Profile For Nuts

Dilrod,

That sucks having to get a new windshield. I live in ND and read the troopers media releases and this one might have you feeling a little better about just having to replace your windshield and the down time.

NARRATIVE: On 10/7/2024, at approximately 1:00 a.m., a large amount of cattle escaped from a pasture that was adjacent to I-94, exit 190, near Driscoll. An unknown amount of black cattle were at-large. Many of them congregated on I-94 under the exit 190 overpass. A semi hauling refrigerated produce, driven by Ewert Nel, driving east on I-94, impacted the cattle. The semi entered the median and overturned. A small fire ignited on the truck but was put out right away with fire extinguishers. Mr. Nel was not injured. A 2024 Ford Escape, driven by Kaycee Anderson, was also traveling east on I-94. The Escape struck the cattle. Ms. Anderson sustained minor cuts and bruises and was transported to Sanford Medical Center for treatment. A 2014 Ford Fusion was traveling west on I-94, driven by Dina Diamanti. The Fusion also struck cattle. There were three passengers in the Fusion. All occupants were transported to CHI/St. Alexius Medical Center for possible/claimed minor injuries. The owner of the cattle was identified as Gerald Schmidt. Twenty-five (25) cattle were killed in total. Both lanes of I-94 under exit 190 were obstructed by cattle and vehicles. Traffic was able to be routed onto the exit ramp, over the overpass, and back down the on ramp. The roadway was closed at 1:00 a.m. The westbound lane was opened at approximately 5:05 a.m. The eastbound lane was opened at approximately 6:05 a.m. ________________________________________________________________

James,

Pianoman is right look for something local doing CDL B work. I don't have my a but I do have my B and drive part time making more than $27/hr. It is physical work reloading propane tank displays but gets me a good supplemental income and is fun to boot. As a CDL A holder, you can drive a dump truck, concrete truck, garbage truck with minimal physical abilities and I am willing to wager with the summer construction season there are plenty of opportunities. If you get your passenger endorsement you can drive a bus and they are always hiring no matter the location. Good luck and something will pop up, just keep trying.

Laura sorry to hear about you being laid off, can't believe that they just said whoever is driving these trucks coming off lease are done and didn't do a little better evaluation on the person behind the wheel that was let go. If that is how the company operates I wonder how long they can stay afloat. Best of luck to you and enjoy the well deserved time off.

James this is an example of the industry right now, getting a foot in the door is what you need. There are two companies you can look into as they do company sponsored CDL training Halvor Lines in Superior, WI and Magnum trucking in Coon Rapids, MN. What their current qualifications are I am not sure but may be an option.

People aren't buying stuff...only essentials. They're hanging onto their money until at least the election. I think if a Democrat/Biden gets elected again, people won't be buying anything at all!

My company with 80 trucks has apparently been letting some drivers go. Just this morning, 10 of us that were in older trucks (2020, 2021) were laid off. My load planner, left two weeks ago but now I think she was laid off also. I sent her a text message just a bit ago to see if that is what happened. All these older trucks will be turned in this week back to the leaser. So, my brother in IL is coming to get me here in MN and run me to Idaho. I am going to apply for unemployment and take advantage of that for about a month. Then, I will see if I want to get back on the road doing over the road or even regional. I may just retire because in a little more than 2 months I will be 73. It's just that my social security won't make a house payment and other standard bills. So we'll see, but I'm not jumping into anything right away.

Laura

Brandon, I work part time delivering propane cylinders and I am paid by the hour. I have had 2 randoms???? in the last 60 days. My employer is a nationwide company so I am compensated at my hourly rate from my house to the testing facility and while I wait around to deliver the sample. I haven't claimed my time back to my house. My boss has been nothing but good about it. Is your company a small local owned company?

In reading all the responses and different ways drivers are paid what stands out to me is the more you make for the company based on their business model the more that driver is going to be compensated. The driver that does the little things, a good DM will see beyond all the matrices a driver is measured by and know that the driver is someone they want to keep so they make the drivers life richer. Whether the reward for taking a loss on one trip as a driver so you can get a great trip as a follow up evens things out in the end.

I work part time driving a straight truck delivering propane cylinders to various stores and I am compensated on via an hourly wage. When I first started I talked to my DM and asked her what are the matrices they use to judge a drivers performance and she worked them out for me. Once I knew what was expected it was easier to know in my own way if I was sailing or failing.

The simplest measurement for us is cylinders per hour worked. Whether I have a short driving route within the city and a few big stops and I empty the truck it ups my numbers, if I have a 400 mile day where I only restock 250 cylinders and the route takes all of my 14( we unload and restock the truck after getting back to the yard). That makes my numbers go down.

In the end it all evens out because the company wants to make money and the employees want the company to make money. I have been their just over a year and have seen 2 unasked for pay increases.

I meet my DM's numbers and try to be accommodating and I have been rewarded. This is advice I have learned from many of the moderators and experienced drivers on this site and it has paid off.

Thank you.

BK,

That is hilarious. I will give the guy credit for making lemonade from lemons though. Did he say how long he will be without a license? It might be a long cold winter in MN for him.

This is weird coming right after this topic was posted, but I had one of my “rare” trailer issues last night up in Minnesota.

I had just left the customer with a trailer loaded for Denver, about 22:30. Less than 10 miles away, my trailer lights went out except for the emergency flashers. So I pulled over in a fairly safe place and tried to find the cause. Couldn’t locate the problem so I called our road breakdown number. They said they would try to find someone to come out, but I might have to wait until morning. About half an hour later, there was a knock on the door. I hadn’t seen a service vehicle pull up, so I was a little surprised. Turns out it was a technician who came out on his bicycle pulling one of those child trailers. His tools were in the trailer. He lives about 6 blocks from where I was parked and had to use the bicycle because he had a OWI and his license was suspended. I got a few pictures of the road service “vehicle” but they are not very good photos.

We couldn’t find the problem so here I sit in the shop this morning. They say there is a short somewhere in the trailer wiring and they are trying to locate it.