Quit Otr After 7 Months

I've gotten a few $350 take home myself. What do you consider "working for free"? Drivers get paid for miles rolled, and those other things are usually for some kind of waiting.

Yes, the one year mark is a good thing, but it's not carved in stone anywhere.

What company were you working for, Dan? There's drivers from nearly all the national companies here that can help you understand things. And it helps if you could tell us a f'rinstance of two.

Trucking Truth members don't go for wild stories (yours isn't too far out!) and we'll help you figure out what's going on.

I worked for Schneider Bulk division out of reserve, LA...first month went well... Then a month of frustration...then 4 months of nothing short of a bad joke...96 percent turn over rate. I had 5 reassigned dbls in that time because the office personnel kept quitting. Would sit 20 hours sometimes between assignments, 4 hours short of getting a lay over pay. Drive a hundred mile loads and make less than if I didn't get an assignment. Everyone from my class had quit exept for 2 out of 14. I just feel like an idiot for waiting so long..

I need to make $2000 a month minimum or its not worth it to me. I go by monthly earnings because bills are due monthly. If I make 300 one week and 700 the next that's fine as long as I make at least 2g's a month net.

I think people who make horrible pay the first year are waiting for dispatch to assign them a new load instead of calling them when you are close to being done with the,current load. Those dispatchers might have 50+ drivers they deal with and completely forget about you. That's why I'm calling every time not relying on them to remember me.

Not a bad idea, but it may not have the effect you are expecting. Yes it will certainly show them a "can-do" attitude and a willingness to work.

A good planner knows well in advance when their drivers are expected to be available. They will need to see a consistent ability by the new driver to first conduct your business safely and second to prove that you can reliably make your deliveries on-time without issue. Then you can expect better runs and less time sitting between loads. For the most part the first 3-6 months is a fully paid extension of your training. As you absorb the learning curve, your ability to earn will go up as the curve begins to come down.

Showing them you "want to work" is always good!

I'm just following a suggestion a few YouTube truckers made. They say it's up to you to get on the horn with the dispatchers and make sure they are getting you loads. The one guy claims that from him doing that he is making $1000 a week and he is only about 6 months in. I know not everything you read ,hear it are is true but don't see what would hurt by calling your dispatcher.

It is stories like yours that make me think twice about getting into trucking. I would love to drive but $350 a week won't cut it for me.

Rob, I want you to notice that this is Daniel F.'s first post in here. This industry is tough to break into, we teach people that all the time. We also teach people how to overcome the difficulties and succeed. If Daniel F. had been in here being mentored by the folks in here before and during his initiation into trucking he would have been a lot better off. Everyone keeps wanting to know which company he was with, but I can assure you it has nothing to do with the company. Any trucking company with a driver who is only making 350 dollars a week knows they have a problem on their hands - this business is performance based, and a person who can't seem to get more than 350 dollars a week done is not making anything for the company. I don't know the particulars, but I don't have to - I know that trucking is not for everyone, and I know full well how it works out here. Daniel probably made the right decision because this is probably not the best job for him. We all hate to hear it when people can't seem to make it, but it is very seldom the fault of the trucking company. They will give you the equipment, and the freight, and they will even hold your hand for a few months, but beyond that you have got to prove that you can figure it out and make a go of it.

Daniel had seven months and little progress. I don't accept peoples stories about haggling for layover pay anymore, I've heard too many of these stories and when I get into the details with them it almost always comes down to the fact that the driver did not send in the proper macros at the proper times - there are procedures for all of this stuff, and if you can't follow the procedures then payroll can do nothing about the mess that you make for yourself. When I see people complaining like this about layover pay I have to scratch my head and wonder. I have never wanted any layover pay, my theory is they can keep that money in their bank account, I want to be out there on the road making money. It just takes time and a little bit of truck driver savvy to outsmart the shippers and receivers so that you are not consistently waiting around and choking your paycheck to death by trying to constantly get layover pay.

Was working for Schneider in the bulk division out of reserve, LA. Did a lot of research when I picked them. Found out later they have a 96% turn over rate and now understand why. Great training....I'll give them that. I could give a couple of horror stories that happened while working for them and I could give a few good ones. I'll try to shed light without going too far. 30 percent of the customers I delivered for took time to tell me how horrible the Schneider office is at communication. I had 5 reassigned dbls in 6 months because the office workers were quitting all the time. Went through 4 months of averaging 1000 miles a week. Getting my lay overs became a side job delt with every Monday and Tuesday if anyone answered their phones. It did pick up a little the last 6 weeks I was there, but then I sat in Chicago for 6 nights and five days over the weekdays and I think that's what broke this camels back. I just feel like an idiot for being one of the last of the 14 guys and girls still there out of my class.

What is so bizarre about all this is that we had another driver in here who did really well in Schneider's bulk division.

I need to make $2000 a month minimum or its not worth it to me. I go by monthly earnings because bills are due monthly. If I make 300 one week and 700 the next that's fine as long as I make at least 2g's a month net.

I think people who make horrible pay the first year are waiting for dispatch to assign them a new load instead lof calling them when you are close to being done with the,current load. Those dispatchers might have 50+ drivers they deal with and completely forget about you. That's why I'm calling every time not relying on them to remember me.

Not a bad idea, but it may not have the effect you are expecting. Yes it will certainly show them a "can-do" attitude and a willingness to work.

A good planner knows well in advance when their drivers are expected to be available. They will need to see a consistent ability by the new driver to first conduct your business safely and second to prove that you can reliably make your deliveries on-time without issue. Then you can expect better runs and less time sitting between loads. For the most part the first 3-6 months is a fully paid extension of your training. As you absorb the learning curve, your ability to earn will go up as the curve begins to come down.

Showing them you "want to work" is always good!

I'm just following a suggestion a few YouTube truckers made. They say it's up to you to get on the horn with the dispatchers and make sure they are getting you loads. The one guy claims that from him doing that he is making $1000 a week and he is only about 6 months in. I know not everything you read ,hear it are is true but don't see what would hurt by calling your dispatcher.

I don't disagree with making the call. Do it professionally and respectfully.

What you need to realize is as a rookie driver until you consistently prove yourself to them, all the calling in the world is only a footnote in your driver record. Be patient, do your job and the money will come.

That's harsh os

As far as calling a dispatcher...that would be great. However scheider doesn't let driver s talk to dispatch.. U have a go between they call dbl's. I know that Qualcomm and macro inside out....doesn't take a genius

Well if he did he must had been in the 4%...and maybe lives in his truck with no one to support... Or he wasn't out of reserve...I think I was going to make between 32 and 35 grand for a 12 month period. Take a minimum wage job...work it 12 to 14 hours a day for 6 days a week and your in the same ballpark...I know a guy can make money in trucking....just couldn't make a whole year for so little pay and never being home....thought I could... Tried...and have to figure out what to do next

Well if he did he must had been in the 4%...and maybe lives in his truck with no one to support... Or he wasn't out of reserve...I think I was going to make between 32 and 35 grand for a 12 month period. Take a minimum wage job...work it 12 to 14 hours a day for 6 days a week and your in the same ballpark...I know a guy can make money in trucking....just couldn't make a whole year for so little pay and never being home....thought I could... Tried...and have to figure out what to do next

Who are you referring to?