If you could terraform Mars, I'm pretty sure it would like a lot like Oklahoma.

Congrats man! Always nerve racking going after anything new. I know if you find the right company and get hours, you can make some really good money in that business.

Best of luck.

I'm in Denver for a day or so. How many showers will I need to wash off the filthy Donkey scum?

just stay in the shower the whole time. denver is a filthy town.

Passed through Chicago this morning.

No one there knows what a turn signal is.

Well so far I haven't had any luck at all. All the companies around here want experienced drivers of at least a year. My permit expired because I couldn't find anyone to help me get trained on the job for a CDL.


Then just this week a job opening is available, driving cement mixer, but I got to go get my permit and take them stupid test again. I hate the ****ing DMV it is hell on earth.

Concrete company here will pay for your CDL. Out here truck drivers are ****ing gold.

Soooo wanted to bump this to ask a ???...anyone ever done team driving? Good to look into or no?

My brother in law is trying to talk me into it...I've thought about getting into driving and I heard the $ is better in team driving but there's a lot of cons too.

What's the upside?

I remember your dad asking if I have ever driven an 18 wheeler. I was like uh no. He said here's the keys it has a brand new transmission in it. Don't strip the gears and take that load of corn to the elevator.

Ah the memories.

I drive.

Did some team status during training......I did not enjoy it personally. Truck runs essentially 24/7. I suppose it wouldn't be bad if it were done with a relative or spouse etc. not a lot of room in the truck for two folks 24/7 . Plus sleeping while the other drives sucks ass. Terrible sleep bouncing around all night long etc.

The money is better obviously as you have two log books to run, then split the money etc. but really not "more" money to make it worth it. IMO.

Right, kinda what I was thinking....gotta be honest too, the thought of driving a huge truck is seriously intimidating to me too. Always been curious about it though...

It isn't bad. As long as you respect it at all times. If my dumbass can do it you are golden.

It's a miracle anyone was left alive in the county.

Once you're comfortable behind the wheel it's no different than driving your car. Seriously. The thing that changes is that you become hyper aware of all the dumb****s driving around you.

I am not sleeping in a truck when it's sitting still and damn sure not with someone I barely know driving.

A person with no college degree, or even HS diploma, can earn 50-60-70k a year as a day driver or 100+k a year OTR.

How are you liking your experience so far, where all have you been?

Sooo, sooo true

Yeah, training sucks when you gotta sleep in a tractor with someone you hardly know. That didn't last very long, though. My training with Trans Am lasted only 9 days. I was with the Werner trainer for 9 days, as well before I had to ditch that cockbag. That was right before Trans Am.

I'm done with commercial driving for the foreseeable future.

I will say that driving OTR, I slept as well as i ever have in my life. Something about the constant sound of the refer running and the vibrations.

How do I become a truck driver like on the reality show 'Shipping Wars' ?


Seems like it might be a fun thing to do with the wife

Step 1: get CDL.

Step 2: buy a truck.

Step 3: create profile on U-ship.com

Step 4: kill yourself.

Not bad so far. Like anything there is a adjustment period I'm still getting used to. Don't think it's something I could do for the next 10 yrs
Etc, but I'm just trying to get some experience so I can run local stuff and be home more. Sort of paying my dues at this point.

Roger that, atleast you're putting that cdl to good use and making money with it.

Not much luck finding a day position I guess? they're definitely much, much harder to find than otr, most want 2-3 years experience to even consider you.

I totally lucked out, got on with the biggest farm family in the area, these people are friggin loaded. They have the farm side that I'm driving for now, and a local (statewide and more once in a while) transport side that they'll let me into once I gain some experience.

Who are you taking it up the ass...er driving for? :D

Lol. TMC transportation

That would bother me quite a bit. I can sleep anywhere but not in a moving vehicle.

It's like 40k a year to start OTR from my understanding. I almost did it. Was going to team with my wife. For me, I'm glad I tripped into what I did because I've heard some horror stories.

A real go getter can do waaay better than 40k a year even just starting out.

