Need A Change To A Get Home

Been working with one truck company and I've been running ragged with their hometime program. In essence, I have to stay out for 2 months in order to come home for a week. Every other driver I spoken with has told me how crazy that sounds to them and it is! So, I've been looking to switch companies to something that could get me home more often, not to mention with a better pay rate. However, I only have 3 months of solo OTR experience under my belt. Does anyone know of any good companies that will hire someone with that amount of experience? Please help!

I agree with everyone above. Celadon does things the same way everyone does things when it comes to home time and holidays. You request your home time a week or two in advance and you'll get a day off for every week you were out there. Almost no one offers paid holidays or guarantees home time.

And what is this:

I have to stay out for 2 months in order to come home for a week. Every other driver I spoken with has told me how crazy that sounds to them and it is!

Every other driver of what.......taxi cabs? Because pretty much every OTR driver in America is under the same schedule - one day off for every week out. And there aren't any companies out there that will normally give anyone a full week off at one time. If you required a week off you'd have to turn in your truck so someone else can use it and they'd give you a truck when you got back. If you were at a company for a couple years or more and you had established yourself as a top tier driver you might be able to talk your company into giving you a week off. Maybe. But that's far from the norm.

See, here's the other thing that we see all the time......rookies hear things and start getting themselves all in a panic over nothing. The idea that "every other driver you spoke with told you how crazy this sounds" tells me you're either speaking to a bunch of clueless drivers or more likely you're speaking to drivers who will say anything just to have someone to talk with for a while, especially a woman. Trust me, there are a ton of lonely drivers out there. You want sympathy? You want a shoulder to cry on? You want someone to rally behind your cause? They'll be more than happy to oblige. They'll tell you whatever you want to hear just so you'll stick around and talk for a while. Because anyone who is telling you that your schedule is crazy is simply full of cr*p. They're doing nothing more than telling you what you want to hear. Your schedule is standard for OTR trucking. That would be like telling an office worker that their 9 to 5 schedule is crazy.

"I have to work 8 hours before I get to go home!"

"Oh that's just awful honey! You're at the wrong company. They're not treating you right.".....blah blah blah......whatever it takes to get a few more minutes of conversation out of you. Trust me, I watched guys do this constantly my entire career. Anytime a female driver walks into the room about 20% of the drivers instantly turn into buffoons and run over there hoping to get a few minutes of attention. If they have to agree with you when you say something is crazy, even though it's perfectly normal, they'll gladly do so. I guarantee you that if you told them you like leprechauns it would look like a St Patrick's Day parade in there in 10 minutes.

You mentioned your mom got sick and you don't feel they showed you enough concern and that's one of the reasons you want to quit. Well unfortunately being an OTR driver means you're going to miss a lot of things that most people are home for. Everyone isn't going to stop what they're doing to rush you home every time something happens. That's one of the tougher parts of the travelling lifestyle. You have to count on the people that are back home to handle things themselves. Now if she was gravely ill and it was life or death then that's different. But from the way you described it that wasn't at all the case. So unfortunately it was a matter of you not understanding the commitment and sacrifices it takes to be an OTR driver as Old School had mentioned.

Instead of trying to make it out like Celadon is the problem here, which they're not, why don't we find out what it is that you're looking for. Why aren't you happy out there? Are you homesick? Are you getting burned out from the intense schedule? Are there personal things going on in your life that are preventing you from enjoying your time on the road? These are all problems that pretty much every driver faces, especially in the beginning of their careers. The company you're at is a good company with great equipment and they're paying you a fair wage, especially considering they paid for your training up front. So Celadon is not the problem. If you jump ship you're going to find out that all OTR companies operate the same way. All that's going to accomplish is landing you back at the very bottom of the totem pole again with the same issues you already have.

As always, we highly recommend you stay where you're at until you finish up that first year. Then if you'd like to do something different a whole bunch of doors will open up and you'll have a nice selection of companies to choose from. But leaving the company because they don't have paid holidays or they won't stop their operations to run you home every time something happens isn't going to accomplish anything good for you. You have to get down to what's really bothering you and find a solution to those problems. Celadon is not the problem though.

Chelsea, can I shoot real straight with you? I like to be up front with folks so there are no misunderstandings. And I think misunderstanding is a big part of your problem here. You seem to think you need to switch companies just so that you can get some home time when you need it. We see this very same opinion, or idea quite often in here. Just recently Devan, who gave you a very nice response, was struggling with this same issue. The truth is that most rookies have this problem during their first three months or so on the road. You are a rookie - that is the issue. It is not that Celadon doesn't want you to go home at all.

