Quit Otr After 7 Months
Topic 12029 | Page 3
My bad...lol..Still figuring this site out. Someone said it was odd how I described my otr experience because there is a guy on here who did well with Schneider Bulk..
No worries. Look I don't know what happened but once beyond training I can only recall making less than 500 once maybe twice. From months 3-6 I was usually averaging 800 per week.
Be really honest with yourself, if in fact you are a safe and professional driver there is no reason I can think of why you should average 350per week. Give yourself a little time but not too much otherwise you will lose your 7 month investment.
If you decide to continue, start applying. You can use this link: Apply For Truck Driving Jobs.
Good luck.
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.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
Sorry to hear about your troubles Dan. I just have a couple questions.
1. Did you request to be moved to a regional , or dedicated division? Or did you have your heart set on driving bulk? 2. Were you late for delivery or pickup? If so, how often? 3. Any reportable incidents? 4. When you talked to your chain of command, were you professional, and respectful? (Whether they deserved it or not)
From what I have heard, bulk division is rough, and "over staffed" with too many drivers for the workload they have. This means you really have to out shine the other drivers. Sell yourself, and work your tail off, so you can show your worth. This is true for any company, in any division, but especially so, in one that is set up like that.
You still have options, though, and don't just give up the otr ones, either. You may find a better fit with one of the many other companies out there.
Stay safe
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.
How much total did you make in 7 months of you don't mind me asking?
They did offer regional, but the guys I knew there were doing even worse. I even got offered to moved to van...just had a bad taste in my mouth and quit. Had a stepdaughter leave the house to live with her dad around that time too. Don't know if it was because of me never being around to help out at the house or the arguments with her Mom that occur when money is short. Also...I was on the path to make 35 thousand that year with them...its just not enough when your hardly home. And I was doing well compared to others at the company. Thanks for taking the time to comment. I was always courteous.... Even when knowing malarky was being pumped down my ears. As far as chain of command ......5 dbl assignments in 6 months because the office people kept quitting.
Sorry to hear about your troubles Dan. I just have a couple questions.
1. Did you request to be moved to a regional , or dedicated division? Or did you have your heart set on driving bulk? 2. Were you late for delivery or pickup? If so, how often? 3. Any reportable incidents? 4. When you talked to your chain of command, were you professional, and respectful? (Whether they deserved it or not)
From what I have heard, bulk division is rough, and "over staffed" with too many drivers for the workload they have. This means you really have to out shine the other drivers. Sell yourself, and work your tail off, so you can show your worth. This is true for any company, in any division, but especially so, in one that is set up like that.
You still have options, though, and don't just give up the otr ones, either. You may find a better fit with one of the many other companies out there.
Stay safe
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.
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
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
I love how people say this because you are single without kids that you have nobody to support. I have to support myself and it's 10 times harder because I don't have the luxury of working with 2 incomes. And if I lose my job I'm on my own I don't have a wife's paycheck to help me out until I find another job. It's a lot tougher for single people.
They did offer regional , but the guys I knew there were doing even worse. I even got offered to moved to van...just had a bad taste in my mouth and quit. Had a stepdaughter leave the house to live with her dad around that time too. Don't know if it was because of me never being around to help out at the house or the arguments with her Mom that occur when money is short. Also...I was on the path to make 35 thousand that year with them...its just not enough when your hardly home. And I was doing well compared to others at the company. Thanks for taking the time to comment. I was always courteous.... Even when knowing malarky was being pumped down my ears. As far as chain of command ......5 dbl assignments in 6 months because the office people kept quitting. Stay safe
When you start your response, remember to make sure the cursor is outside of the < / block quote >, but anyway...
I know several Schneider drivers and they are all doing quite well. So you may be talking to the wrong people. Trust me, and the rest of us, when we say that any company wants your wheels turning. If they aren't, there is a reason. Were you force dispatched? Or if not, did you turn down loads? Incompetent support staff can play a factor too. However, the ball stops ultimately with the driver. If the dbl changes were a factor, go to your fleet manager , there is always a higher up you can go to. Drivers may sometimes get the short end of the stick, but they can hone that stick into a finely tuned knife, and cut through all the bull poo, to get to the meat.
With your 7 months experience, you should have no problems finding another position. Just don't let this experience block you from seeing a good opportunity, even if it is otr.
Stay safe
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.
Fleet Manager:
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.OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
You aren't even close in your analysis of me..honorably discharged marines infantry, 15 years as a commercial diver...not driver...diver...I've worked harder at my jobs than most and trucking isn't that hard....made my loads on time...checked with leaders between loads...no recordable accidents.....no attitude....always told good job....wish what I was saying about my experience wasn't true....but nice try reassuring brand new guys
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.
Shipper:
The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
Sorry to hear your disappointment Daniel F. 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. If you could perhaps elaborate on your particular case and what you think the issue (s) were, it would help a newbie like me out greatly. Good luck in your next job.
There are 10s out thousands of truck drivers out there. I've read plenty of stories of people claiming they aren't making any money but I don't know them personally. Nobody knows what these people are doing wrong they just tell the end result. I seriously doubt these companies want people to quit all the time because it costs a fortune to train and rehire new people along with the cost of these trucks. Why would they want a $150,000+ truck just sitting around? and not just one but hundreds or thousands of them? Doesn't make sense.
SAP:
Substance Abuse Professional
The Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) is a person who evaluates employees who have violated a DOT drug and alcohol program regulation and makes recommendations concerning education, treatment, follow-up testing, and aftercare.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
New Reply:
New! Check out our help videos for a better understanding of our forum features
Preview:
This topic has the following tags:
Advice For New Truck Drivers Choosing A Trucking Company Dealing With The Boss Dispatcher Issues Hard Lessons Learned Life On The Road Truck Driver Salary
Why Join Trucking Truth?
- The High Road Training Program
- The High Road Article Series
- The Friendliest Trucker's Forum Ever!
- Email Updates When New Articles Are Posted
Apply For Paid CDL Training Through TruckingTruth
Did you know you can fill out one quick form here on TruckingTruth and apply to several companies at once for paid CDL training? Seriously! The application only takes one minute. You will speak with recruiters today. There is no obligation whatsoever. Learn more and apply here:
TT On Facebook
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.