Yeah, thats what I'm thinking. Everyone I talked to at the terminal had been doing pretty decent until the last 2 weeks. I picked a horrible time to start with any company. Christmas and New Years always kills freight.

I'll head down to Atlanta Monday morning and see what happens. If I play my cards right I should be in the breakroom around 11 or 1130 and can go with the mew recruits to lunch. They take whoever is sitting around to Golden Corral on their tab. I know they get it back on taxes, but I don't care, I'll take a free lunch any day!

Things should pick up in a couple weeks. I've still not made my decision about them yet. Everyone seems really nice when you call in, but their being nice and 99 cents gets you coffee at the J. We'll see. I did hear some wild and crazy stories in the drivers lounge for basically 3 days. Man, some of these guys must lie awake at night thinking of new truck driving stories! Everything you can think of man, it was something else!

 

O.K. I'm home for the weekend and here is my weekly update. For the record, this is the latest I've gotten home on any weekend. I think I got to my house around noon today. I had to deliver about 50 miles from here this morning for a 24 hour open appointment. It took them about 1 1/2 hours to unload me, but they were running a skeleton crew since it was Saturday. I had to wait on 2 trucks ahead of me.

Monday morning head to Palmetto, GA (picked this up in O Fallon, Mo, although I technically ran most of the miles last week, I won't get paid until next weeks check, so I count it towards this weeks paid miles).

Pick up Monday night/Tuesday morning in Newnan Georgia for a Greeneville, TN/ Johnson City, TN load.

Kingsport, TN (terminal) to pick up Wednesday morning to head to Reidsville, NC. At this point in the week I was a little disappointed. All I had done was drive from Knoxville to Atlanta and Atlanta to Kingsport, not great. This is when it picked up.

Reidsville, NC live unload/live load, head to Smyrna, DE (I had never been to Delaware). Get to DE Thurs. Morning (should have been earlier but my unload in NC took too long). Drop/hook in Smyrna.

DH to Dover, DE pick up drop/hook for Columbus, OH (but it wasn't ready when I got there, had to wait 4 hours).

Delivered in Columbus Friday noon. This is the last paid mileage for the week. The Columbus- Dandridge, TN will appear on next weeks update.

Total miles: 2035. Within the 2000 I was promised. Got home for another weekend.

Next weekend I am going to stay with a friend in southern Illinois (that does not have internet) so I will have to report in 2 weeks and give the rundown.

I also met my dispatcher for the first time this week in Kingsport. Since I did my orientation in Atlanta, I never got a face to face. Seemed nice enough. I think the Kingsport terminal has the nicest drivers lounge/showers of the terminals I've been too, but I've not been to them all.

One thing I do like is if a load is not a drop and hook, a lot of times they will have open-ended appointments. These are awful nice. I'm glad Heartland has as many of these as they do.

Thats it for the week. Not much exciting has happened this week other than driving. I hope freight will pick up and I can get a few hundred more miles in the future, but who knows with this economy. We were used to living off about $300 a week, so what I'm making now is much, much better.

Have a good one out there!

 

Thanks for the update!! Hey, sounds pretty decent. Glad things are going pretty smooth for you! :thumbsup:

 

O.K. I'm home, and here's the update:

After I posted last (about 2 weeks ago) things have gone down hill...

Left on Monday- picked up in Vonore, TN and delivered in Huntington, WV for a 7AM Tuesday appointment. Got unloaded by 9 AM Tuesday, next load didn't pick up until 6 PM WEDNESDAY! Yeah, you read it right...

Picked up 6 PM Wed. in Louisville (less than 200 paid miles by the way to Louisville), delivered in Waverley, TN Thur morning.

Dead head to Lebanon, TN pick up for Earth City, MO (St Louis).

Picked up at St Louis (O Fallon) terminal for a Tuesday morning delivery in Louisville (take it home for weekend).

Total paid miles: 1600

Next week:

I got to my buddies house around Noon Friday, and didn't leave until noon on Monday. Nice home time, but you can't make money like that. And I didn't have to leave noon Monday. My appointment in Louisville wasn't until 8 AM Tuesday less than 200 miles from where I was, but I wanted to get a full 10 in before I got unloaded- and I wanted to find a spot at the Pilot in Brooks, KY, so I left extra early.

Anyway- dropped the loaded in Louisville Tue morning (supposed to be live unload at Ford, but it wasn't). No empties, had to bobtail to Seymour, IN to get an empty.

