Profile For David M.

Yes, he should have them on both sides, back and front of trailer or front of truck.

Remember with a team driver you will be splitting the miles. It will increase your pay some but probably not as much as you would like. I don't know how many miles you're running now or your cpm but a good team running 9.5 to 10 or so hours a shift should be able to top 7k miles a week when everything works well and you're getting the long loads.

Living with another person in a walk in closet is tough. I've been lucky for a while with a good trainer then a good first co-driver. My co moved on to greener pastures and now I'm high and dry.

Good luck to you whatever path you take, Stay safe.

For the most part CRST is mostly teams. However CRST does have solo driver's. My trainer and several other CRST driver's I spoke with all advise me that they had run solo when co driver's weren't available. The best thing talk to your DM and explain you're situation to them. I am going out with my trainer for about two weeks just to get a little more backing experience. Then I have to find a co driver. I have received several calls from people looking for co driver's all of them live in different states then mine including one on the east coast.

Joseph, Can you shorten that 2 weeks with your trainer down a little? I don't need much home time, I keep the truck neat and like to shower on a regular basis. I have a 2018 truck with 25,500 miles on it. The air is ice cold and the heat will run you out of there. Trucker GPS, microwave, living large.

Stay calm and focused. Vocalize on your road test, tell them whats going on every step of the way. oh, and don't hit anything ;)

P.S. Thanks for changing it so mods don't have to approve my posts.

Sounds like you earned your pay today. ;) I've only run that stretch out west once so far and it was night so I did not get a chance to admire the views. Sounds like you didn't either with dust and fog. Better luck next trip.

I do agree with Rainy and Big Scott you should be at least getting paid.

He said he did get paid layover and then they sent him home for home time.

i'm up to 10 days without a load now sitting on my but doing nothing

There's something you're not telling us. I know you've been home for at least a few days but no one just sits indefinitely for no reason. I'm not sure what's going on, but get on the phone tomorrow and tell them to get you rolling. Freight is super strong right now, the demand for drivers is really strong, we're starting the runup to the holiday season, and you have their truck and it needs to be rolling.

So I'm not sure what the whole story is but I know we're not hearing it. Let us know what they say when you call in tomorrow to see if they can get you moving.

You're getting the entire story as it's played out to this point. Joseph L. pointed out that sometimes they will run us solo but since I have under 90 days on the road that's not an option for me. My DM did not even want to let me deadhead to the house but gave in after I sat for 4 days. Believe it or not I'm being as open and honest as possible because I'm looking for the best advice I can get. I've tried to be as professional as possible, I'm not slamming my company, they've done exactly what they said they would from day 1. I just want this solved and to get back on the road.

At this point I think my best option is to try and talk them into bringing me back to Cedar Rapids. I might luck out and catch a trainee just coming off the truck with a trainer and ready to roll. If not, at least I have the truck back in their hands. I don't know what else to do at this point.

Man, that sounds brutal. Glad you made it through and kept your job. I'll do my best to learn from your pain, I'm sure my company has a process just like that and I never want to see it.

As far as the tuition goes and my contract, I'll pay it. I don't want to owe anyone anything. I hate not keeping my word on the 8 months but I do need a paycheck. They ran me great during training and when I had a co-driver at 7000+ miles a week for the truck. I have no hard feelings towards them I just can't afford to sit around.

That makes no sense whatsoever. So you're going to fork out like $6,000 for the privilege of quitting your job and walking out on your contract because you can't afford to go without a paycheck?

If that's the kind of logic you're using to make decisions then I don't know if anyone can help you.

I guess that's fair enough criticism, and I do appreciate the advice that everyone has given me so far. But i'm up to 10 days without a load now sitting on my but doing nothing. How long should I wait before I cut my loses and look for other options? A month, two? I'm not going to starve or lose my house in that time frame but it will make things tight. Making money and paying my CRST bill is better than not making anything. Plus I just really like driving. This is the first time in a long time that I actually enjoy my job. I haven't spoken with my DM since Friday so maybe he'll have better options for me when he comes in tomorrow.

They paid layover while I was sitting at Love's and then finally let me deadhead home by myself. So I'm on hometime now and no pay.

As far as the tuition goes and my contract, I'll pay it. I don't want to owe anyone anything. I hate not keeping my word on the 8 months but I do need a paycheck. They ran me great during training and when I had a co-driver at 7000+ miles a week for the truck. I have no hard feelings towards them I just can't afford to sit around.