. Please post back with what goes down.

There's no doubt, in this industry you have to prove yourself but there is a point at which you must draw a line. In the past I took what I was given and made due, but I feel after nearly a month of "paying my dues" (less than 1000mi/wk, +weekends) and seeing no change in sight i needed to speak up.

I agree 100%. You did need to speak up and you deserve some answers. And you'll get em.

There is a difference between paying your dues and being used.

I don't think you're being used at all. It sounds to me like either your company or the customer had the wrong expectations or planned things poorly. No one at your company wants to see trucks getting 1000 miles per week and no one wants to promise weekends off and then have to dispatch drivers on weekend runs. None of that was planned ahead of time. It's very likely the customer gave your company one set of expectations and then delivered something completely different. I'll give you an example.....

I had a big corporation tell me they wanted to start their own training program for drivers and wanted their own private version of our High Road Training Program. They said they'd be putting about 500 students a year through it. So I spent a ton of time and a fair amount of money developing it. They asked for numerous customizations and I did them all. In the end that corporation had a grand total of 8 people use the program and 3 completed it and then they dropped it altogether. They decided in the end that training their own drivers wasn't the way to go.

That stuff happens all the time. I'm sure something similar happened to your company. It may all work out beautifully in the end or the account might dissolve completely. Who knows? But don't look at it like you're being used. It sounds like someone made a mess out of things and you wound up getting stuck in it. It happens. If your company can't give you any clear answers then they simply may not be getting any themselves from the customer. What can you do, right? In that case I would go back to OTR and tell them to give you a call when things settle out.

. It may all work out beautifully in the end or the account might dissolve completely. Who knows? But don't look at it like you're being used. It sounds like someone made a mess out of things and you wound up getting stuck in it. It happens. If your company can't give you any clear answers then they simply may not be getting any themselves from the customer. What can you do, right? In that case I would go back to OTR and tell them to give you a call when things settle out.

Brett you're right. "Used" isn't the right word for it. Someone made a mess and I'm stuck in it. I really appreciate your perspective on my situation.

Earlier today I had a fairly productive conversation with my FM. Next week most of the account's Arkansas stores will start receiving loads (this will increase avg. length of haul and freight). As of right now the work week will run M-Sat. morning, but they're considering a few different permanent options based on what will work best for the customer. He did say that they've run into a lot of problems and changes from the initial plan. I talked to some other drivers today and heard the number of drivers on the account was cut back. Based on the sign in/out sheet at the DC there are less than 7 that picked up a load since yesterday. I'm not sure what to think about that situation. Anyway...I'm going to see how the next few weeks go. I'm happy with my cpm (if miles go up), the possibility of getting through the house during the week, and at least a 34 on the weekend.

If it works out, I'll be happy I stuck with it and if it doesn't? At least I tried.

Thank you all for the advice. I appreciate you guys. -

It sounds like you're handling it perfect Rachel. I would agree that if the opportunity seems like a good one then it's worth sticking around if you can afford to do so. I would likely do the same thing.

Let us know how things work out for you and good luck!

. It may all work out beautifully in the end or the account might dissolve completely. Who knows? But don't look at it like you're being used. It sounds like someone made a mess out of things and you wound up getting stuck in it. It happens. If your company can't give you any clear answers then they simply may not be getting any themselves from the customer. What can you do, right? In that case I would go back to OTR and tell them to give you a call when things settle out.

Brett you're right. "Used" isn't the right word for it. Someone made a mess and I'm stuck in it. I really appreciate your perspective on my situation.

Earlier today I had a fairly productive conversation with my FM. Next week most of the account's Arkansas stores will start receiving loads (this will increase avg. length of haul and freight). As of right now the work week will run M-Sat. morning, but they're considering a few different permanent options based on what will work best for the customer. He did say that they've run into a lot of problems and changes from the initial plan. I talked to some other drivers today and heard the number of drivers on the account was cut back. Based on the sign in/out sheet at the DC there are less than 7 that picked up a load since yesterday. I'm not sure what to think about that situation. Anyway...I'm going to see how the next few weeks go. I'm happy with my cpm (if miles go up), the possibility of getting through the house during the week, and at least a 34 on the weekend.

If it works out, I'll be happy I stuck with it and if it doesn't? At least I tried.

Thank you all for the advice. I appreciate you guys. -

In this particular case could you ask for a minimum weekly pay until your company irons out the details with the new account? Seems that your company should share the pain of growing the account rather than placing it on the backs of their drivers.