Profile For Poser

Another area of local work that interests me is intermodal. There are plenty of those types of jobs in my area. JB Hunt currently offers an intermodal gig w/in 150 miles of Harrisburg, PA (close to where I live), 5 day work week w/ 2 days off. 3 months experience required. Anybody have any experience / thoughts on intermodal?

I've been with Intermodal for 7 months and I'm starving to death. I have a good work ethic and keep that left door closed. When I park for the night its with less than 30 min of available drive time. I get slowed down in railyards looking for my next load or waiting for it to come off the rail. I don't seem to be getting as many miles, only 1900 this week. At .36 per and insurance for dependants, I've been bringing home just under 5 bills a week. I'm going to OTR on December 1 and hope to do alot better. Intermodal is great for single guys or near retirees but you can't support a family on it.

I am considering an offer from Melton to drive flatbed for .37/mile plus $40/load for tarping. Any thoughts or warnings? Stuff you learned the hard way that you wish you knew beforehand?

The one guy I loved riding with has....wait for it....quit and gone to another company. And I'd rather not say which company I'm with. If they are trolling these sites, which is likely, it could cause me more problems.

Life started off great and I was really optimistic about a long stay at my first trucking company. After just 4 months on the road, and as many co-drivers, only one of which I would ever want to spend anytime with, I am really regretting that one year contract. Are all truckers completely insane? My first trainer told me it was my job to yank on the fifth wheel release while he worked the clutch and brake to bounce it lose. My face and shoulders were literally inches away from the drive tires and apron during this. My second trainer did everything he could to avoid taking a shower. My last co-driver spent most of his sleeper berth time shouting into the phone at his ex wife. When his drive shift came around, he was sleep deprived and furious. I had to sleep with one eye open and and a death grip on the restraining net. At the moment, I am sitting at home waiting for another co driver assignment. The furious one kicked me off his truck because I showed up at 9:58 for a 10 o'clock departure, he thought I should have known that meant to be 15 minutes early even though I wasn't driving. They've had real trouble finding a long term co driver for him and everyone who rides with him ends up quitting. This career is becoming a bit of a nightmare. With this company, I am only obliged to just 1 year (if I stay for two years, I get $2000.00 back.) As things stand now, I'm not sure I'll make it one year, much less two. Please tell me it gets better.

Throughout my training I was able to share some of the articles from Trucking Truth with my trainers. Surprise,surprise they confirm that the articles do a good and accurate job of describing what the trucking career entails. It's really comforting to find a credible source of information regarding this MAJOR life change. For years, decades even, I swore I'd NEVER drive a truck for a living. This was not plan A. More like plan ZZ. But thanks to this site I was able to make an intelligent decision. For the moment, driving is a two to five year plan. Perhaps I'll fall in love with it and drive until I retire completely but for the moment I think it offers a reasonable solution to my current financial goals. I feel like I'm going into this with my eyes open and enough information. This would not be possible without a site like this. Thanks for being an honest broker. I look forward to the next two years. BTW-my career started on Friday the 13th and I graduated from my class on 10-4. Kinda cool.

Lost 4 points on the driving portion. Another 4 points on the backing skill and only 2 points on the pre-trip. Not perfect but good enough. Taking my first load out Sunday morning to Greencastle PA. FINALLY making some money. Thanks to everyone here for the tips and support. See you on the road.

The Good: Hit the streets today. Real streets, not just the industrial park. Had a little trouble finding the gear on the downshift and may have coasted through a intersection or two while grinding a few pounds but all in all had a great time. Afternoon was spent alley docking and parallel parking practice. Even went to a real truck stop just outside of town. I was in a hurry because I had to get rid of my coffee and headed towards the showers instead of the restrooms. I guess you have to pay to get those doors to close because I almost dislocated my shoulder and embarrassed myself learning that lesson.

The Bad: I coupled the trailer for the first time this morning. And almost ended my career before it started. The trailer was parked between two other trailers, when I pulled it out from between them, I started my turn too soon. I nearly demolished two trucks at once.

The Ugly. My trainer is a great big guy who has obviously been eating all his meals behind the wheel for the last 5 years. The poor guy was trying to run and yell at me at the same time. We almost had to call 911 while he recovered from the heart failure and exertion from the unplanned cardio.

All's well that ends well I suppose. I didn't do any real damage and my trainer has a great story to tell his future classes.

Another great day. Still real happy with Trailiner. They are still looking for more drivers. I you know of anyone living within 100 miles of Springfield, MO I know where they can find a job.

See ya on road.

Didn't get a chance to get online last night and I've missed a day. Yesterday we went to a nearby industrial park and practiced street driving. Apparently that's where everyone goes because I saw three other driving school trucks rolling through the same circuit of left turns, right turns and cul de sacs. I made it all the way up to 8th gear!! Wooohooo. Almost felt like I was driving. Downshifting was a bit of a struggle but I got the hang eventually. We also learned the alley dock maneuver. We did that in the morning. We weren't supposed to learn it until later in the day but just as we were about to go driving, one of the new drivers dropped his trailer just outside the company gate. Apparently, he neglected to do a tug test. That blocked any means of leaving the lot and our trainer used it as a golden teaching opportunity. From about 100 yards away, we watched the driver crank the landing gear up while the VP of Operations read him the riot act. We couldn't hear exactly what he was yelling but we got the drift. It made the impression our trainer was hoping for, I'll say that.

Today was just a day for practicing the moves we've learned. Still struggling with the alley dock but making progress. I'll have it wrestled to the ground by Tuesday. Got the log book and pre-trip down pretty good. I look forward to next week and all the practice. Also looking forward to learning coupling and uncoupling. That is all. Have a great weekend.

Trust me, Bikers are a whole different kinda critter...but the glue that holds THEM together is being a patriotic red blooded american. That crosses all religions, ethnicity, profession, and demography. They come together under a common bond....The love of the sun in your face, the wind in your hair, and the unbridled feel of the open road rumbling under 2 tires. wow....I really like it when I wax poetic

Wax on Bard. Wax on.

Day 3-more offset backing and parallel parking practice. Today we combined the two skills by driving from one skill course to the other. We are supposed to hit the road tomorrow for our first taste of street driving. Can't wait. Met one of the seasoned drivers who could be my trainer for the first 6 weeks on the road. Seemed like a decent guy, I'd be okay with training with him. Things are looking really good. The other guy is not paying attention to the instructors and keeps making the same mistakes. They are getting tired of repeating themselves and it shows. They don't seem to be trying to hide their frustration either. More tomorrow.