Finally Did It.

Finally got home for some much needed time off. I learned a lot now that will make it easier for me to get home in the future. The biggest thing is communication and being a little more stern about getting the earned time. No this doesn't mean be a jerk, it simply means to remind your dm over and over about home time here and there. This next time out I will be better prepared to take the time and won't stay out as long for sure! Thanks for the help on here guys!

Glad you finally got home!

Btw I almost pulled a Devan this morning and started pulling away from the trailer without disconnecting the lines. Caught myself before it was too late. It's so easy to forget!

Glad you finally got home!

Btw I almost pulled a Devan this morning and started pulling away from the trailer without disconnecting the lines. Caught myself before it was too late. It's so easy to forget!

Haha don't ever pull a devan!

Yes, Devans are bad, ... very bad.

Congrats on the home time and thanks for sharing I learn each time I sign onto here - communication and be stern -- sounds good!!

That's awesome man. You're learning as you go just like everyone has to.

Without a doubt most people in the trucking industry push pretty hard. Top drivers run as hard as they can, top dispatchers will push their drivers as hard as they can. Will these same drivers and dispatchers even push the limits into some gray areas once in a while? Yeah, they will. And that means dispatch might push you past your home time just to see if they can get away with it so you'll turn more miles in the end.

Many people don't realize it, but at a lot of the major companies a dispatcher will get bonuses based upon their driver's performance. The better a dispatcher's drivers perform when it comes to safety, service, and miles the bigger their bonus check. Now that may not be the case where you're at. I'm not really sure. But if a dispatcher is pushing you to stay out past your home time then you have to figure there's some incentive for them to do so. Otherwise why would they? So that might be a factor in how things have played out.

You said it perfectly - don't be a jerk about things, but sometimes you do have to put your foot down in a professional way. And the very best way to do that is after you've earned whatever it is you're asking for. You put in your time on the road. In fact, you put in more than your fair share. So when you approached them to say, "Listen, friend. I've gone above and beyond what is reasonable to ask of someone and I did an awesome job at it. I've earned my home time reward so let's have it." And they complied.

That's how things work in this industry. A driver has to continuously lobby for what they want. You're competing against other drivers in your company for freight so the top drivers are always pushing their dispatchers for more and more miles. And then there will be times you'll want an extra day off or some kind of special favor so you'll put in the hard work and then start lobbying dispatch for it.

The relationship between a driver and dispatcher is a huge give-and-take. There will be times dispatch will ask you to do some of the dirty work. That's fine. After you do an awesome job with it you can fairly expect to be rewarded in return.

Enjoy your home time! Forget about trucking for a while and go have some fun.