Am I Doing Something Right?

Or maybe I'm just lucky. I had requested to be in Joplin today, Friday March 30th, so my truck could be fixed. That would put my down time between two pay periods and allow me to rack up some miles to pad my pay check. Well, they got me to Joplin Monday evening. At that time I had a gross pay of less than $200, ouch. Truck came out of the shop late Wednesday. I went to the dispatch window to see what they had for loads. They had a 77 mile load to Arkansas followed by a 10 mile deadhead to pick up and deliver that to our Laredo, Texas terminal 771 mile dispatch. Things were looking better. Then yesterday as I was driving to my sleeping point, I got my preplan. 1714 miles. This screen shot shows where my miles are now for the week and my gross pay at this point.

That puts a smile on my face.

1714?! So with those miles, what city are you picking up and what city are y0u delivering? You must be doing a great job for CFI

1714?! So with those miles, what city are you picking up and what city are y0u delivering? You must be doing a great job for CFI

From our terminal in Laredo, Texas to Inwood, West Virginia. A little over 25 hours of drive time.

You ARE doing something right! That paycheck is both confirmation and your company’s thank you, for a job well done.

Congratulations and thanks for continuing to be a great example of how to do it right.

Ooohh laredo! great place for awesome.miles...good for u ;)

For any newbies reading this, did you notice how Big Scott was actually thinking about the timing of getting his truck in the shop? This is the kind of stuff that has the earmarks of professional all over it. He said...

maybe I'm just lucky

Well, he may have been, but he definitely was trying to take the best approach to facing some down time. This is how professional drivers think. They approach their time management so they can best influence their paycheck in a positive way. Remember this: When you are doing well at this job, you are making more money for yourself. If you are making good money for yourself, you are also making good money for the company. We don't get paid for the hours we spend on the job. We get paid for accomplishing something. We get paid for delivering goods. We get what we deserve in this business. Big Scott spent a lot of years with us here in this forum, and he learned all about how this thing works before he ever got the chance to jump in the pond with the big fish. Once he got in the race, he already had a good idea of how to run with the big dogs. His good steady income gives evidence of this. He is making all the right moves, and reaping the benefits. He is doing what it takes to be a Top Tier Driver.

Thank you for the very kind words Old School. You are a great teacher. I am still learning every day. Attitude, Communication and drive are the three main things to have. The rest is learned. Some days I feel like a seasoned pro and others like the ink on my CDL is still wet. Trucking will humble you.

Keep up the great work Big Scott! By the way, is CFI still requring you to get HAZMAT?