Profile For Davy A.

I think the guidance needs to be stronger at the federal level, its a start, but its not enough. I'd like to see a blitz week on this, with weight stations and ports of entry specifically targeting this issue. States that fail to comply in enforcement should loose their federal funding for highways.

Not only is it a safety issue, its also a wage issue. I'm guessing that the lobbying groups for the large carriers and shippers, retailers and manufacturers alike are fighting this and actively pouring money into stalling it.

We're still very deep into a recession despite what the media says. Corporations are going to have raise wages and have better conditions if they hope to capture any of Gen Z for blue collar trades. The kids simply will not work for low wages.

Notice that the big Corporations are also saying there's a shortage of operators and freight handlers and industrial mechanics. There's just a shortage of people willing to work for low wages is what it means. Any time there's a claimed shortage it equates to companies not trading enough value for people's time or skills that took time to build.

Well this the third damn time I've had this typed out. For some reason the form just resets if you take too long making a post.

Its been great for what I sought. Basically in a nutshell. 120k miles dispatched. North of 94k income, few grand in benefits. No nanny state equipment on the trucks, or minimal. No cameras, governed at 70, coast as fast as you want.trucks are set to performance mode, not economy. No idle restrictions, no fuel restrictions.

Not uncommon to go 6 to 8 weeks without talking to my DM. Just get your loads and run em, minimal messages. No routes, fuel solutions or crapola.

Very cut and dry company. You're out for 12, in for 2, no exceptions. Should be able to average 500 to 550 miles a day while managing your clock on recaps. Keep the door shut, your mouth shut and run it.

Loads are extremely accurately scheduled, the company runs like a Swiss clock most of the time. Its good pay, no nonsense trucking.

Long and short, if you're a self sufficient high performing driver, you'll do well here. You have to have solid fundamentals, know how to trip plan, manage your clocks including be familiar with split berth and know when and where to shut down at. You have to communicate here.

I wouldn't recommend this for a new driver for sure, its fast paced and results driven, while its accurate, its also dynamic and you have to make heavy decisions with little or no input. You have to be on your A game here but if you are, its lucrative and flows very well.

It would be very easy to get yourself in trouble with the truck as well. There's absolutely no one standing over your shoulder telling you to slow down, not tailgate, nor take a route that's above your skill level, its expected that you will drive professionally and make sound choices, if you fail to, you will immediately find the consequences.

Hummer has met and exceeded my needs and expectations. But my needs are changing so that may entail another chapter in my career, that's moving from planning and development phases to execution soon.

In the meantime, I'd recommend them for experienced drivers with clean driving records and history if searching for a high paying no nonsense regional/otr gig with standard home time.

Knight has no contract whatsoever. You're an employee before you start school. Your cdl costs will be paid if you stay a year though. Many choose to stay longer. Large companies have abundant resources, terminals, access to different divisions and dedicated routes, there are many perks that dont necessarily show up as pay.

They have a very short training peroid of just two weeks if you complete their top gun course and are suitable to go solo that quick. You then do 30000 solo miles under the guidance of a Driver development manager. There is good points and bad points to it.

Swift is also a great place to launch a career. The cpm alone doesn't dictate your income. Many of us made significantly higher income on lower cpm. I started at .44 and made 74k or somewhere north my first year with Knight.

What determines your income is your performance and your work ethic. I would concentrate more on being the safest, most reliable and easy to work with driver. In addition, ancillary pay often changes things. What's important is your year long effective rate. For instance, im at 64 cpm, but my effective rate is 71 cpm, due to bonuses, ancillary pay, etc.

I would also recommend drafting up some letters or document that your working for your family right now or somethingof the sort. Having employment gaps is a big sticking point, most carrierswont be able to hire you if you have them. Its a federal requirement that carriers have to jump through. Your going to need to account for your time on paper

Well, since you asked us...yes, we refer to setting the brakes as... you guessed it..."Setting the brakes". Its understood what it means. Shouldn't have to explain what it entails.

Exactly as andhe said, you shouldn't be on the phone while driving, let alone video with your old lady. I'd give you the boot as well.

So far, the only actionable issues you mentioned was his lack of hygiene. The racist language is he said/she said. Even if he does use racist language, its in private, in his truck. Don't like it? Don't listen to it.

It was stated simply above, prime gives you a method to change trainers, use it. Although you said you've already been through other trainers. This indicates that your attitude is probably the issue. You're the only common part in the equation.

You come off as sounding very entitled and nit picking in your post. I'd really recommend you look inward and find a way to just get through your training. It will help build your character.