Husband-wife teams can make BANK, but they better be cool with being right next to one another 24/7... and oh yeah, their are plenty of horror stories out there... trucking isnt some easy job at all, particularly that otr stuff, you dont have to be a brain surgeon but you better have a surplus of common sense to be successful.

Map reading or being atleast reasonably comfortable with gps technology.

Timing your arrival with the delivery time which includes a fair bit of math with miles to go, mph, fuel consumption, factoring in breaks/unknowns.

Maintenance.

Knowing what to do in emergencies.

Dealing with certifiably INSANE people/traffic in city areas, they'll literally risk everyones life just to get ahead of you and save 5 seconds to their destination.

Knowing what bridges/routes you can take with a given weight on, knowing what overpasses to avoid, getting around detours.

Mountain driving in terrible conditions.

OMG, I get dizzy thinking about all the stuff otr drivers have to deal with... the go getters earn every single penny of that 100+k a year.

That's a lot of great info for anyone thinking about getting in, and all accurate just from what I learned as I started that process Before landing where I did.

Its like any market, some jobs are just way better than others even if the work is roughly the same... my instructor at school knew a guy that made over 100k a year and all he did was drive from Springfield, Il to some town near Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo once a day and swapped trailers with some guy.

That was it... dude was home in bed every stinking night, didnt have to go into the heart of any city and made 100k a year.

Talk about a gravy run.

Another Channel 19 joke -

What do the orange construction barrels and Schneider trucks have in common?

They likely both have two dirtbags in them.

:LOL:

Damn. Dream trucker job.

This coming week in drive from the KC hub down to Wagoner Oklahoma just to switch out a set of doubles with a guy coming up from Dallas/Mesquite. I'll be on the clock for around 9 hours a day and get paid more than if I were in town switching out trailers for customers. Not too shabby.

LMAO

It supposedly only lasted 3 years, but damn man... think of how much jack you could sock away in 3 years.

You aren't going to make 100k a year in an OTR truck unless it's some kind of elite company.

You can make 100k per year in LTL Linehaul... I could probably knock down 85 to 90 if I would work half the time, but I don't like to work that much...

The money is in LTL not OTR

Everyone just be happy you still have your CDL. I got mine pulled April 1st. I took a complete physical and everything was perfect, except being low on vitamin D. Blood pressure, eye sight, colesterol, etc... were all perfect.

They changed the rule this year concerning seizures. I haven't had one in fifteen years and take a small dose of meds to make sure I never do again. The old rule was: no seizures in the last year. Now it's: no seizures in the last year and off of seizure meds for five years (in my case). Why the hell would I stop taking my meds if I haven't had a seizure in 15 years??? Dumbasses!

Yet, I know people who are on every blood pressure med know to man, obese and can barely make it up a flight of stairs and still have their CDL.

I don't have high blood pressure and I'm not diabetic, but
brain tumors are probably a deal-breaker. I knew this right after I received my diagnosis.

That makes no sense. Stop preventative medicine and hope you'll be ok? That's much more risky for a company to take on. I think you could fight that legally, it makes no sense especially with healthcare pushing more for preventative measures.

Damn! My best to you.

Mine was from a bullriding injury 17 years ago. They don't even know if I still need meds, but I take them to be safe and to not worry anyone around me.

That is completely insane. There should be some type of test or history you could show them to prove you aren't at risk. Unbelievable.

These new CDL standards are absolute horseshit. They're hitting us up right now hard and heavy on sleep apnea. It's ridiculous because most of us don't go long haul over the road - we're all local and sleep in our own beds every night/day. But if your BMI is over this, and your neck size is over that - BAM, instant at-risk employee for falling asleep while driving, and you need to have a sleep study done on you that insurance won't cover. It's straight up profiling and extortion, but it's the law.

Congress didn't even read this damned bill when they passed it through.

My company supports me 100%. This is a government change. My company already told me not to stop taking my meds and "Don't worry, you still have a job."

:thumb: Dead on, buddy! My longest drive is 90 minutes during spring/summer/fall. No winter drives.

