Hello all
In jonestown pa tonight, sent here to await a load, freight is slow. If nothing comes up for me to do tomorrow at least it appears to be a good area for a bike ride, perhaps finally to see some amish folks in person; I think there might be some around here.
I did hear back from my brother, his boss is open to the possibilty of me driving for coca cola, but it's likely to be a couple of months before a position opens up. I shall endure this Swift disaster until then I suppose. If the Coke thing never comes about I'll try for US Xpress or Werner.
I spent 5500 on 20 weeks of trucking school, and have worked for swift for five months now and after having put a year of my life into this trucking thing I can't even pay my bills on time. My brother just worked for coca cola doing merchandising for a while, gets trained to drive big rigs and gets his license after less than a week and a half of training, and he's going to make more money than me and be home every day. I really feel like I've been sold a bill of goods, that put me in the position i'm in today.
If you have a negative streak Iike I do in can be pretty hard not to be too much inside your own head when you're out by yourself for long hours and days.
I've seen some interesting things the past few days. I had a load of asbestos building refuse to bring to a huge landfill in Ohio. I got stuck halfway up the giant mound of dirt a great yellow earth mover had to give me a push from behind. The same earth mover, when I got to the top of the man made trash and dirt mountain, attached to my trailer with a fifth wheel, which for you non truckers is that disc on the tractor which locks onto a pin on the trailer, effecting the connection, tipped the trailer 45 degrees in the air and shook it violently to shake all the trash out. After that experience the truck had a little bit of electronic trouble and the trailer was slightly bent. I had to move the trailer to a spot where the road had a high right shoulder so the trailer would unwarp enough that I could get the doors closed.
Then yesterday I brought a load into the middle of brooklyn NY. I consider that a sort of losing my virginity. It was a little hair raising, Swift trailers are 13'6' high and I had to go under two bridges marked 12'10". I spoke to another trucker who was there at my stop and he explained to me that in new york they post the bridges a foot lower than they actually are, and reasssured me that My trailer wouldn't gain in height when relieved of 45000 pounds so as to make me not fit back under those bridges.
My dad's birthday is tomorrow and my mom called me when I was headed this way to ask if I was going to be back up in mass tomorrow. I don't know. Incredibly aggravating things always happen when I'm heading home, to the point that I'm getting superstitious about it.
Well, health and horniness to everyone.
In jonestown pa tonight, sent here to await a load, freight is slow. If nothing comes up for me to do tomorrow at least it appears to be a good area for a bike ride, perhaps finally to see some amish folks in person; I think there might be some around here.
I did hear back from my brother, his boss is open to the possibilty of me driving for coca cola, but it's likely to be a couple of months before a position opens up. I shall endure this Swift disaster until then I suppose. If the Coke thing never comes about I'll try for US Xpress or Werner.
I spent 5500 on 20 weeks of trucking school, and have worked for swift for five months now and after having put a year of my life into this trucking thing I can't even pay my bills on time. My brother just worked for coca cola doing merchandising for a while, gets trained to drive big rigs and gets his license after less than a week and a half of training, and he's going to make more money than me and be home every day. I really feel like I've been sold a bill of goods, that put me in the position i'm in today.
If you have a negative streak Iike I do in can be pretty hard not to be too much inside your own head when you're out by yourself for long hours and days.
I've seen some interesting things the past few days. I had a load of asbestos building refuse to bring to a huge landfill in Ohio. I got stuck halfway up the giant mound of dirt a great yellow earth mover had to give me a push from behind. The same earth mover, when I got to the top of the man made trash and dirt mountain, attached to my trailer with a fifth wheel, which for you non truckers is that disc on the tractor which locks onto a pin on the trailer, effecting the connection, tipped the trailer 45 degrees in the air and shook it violently to shake all the trash out. After that experience the truck had a little bit of electronic trouble and the trailer was slightly bent. I had to move the trailer to a spot where the road had a high right shoulder so the trailer would unwarp enough that I could get the doors closed.
Then yesterday I brought a load into the middle of brooklyn NY. I consider that a sort of losing my virginity. It was a little hair raising, Swift trailers are 13'6' high and I had to go under two bridges marked 12'10". I spoke to another trucker who was there at my stop and he explained to me that in new york they post the bridges a foot lower than they actually are, and reasssured me that My trailer wouldn't gain in height when relieved of 45000 pounds so as to make me not fit back under those bridges.
My dad's birthday is tomorrow and my mom called me when I was headed this way to ask if I was going to be back up in mass tomorrow. I don't know. Incredibly aggravating things always happen when I'm heading home, to the point that I'm getting superstitious about it.
Well, health and horniness to everyone.
You're working for slave wages, and not even getting good miles (I assume). It's a raw deal. This is tough work, but you're working for what I'd consider to be the worst possible company in the industry. Trucking CAN pay well, and CAN give you a decent lifestyle. Not suggesting ideal... but decent.
Last week I ran close to 4000 miles. This weekend I have only 1000 miles over three days and I'm already half done. Easy peasy, but it's nice to balance things out.
I almost never have to wait for a load. And we're a small company. I truly cannot fathom why an industry monster such as Swift can't keep you moving. Boggles the mind. There is more freight than available logistics in this country. You don't owe them anything.
Incidentally, to the best of my observation, most companies that actually do go into NYC (not meaning just driving past on the cross bronx or something, but have legitimate pickup or delivery stops in town) give a cash incentive for doing that. Usually anywhere between $50 and $100 on top of the trip's mileage pay.