Thanks for the good wishes.

I wish things would have worked out better for you, I still feel bad about it.

Switching companies isn't for sure yet, never know what can happen. Will know more by the end of the week. I don't really want to leave Crete, but hometime is getting to be an issue. The new company I'm leaning toward is much more flexible in that regard.

 

Well I don't know if I agree about the "running hard" statement. If you only go home 53 days a year and only run 139,000 miles I wouldn't call it "running hard." I would call it a person that doesn't mind camping out anywhere in the country rather that being home.

Myself....I am home a minimum of 100 days per year and usually run about 155,000 miles a year. To me that's "running hard."

But as long as you are happy doing it your way good for you. What seems to be killing your overall potential is those 300-500 mile runs, when you should be running 600 miles a day.

 

You are in for a big surprise. I enjoy working with Superior, but as anyone will tell you, it has its drawbacks.

Equipment -

Underpowered Internationals. You won't find ANYONE bragging up the Superior fleet. None of that "all our trucks are 05, 06 or newer."

Take your Crete Freightliner Century Class and cut about 2/3's of the sleeper. They are tiny, they have no aux heater. The engine runs from the time you start it until you return to base.

As a new driver with them you whatever truck is laying around the yard. The Best of the Worst. It will be filthy, and most likely leaking something somewhere.

Administrative:

If you need a lot of hand holding (trip routing, directions, fuel stops) forget it. You are definitely free to think for yourself (i like that!)

Support: They leave at 5pm.

Miles: That story has been beat to death. You don't need a lot to make a good living at Superior.

Downside - to low miles = a lot of work. You gotta do a throrough pre-trip you never know what the condition is off the trailer you just picked up at the tank wash, or was pre-loaded. Climbing on top checking all the caps and seals, dome lid/seal, clean dry odor free. Internal valve pump, external valve. You just can't trust or assume anything.

Unloading - its compensated, but still is work. Up and down the ladder, sling hoses, air up, air down, inspect for heel. Buckets, caps, plugs, velcro strips. A bit of change from opening doors. Also the rumor is tank yankers suck at backing. Baloney, the places you off load can be a riot. Back around a 90-degree turn, down the hill, another 90 to the blind side - all the while the product is bouncing you around like a pinball.

It's a change from being a door swinger. The money is decent. I like my job and the weird little challenges. Not having some dimwit dispatcher sending me routing information devoid of any common sense is probably the best benefit :lol:

It's almost worth hiring with Superior just to spend the training week with Sharp and McPeek :lol: They are a hoot :wink:

 

One thing that I didn't see mentioned.

It's much easier for trip planners to get you miles the longer you stay out versus getting home weekly, unless you have a dedicated route that is 3 days out and reload next door, then 3 days back.

When I was OTR and it was less than 7 days to hometime, I always sat more. You just have to wait for the right load that's heading toward home.

Like I said in the other thread you posted these in, great job on record keeping.

 

You're right...not all of them are 05's or 06's.... some of the terminals have older trucks....but they are in a replacement cycle right now. I have been in an 07' now for about 6 months...and the 08's are coming in soon. Superior "buys" their trucks...they don't lease them. My first truck had well over 500K on it...but it ran well, and got the job done.

For me...the "drawbacks" are negligible....because my every need has been met, I'm home more often...pay is better than prior, and my blushing bride see's me much more often...so even she is happier now. But thats just me...

You're right...the sleepers are smaller. But then considering how we don't spend nearly as much time on the road as box haulers...the need isn't there. I shut mine down whenever I can...sleeping in a shutoff truck down to 25-30 degrees doesn't bother me. But in the summer...it runs.

Ouch....that was harsh. Mine wasn't filthy...it fact it was pretty clean, and it didn't have any leaks. I guess I was lucky in that the driver who had it before me was actually on top of the maintenance of the truck and kept it fixed. But I guess it will depend on the terminal and who drove it before you got it.

True enough...."needy wimps" need not apply. If you need your hand held....you'll have problems. I route myself, I choose where and when to fuel....and I definitely think for myself all the time. I get my load papers from the terminal, grab the tank....and run the load. I'm left alone to do my job, and I do it. No-one bothers me...and I love that!

True enough...but a call to any terminal main phone number will be routed to either the terminal manager or dispatcher on call....and it hasn't been a problem in the 15 months I've been at Superior.

Dat's right!!

The upside to me is this: Many of my best paychecks have been weeks where the mileage was lower, but the compensated hours were high. A thorough pre-trip is a necessity anyway... it goes with the job. You're right...you can never assume anything.

