Why Are Fleet OTR Trucks Often Cramped For Living Space?

Ravenswood....most of your posts are about what drivers want and whether we should be concerned about self driving trucks. Did you ever wonder WHY the companies want self driven trucks?

Maybe because some drivers have ridiculous demands. These trucks are our jobs...not our residence. Yes I live on my truck, but it is not mine. It is a company vehicle in which I have been given really good amenities to make my life easier. You seem to think it is a living space first, and a corporate asset last.

I keep wondering why you are some spending so much time constantly criticizing an industry which many of us love. Why are you here if you are so critical of trucking?

My only DEMAND is a HUMAN lifestyle and perhaps the industry has not been yet tooled for that. I would hope that RAILROADS in America would basically obsolete OTR and even regional trucking altogether. Most freight on the concrete road would be the "last 50 miles" and regional trucking would be the norm and not the exception. Inter-modal , piggy-back and road-railers make the freight conversion from train to truck easy. Railroads, not OTR trucking, should move freight the longest distances over land.

Railroads can easily be made to run autonomously because the train vehicles are rail-guided and switches can be machine-operated remotely.

Correction: LOCAL trucking, not REGIONAL trucking, would be the norm if rail freight were maximized, as much current truck freight, ton-miles, diverted to rail as practically possible

Correction: LOCAL trucking, not REGIONAL trucking, would be the norm if rail freight were maximized, as much current truck freight, ton-miles, diverted to rail as practically possible

Which would create a HUGE demand for LOCAL drivers to my own rejoice.

Ravenswood....most of your posts are about what drivers want and whether we should be concerned about self driving trucks. Did you ever wonder WHY the companies want self driven trucks?

Maybe because some drivers have ridiculous demands. These trucks are our jobs...not our residence. Yes I live on my truck, but it is not mine. It is a company vehicle in which I have been given really good amenities to make my life easier. You seem to think it is a living space first, and a corporate asset last.

I keep wondering why you are some spending so much time constantly criticizing an industry which many of us love. Why are you here if you are so critical of trucking?

My only DEMAND is a HUMAN lifestyle and perhaps the industry has not been yet tooled for that. I would hope that RAILROADS in America would basically obsolete OTR and even regional trucking altogether. Most freight on the concrete road would be the "last 50 miles" and regional trucking would be the norm and not the exception. Inter-modal , piggy-back and road-railers make the freight conversion from train to truck easy. Railroads, not OTR trucking, should move freight the longest distances over land.

Railroads can easily be made to run autonomously because the train vehicles are rail-guided and switches can be machine-operated remotely.

So if you seem to hate trucks and love trains, then why are you on a trucking forum? Go and find some train engineer forum and study up there, and do it. You don't seem to get, you are stopping at least once a day at nice truck stops with tons of creature comforts.

I have a tremendous idea.....all companies should just use daycabs but provide rooms at the nearest Hilton every day for drivers to take our 10hr breaks. We should also be provided dining at a 5 star restaurant at least twice a day. For 34hr resets we should be provided accommodations to a luxury all-inclusive resort, if not near one, airfare should also be provided, 1st class of course.

Get a grip Ravenswood. You start a company and provide your drivers with such trucks. Best of luck with that.

So, companies have to balance between costs and somehow making trucking ATTRACTIVE enough to LURE new drivers. Apparently, there are enough "tough nuts" who demand little in terms of creature comforts in this trade to fill needed driver positions. Companies have not YET become DESPERATE enough to be compelled to give drivers first class Hilton treatment over the road , I gather. Or, trucking UNIONS have not done collective bargaining hard enough maybe.

Why don't companies have dorms at all their nationwide terminals for drivers to camp out at while off the clock? The dorms could be like a small studio apartment complete with bed, kitchen, toilet, sink and shower.

Actually, at Prime we do a have a form of such a thing at our bigger terminals. They're called bunkrooms, which have a bed and cable tv. There are also showers, gym, movie theater and full service cafeteria.

My only DEMAND is a HUMAN lifestyle and perhaps the industry has not been yet tooled for that. I would hope that RAILROADS in America would basically obsolete OTR and even regional trucking altogether. Most freight on the concrete road would be the "last 50 miles" and regional trucking would be the norm and not the exception. Inter-modal , piggy-back and road-railers make the freight conversion from train to truck easy. Railroads, not OTR trucking, should move freight the longest distances over land.

My lifestyle is quite human despite your ignorance. This industry does not cater to prima donnas and dilettantes. It takes a certain mental and physical toughness just to survive and much more to excel. I encounter way too many whiny little glitches as it is we do not need more. Until the trucking companies provide on-board butlers you may want to consider other options.

Ravenswood, if a majority of this industry doesn't provide the luxuries you require to sustain life, feel free to purchase your own truck with all the bells and whistles you feel necessary or forget the thought of becoming a driver. BTW, best of luck backing said truck as a new driver. Some folks simply aren't built for a life like this, please stay far away from the military as well. Regardless of the branch, it seems a creampuff such as yourself would simply waste a flight to training, only to be sent home with tears rolling down your cheeks and tail between your legs within first 48 hours. Find something else to do rather than trolling trucking forums.

Ravenswood....most of your posts are about what drivers want and whether we should be concerned about self driving trucks. Did you ever wonder WHY the companies want self driven trucks?

