Profile For Mr. Curmudgeon

Sandman, I am bummed. I drove back to Phoenix from Rialto, and stopped there forna quick 30.... socal is a frequent run, I may be headed that way next week again... If I will be thru and have time (crazy time metrix with the zon) I will shoot you a heads up

Hello, All.

Checking in after a long hiatus from TT. Back to regional driving for an Amazon Freight Partner out of Phoenix. My schedule is 4on 4off, slip seating. No dedicated power unit, so get some really sh^^ty tractors, and a constant source of frustration (the image here is the latest).

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Most runs are to California (LA area, or SanDiego) or LasVegas area, with occasional into Albequerque one day out, overnight, then one day back, with the truck parked in teminal yard unoccupied, and the another out and back. I live 2.5 hours from terminal yard, so the lack of ability to overnight in the sleeper is a challenge.

Hanging out hoping my former AFP owner gets her new outfit up ajd running, and is willing to hire this guy again. The former outfit lost their contract with the zon based on a claim by a driver that he was discriminated against. For being of the same race as the company owner and 95% of the management group.

So, anyway, if you see a driver in a swoosh truck wearing a tan bowler hat, it The Curmudgeon. I pretty much guarantee i am the only driver in the western states sporting that head rig.

Be safe, drive well. The life you save may be your own.

The amazonians use something called driveri, inward, outward, and VERY ai. I have gotten "distracted driving violations" for leaning forward and looking at my right side mirror while creeping (3mph) around a tight corner to ensure all goes acording to plan.

It does NOT require a trigger incident to activate and flag "misconduct". The previous system was inward and outward, and required a trigger (speeding, lane alert, GeForce alert, etc).

Allegedly l, the driveri gives atta-driver points for safe driving (slowing to maintain 4 second+ following distance - try that in Kali, clearing the right lane for stopped vehicles, etc), but despite my normalization of those behaviors, i rarely see them.

Not a fan, but (to paraphrase the words of one of my LE idols, Super Chicken, "I knew the job was dangerous when I took it")

Hi everyone,

I’m a recruiter looking to better understand the challenges faced by truck drivers in our industry. What are the biggest issues you encounter on the road, and what improvements would you like to see in the trucking... snip...

Hi, Lily. Are you a driver turned recruiter, or did you get thrust into the recruiting role by happenstance?

To best understand the career you are recruiting people to join, in my opinion, you need to have experienced the job from the front line.

Challenges? Myriad, compounded by geographical regulatory differences, corporate metrics generated by people who have a great deal of knowledge but no subject matter expertise (other than an internet connection and the letters BS, BA, MS, MBA tacked on after their name on a bizcard), constantly changing timelines, deadlines, traffic flows...

In short, I would give you the same advice I have given many of the critics of my former profession of 28 years. Get hired, attend the academy (or truck driving school), and work the job for a year, all seasons, shifts, and locales.

If you are already an experienced succesful professional driver, then you KNOW the challenges, and all of my spewing above doesnt apply.

Good wishes to you.

Thanks, Davy. I'm cool with running intermodal or dry van, either doesn't worry me. Haven't run I/M from AZ yet, but did it a whole bunch when I was back in IL. The downside to I/M and per mile pay is the stupid amount of sitting and waiting in the railyards... I was spoiled by hourly pay when I was doing it.

Out one, back the next was how the weeks went when I was pulling amazon. Just wondering how they make it work for a five day work week... unless it's a six day cycle?

Thanks for your insight on this!

Hello All,

I'd value the experience and opinion of the drivers pertaining to the above. Thanks.

David, speaking from the perspective of someone with what I guess are probably 'disabilities' - Inflammatory Arthritis and a Cervical Spine fusion from 2020, I'll give you my perspective.

1) Spinal issues + Micro Vibrations = Long days. I am recently off work due to my employer losing their AFP contract with Bezos' kids. I worked a four day 13-14 hour per day shift, with four days off between. By the 56th hour of working, I was pretty stove in. Granted, you're a younger man than I, and being a recently discharged Marine you're likely more a physical specimen than I. It is manageable, but the constant vibration is likely to be your greatest challenge. I love the career, started after doing the cop thing for 28, and have no desire NOT to be driving.

2) Arthritis (Inflammatory and Osteo). These are no laughing matter, and if you have heavy osteo in your left knee, running a manual transmission through traffic (think LA or Schitcargo) at rush hour, which is always, can be a major challenge. When I first started driving in 2013, automatics were frowned upon, and less common in fleets than they are now now. Look for an outfit that offers automatics, if you are affected in that left knee. Getting down under equipment to do a REAL pre-trip / post-trip is not too bad, buy yourself a quality set of gel-insert tradesman knee pads - think flooring installers. They do a bang up job and making ground work comfortable.

Good luck on working through your options and making a choice. If you have it as a dream, do it. The worst that can happen is you get hired and discover it isn't for you. No shame in that. And no "Geeeez... I wonder" lurking in the back of your mind when you reach an age like mine.

Week three into the job search. Still looking for the optimal job, but not sure it's out there.

Was looking at Knight, they are 'supposedly' offering a dedicated Phoenix to Long Beach, CA regional run. I know the easiest way to find out what THEY want you to hear about the run is to apply for the job and wait for a recruiter to call. I also know that sometimes what the recruiters say is a bit skewed from reality.

Soooo... with that said: I figured I would go on here and ask if any of y'all have any knowledge of the run, the terminal operations crew, and most importantly information on any parking that Knight may have dedicated for their drivers in CA.

Thanks in advance for any input.

The local social media is burning up with this. Seems much of the detour traffic is using roads that cross reservation land, and said roads are somewhat 'rustic'. The heavy loads are turning the roads into a NM / AZ equivalent of the Road to Basra if one can believe what's on soc-med.

This has been a disruption for a few days now, and last time I looked at it there was no definitive estimate of road opening. Eastbound is the only direction affected, although that doesn't mean they may not do temp closures or lane adjustments for Westbound.

If you're out that way, safe travels.

There is an outfit that is hiring for similar positions. Debating the application.

As for changing fields, I don't think it likely. This profession has imbedded itself as wholly into my day-to-day DNA as being a cop did. I don't want to NOT be driving.

Thanks for the positive thoughts, folks. Something will show up...

Posted partly out of self pity, but also as a statement of "Man! Sh*t can SURE change overnight!"

I found a fortune cookie in my travel slouch from a week or so ago. Opened it, and found this... maybe it was a sign?

Take naught for granted, but always look for the plus side of the circle.

Got a ten day notice. The outfit I drive for lost their contract as an Amazon Freight Partner. Lots of buzz over why, but i suspect the owner is just tired and wanted out.

So, I give up my ideal 4 on 4 off job and start looking again.

Maybe it's time to find a job as a safety manager... ?