Ah yeah. CDL holders can't have any THC in their systems at all, whatsoever. Its a federal issue. Irrelevant of what state says about it medically or not.

Your feelings on it, your medical input on it are totally irrelevant. The FMCSA, the governing body for rules and policies, is very clear on drug policy. If you have an issue with it, take it up with them.

On a personal bias level, we have enough drivers that are idiots without drugs, the last thing I want is a stoned idiot operating a CMV.

Obviously, your parents owning a trucking company didn't impact you or you would have already had a license.

I am a chronic overthinker as well. Its difficult for us to focus on the immediate priorities. Most of us coming into the industry end up focusing and obsessing over items and concepts that we shouldn't be.

Look at it this way, you've never been a driver a before, never went to cdl school nor went through company training before. Logically, you don't know what to prioritize. You make think that you do, but you don't.

Most people fail at this because they are over confident. We've seen it time and again here. Its also a microcosm of trucking as a whole. If you have a strong foundation and solid fundamentals, you'll perform well, if you take things for granted or overlook the simplest of things, they can quickly lead to catastrophic system failure and end your career before it even starts. The failure rate in this industry is astonishingly high.

Again, the companies you looked at will serve you well. Now you can refocus on more pressing matters. Such as learning what day to day life will be in school and training, how to prepare for it, learning what problems and solutions others have had. Learning pre trip, HOS, securement fundamentals, etc.

If you're not concentrating on first things first, you are indeed placing the cart before the horse.

I gave up bikes too, with age comes the cage. I did endures, poker runs, the went back to street bikes and road racing for many years, now cars again.

I'd highly recommend obsessing over which company has training practices and schooling that will fit you best and help you develop into a professional driver instead of how much money.

The fact of the matter is that you're going to make about the same money at any of the companies you get into. The reason for this is that your performance dictates your pay. Right now you have neither the skills nor experience to even have performance. Your first year, should you make it through schooling and training, is not something to "suck it up", rather it's where you get the chance to learn while getting paid.

Its far more important to concentrate on getting through the companies hiring process, then schooling, then training and then finally a year solo without hitting anything, without failing loads and building great relationships with your DM. Let alone learning how to balance out your home life with life on the road.

FWIW, a good friend of mine from this forum and I work in completely different sectors of trucking yet our yearly income is within a couple grand of each other. The why, is that we have solid fundamentals and a good foundation as drivers. There is no magic bullet, no magic companies that pay grossly above other ones.

I'd encourage you to devour the CDL diaries section and search for the companies you're looking at on here, stop putting the cart before the horse and concentrate on getting your med card, permit, cdl, schooling and training solid.

None. I prefer to idle all break. I usually don't shut the truck off until home time or services. I find the idling truck to be therapeutic for sleep, and its the way it always was. I have a strong aversion towards pacification of liberal narratives.

It also helps that I work for a company that fuel consumption isn't a metric of performance. No carrot chase here. Although at my previous job, we had idle restrictions and fuel bonuses, I still managed to idle on the time and get the fuel bonus.

If I was to have my own truck, id probably still just idle it. I really haven't seen a significant enough difference in fuel cost to warrant not doing it. Also, I've been in 3 kenworths, all with the Cummins and have had no issues from idling, though I do run it on the high idle.

I have extensive experience surviving off a generator though, and it costs about the same in fuel as idling the truck.

Virtually all of the carriers that train will pay about the same during school/training.

Its important to note the difference. School is where you get your CDL, usually at their facility, classroom, on the pad and some driving. Training is real life on the job training, where you are actually doing real loads with a trainer in their truck. Sometimes the two phases are concurrent, some not.

Most carriers seem to land in the 400 to 500 per week if at all while in school, although if they are paying, they may not cover lodging, or food, etc. Meaning you won't make squat while in school. (Why should you, you're not an asset yet, just a cost).

During training it varies by carriers, but it seems to be around 600 to 900 per week.

Knight hires you before you start school, so its more secure job placement. When I was there, it was 480 per week in school for 3 weeks, 850 a week in training. The training was only 2 weeks long, plus a week of top gun. No contract, but if you stay a year, your school cost is paid off.

Its totally unrealistic to expect to come into this industry thinking that you'll make money right off the bat. Like any other trade, you get your schooling done then training and then your first year is basically being an apprentice.

It will take you a year to consistently perform efficiently and produce. You can make great money but you need to learn the fundamentals and be committed to your career.

Most people have been fed a narrative that this industry somehow magically makes you wealthy and a truck driver after 3 weeks. Its simply not the case. Run hard and smart and you can make a decent living though.

There is no easier softer way than to do what we all did, find a way to survive school, training and then your first year.