Maybe because some drivers have ridiculous demands. These trucks are our jobs...not our residence. Yes I live on my truck, but it is not mine. It is a company vehicle in which I have been given really good amenities to make my life easier. You seem to think it is a living space first, and a corporate asset last.

I keep wondering why you are some spending so much time constantly criticizing an industry which many of us love. Why are you here if you are so critical of trucking?

My only DEMAND is a HUMAN lifestyle and perhaps the industry has not been yet tooled for that. I would hope that RAILROADS in America would basically obsolete OTR and even regional trucking altogether. Most freight on the concrete road would be the "last 50 miles" and regional trucking would be the norm and not the exception. Inter-modal , piggy-back and road-railers make the freight conversion from train to truck easy. Railroads, not OTR trucking, should move freight the longest distances over land.

Railroads can easily be made to run autonomously because the train vehicles are rail-guided and switches can be machine-operated remotely.

Firstly, there is nothing inhuman about living and working in a truck. It may not have all the creature comforts of home, but it's not a mobile Gulag.

Second, your little autonomous RR fantasy has a couple of rather large problems with it. One, trains in general and freight trains in particular are required to be manned for a very simple reason: while a computer could (theoretically) monitor all of the operating systems, the engineer(s) still need to be watching for things like broken rails, wildlife, sudden weather changes, stupid people wandering across the tracks with their noses buried in Pokémon GO, etc. And somebody needs to keep an eye on HAL 9000 to make sure it doesn't blue screen and derail 83 tankers of crude oil into the middle of a wildlife preserve. The second major problem is temperature controlled freight. Reefer loads need to be continually monitored to make sure the temperature setting are correct, and are frequently time-sensitive loads. A load of produce doesn't have the luxury of sitting amidst 48 other trailers full of electronics, dog food, and paper towels while the train hops and bops from terminal to terminal. That product needs to be picked up, frequently temp-checked, and delivered in the shortest amount of time possible for reasons of food safety and quality. The same applies to any food products, especially meats or dairy.

You have an awful lot to learn about this industry, and a horrible know-it-all attitude about it. That combination is seriously counterproductive towards success.

Ravenswood demands

My only DEMAND is a HUMAN lifestyle and perhaps the industry has not been yet tooled for that.

R-w, you do not know what you are taking about. The modern trucking business is over 100 years old. Talk about "mature industry"! The is no business that will ever waste money making you happy with your immature wants.

You have posted irrational worries about personal safety, your all-important dogs, and some desires such as making custom show sleepers your minimum requirement. If you haven't noticed here, TT members have tried to inform you what the real world is really like. Get a grip.

A bit over a year ago, we had a troll, named "Patrick" who complained about being "forced" to drive at least 400 miles a day, and much more. Another potential driver whined about the BBQ sauce at the meals he was provided. I'm going to nominate you for the annual Big Baby award this fall.

Ravenswood....most of your posts are about what drivers want and whether we should be concerned about self driving trucks. Did you ever wonder WHY the companies want self driven trucks?

Maybe because some drivers have ridiculous demands. These trucks are our jobs...not our residence. Yes I live on my truck, but it is not mine. It is a company vehicle in which I have been given really good amenities to make my life easier. You seem to think it is a living space first, and a corporate asset last.

I keep wondering why you are some spending so much time constantly criticizing an industry which many of us love. Why are you here if you are so critical of trucking?

My only DEMAND is a HUMAN lifestyle and perhaps the industry has not been yet tooled for that. I would hope that RAILROADS in America would basically obsolete OTR and even regional trucking altogether. Most freight on the concrete road would be the "last 50 miles" and regional trucking would be the norm and not the exception. Inter-modal , piggy-back and road-railers make the freight conversion from train to truck easy. Railroads, not OTR trucking, should move freight the longest distances over land.

Railroads can easily be made to run autonomously because the train vehicles are rail-guided and switches can be machine-operated remotely.

I ran intermodal. 50 miles radius? Hahhaha. Then you'd have to build a huge RR infrastructure. Do you really think we have that? I ran intermodal in Chicago and as a team we ran 6200 miles in one week...solo was 3000. Do you know why? Cause a lot of customers are not even 50 miles from an interstate. Customers buy cheap property in the middle of nowhere to reduce property tax overhead.

The railroads are in major cities...Chicago...Memphis...Philadelphia.. Etc... I had to drive downtown intercity streets. With cars parked on both sides...and small turns with no room. You want to talk about stressful for a rookie?

Are you even considering a trucking job? If the lifestyle is something you are concerned about and you truly want to drive, then ask a company for a ride along. If it's the terminals that concern you, then visit some.

As stated, prime has bunkrooms, salon/spa, mailbox rentals. Pool tables, 24hour cafe and much more.

Every new driver who has come to this board with such demands comes back.months later saying they either couldn't make it through training, or got fired after several accidents. All because they are concentrating on the wrong things.

I'm curious...cause every few months someone pops in and talks about unions...I know not one trucker in a union. IMO unions are too weak to do anything anymore anyway. Trucking companies treat drivers so good we don't need unions. And its never an actual driver who promotes the union, but someone without a CDL.

If I had the choice of driving for Prime without a union, or someplace else with a union..I'd still drive for prime. You know why? Cause if I'm not treated well I can call the owner of the company on his cell, or walk up to him at the terminal and tell him I'm being mistreated. He cares. But I don't have to because my FM solves any issues.

Good luck on whatever it is you are searching for. I hope you aren't let down due to unrealistic expectations.