Profile For Old School

It's crazy we need a government task force to figure this out. I looked into this practice myself once. It didn't take long to see this is a game played by the corporation. It's the old stick and carrot lure.

I spent an entire chapter in my book exposing how the drivers who choose this path are getting short changed. There's no extra money for you to get by leasing. Even the ones who think they are doing well usually end up having an unexpected wake up call. Something goes wrong and they find out they are financially responsible for it.

It's a business with very tight margins. The way to make money is to be on the payroll outperforming the other drivers.

The brokers have really been up to some shady business lately. I did a 3rd party backhaul a few years ago where the customer refused the load. Then I started getting phone calls from two different brokers wanting their money. It turned out it was actually a 4th party load.

The load was double brokered with 2 middle men cutting in on the money. We had no clue until there was a problem. There are oftentimes people willing to do a backhaul load cheap just to get their drivers where they need them. The brokers are aware of all this and take advantage of it without much concern for the effect it has on anyone else down the line.

Congratulations Paul!

Yeah, I'd say if you have an offer, go with it. Try your best to stick with that first company for one full year. You will learn so much during that first year, and that kind of commitment will really help you get established in this industry.

Keep us informed how things are going for you. We can always help if you're struggling, and we really enjoy hearing about your progress.

Well, that didn’t take long!

Trump hasn't even moved any documents from Mara Lago back to the oval office yet, and we have Hamas agreeing to release hostages, and California giving up it's imperical moral authority over the rest of the nation.

I guess Californians decided they'd like to keep shipping out produce, and enjoy having goods available to them when needed.

That's the first practical decision I've seen from them in decades.

I'm back in Illinois tonight. There's still a lot of ice and snow at the truck stops. Thankfully, the roads are good.

I will be in Delhi, LA tonight. I'm picking up my next load with stops in

• Altamont, IL
• Muscatine, IA
• Louisville, KY
• Sidney, OH
• Royersford, PA

I'm safe at the TA in Matthews, MO.

That's what I mean. Our terminology is used so loosely. It causes confusion.

I'm considered an OTR driver, but you will seldom ever see me West of the Rockies. I'm also a "dedicated" driver. A lot of people think that means I run the same route each week.

Wrong!

I simply haul loads that originate from the same customer. "Hydro" is the customer I'm dedicated to. I deliver all over the place. I may go to Upstate New York delivering a Hydro load one week, and then to Miami, FL for the next one.

We have a lot of terminology that is confusing. But then it wouldn't be trucking if we had it all figured out. That's part of the fun of it. We get to make it up as we go, and then we have plenty of things we can gripe about!

There is so much terminology in trucking that causes confusion. You mentioned looking for something regional as opposed to OTR. Whatever terminal you work for at Knight will have it's own set of opportunities. Terminals are run somewhat independently of each other in Knight's network.

Try to learn the various opportunities available to you. There may even be home daily opportunities where you are. I've been on a "dedicated" account at Knight for over a decade. Those accounts will typically pay more and have some benefits that a regular OTR job may not offer.

Keep yourself committed to that first year and keep your ears open for opportunities available at your terminal. They may occasionally ask you to do something different. Be willing to try something they offer temporarily. It will give you a chance to experience something different and learn whether it appeals to you or not.

Good luck in your journey. If you get the chance, please read My New Book. It's filled with tips and stories from the road, and it's all designed to help you face the myriad of challenges that throw most rookies off their horse. That link goes to a former conversation containing a link to the book.

Please keep us informed. You may even want to do a diary of your training time in our diaries section of the forum.

I pulled out this morning and the roads were in great shape. Sometimes the smartest thing to do in really bad weather is to just give it 24 hours. During the time I was parked, moisture quit falling, and the road crews had time to catch up with the work that needed to be done.

Robert, you made me chuckle. Each winter we see these apocalyptic looking stranded vehicles in the median and the ditches. It's almost always following a storm they've been warning about for a week. Wake up everybody - pay attention!

I hope you all stayed safe during this latest winter blast.