Yard Driver???

Well, I actually have 2. One is 14 and suffers from Cushings disease and the other is 5 and would be a good candidate for taking on the road.

What prevents you from taking your dog? Too big? Maybe you can figure out a way. Good luck!

Moving trailers to other locations, more than likely means, back lots, or over flows lots around the block, or a short run down the same road to drop lot a mile away. Doubt it would be much further away, from what I've seen at a LOT of shippers/receivers

I can tell ya first hand, being a jockey can be extremely stressful and overwhelming. I ran the yard at my last job for about 6 years. There were only two of us but only one for each shift. I handled all the outbound freight on nights while the daytime guy had the inbound. The company I was with was contracted to haul this freight so I worked at the customer facility dealing with them directly. Some nights would be long and slow and I’d sit a lot waiting, others I’d be busting my balls to try and keep up. I moved 60-70 trailers, sometimes more, a night on my own. It gave me some awesome skills in backing that left some in awe when they came into the yard but that job almost killed me. We had to use jack stands and wheel chocks on everything plus barn doors so every trailer I moved, it was a process and I’d often find myself almost running (and I’m a fat kid) to get them swapped because I had guys standing on the docks waiting for the next one. It was nothing to walk 8-10 miles a night. We only went out on the road to get fuel or drive the trucks between facilities (about 30 miles) and I was glad of that. Not only did I have to deal with the loaded and empty trailers, I also had 8 shuttle drivers to keep an eye on making sure they took the right trailers in the right order and I had inbound freight coming in throughout the night to keep track of. I definitely could have used some help some nights but I managed. That job ultimately destroyed my knee from all the hard work on the concrete. It required some major surgery and I ended up losing that job due to not be able to get back in time before the benefits ran out. That was almost two years ago and that company has yet to find a full time replacement for me because nobody wants to work as hard as I did. I dedicated my life to that job because that’s all I did was work and sleep. It destroyed relationships, friendships and my life for a while but it paid the bills.

Sorry for the long post and I’m not trying to steer you away but personally, I wouldn’t take a hockey position as a first job. Get out on the road and get some experience first. When I started my new job back in December, this company was more interested in my other driving experience than my most recent because it wasn’t “on the road” stuff. They wanted to know all about my OTR days and everything else I’ve done. That probably answers another question; companies don’t see it as actual driving experience because a lot of distribution centers will hire jockeys without a CDL to pay them less for the same work but they can’t leave the yard in the mule.

Hope this helps!

I can tell ya first hand, being a jockey can be extremely stressful and overwhelming. I ran the yard at my last job for about 6 years. There were only two of us but only one for each shift. I handled all the outbound freight on nights while the daytime guy had the inbound. The company I was with was contracted to haul this freight so I worked at the customer facility dealing with them directly. Some nights would be long and slow and I’d sit a lot waiting, others I’d be busting my balls to try and keep up. I moved 60-70 trailers, sometimes more, a night on my own. It gave me some awesome skills in backing that left some in awe when they came into the yard but that job almost killed me. We had to use jack stands and wheel chocks on everything plus barn doors so every trailer I moved, it was a process and I’d often find myself almost running (and I’m a fat kid) to get them swapped because I had guys standing on the docks waiting for the next one. It was nothing to walk 8-10 miles a night. We only went out on the road to get fuel or drive the trucks between facilities (about 30 miles) and I was glad of that. Not only did I have to deal with the loaded and empty trailers, I also had 8 shuttle drivers to keep an eye on making sure they took the right trailers in the right order and I had inbound freight coming in throughout the night to keep track of. I definitely could have used some help some nights but I managed. That job ultimately destroyed my knee from all the hard work on the concrete. It required some major surgery and I ended up losing that job due to not be able to get back in time before the benefits ran out. That was almost two years ago and that company has yet to find a full time replacement for me because nobody wants to work as hard as I did. I dedicated my life to that job because that’s all I did was work and sleep. It destroyed relationships, friendships and my life for a while but it paid the bills.

Sorry for the long post and I’m not trying to steer you away but personally, I wouldn’t take a hockey position as a first job. Get out on the road and get some experience first. When I started my new job back in December, this company was more interested in my other driving experience than my most recent because it wasn’t “on the road” stuff. They wanted to know all about my OTR days and everything else I’ve done. That probably answers another question; companies don’t see it as actual driving experience because a lot of distribution centers will hire jockeys without a CDL to pay them less for the same work but they can’t leave the yard in the mule.

Hope this helps!

Excellent first post, Dave T.; very informative!

Thanks for that, and welcome to the forum, hope you'll stick around!

Is that you, driving for Pilot now? With the price of fuel, do y'all have escorts, or run in teams, like HVL's?

Just kidding, but not! :)

Stick around & contribute, good sir.

~ Anne & Tom ~

Is that you, driving for Pilot now? With the price of fuel, do y'all have escorts, or run in teams, like HVL's?

Just kidding, but not! :)

Stick around & contribute, good sir.

~ Anne & Tom ~

No, I’m in the shiny Anthem in the reflection. I drag a fuel tanker too. If someone wanted what I pull, it wouldn’t do them much good other than giving them the chance to buy a new motor 😂 We haven’t had any problems that I know of but I don’t make the deliveries like the other guys do.

Is that you, driving for Pilot now? With the price of fuel, do y'all have escorts, or run in teams, like HVL's?

Just kidding, but not! :)

Stick around & contribute, good sir.

~ Anne & Tom ~

No, I’m in the shiny Anthem in the reflection. I drag a fuel tanker too. If someone wanted what I pull, it wouldn’t do them much good other than giving them the chance to buy a new motor 😂 We haven’t had any problems that I know of but I don’t make the deliveries like the other guys do.

Gotcha! I see that Anthem; nice ride, even so! Tom drives a Pinnacle nowadays.

Still, being a fuel hauler. Kudos to ya. We used to haul asphalt; 6122 & 3257. Hot, not HZ. Tanks are fun!

Thanks for reply,

~ Anne ~

Gotcha! I see that Anthem; nice ride, even so! Tom drives a Pinnacle nowadays.

Still, being a fuel hauler. Kudos to ya. We used to haul asphalt; 6122 & 3257. Hot, not HZ. Tanks are fun!

Thanks for reply,

~ Anne ~

I was in a Pinnacle before the Anthem. I went from a Chevy to a Cadillac. They have me hauling ethanol now but I’ll probably back to home deliveries with the heating oil in the fall and winter. I’d love to stay on the ethanol since it’s a gravy job.

Gotcha! I see that Anthem; nice ride, even so! Tom drives a Pinnacle nowadays.

Still, being a fuel hauler. Kudos to ya. We used to haul asphalt; 6122 & 3257. Hot, not HZ. Tanks are fun!

Thanks for reply,

~ Anne ~

I was in a Pinnacle before the Anthem. I went from a Chevy to a Cadillac. They have me hauling ethanol now but I’ll probably back to home deliveries with the heating oil in the fall and winter. I’d love to stay on the ethanol since it’s a gravy job.

Mack to Mack is more 'Lincoln' to 'Caddy' .. Imho! Nice stuff. Enjoy the gravy! :)

~ Anne ~

I started out doing 3 weeks as a yard jockey in 40 degrees heat and dang near died lol. It was good learning to back up but you couldn’t pay me enough to do it fully time lol. Considering I started local instead of otr it really helped. But to each their own. I know people who’ve done it 20+ years and wouldn’t even consider driving on the road