Pa State - Dedicated Runs
Topic 11650 | Page 2
So from what I have heard from various folks is that there are many companies that have dedicated runs. My questions are:
1 -how easy are these to get? 2 -and do you mainly drive within your own state?
any information you guys and gals have and want to share about what dedicated runs are or if you have personal experience with this I would gladly like to hear them. Thank you
Boomshaker,
I am a Swift dedicated driver assigned to their Walmart Grocery account. My home terminal is a Walmart DC located off I-81 in Gordon PA (about 7 miles south of Pottsville). There are basically two types of dedicated drivers domiciled in Gordon; local and regional. For the most part local drivers (defined as within 50 miles of the DC, most live much closer) slip-seat in day-cabs or LWs and usually return home every day. The regional drivers may or may not return to the DC each day, but almost always sleep in their truck either at the DC, Swift terminal, the occasional truckstop or Walmart. In total Swift has about 80-90 full-time drivers assigned to this account. In peak times (like now) they bring drivers off their OTR assignment and temporarily assign them as surge drivers on the account.
A typical day is either a reefer or dry run delivering from 1 to 6 store or Sam's Club stops (or a combination), 100-400 mile runs. I average about 325 per day, 1900+ miles per week. All of the reefer deliveries are live unload, dry runs vary with the possibility of dropping the trailer at the last store stop and hooking to an empty. Vendor backhauls are often times the final stop and usually are drop and hook , occasionally requiring a live load. For a bigger run (350+ mile 5 stop) it usually requires 12-14 hours to complete. Depending on how busy the DC is, the more experienced drivers are double dispatched, taking out 2 runs in a 14 hour period. When doubled many times it requires shutting down for the 10 hour break at the last store stop, or working your way back to the DC and shutting down as close as possible. The daily objective is to return to the DC if at all possible, otherwise the next day's dispatched load is picked up with a "hot" clock, limiting the length and number of stops an that days run. It's a juggling act requiring frequent professional communication with the planners and DMs and excellent clock management skills.
Pay is mileage plus flat rate for dispatch, and a flat rate for every stop after the first. The starting CPM rate is much higher than OTR pay due to the overall lower mileage and the 30-45 minutes spent at each store. Detention pay kicks-in after 2 hours (has only happened to me once in 3 years). Bonus CPM kickers include safety and performance (on time delivery). The work is six days per week, usually my last run of the week is shorter since most of my 70 is spent by then. My 34 hour reset is my "day-off". Although I prefer to drive during daylight, most of the time my days are 10:00 or 11:00 to midnight or 0100, occasionally starting earlier or later depending on dock-out times (like today is later). During the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons we also deliver high-value merchandise loads to help with the holiday freight surge.
The territory is the eastern half of PA, all of NJ, all of DE, northern MD, Southern NY and one vendor in Virginia (Hood Dairy). On occasion I will be routed to Johnstown NY and work the territory up there for a couple of days before being routed south. This usually is a result of a vendor backhaul destined for the NY DC. Several of the vendors feeding NY are based in PA or NJ.
Working on this account is "love it" or "hate it", it's not for everyone. Yah "gotta" hustle all the time. I enjoy the variable challenges of it and the daily interaction with store personnel. Although it has been done right out of the gate, I recommend several months of OTR experience before requesting an assignment like this. I had 3 months of solo OTR before I joined the account, and admittedly I struggled for the first couple of months before absorbing yet another series of learning curves. Attrition rate for entry-level drivers (fresh from road training) is very, very high. I think you mentioned about "nosing" into a truck stop parking spot. To be productive on the Walmart account a driver must be highly efficient at maneuvering and backing the truck in tight spaces (avoiding frequent pedestrians, wayward shopping carts and illegally parked cars) multiple times every day, averaging about 1500 "backs" over the course of 1 year. There is also a significant amount of time spent driving in congested urban and suburban areas and back country roads on this account. Several Swift drivers (after completion of 3 years on the account, accident free) have been hired directly by Walmart (two just last week). From my perspective it's a really good gig that I have come to enjoy.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Dedicated Run:
A driver or carrier who transports cargo between regular, prescribed routes. Normally it means a driver will be dedicated to working for one particular customer like Walmart or Home Depot and they will only haul freight for that customer. You'll often hear drivers say something like, "I'm on the Walmart dedicated account."
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
Drop And Hook:
Drop and hook means the driver will drop one trailer and hook to another one.
In order to speed up the pickup and delivery process a driver may be instructed to drop their empty trailer and hook to one that is already loaded, or drop their loaded trailer and hook to one that is already empty. That way the driver will not have to wait for a trailer to be loaded or unloaded.
Thank you to everyone. All the information is truly why I want to drive. Seasoned Truckers helping future truckers. I have about 4-5 more weeks of school left, and so in the mean time I need to send out a few pre-hires. So thank you to everyone for posting up your experience. Anyone else want to share I am always eager to learn.
6 string rhythm : I am in Philadelphia brother. I'll keep up with your blog too. G-Town - lots of great info. thank you
Pre-hire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
Pre-hires:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
Good luck Brother, all good. Keep us posted.
Safe travels.
Boomshaker...give Roehl a call. I run dedicated for them straight out their school. It's mostly east coast/northeast. Here's the kicker...which is good for you. They have a drop yard right in Bensalem. Good luck!!
Boomshaker...give Roehl a call. I run dedicated for them straight out their school. It's mostly east coast/northeast. Here's the kicker...which is good for you. They have a drop yard right in Bensalem. Good luck!!
Muchas Gracias amigo. That is very helpful info. will certainly give them a look and call. THIS BOARD IS THE BEST! 
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Boom, I'm responding since you're in PA and I know what PA is like for trucking jobs. There are PLENTY of opportunities if you work to look for them. Where exactly in PA are you?
Here's my twist on dedicated, which is usually a term reserved for the truckload sector of the industry. I'll be comparing LTL with truckload. LTL linehaul drivers always have 'dedicated' routes in that they always make runs to company terminals, or to meet points where they swap trailers with other company drivers. Linehaul drivers don't deal with customers (anybody outside the company), usually have set schedules, are home a few times a week if not every night, and get paid very well. Depending on what it is about dedicated that interests you, linehaul drivers in LTL are the epitome of dedicated drivers.
Again, I'm only responding about LTL opportunities for you since I know that they abound in PA. If you want to learn more about LTL vs truckload, or what it is that a linehaul driver does, you can check out my thread on LTL and linehaul trucking. Best wishes to you.
LTL Trucking: My Linehaul Job
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Dedicated Run:
A driver or carrier who transports cargo between regular, prescribed routes. Normally it means a driver will be dedicated to working for one particular customer like Walmart or Home Depot and they will only haul freight for that customer. You'll often hear drivers say something like, "I'm on the Walmart dedicated account."
LTL:
Less Than Truckload
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include:
Linehaul:
Linehaul drivers will normally run loads from terminal to terminal for LTL (Less than Truckload) companies.
LTL (Less Than Truckload) carriers will have Linehaul drivers and P&D drivers. The P&D drivers will deliver loads locally from the terminal and pick up loads returning them to the terminal. Linehaul drivers will then run truckloads from terminal to terminal.