General Freight Inquiry: Slow?

Since I run teams I can answer that Simply yes. Teams are treated like kings at almost every company. Newest trucks. Priority dispatch. Basically they get the loads before solo drivers. Teams are jumped ahead of solo drivers when it comes to getting a truck fixes.

In our truck we do roughly 6500 to 6800 miles per week. 3250 to 3400 a week if you spilt it. We even it 7000 miles a few times.

The reason teams are treated better cause they are able to run non stop without having to shut down for 10 hours.

My understanding exactly.

Thank you for the affirmation.

GuyJax, I've been hanging out in this forum for about seven months. You have pretty much condensed my picture of a rookie's first year into this one post.

My first few weeks solo were horrible as I learned the relationship between Hours of Service rules and making money. ClassA is on the right track!

Thanks, GuyJax, for your insight.

Thanks for the encouragement, Errol V. And thank you, GuyJax!

ClassA there's a few things here to mention....

Great people to work with, but rather irritating when you "need" to speak to someone personally ......

Dispatchers much prefer you to use the Qualcomm , not the phone. A dispatcherwill typically handle 50-75 drivers at a time. They can't handle that many drivers if they're constantly interrupted by phone calls. When you send messages in over Qualcomm they're received just like with email so the dispatcher can pick and choose which situations have the highest priority and deal with those first. So try to avoid using the phone for dispatch. Other areas of the company like safety or human resources it's fine to use the phone, but not with dispatch. Keep dispatch over Qualcomm.

Thank you for the explanation, Brett. I can appreciate that understanding of the situation and it clarifies how I can best utilize the process.

Brett, in regards to the 34-Hour Restart in CA - I had lots of On Duty Hours burned waiting to be unloaded (actually waiting to be called in from the street to be unloaded at a facility), Qualcomm froze up which subsequently resulted in my getting lost (well, taking wrong turns) that wasted Drive Time in getting back on route. Additionally I had driven hours at 35 to 45 mph through the mountains in Oregon and Northern CA with a weight of 78,000 lbs. Once I reached Fontana I had a little of 10 hours of Drive Time left on my 70 hour clock. And since there is an OC there with free showers and other amenities I decided to make the most of it and do a Reset while there! (Rather than have to do it somewhere that I would not have those benefits.)

And as far as the rest of your responses - Excellent advice which I will heed. The "early" part is already part of my routine. I always try to arrive at pickup and delivery locations early. In fact, I'll drive the most of my 11 hours the day prior to an appointment to arrive as close as possible to my delivery point for the next morning. That way, I can wake up and be there in a short drive. And I see you point about the ETA and PTA. From a logistics perspective I can appreciate that insight. In short, I need experience with this aspect of planning. Your insight is most appreciated!

Hang in there Class A, I've got a feeling from your post that you are going to make it!

Thank you, Old School. So, it is all normal! And with the help of everyone here, I believe I can make it!

I am establishing the being early part as part of my "signature". And I definitely want to be a "go to" guy. And my thoughts on taking the initiative, being proactive on making decisions is confirmed by you. I just need to get the experience. Thank you.

Does the Sleeper Berth time not count against your On Duty/Drive Time even if you've already started the 14 hour clock?

If Sleeper Berth will stop that clock ......... I can work that!

ClassA I hope you're still out there. I had the same concerns you had in your original post. I had a face to face and phone conversation with some folks. Then I got some good info from a rookie driver;

When your 10-hour clock is up, get moving. This has resulted in me delivering earlier and getting more loads. Drive until you run out of hours. This means sometimes you've got to be willing to sleep at the shipper/receiver. Tell your DBL how many miles you need to make to pay the bills. Then they know where you stand. I was told expecting 2800-3000 miles per week was unrealistic. This was right after I'd completed two 3,200 mile weeks back to back. Keep a positive attitude. It comes across and they appreciate it.

At the OC level, they suggested I focus on total miles I want to make, not just each haul or day. So now I set a goal of 5,000 miles every 12 days (which is about how often I go home). I'm getting close to that and yesterday completed another 3,000+ mile week.

For me the bottom line is I'm in this as a job. Yes there's a lifestyle that comes with it as every job does, but if you can be home every night and making more money than driving a truck, well...you gotta decide that.

Good luck!

ClassA I hope you're still out there. I had the same concerns you had in your original post. I had a face to face and phone conversation with some folks. Then I got some good info from a rookie driver

Thank you, Steve L.

This has been a great read. Always enjoy learning from the experience of veteran drivers.