This job is so intrinsically different than most others, that people who first try to do this not only struggle immensely with how everything works, but also at how long the hours are that they put into it. This job requires a lot of commitment. Form the very beginning of your presence in our forum I've noticed a lack of commitment on your part. I'm going to illustrate this by quoting some of your former remarks concerning Celadon, the folks who committed themselves to training you and assisting you to not only get your CDL , but also were willing to take a chance on you, a rank rookie, and gave you an opportunity to begin your career with them as a professional driver.

From the beginning you were not sure you wanted to stay and do your part of the agreement. Let's hear some of the times you have demonstrated this lack of commitment: (I have emboldened your remarks to put my emphasis on where you demonstrate this lack of commitment)

Hello out there, I am currently in training with Celadon and should be graduating within two weeks or so. I've made a friend in this program and we would both like to team drive. However, I'm not entirely sure if we want to stay with this company. We're going to do the 120k miles in order to not owe this company anything and complete the contract of course. Does anyone out there have a really good recommendation?

I'm currently with Celadon, running under contract for them so I don't have to pay them back out of pocket for the training. However, they only pay 27 cents a mile during this timeframe; once I finish it, they bump me up to 33 cents a mile as a company driver. From what I've heard from other drivers, that's like pennies basically. So, I'm looking to change companies after I finish my contract, which should take about a year.

Chelsea, from the very beginning you were looking to jump ship - that's not the way you make a good start at something as challenging as starting a new trucking career. You have consistently complained about inconsistent miles also. Well, do you know what happens to rookies like you who switch companies for just such a reason? They get inconsistent miles, and more unjustified frustrations! You've got to stick it out and figure out how things work at the company you are at. That is the same thing you will have to do wherever you work. There's a couple of things you have said that almost make it sound like you have established a confrontational relationship with your DM. That is not a good way to get this career started.

Chelsea, you've got to figure out how to succeed at Celadon, because if you can't get it done there, you will have the same issues elsewhere.

My 2 cents.... if you have a problem with celadons pay the fault is yours for not researching enough before you joined on. All companies post the cpm. Stay the year to show other companies you will make a commitment and full fill your obligations. But before you switch. .RESEARCH..

Did you ever work in a place where they hired college grads with degrees that have nothing to do with the job? Do you know why? Because college takes commitment and determination. That is what employers look for. Stay the year then try other places if you want... quit now and although you might get hired you are still goi ng to have to prove yourself.

As for holidays.. I was told at Prime I can have either thanksgiving or Christmas off but not both. My mom had heart surgery whike i was in training and i flew home no questions asked. It would be differenr solo though.

This is going to surprise a lot of people but for the first SIX years at the post office... not only did I not get paid holidays.... but I was forced to work 70 hour weeks each holiday and never had ANY holiday off including Christmas for 6 years. After that they were paid... but even after 18 years I still got forced thanksogovng.. new years etc.

The more I read from rookies the more I'm thinking you guys had cake jobs or my job was so bad that trucking feels like a paid vacation lol

Stop the complaining and comparing yourself to others. Improve yourself and make money. Cause guess what... I run constantly I make 41cpm with almost 6 mos solo and I hear other prime compnay drivers complain they are sitting and not making money. Do you know why? Cause of the attitude.

If every time you are given a load you complain about it.. if you message dispatch every day cause you can't make a decision on your own... if you whine like a little girl.. you will sit just like those other drivers. So would you rather run hard at 27cpm....or sit at 41 cpm?

Cause no offense.. I can already tell you are not the "run hard get it done" kind of person that you need to be in order to make good money in trucking. Read the posts here to learn how to do it... and be happy with lots of money.

Chelsea, let's start with this: what company are you driving for? There's a good chance another driver will see this and explain everything for you.

I've never heard of a company that requires anyone to stay out for two months at a time. There are times during training at certain companies that a student may be out for two months but once you go solo the standard is 3 to 4 weeks out then 3 to 4 days at home. It's possible you have a dispatcher that is taking advantage of you because you're new to all of this. It's also possible you work for a company with rather unreasonable expectations but I don't expect that's it. I think there's something else going on here.

I'd also like to know who you work for that's requiring you to stay out that long. Did they actually put those requirements in writing?

