Winter, slow for otr?

[Idahotrucker]

so I called my dispatch and complain about only getting 2000 miles a week he said that winter is slow or otr drivers? Really?Sent from my SGH-T759 using Tapatalk

 

[Rigjockey]

I'm not sure if winter is slow but from now until New Years is definetly slow . It's something that most drivers anticipate .I for one look forward to it , A break around the Holidays after running my ass off all year.

 

[DubbleD]

I'd respond but I'm busy... getting ready to head out.

Idahotrucker, why'd you change employers twice? Just curious...

 

[Idahotrucker]

Well the 1st one was great I loved it. $1000 a week home for the weekends. But it was in ND, my family lives in idaho. My grammy got bad so I moved home. The 2nd was making empty promises. Like yeah "I promise to get you home after this load." I worked there 3 months only went home for 3 hrs. Plus I wasn't making enough to eat on plus pay bills. .25¢ a mile won't cut it. Then I moved to this one. They promised 3500 a week and home when I want as long as I wanted. Fail. I did get to go home last weekend for 3 days. But milage sucks. I run 620 miles a day like everyone else. Why can't they hold up their end? It's frustrating, I paid $4,000 for school for this?

 

[saddlesore]

I paid $4,000 for school for this?

Reality Sux.

 

[GAnthony]

Well the 1st one was great I loved it. $1000 a week home for the weekends. But it was in ND, my family lives in idaho. My grammy got bad so I moved home. The 2nd was making empty promises. Like yeah "I promise to get you home after this load." I worked there 3 months only went home for 3 hrs. Plus I wasn't making enough to eat on plus pay bills. .25¢ a mile won't cut it. Then I moved to this one. They promised 3500 a week and home when I want as long as I wanted. Fail. I did get to go home last weekend for 3 days. But milage sucks. I run 620 miles a day like everyone else. Why can't they hold up their end? It's frustrating,

I paid $4,000 for school for this?

yes, yes you did...

but look at it this way...

i've been doing this crap now for over 20 years....Been there, done that, as they say..

i got a real swell gig that is for a dedicated customer. i have spoken of it here on these boards before.

i work LESS THAN 40 hours per week, and i only "average" 1650 miles per week...

i drive from MASS up to Maine, 5 nights a week....i have only 3 total stops....

i off load some stuff, pick up some stuff (at the same place), then go onto the next stop....when i am done..?? it's back to MASS, then HOME.....

my gross pay IS $1,000....(comes out to be about $30 per hour)..it is NOT a union job......

so someday, when you get your experience, and put in MORE time, maybe you too can have a sweet job like me.....

good luck....it sux you paid so "little" for a truck driving school, when so many others pay well over $10,000...!! and how do i know this..??

I WAS a truck driver instructor, at two local schools in my area...

so consider yourself "lucky" you only spent a mere....$4,000.......

 

[NC_Truckin]

good luck....it sux you paid so "little" for a truck driving school, when so many others pay well over $10,000...!! and how do i know this..??

I WAS a truck driver instructor, at two local schools in my area...

so consider yourself "lucky" you only spent a mere....$4,000.......

WOW 10,000 for Trucking Instruction..The local community college offers it for $3710 Seriously..(also where I am considering getting my training.) I feel like the $3700 would be a bargain now!

 

[GAnthony]

WOW 10,000 for Trucking Instruction..The local community college offers it for $3710 Seriously..(also where I am considering getting my training.) I feel like the $3700 would be a bargain now!

depends on where you live, and what's available...we have a community college in my state, but they administer the CDL tests, at least the skills and road tests...the DMV conducts the written tests.

you get what you paid for...no school will teach you everything, just the basics in most instances. your "real training" comes when you get hired and go on the road with a trainer...but then too...many company trainers are dimwits, and only have the job for the money end of it. they couldn't give a flip whether you stay or get fired, they get thier paycheck.....

so you can go to a community college if one near you has CDL training. what should be a "reasonable" cost of education..???

well since you only get a "certificate of completion" and NOT a diploma......then i say the cheaper the better.

just LEARN as much as you can. DO NOT worry about any other student and yard time or road time....take care of YOU FIRST...

many times, some students would only stay at my school for road time, then go home for the day...

but when the time came to go to the CDL test site for the skills and road tests..??

they would fail miserably and wonder..."why"....

then they would blame the school and the instructors for thier failure....

DO NOT give up yard time to another student all because there might be a long line waiting for the one or two trucks in the yard...

screw him (or her), take care of YOU FIRST....

 

[NC_Truckin]

just LEARN as much as you can. DO NOT worry about any other student and yard time or road time....take care of YOU FIRST...

DO NOT give up yard time to another student all because there might be a long line waiting for the one or two trucks in the yard...

screw him (or her), take care of YOU FIRST....

That is some good advice! My pops always said to take care of number 1 cause no one else would! Looks like it will be true in Truck Driver Training as well.

 

[Gased]

so I called my dispatch and complain about only getting 2000 miles a week he said that winter is slow or otr drivers? Really?

I'm not really considered OTR so to speak but I do run Line-Haul for a LTL company here in the Buckeye. We have started to slow down for the past month or so and anticipate it to remain somewhat slow until the end of Jan-early Feb. I'm like RigJockey, I welcome the slow down because I'm usually getting my teeth kicked in all year long. I only get about 2100-2200 a week but my CPM is higher. It will pick up and those 2500-2800 weeks will come back. When it does you can bet I will be cursing the day my dispatcher(s) were born.