Thats where the big difference comes in...being actually compensated for what you do. No more bumping a dock after opening doors and giving time away free! I love it. $20.00 for the 1st two hours and $13.30 for each hour after that!! Biggest problem I've had lately is...my last couple of loads...all I did was open the dome!! They loaded it, and the consignee unloaded it...less than two hours on both ends!! No extra $$!! Just the $20.00 for the two hours on both ends of the load. But the $10.00 a night to sleep in the truck adds up too.

How right you are!! I wish I could take some pictures of the places or racks where we back into....and how we get to them.... gets pretty interesting sometimes. But you get really good at backing real quick. Its the flatbedders who can't back up... 8)

I think the money is better than decent....and the work is far more interesting to me...and the people we deal with are a lot nicer and more fun than the average "warehouse worker".... and the directions are 99% correct....

Yep, Jack and Mike are a real piece of work!! Frankly....I was alittle worried before I went to school....I was trying to figure out how they could keep us occupied and entertained for a solid week in class, etc.....but they darn well did it....and with a lot of good laughs to go along with it.

Just so everyone knows...I'm not trying to be contentious with mbadriver, just showing a a little different viewpoint...a different perspective if you will.

Right now... I'm in a nice motel in Markham, IL... I had a good week and pretty much ran out of hours, and I'm picking up a couple of zeros... so the company sent me to the motel for two nights....and they pay for it. I'm doing a reset in a motel....not a truck. I NEVER had a box company do that. And I'm getting layover pay on top of it. So, while there may be a "drawback" or two to this....to me the Pluses outweigh the negatives. My biggest negative is the smaller sleeper....but then I got used to it.

I have absolutely no plans to leave Superior any time in the future... unless I hit a big lottery
8)

 

So how does that work? Did your dispatcher tell you to go to a hotel or did you have to ask for it? I am currently in training with Superior Carriers. Just trying to learn.

 

Dollarshort wrote:

We can always count on you to stir the pot.

Perhaps I should have said running hard as I legally can.

I used to run like a mad man and loved it. I used to work for a company that would let me make my run anyway I want. Every week I would leave Phoenix at 7am Monday, drive 15hrs to Boise, ID, get 4-6 hours of sleep, make a delivery Tuesday morn and head on over to Seattle. I would get there in the evening and park at the customer and get a good 8 hrs sleep. Start my deliveries around 4am Wednesday , finish up by noon, pickup a back haul to Phx and drive until midnight or so, stop somewhere in Nev for a few hours to take a nap and be back in Phx by Thursday night. 3000 miles a week and I would sleep in my own bed 4 nights a week, except for the weeks when I would grab a load when I got back in town and run it over to La, grab a backhaul and get back to Phx late Fri. 150,000+ miles a year and home somewhere in the area of 200 nights(keep in mind,a night does not make a day,but I slept in my bed) a year and a substantially smaller paycheck than I make now. Life was good until one of our drivers feel asleep and killed a van full of people(yup, just like the Crete driver) and the DOT came down on the company.

So there, I'm a more gooder super trucker than you.(That's a joke). Not really, I have no doubt I could run circles around you dollarshort.

It's easy getting those kind of miles if you want to be a Maverick, and to tell you the truth, I miss those days. When I first started running legal, I thought I was going to go crazy, but once I got used to the idea and realized I could actually make more money with Crete and be legal at all times I found that job was much more relaxing. You know what, I don't even care if a scale is open these days.

I will admit that sitting around for these damn 34hr resets annoy me to no end and who in the world needs a 10 hr break.

Times are changing though, and sooner or later everyone will be running legal. Just wait until the activist groups finally succeed in getting the black boxes in all the trucks. The day will come my friend. I've just adjusted before you.

So there, tag, you're IT. GO! :roll:

 

I've said it before and I'm saying it again, your full of crap if you think anybody will believe that you can get those kind of miles and still be home 100 days a year. That's nearly 600 miles per day every single day you are out. When you factor in down time (truck maintenance, weather, traffic etc) it ends up being more than that. I don't buy it. Not now, not ever.

 

That is exactly why I stay out as long as I do. As soon as I get close to my home time (I live on the coast of NC and it's a bitch getting freight close to the house)I start getting short runs that keep me on the east coast. I appreciate Crete doing this to facilitate me in getting home, but it does affect my pay.

 

Excellent point. Works that way at Crete. Started out trying to get home every two weeks but the miles sucked (for me). Three weeks and things were looking better. Four weeks seems to work the best for me. Staying out any longer than that doesn't improve things.