I gotta go from Toledo, OH to Oregon, OH to the yard to snag my trailer and do my required paperwork. Then head out from Oregon, OH to Williamsburg, MI (roughly 300 miles or 5hrs), LUMP 40 Kolumn Forms (Concrete Forms) off the truck (rough 30min-1hr), then head down to Grand Rapids, MI (another 150 miles or 2.5hrs), LUMP the other 65 Kolumn Forms off to empty her out (1hr-1.5hrs), and then bring her back home to Oregon, OH (another 200 mile or 3-3.5hrs)!!!

So in a nutshell, your talkin a 650+ miles, or roughly 11 hrs drive time, AND 1.5-2.5 hours of LUMPER duty!!! Oh, and all this in a Kenworth T800 Daycab that struggles to run a steady 65mph... :roll:

 

Now this run pays $350, before taxes of course. I don't mind the drivin/labor for the pay, but DAMN..... routes like these put a lot of pressure on my HOS!!!

 

$350.00 day is damn good money IMO.....

The run dont sound that bad either...Just pack some extra snacks in your lunch.

 

Yeah.... I guess thats the only thing that makes me look the other way on the equiptment! Hell, I'm makin more money with this company then I did humpin pop 5 days a week, bustin butt, always injured, and a Union employee at that!!! And to comment on the lunch.... I don't really like to eat on a run. Well lemme clear that up a little. I will drink some water based beverages.... eat some jerky, chips, or even a quick cold cut from a truckstop, but nothing big or hot! I'm really into fitness... and since I've been in this type of truckin, meaning A LOT of drivin/sittin, my bench press has dropped 10 pounds to 295!!!

 

Well.... on any "given" day, you might not be able to do it LEGALLY.... that is if you "log it as you do it." But, it can be DONE on the logbook! :lol:

Carriers sure like to squeeze the pulp out of an orange! :shock:

If you don't mind the physical labor, the money sounds real good! How many days a week are you expected to DO this 14+ hour day?? Legally, you can only do 5 of these before you exceed your 70 hour rule.

Assuming you might want to SLEEP for 8 hours a night, you can kiss HOMELIFE goodbye as surely as if you were OTR!

I don't like to do 650 miles a day OTR, and I get 10 or more hours to sleep inbetween, and don't LUMP nothin'! :lol:

For that kind of money, I might could work that hard for maybe 6 months a year, total! Then, I'd be looking for one of them "easy" OTR jobs! :lol:

This is a GOOD CONTRA-example of what CFM keeps saying! We OTR drivers NEVER work that hard, but hey.... we don't get to CRASH in our own bed at night! :shock: :roll:

LOCAL/regional/dedicated jobs are figured out to the nth degree on what you can legally LOG! They're gonna get the MOST out of you that they can! But, in this case the money is worth the sacrifice..... if money is what you need/want!

As I see it, you're gonna burn 70 hours in 5 days, and HAVE to take 3 days off! Not really a problem at THAT pay rate! You can catch up on your sleep and family activities during those 3 days!

But, when you know where you are by the clump of trees you see every day, and NOT by the milepost... and you start to dread Mondays because it sinks in that it is just a JOB.... you will realize that the shine is off the CDL!

But, hey.... that's why they make different flavors of Koolaid!! :lol:

Oh, and just a note.... in THAT area, you are gonna run into snow delays. Get familiar with the "adverse driving conditions" exemptions, IF you want to get HOME!

And find out who pays for the motel, if you don't! :wink:

 

Well I've been with this company about 2-3 months, and usually only see a 14hr day maybe once a week! For example, today I went in at 630am, ran a load to Dearborn, MI where I helped lump the kolumn forms, and then returned the empty to the yard and was on my couch by 11am!!! I make a minimum of $180 a day, which is what I brought home today! Now tomorrow I've got that BIG day..... so its kinda like ya gotta take the good with the bad! But on the "norm" I run 8-11 a day, give or take. And as for the HOS, I'm gonna grab a copy from the Flyin J tomorrow and study the hell out of it to avoid anymore HOS problems in the future!

 

My mistake, Unkut! I took your post to mean this was a "dedicated" local run that you did every day! MOST "local" or "regional" runs are the same every day.