Wow, that's ****ing terrible. Usually Obamacare, for the bit of good it can do, has taken prior existing conditions and made companies shove that up their ass and not deny you service. It's been great in that regard. Seems different in this case though and I have no idea why?

Right out of the gate flatbedding I'm told I should expect between about 50-60k. Not bad for a rookie driver. Though, you earn that extra money in flatbedding. I figure I need at least a year experience before other options that pay decent open up to me, so I might as well learn securement and make decent money while going through the growing pains. But I don't think it's something I could do for years and years. I have a fed ex terminal and YRC freight terminal about 11 and 25 miles from me respectively that I'll look into after 10-12 months.

My own personal opinion here - they care less about what your current condition is but want to project where you will be health wise 5, 10, 20 years down the road. They don't want to be on the hook with insurance to a person who either has an existing condition now or is at risk for health problems down the road. This is all about future savings now by either weeding out those employees or getting them into a shape that is acceptable. Not to make it sound all conspiracy theory-ish, but that is my take on it.

Well insurance companies used to do similar things with pre-existing conditions. You've got high risk? We'll deny you or jack up your rates. Obama care has limited that quite a bit actually. My friend who had a double lung transplant from cystic fibrosis can actually get insurance now. Strikes me as odd they are doing it in this line of work and can get away with it.

Just wrapping up my 3rd week on my own solo.
Overall, it's been good, but ROUGH. Flat bedding work doesn't **** around. But, getting better and getting acclimated to the physical work (after being an office fatty for the past 14 years). Lost 35lbsin about 8weeks. First week on my own was hard as hell, but already getting better/quicker and more efficient with my securment (which means more time freed up which means more money).

Wife and I are getting used to the "routine" of a trucker. That might be the hardest part, but we knew it going into this. Each week gets a bit easier.


A pic of my truck and a load of steel that was tarped in damn 90 degree humid heat in st.louis a week or so ago. My tarp jobs have gotten a lot better as well since this.

https://scontent-lax1-1.xx.fbcdn.net...df&oe=562A4EE0

Glad it's going well. Flatbed driver. More power to you.

You're a ****ing Man! :)

Nice, rig. Looks like your Peter is Built. LOL

At least they got you a Pete.

Is your wife tandeming with you?

I had 2 Kenworths. 700 and 680. Same as the Pete 587 and 579.

All made by PACCAR.

Glad your doing well... "Bungee cords "and "Boomers" are your best friends...:)

Badass ride Dayze.

No, wife is at home etc. I pretty much leave mout Sunday evening (they want us where we're supposed to deliver Monday morning by 9pm Sunday night), and home Friday. I've been home on Friday as early as 3pm and as late as 9pm. So it varies.

Yeah they really give out top of, the line equipment. Mine is a 2015 Pete 579, that had 75,000 miles on it. Black leather interior, power inverter, 21"flat screen tv, Sirius radio.

And they even take the time to put your name on your truck, as well as a sticker on the side that denotes you're a veteran, and which branch etc. and they want you to take care of the equipment. Truck washes mandatory every two weeks, but authorized every week. And anytime you roll through a terminal, they can inspect the interior. My trainer said the interior inspection/cleaning has to look like it came off the showroom floor. You don't have to keep the interior like that 24/7, but if you ever have to turn over your keys for maintenance etc, the interior had better be immaculate, or they'll keep you there until it is.

Hell, I take my shoes off when I get into the truck and set them On a small carpet mat lol.

Damn, They provide a TV? I had to buy my own. I had Sirius, but I had to pay the subscription.

Seems like a solid company.

Do you have an APU?

No, unfortunately .....

Luckily, the MPG scale they use is based on the average of all drivers driving the same model. And not based on some number office people just came up with. So, when it gets hotter out and people are running their trucks more, the average of all the drivers will fall in line accordingly. (If that makes sense) I'll definitely be running the truck when it gets warmer out. Screw laying there in a warm truck

Yeah, all provided at no cost.