Deadhead (after waiting 6 hours for load info) to Owensboro, KY to load the next morning.

Live load Wednesday morning (supposed to be drop/hook, but they didn't have enough empties). Take to Newport, Michigan (south of Detroit).

Deadhead to Bolingbrook, IL (CHI) to load, take to West Branch, IA (about 20 miles from our terminal in North Liberty). This is the last paid load I got this week.

Had to get inspected Friday morning, they tagged me for an A service and 8 new drives, and brakes. Took them almost 8 hours to get all this done. Finally got it out of the shop- my load was ready on the yard. Pick up in N. Liberty, deliver in Atlanta by 11 PM tomorrow (Sunday). I'm barely going to be home 24 hours before I have to leave again- then I'll probably sit 2 days in Atlanta waiting for a stinking load.

Miles this week: 1450. Yeah, fourteen-hundred-fifty.

I'm looking for something else. I need more miles than this. I've had a total of 2 weeks where I got over 2000 miles. My wife and I got used to living on next to nothing when I worked security and was out of work, so we're doing o.k., but I need more than this. I'm trying to pay off school bill and my wife's van. I'm trying to get to the point where I can find a home daily job and go back to college. if I'm going to stay with Heartland, they need to up my miles greatly and quick.

I have noticed one thing I don't like, too (though I wouldn't quit over this). Everyone in the offices and the people on the phones are really super-nice, but the guys in the shops are mostly JERKS. The guys who do inspections in Kingsport and Columbus are pretty decent guys, but everywhere else it is a pain to go into the shop.

Well, thats it for me. I'll let you know what happens next.

 

Hey PA fred

sorry to here its down.. but thats about everywhere right now. You might want to consider TANK or Hopper bottom work ..

Look into Superior Carriers looks like you may be close to them and they pay very well.. I am going with them. I talked to you about Henderson back a few months ago and decided to go with Superior. Benefits and pay there web says make up to 72k and most driver are about 62-65k home weekly paid restarts if you have to once and a while check out my post on the other foreum

FROM WALMART PRIVATE FLEET TO SUPERIOR CARRIERS LTD

I have outlined pay etc for superior

CYANIDE has a post here called SUPERIOR CARRIERS / CARRY TRANSIT some good info there

WSYROB has one one the other foruem he updates allot and is a good read also
FROM SCHOOL TO SUPPERIOR CARRIERS LTD

Ithink you would be happy I am and I drove for WALMART for 4.5 yrs so you know what I expect in a company .

PM me and if you want I can fill you in more on the phone

Good luck man ....

:block:

 

I knew you lived in TN now from chatting before but ...

Superior has a TERMINAL IN KINGSPORT right near you so it will work out good .

Google them on the web SUPERIOR CARRIERS or SUPERIOR BULK LOGISTICS they dont have a recruting dept and turnover is VERY LOW you will need to check the website and call terminal direct and ask for the terminal mgr.

They have an 1-800#### that say recruting but its not it is the HR dept in OAK BROOK IL at corporate but he can put you directly in to the terminal manager if you want to go that route...

 

Thanks man, I'll look into this. I'm looking into getting into hopper bottom work right now, trying to find a company to work for. I'll check out Superior, maybe they will have something that will work out for me.

Thanks again.

 

Living where you do. Consider looking into:

Dillon
FirstFleet

I know you probably don't want to do Reefer/Produce but consider:

Purdy

Since your miles are down/hometime is beginning to be Rationed(usually starts about this long into your stay at Heartland) consider switching to System a.s.a.p. At least this way, you'll be making more $$$ per mile/ the total miles won't really change-- it all comes from the same freight pool. You just won't be getting home each and every weekend.

Yes, freight is tight-- the other night in Milan, NM the Petro was dead empty on a week night-- it's getting BAD...BAD.. out here. Sticking with a large carrier like Heartland with lots of freight + benifits is still smart thinking.
But wages are about to start backward-- we're all going to have to get used to the idea of having to work harder for less for the next few years.

 

A (company?) that requires an employee (driver) to sign off.....the farm.....
No thanks.

Aribitrary access to my personal bank account? You must be nuts!

Tell us that this is not true!!! Explain this entire concept to the unititiated?

Headborg....as a service to the new folks contemplating revealing their banking numbers to Heartland (less)?

 

Keep me posted..
If u got any pay questions just ask

Like I said they don't have a recruiting Dept so please don't think I am giving u a line I get nothing $00.00 no nothing except satisfaction a good driver got a good job.