Profile For Kevin C.

Ok so I have to be on duty during a pre and postrip, fueling and while at the shipper and reciever at least until at the dock

I have to agree here. PackRat, you made the same comment about my on duty time. I can easily shave some time off of mine although I dont because I reset every weekend so I dont need to but if you are running 5-6 loads a week I dont see how one can run (legally) much lower than some of these. I would like to see some others chime in on what your daily on-duty time is. If you run one load a day you need pretrip, arrived at shipper until in a door, arrived at consigned until in a door, fuel stops and post trip for some. All on duty. Unless I clock off duty while waiting in line to check in/out, off duty while hooking/unhooking trailers, off duty while checking in/out in shipper/reciever offices etc theres not a lot of (legal) ways to reduce on duty time. It takes what it takes. PackRat, please explain how he can (legally) reduce his on duty time. Not mine as I already mentioned I could reduce mine some although still not by much.

I'm setting at the yard now in my rental truck, my truck is getting it's third engine....I think. Here is a screenshot of my time. I look on duty to check in at shoppers and recovers, then I go to sleeper till I'm called to a door, at that point now that we are on eld's I go on your moves to dock and then after any sites involved I go back to sleeper until dinner then log on duty and annotate check out and get my paperwork and send in my macros. That way I show all work time, what I'm doing and keep my on duty time to a minimum. Fuelling, I'm in the sleeper waiting in line, on duty for fueling and off duty when I got in the store.

David, I understand your comments about the drive to succeed and how it makes up the three different types of drivers you described - that is all true. I am an over achiever, who is retired from my thirty year career in my own custom manufacturing business, I get all the stuff about wanting more, and doing what it takes to achieve more. I decided to become a truck driver as a second career because it fit well with my abilities and understanding of how to succeed on your own.

I do however have a problem with thinking driver number three can make over 100,000 dollars per year. I am a go-getter, and trust me I understand what it takes to make a dollar. I do not know any truck drivers who are making that kind of money. I work intensely, most of the time I am on the road for six weeks at a time with just a few days off for home time, and I often take home twelve to fifteen hundred a week after my taxes and insurance payments are deducted. My dispatchers have always told me I'm one of their top earners. I am treated very well and often get my choice of loads because of that. I understand business overhead having been self employed for most of my life, and I just can not see a Lease Purchase driver making that kind of money, and I have tried tok see it - I have worked out the calculations. It is just not sustainable over the years. There always comes that day of reckoning that has to be faced after a few years where you wake up and realize that you thought you were making all this money, but now your equipment is past it's productive life and the investment needed to continue will wipe out what seemed like all the progress you were making.

Well I have to say I feel for you but I think you need a new company. Alot of Schneider lease ops and O/O average over 2k a week net and 5k gross. Don't know anyone that drives for Landstar but have heard drivers claim that it better from there and I know a skateboarder that nets 3k+ a week whether his truck leaves the driveway or not but he has a dedicated company contract.