They're an employee owned company. I'm not CPM, I elected to go with percentage pay. Meaning I earn a percentage of what the truck makes. You start at 26%, and can go as high as 32% I think. And the percentage can change monthly based on your performance. It's actually based on a 13week average. A series of things get you points, and so many points gets you into a particular percentage bracket. Being at the customer the night before by 9pmon Sunday's is worth so many points. What you're fuel mileage is is worth so many points. Out of route miles, revenue to the truck, etc. so it's nice because you can be making as much as the guy that's been there 5years very
Quickly.

First week solo I made 3500 to the truck (truck revenue) and this week I put down 3600. Add in tarp pay etc, and you can do ok. They have a new program for new drivers where the first 4 weeks on your own, they guarantee you a gross of no less than $1k per week while you get your feet wet. They're thinking about extending it to 8weeks.
Good company it seems. Only like 1500 drivers I think. Something like that

As long as you can idle, you're good. Trans Am's Kenworths would only idle 5 minutes.

Been driving close to 30 years and this happened to me week before last for the first time @ 65mph in a curve with 13k on the front box and an empty...

I controlled like a champ and got it to the shoulder.

Just a word of warning, this is an easy way to die in a Tractor Trailer and even harder to control with a set of doubles.

http://i.imgur.com/ldX3ci2.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Vb0zz2r.jpg

Much truth in the last paragraph. Glad you're OK.

Damn

Damn. Blowing a steer was one of my worse fears while driving.

Nice pre-trip, FedEx mileage driver.

I kid. Good job not losing your shit and staying in control. Nobody blames you if you filled your shorts with mud.

Hey Dayze, wanna trade:D

Just the truck though. Trailer and sprayer are mine.

http://i.imgur.com/3fUese6.jpg

To be fair, that's our spare truck. Our decent truck (still no Pete) is hooked on to the grain trailer for harvest.

Even if you run at high idle?

A good way around this is to back your rig under a trailer without hooking to it and not pull the brake. The idle shutdown only works when the parking brake is applied. If you can wedge under a trailer to keep yourself from rolling, you're golden.

Interesting. I never would have thought of this.

Shit, I'll drive anything that pays. :D

Me too, back in 1989 I drove a R model Mack with a 40' tank hauling chemicals. I was SB on US 29 just north of Charllotesville,Va, around 2AM, never been on this stretch of road before. Coming off of a small hill I rounded a downward curve 60MPH to the left and had the LF steer blow, hauling 40,000 of Xylene. :eek:

Good thing it was a 4 lane divided highway, I used the whole damn road to get that bitch under control. The weight of the liquid had me leaning right and the tractor wanted to go left. Left we went and quickly since I had started my turn going left, them the zylene wanted to shift to the left as the slope of the shoulder was to the left.

Braking with a sloped shoulder to the left only made it more difficult to come to a stop. Not knowing the roadway was troubling as well, especially at 2 AM in the morning. Good thing I had a long straight away after the curve, little did I know that both sides of the roadway had a good 30 to 40 ditch awaiting for me land in.

Traffic behind me had no clue as to why I went from the RH lane to the far edge on the left shoulder, then back out to the middle of the road before getting it slowed down and under control on the right shoulder. It took ever ounce of strength in my arms and legs that night to be able to walk away from it.

I did then and even today consider myself to be a blessed man that my life didn't end up in flames that morning.

You'd drive it. And then you'd hate me forever. It is a POS. We tried to trade it off but they'd only give us 3,000 for it so we had to keep it. I keep hoping the engine will quit so we can junk it. But it is mechanically awesome. It's just that nothing else is. The cab is beyond worthless And so small I look like I'm driving a damn Shriner truck, the ac is an aftermarket mother ****er that blows nowhere but on your triceps of your right arm. That's on top of the fact that it has a whopping 350 HP, no weight and is so ****ing short you feel every bump.

Pretrip was done son, the whole tread peeled off the tire like it was a recap, (of course it wasn't but)

We don't have old dry rotted tires here, Fedex only uses those Michilen XD's and the tread was wonderful on them, just a faulty tire.