I work for Celadon. I went through their training and as such I'm under their contract which only pays .27 per mile. Once I get out, it starts at .33 per mile with an increase only every 120k miles. I'm buying out my contract in a few days. They didn't say I had to stay out that long but hometime isn't guaranteed with them. Every 7 days out gives you 1 day off and they have no holiday time off, paid or otherwise which doesn't seem fair to me. I was told by my DM that if I wanted any time off, I had to request it even for holidays. I had to ask 3 different DMs to get home when my Mom got sick because my day one said 'You don't even know if something is wrong.' That's none of her business and should not have been an issue. That's part of the reason why I want to change.

What are holidays?

Most companies do not offer paid or unpaid holiday time. You will have to request them off anywhere you go, and it's first come, first served. If you don't get your request in early enough, you won't get them. Freight still has to be moved, holiday or not.

I think you should do some research before you jump ship and here Trucking Company Reviews is a good place to start.

Holidays don't exist in the otr world. It seems like you may have some things wrong. I struggled with hometime at first because I didn't know how it worked. By this I mean that I live in a spot that has freight going through, but rarely anything near by. Eventually I have learned the places to deliver to in order to get myself home.

You get one day off per week out so it is true that you will only get a week off for running that long, however I doubt they would force you to stay out that long. They wouldn't keep drivers if they did that.

If anything you need to put in your hometime request and if your DM is pushing you, you need to talk to someone else. You earn your hometime and have every right to have the days off, but you won't get every holiday off and same goes for when emergencies happen.

Don't let the little things run you off. It is easy to play the company game and it damages so many careers as old school would say. Learn how things work and don't make any emotional decisions!

(Dang, Devan! Switch your tag over to experienced driver! Nobody believes your a rookie with answers like this!)

Devan......You Rock! Keep up the great attitude. Good luck with the Teaming gig. I'm getting to be an old Curmudgeon. I am perfectly content with my own company. Although, I worked mostly by myself for the better part of 30 years. I understand a man of your age being a more social creature. I was at your age. I seem to have grown into solitude with age.

Chelsea, can I shoot real straight with you? I like to be up front with folks so there are no misunderstandings. And I think misunderstanding is a big part of your problem here. You seem to think you need to switch companies just so that you can get some home time when you need it. We see this very same opinion, or idea quite often in here. Just recently Devan, who gave you a very nice response, was struggling with this same issue. The truth is that most rookies have this problem during their first three months or so on the road. You are a rookie - that is the issue. It is not that Celadon doesn't want you to go home at all.

This job is so intrinsically different than most others, that people who first try to do this not only struggle immensely with how everything works, but also at how long the hours are that they put into it. This job requires a lot of commitment. Form the very beginning of your presence in our forum I've noticed a lack of commitment on your part. I'm going to illustrate this by quoting some of your former remarks concerning Celadon, the folks who committed themselves to training you and assisting you to not only get your CDL , but also were willing to take a chance on you, a rank rookie, and gave you an opportunity to begin your career with them as a professional driver.

From the beginning you were not sure you wanted to stay and do your part of the agreement. Let's hear some of the times you have demonstrated this lack of commitment: (I have emboldened your remarks to put my emphasis on where you demonstrate this lack of commitment)

Hello out there, I am currently in training with Celadon and should be graduating within two weeks or so. I've made a friend in this program and we would both like to team drive. However, I'm not entirely sure if we want to stay with this company. We're going to do the 120k miles in order to not owe this company anything and complete the contract of course. Does anyone out there have a really good recommendation?

I'm currently with Celadon, running under contract for them so I don't have to pay them back out of pocket for the training. However, they only pay 27 cents a mile during this timeframe; once I finish it, they bump me up to 33 cents a mile as a company driver. From what I've heard from other drivers, that's like pennies basically. So, I'm looking to change companies after I finish my contract, which should take about a year.

Chelsea, from the very beginning you were looking to jump ship - that's not the way you make a good start at something as challenging as starting a new trucking career. You have consistently complained about inconsistent miles also. Well, do you know what happens to rookies like you who switch companies for just such a reason? They get inconsistent miles, and more unjustified frustrations! You've got to stick it out and figure out how things work at the company you are at. That is the same thing you will have to do wherever you work. There's a couple of things you have said that almost make it sound like you have established a confrontational relationship with your DM. That is not a good way to get this career started.

Chelsea, you've got to figure out how to succeed at Celadon, because if you can't get it done there, you will have the same issues elsewhere.