What Can I Do
#11
Rookie
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 23
[QUOTE=golfhobo;522951]Dana said:
They are OUT there. One of them had a special relationship (above board) with the school I went thru. If your record was clean enough (though not spotless,) they would take you on in what SOME here decry as 'team training.' Then... if you didn't mind being HOME every weekend, and getting lots of miles at "reasonable starting pay," ... you could make more money in your second month than MOST new drivers make in the first 3 months or more... if they didn't get "washed out" by the company they thought was "hiring" them.
What HE said... (I think Dana is a HE.)
ROFLMAO! Hit me over the head with that citation a few more times, DANA... Not sure it has sunk in yet! .... "Mach 2 with my hair on fire!" LOL! [Sorry... addicted to speed!]
Gotta say... extremely concise... but, BRILLIANT. Depending on YOUR age, and circumstance, you may have no idea how prescient and applicable that thought was! I could say that even when we think we are NOT making a mistake, BAD things can happen to ANY of us. But, as you say... it is how we HANDLE the matter that will determine our future. And I cannot stress enough how much these decisions DO 'determine' one's future.
Not disputing any of that, but.... MOST drivers want to start their careers with their dream of being "solo rider" on their metal beast. And most companies NEED a lot of these solo drivers. But, MANY of them have good paying "steady" contracts for longer runs that require TEAM trucks. TEAMS usually make more miles. TEAMS are in demand... hell, they pay $5k bonuses for us sometimes!
That "local" company that might talk to you, might well ask you if you will go TEAM.... cuz, the MONEY is in runs to the West Coast. And the produce "backhaul" that pays as much or MORE. If you can't make that decision right then, well... at least tell them you will put it at the TOP of your list (and talk to your wife or something about it.)
Welcome to CAD, NAIM215... now... explain your username before I go NUTS trying to figure it out! [yes... I know this is DANA's post.]
#14
Ummm.... I believe he was talking to You! I didn't attack you in any way whatsoever. I was agreeing with you, expanding on your advice with my own experiences, enjoying what I thought was your sense of humor and commending you on a brilliant piece of advice!
You got a chip on your shoulder? Or are you just unable to comprehend the language?
#15
Rookie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Philadelphia,PA
Posts: 9
Just getting out of school and no one is giving me a chance.I obtained my c class DLC in March of 2012 and went straight to school to get a CDL and I got my class a with a T endorsement in November of 2012.But I have a saspenion with in the last three yrs but I have on felonys DUI's nothing like that.Just need one chance what am I to do???????
I'm just looking for so advise on my situation I'm trying to get the wheels turning,just trying to take care of my family.So all of the going back and forth on this thread is not heiping!!!
#16
Rookie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Philadelphia,PA
Posts: 9
Hello Naim215. I truly do not think all is lost if you can still meet certain criteria. If it were me, and this is just my opinion, you need to find a local company and sit down and talk with them. Be very open, truthful and specific about the "Wheres and Whys" concerning your suspension. Without knowing what the suspension was for, my hands are kinda tied. If it was for unpaid tickets or even child support, that is much different then say, leaving the scene of an accident while intoxicated or doing 108 trying to evade the law. I think you can kinda get my meaning here. Everyone makes mistakes and it will have to depend on how you handle this matter, that will determine your future.
List the good features you can bring to their company. Tell them you are willing to go on a 6 month probation period. Tell them you will come in and practice pre-tripping every truck in their fleet, tell them you will be the first to arrive and the last to leave, tell them you will ride with them 30 days for free, tell them what ever you have to, THEN BACK IT UP WITH ACTIONS! Honesty goes a long way in this day and time. I wish you well. Good Luck! It seem like I can't past the recruiter.Question I'm I to put the conviction date or the date of the incident on the application???
#17
Dana said:
I don't know if you are drunk or just plain stupid. I know of very few team drivers that are home every weekend.
