Interstate Drivers - Please Validate This!
Topic 18570 | Page 1
I run western 11 regional in the reefer division for Interstate , so I can't speak to dry van specific things. But everything else is accurate, with a couple of additions. Most of the fleet is Cascadias, but there are still quite a few KW T680s. They're being winnowed out, though, because of a never of maintenance and breakdown issues. Also, most of the trucks are 10 speeds, but the newer trucks are automatics.
FWIW, I've been with IDC a little less than 3 years now, and I love em. They've always taken good care of me.
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
Interstate:
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
Thanks for the feedback Fatsquatch.
I run dry van team out of Tacoma, WA, so i don't think I'll be of much help. I'm also new with the company and experiencing equipment difficulties, but as said in my thread, it's probably just bad luck, and they are working to get us into a better truck.
However, i can say the information unrelated to DFW is accurate. I will also say that we are treated with dignity and respect, and made to feel like we are VIPs.
It's the little things they offer that make us feel like we matter... decent hotels, thick mattress, fridge, APU , inverter, answering every single qcomm message and in a timely manner, eye contact and 'hellos' from everyone, regardless of what facility we're at, free laundry facilities, and the list goes on.
They keep trying to give us miles, we just haven't been able to run them yet.
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.APU:
Auxiliary Power Unit
On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.
Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.
I wish I could talk with a fleet manager at interstate. Never quite sure what to believe from the recruiters. It was looking good until the recruiter told me that because I live in Dallas most of my loads would be in the eastern half of the country.
The whole reason I was looking at interstate is because I want to find someplace where I can drive all 48 states. If I want to drive just the Midwest and East I can just stay where I am now.
Maybe I'm hoping for too much from one company: 48 state OTR van, with regional that I can switch to at some point when I want to be home more (with inverter and decent A/C and heat temperature controls).
Got to keep looking...
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Interstate:
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).
Fleet Manager:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.
The whole reason I was looking at interstate is because I want to find someplace where I can drive all 48 states. If I want to drive just the Midwest and East I can just stay where I am now.
I'm pretty sure you'll see that wherever you go. Before deregulation companies where mostly regional. Even the megas are trying to grow their footprints and customers, but it happens SLOWLY - like everything else in this industry. I drive for CRST, another large 48 state carrier, but most of my loads are in a square with corners in PA, NC, TX and IL. They're trying to grow their business in CA through acquisitions (Gardner), but loads into or out of the Mountain states (MT, UT, CO, AZ, NM) are rare. Loads in the Pacific Northwest (OR, WA, ID) are even rarer. That's 1/6th of the country!
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
Interstate:
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).
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I've read and heard good things about Interstate. In my on-going quest to find a company where I can cover all 48 states, with the option to go Regional or Dedicated, I'm looking at Interstate.
These are the questions I asked of the recuiter, along with the responses. If you drive for Interstate and know that something is wrong, please let me know. Thanks in advance!!!
1. Terminal or drop-yard in the DFW area? >>Yes. Was a full terminal. Now a drop-yard with maint. In Ft. Worth. Could park near home.
2. 48-state coverage for Dallas-based driver? >>Yes
3. Solo OTR dry van available? >> Yes
4. Avg miles per week OTR dry van. >>2500/2700 for OTR driving for 2-3 weeks out.
5. OTR Home-time options- weekly. >>18 days, 3 days home. Flexible with your fleet manager.
6. Are there regional or dedicated opportunities from Dallas? >>Both. Could be home weekly with regional.
7. Avg weekly miles for regional from Dallas? >>Varies. Around 2300 weekly if getting home each weekend.
8. Home time for regional? >>weekly
9. What trucks do you use? >>Freightliner Cascadia
10. Can I run a manual 10-speed? >>Yes
11. Can I be assigned a truck with a 'condo roof'? Works for my 6'6" height. >>Yes
12. High capacity (1000 watts or more) battery-connected inverters provided or allowed? >>Provided. Fridge installed already.
13. APUs provided (or comparable heating/cooling technology for bunk area)? >>Bunk heater. Idle for A/C. Idle requirements are different based on time of year. (New trucks have APUs). Based on temp outside of truck.
14. Starting base CPM with 1 year experience >>(.38, .03 bonus if reach 9500 miles in a month)
15. What is break-down pay? >>$50
16. What is detention pay? >>$13 per hour
17. Paid vacation in year 1, 2, 3. >>After 90 days, 3 days vac. 5 days after 1 year. Each year adds 1 day.
18. What is the percentage of drop-and-hook? >>Majority is DH.
19. What is the percentage of driver load/unload? >>No driver unload. Lumpers.
20. Electronic logs? >>Yes
21. Allow pets? Fee? Is there a waiting period? >>Yes/No. Non refundable deposit of $750.
22. Allow passengers? Fee? Is there a waiting period? >>Yes/No. $15 per month when riding.
23. Is there a sign-on bonus? >>yes. $1000 after 30 days if have Hazmat
24. Is it possible to earn performance bonuses? If so, please describe >>Yes. Mileage bonus described above.
Electronic Logs:
Electronic Onboard Recorder
Electronic Logbook
A device which records the amount of time a vehicle has been driven. If the vehicle is not being driven, the operator will manually input whether or not he/she is on duty or not.
HAZMAT:
Hazardous Materials
Explosive, flammable, poisonous or otherwise potentially dangerous cargo. Large amounts of especially hazardous cargo are required to be placarded under HAZMAT regulations
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Interstate:
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).
Fleet Manager:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
Drop-and-hook:
Drop and hook means the driver will drop one trailer and hook to another one.
In order to speed up the pickup and delivery process a driver may be instructed to drop their empty trailer and hook to one that is already loaded, or drop their loaded trailer and hook to one that is already empty. That way the driver will not have to wait for a trailer to be loaded or unloaded.
APU:
Auxiliary Power Unit
On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.
Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.
APUs:
Auxiliary Power Unit
On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.
Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.