The run you described, required nearly a FULL 11 hours of driving, plus a minimum of say 2 or 2.5 hours of lumping.... not counting the time from Toledo down to Oregon! That puts you REAL close to the 14 hour rule! (figure in a couple of 15 minute breaks, and you are at the LINE! Add in commute time to get home, and you wouldn't REALLY have any hometime!

You are outside the 150 mile air radius, so it is NOT "local" but more properly called "regional." Therefore, subject to the OTR rules.

If you don't have to do this EVERY day, and in fact, get some "short days" as you described, I would think it was Okay! Heck, you can even keep up with the soap operas! :lol:

Minimum $180/day, and a few BIG days, sounds pretty GOOD! But, please clarify for me what kind of "weekend" you get.

I'm GLAD you are doing good, and have found something that meets your needs! I wish it were that easy for ALL drivers! Unfortunately, MOST "newer" drivers get sucked into abusive situations.

I misunderstood your post, and made a point that all those who seek "local" or "regional" jobs should consider. I won't apologize for THAT. But, with the clarification, I'm GLAD that you have pointed out that, with a bit of searching, a newer driver CAN be patient and find the perfect job for him/her!

There are over 375,000 trucking companies "out there." Most of us can only name about 20 - 30 of the "mega carriers." As I've said before, I believe the high turnover rate in this industry is largely due to "newbies" taking the easiest option to get into the business, only to be disappointed. There are MANY "good" jobs out there! You just have to LOOK for them!

You could do ME, and others here, a GREAT service, if you will give us some more details about HOW you found this company, what their "niche" is, and what their company "policies" are.

 

Well I'd love to help in any way I can! So, my weekends start obviously on Friday afternoon/evening when I complete my run. Then it ends Monday morning when I start out fresh!

See I don't have a designated start/end time. So say my dispatcher says, "Wed. your goin to Callery, PA for a drop/hook and back"! GREAT! I'd go home, map it out and say its a 3.5-4hr trip one way..... I'd say hmm.... so they open at 7-8am.... I'll leave the yard between 3-4 am and be there when they open, drop/hook, and be back to the yard droppin and ready to head home by noonish-1 o'clockpm!!! And my MINIMUM is $180, but I get 30% of load revenue! So, for example, this load to Callery, PA pays $640.50 to the company, I would take $192.15 home for the day..... for 8-10 hours of drivin.

How to find the "RIGHT" job..... Hmmm...... Now thats a question that has a truly rough answer. Myself, after almost 6 years with Coca-Cola, I ended up on the hunt.... and when I say hunt.... I MEAN HUNT!!! I would log into Ohio's SCOTI Job Matching system (provided through unemployment, but available to ALL Ohioans), Careerbuilder, Monster.com, the local paper, and various job sites/word of mouth.... almost on a DAILY basis!!! I received a TON of offers for Regional/OTR positions, but refused..... stuck it through the hard times, and finally got the break I had been waiting on! I applied for a transport driver, which was eventually filled. The company then decided to hire a driver to dedicate to one of their companies/contractors, as they were having serious problems completely satisfying this customer.... and it is a MAJOR account for them!!! Anywho, I liked what I heard, did some negotiating at the table as far as pay goes.... like demanding a minimum pay, and a guarantee that I would receive FULL-TIME work!!! They happily agreed, yes in writing, and BOOM, the rest is history~!

Now don't get me wrong, as much as I HATED Coca-Cola and what they stood for, it was a great paying job, Union treatment, and full benefits! Its a great place for a "newbie" driver to get dirty, learn the basics, and then move on to a local position like myself! I actually hit EVERY LTL CARRIER in Toledo, OH, and the surrounding areas!!! I was in need of a job, but not desperate.... this makes a big difference.... and employers CAN and WILL read you!!!

I really don't know what else to say. If your interested in a specific detail or anything, don't hesitate to ask and I'll get right back to ya!

 

Oh sure, couldnt come this way today. Could have meet you for a quick lunch while i was running local today.

Where in GR are you delivering to?

 

Concrete Central, over off of 131 on Century Ave. I've been there before and its pretty easy, but this damn Williamsburg one, CLEAR up by Traverse City is just crazy, hahaha!!!