There are essentially two types of OTR operations. One is common carrier where the company secures loads sometimes off a load board or from a broker while their trucks (team OR solo) are spread all over the country with little concern about when they get "home." The other is a company that has one or more "primary" contracts that make up the bulk of their dispatches. This second type usually needs all their trucks at home base each week for scheduled shipments from their prime contractor. In order to GET those trucks home every week, they "often" secure a backhaul contract from say... the west coast... back to their home terminal. The drivers you've talked to probably work for one of the mega carriers that mostly comprise the first scenario. Most of the Mom n Pops that you were "advising" about... are in the second category. The O.P lives in Philly. There are LOTS of these "dedicated" companies in that area for one major reason. It's NOT the outbound contract that they depend on (except to GET their trucks to the West Coast,) ... it's the "backhaul" of fresh produce from CA, Yuma, and the northwest that they depend on. Why? Because there are a ton of people in the NorthEast that like to EAT! Now... since Yankees don't like to eat WILTED lettuce, most of these operations are TEAMS so they can get the produce back to the east coast within 2-3 days. Oh wait... I forgot one other category: what I call "freight" or "mail." Like what I do now. Fedex, and many mail "carriers" use teams to get the mail/freight to terminals all over the country in the shortest time possible. WE often work off a rotation board at our home terminal as well.... so, we have to get out there and get BACK for next week's scheduled runs. Gee.... I guess that means I get home every weekend now, don't it? In 8 years I've worked for two companies, and I've been home pretty much EVERY weekend (or other two days) for every week of the last 8 years.
Maybe you are an addict, your post would surely indicate that you have some type of disorder.
This is the second time you have attacked one of my post.
It seems you should have better thing to say on here. No wait, maybe that is why you are constantly using what others have said because you don't how to put your own thoughts into written words.
It sounds like you are a recruiter for team drivers.
Like I said, maybe you ought to stick with putting your own thoughts down, instead of constantly ripping into others.
If you think I gave an improper answer to the person that asked the question, then maybe you can just bit** about that for awhile,
better yet, send me an e-mail, tell me what you want to say, and I will write it for you.
__________________
Remember... friends are few and far between. TRUCKIN' AIN'T FOR WUSSES!!! "I am willing to admit that I was wrong." The Rev. Last edited by golfhobo; 01-25-2013 at 06:09 PM.
#18
I basically suggested you look into teaming. Repete asked you a direct question about why your school didn't help "place" you. If you're not going to answer our questions.... how can we help you? In the meantime.... sorry for hijacking your thread. It happens sometimes when a noobie shows up with an attitude.
#19
At the risk of getting jumped again... I believe that is why Dana suggested you go straight to the offices of a smaller company and hash it out with them. As for the conviction/incident date... I've always been confused by that one, too. I'll look at some old apps and see if I can get you an answer. But, if you have both dates handy, you can ask the "interviewer" when you get to the office.
#20
Rookie
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 23
You asked the question:
It seem like I can't past the recruiter.Question I'm I to put the conviction date or the date of the incident on the application???
As far as teaming up,
Nope... just an advocate. First, because I think it is better for a new driver to have someone with him while he learns. Second, because I look at trucking as a JOB not a lifestyle. No way I intend to spend 3 weeks on the road for 2 days at home. Third, the pay is better and more consistent.
1. You will always be moving. Some drivers, including myself, find it hard to sleep with someone else driving. IE: Pot holes, rumble strips, sudden lane changes because of 4 wheelers, radio playing, cb chatter stopping to check tires and this list could go on for two pages. 2. Who ever is driving, is in control. If you are in the sleeper and cold, the driver is closest to the air vents and will probable be hot. 3. If you smoke and your co-driver does not, or vise versea, expect problems. 4. You will be confined with another person for approximately 120 hours per week, providing you make it home every week. If not, lets just say you go out for 3 weeks, then it is around 504 hours. One week out on the road is to late to realize you don't get along. Here again, it works for some, just be aware of who you crawl in the cab with, because when you are in the sleeper, they will hold your life in their hands and vice a versea. Hope this helps. |
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