Taking The Next Step
Topic 30990 | Page 2
Guys this has been great information and I appreciate y'all taking the time to reply I looked into fuel hauling I'm in Southwest Georgia 70 plus hour workweeks do not bother me. But I have heard so many stories of recruiters promising you 100k and the moon but I'm just trying to avoid pitfalls also I'm looking into the longshoreman's union I worked for NFI as a contract guy pulling from the stacks to the warehouse that's why I have twic...the money was great but they let me go due to lack of work that was 2 years ago before the supply chain crisis. I have come to the conclusion that I can stay home and keep stacking pennies or spend 6 months literally anywhere and stack up some real savings. So I'm trying to see some of the best options fuel hauling and intermodal both look great but I would have to justify the expense of moving I've heard about provided housing in the oilfield is why I was leaning on them so hard y'all know anything about that?
Intermodal:
Transporting freight using two or more transportation modes. An example would be freight that is moved by truck from the shipper's dock to the rail yard, then placed on a train to the next rail yard, and finally returned to a truck for delivery to the receiving customer.
In trucking when you hear someone refer to an intermodal job they're normally talking about hauling shipping containers to and from the shipyards and railyards.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
For consistent high earning your best bets will be LTL and dedicated. Oilfields and other energy related hauling pays well BUT energy is a boom or bust kind of industry. All it takes is an OPEC press conference, a pen stroke by Mad King Joe or any one of a dozen other factors and you're out of a job along with all the other drivers who worked for your employer. Unlike most other driving jobs you don't just get fewer miles and a smaller paycheck when things slow down - you get laid off. If you tie your housing in with that job you run the risk of being unemployed and evicted. Here are the opportunities I would check out if I were in your shoes:
Home Daily Linehaul 69 CPM AAA Cooper Transportation
Shaffer Trucking Mars Chocolate Dedicated - Refrigerated Top 50% Avg. Pay $85,000 / year
Good driving jobs aren't easy to find. They don't advertise much because they don't have to. Don't be distracted by ads that only quote the hourly or cpm rate. Look for average salary - what an actual driver turning those miles in their truck made. If they won't tell you there's a reason and you need to keep looking. Take the minimum requirements with a grain of salt. Those requirements are what they want, not what they're willing to settle for. Worst case they say no.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
LTL:
Less Than Truckload
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include:
- FedEx Freight
- Con-way
- YRC Freight
- UPS
- Old Dominion
- Estes
- Yellow-Roadway
- ABF Freight
- R+L Carrier
Linehaul:
Linehaul drivers will normally run loads from terminal to terminal for LTL (Less than Truckload) companies.
LTL (Less Than Truckload) carriers will have Linehaul drivers and P&D drivers. The P&D drivers will deliver loads locally from the terminal and pick up loads returning them to the terminal. Linehaul drivers will then run truckloads from terminal to terminal.CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
For consistent high earning your best bets will be LTL and dedicated. Oilfields and other energy related hauling pays well BUT energy is a boom or bust kind of industry. All it takes is an OPEC press conference, a pen stroke by Mad King Joe or any one of a dozen other factors and you're out of a job along with all the other drivers who worked for your employer. Unlike most other driving jobs you don't just get fewer miles and a smaller paycheck when things slow down - you get laid off. If you tie your housing in with that job you run the risk of being unemployed and evicted. Here are the opportunities I would check out if I were in your shoes:
Home Daily Linehaul 69 CPM AAA Cooper Transportation
Shaffer Trucking Mars Chocolate Dedicated - Refrigerated Top 50% Avg. Pay $85,000 / year
Good driving jobs aren't easy to find. They don't advertise much because they don't have to. Don't be distracted by ads that only quote the hourly or cpm rate. Look for average salary - what an actual driver turning those miles in their truck made. If they won't tell you there's a reason and you need to keep looking. Take the minimum requirements with a grain of salt. Those requirements are what they want, not what they're willing to settle for. Worst case they say no.
AAA Cooper was just recently acquired by Knight-Swift, was it not? That could be good or bad (depending on what a person seeks in an employer) for a driver.
Running refrigerated for a company like Shaffer is what I would like to do, once I have sufficient experience.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
LTL:
Less Than Truckload
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include:
- FedEx Freight
- Con-way
- YRC Freight
- UPS
- Old Dominion
- Estes
- Yellow-Roadway
- ABF Freight
- R+L Carrier
Linehaul:
Linehaul drivers will normally run loads from terminal to terminal for LTL (Less than Truckload) companies.
LTL (Less Than Truckload) carriers will have Linehaul drivers and P&D drivers. The P&D drivers will deliver loads locally from the terminal and pick up loads returning them to the terminal. Linehaul drivers will then run truckloads from terminal to terminal.CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.New Reply:
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My thoughts pertaining to the article...
Logistics is not a simple industry with simple problems that have simple answers. Logistics is a highly complex system of interconnecting networks that have ebbs and flows of varying issues which cause problems pertaining to the flow of goods. So, when trying to figure out what the issue is at the ports, the article doesn't really have a clear and concrete answer because there isn't one. Anyone who tries to suggest otherwise doesn't have a view of the big picture. I certainly don't know what the answer to the problem is. In fact, I don't even know what the real problem is that needs answering. What I do know is that anyone with a boiled down, one- or two-sentence answer to any complex issue doesn't understand what the issue at hand truly is.
Ever notice that when Brett addresses a question about trucking that goes deeper than "where do you sleep on a truck?" that he never provides a short answer? It's because Brett understands that very few things in this world that need to be explained can be fully explained simply. So, the logistical nightmare that currently grips this country (and many countries) has many issues. The answer is in manufacturing, which has a shortage of materials needed to make various products. It's in labor because there are some sectors where people have decided that finding a way to bring in money while being at home is preferred over a lengthy commute or being on the road. It's in labor because nearly 3/4 of a million people have died from COVID-19. It's in shipping because materials are needed to keep trucks repaired and continue manufacturing, as well as the same for trailers. It's in shipping because labor is needed in order to get products shipped and received.
These are by no means all of the issues that are causing the backlog that exists throughout the world's logistics network. I am by no means qualified to make declarative statements because I am not a logistics expert. However, I am willing to bet that my analysis is closer to what is at the heart of the matter versus a one or two sentence response.
What is my point?
Let's not have paralysis by analysis. What does that mean? Don't worry about what the temporary outlook for work in a certain aspect of trucking looks like. That's really for O/O's and trucking companies to worry about. Anyone thinking of getting into any part of trucking, there is money to be made if companies are hiring to do the hauling. Things will come untangled over time. Line haul , intermodal , and drayage will always be segments of trucking that pay well for company drivers. The same is true for fuel hauling.
So here is a secret to avoid worrying about not getting enough miles, or not getting enough loads, or sitting at shippers/receivers/ports/etc too long: Guaranteed minimum pay. If a driver has at least 2 years of experience and a clean driving record, there are plenty of companies paying guaranteed minimum paychecks at $1,200+/weekly.
Yes, I am not currently a driver. No, I don't have years of experience from which I am making these statements. For those that believe in the Bible, if God can use a donkey to preach a message, truth can come from any source.
That's all I have to say on that. Take care all and be safe wherever you may be.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
Shipper:
The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.
Line Haul:
Linehaul drivers will normally run loads from terminal to terminal for LTL (Less than Truckload) companies.
LTL (Less Than Truckload) carriers will have Linehaul drivers and P&D drivers. The P&D drivers will deliver loads locally from the terminal and pick up loads returning them to the terminal. Linehaul drivers will then run truckloads from terminal to terminal.Intermodal:
Transporting freight using two or more transportation modes. An example would be freight that is moved by truck from the shipper's dock to the rail yard, then placed on a train to the next rail yard, and finally returned to a truck for delivery to the receiving customer.
In trucking when you hear someone refer to an intermodal job they're normally talking about hauling shipping containers to and from the shipyards and railyards.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.