My Miles From Day 1 To Now!

Broken down, this has been my miles from every single load I've done since day 1. I'm posting this to make people aware of the kind of miles a rookie at Central Refrigerated is getting, just so the people coming into trucking and specifically to Central know what to expect. My dispatchers reputation is extremely bad, I get warnings from every other driver, so maybe your dispatcher will be better thus equalling more miles. But for this I'm taking my situation only.

1/20/13 1075 mile load

1/24/13 160 mile load

1/26/13 1600 mile load

1/29/13 650 mile load

1/31/13 350 mile load

2/01/13 600 mile load

2/03/13 500 mile load

2/04/13 1300 mile load

2/08/13 450 mile load

2/12/13 500 mile load

2/14/13 500 mile load

2/19/13 650 mile load

2/20/13 120 mile load

2/20/13 2500 mile load This load was given to me by a different dispatcher. Mine wouldn't be this nice lol

2/26/13 300 mile load

2/28/13 1300 mile load

3/04/13 450 mile load

3/06/13 500 mile load

3/07/13 1100 mile load I'm currently on this load!

So there you have it. These are the miles of a rookie driver for Central Refrigerated. Yours will be different but I hope by sharing this information a lot of people can get an inside glimpse on the mileage of a rookie driver. I am still trying to make a name for myself, you can't come into the industry getting the best loads, you gotta prove yourself to them with on time deliveries and be a professional - things which are still coming into place for me!

Thank you all!

Good detailed breakdown. I hope things pick up for ya.

Wow, that sure is a lot of short runs for a refrigerated outfit. I spent most of my career hauling dry van , and a few years of that in a regional fleet that got me home every weekend and that's what my mileage breakdown looked like.

Like you said, you first have to prove yourself to be a hard working, safe, reliable driver with an awesome attitude for a good six months or so before you have anyone's attention and a little bargaining power to try to lobby for some longer runs.

And for now, don't worry about your dispatcher's reputation. Most of the best dispatchers I had were hated by a lot of the drivers on their board because they would give the best runs to their best drivers. The clowns and screw-ups would be sitting at truck stops waiting on freight while I'd be running so hard I couldn't remember my own name half the time.

So your dispatcher may have a bad reputation because he/she gives new drivers the shorter runs and fewer miles until they prove themselves. Many drivers, however, expect the company to roll out the red carpet from day one and treat them like 20 year veterans so they immediately cop an attitude and wind up in the dog house and never get out.

Also, keep talking around with the other drivers so you know exactly where you stand compared to others. Sometimes things are just slow for a few weeks and it has nothing to do with your dispatcher. Sometimes you get stuck with a dispatcher who is disliked by their co-workers so nobody does them any favors and they get the lousy runs. It takes time to really figure out what you have for a dispatcher, just like it takes dispatch a while to figure out each driver.

Yeah, when I was in training we were getting great loads. Since I'm going to Kraft in two months and ill have the same dispatcher that I had in training I'm just trying to always be on time and set a good reputation with my current dispatcher. If the Kraft dispatcher calls my current dispatcher and asks him about me I want nothing but positive feedback. That's my ultimate goal at the moment. I haven't complained once about the short runs. Like you said I'm still not at that proven stage yet. I'm just setting up for my future.

You seem to totally get the whole approach to things as a rookie out there. You're rolling with things, keeping a good attitude, and trying to prove yourself. Just keep that up. If you could have even a 10 minute conversation with dispatchers or anyone who spends their day dealing with truck drivers you would shocked at how many drivers spend 95% of their time complaining, cussing, or threatening the people they deal with day to day - dispatchers, dock workers, DOT officers - everyone.

As a driver, having a positive attitude and treating people with kindness and respect will take you a long ways. It's sad to say, but it's easy to stand out as a driver by simply working hard, being safe & reliable, and treating people well. Someday I hope it's the opposite. I hope new drivers coming into the industry will take a much better approach and handle themselves like true professionals and earn back the respect of the general public. But that's going to be a long, slow process at best.

Yeah, when I was in training we were getting great loads. Since I'm going to Kraft in two months and ill have the same dispatcher that I had in training I'm just trying to always be on time and set a good reputation with my current dispatcher. If the Kraft dispatcher calls my current dispatcher and asks him about me I want nothing but positive feedback. That's my ultimate goal at the moment. I haven't complained once about the short runs. Like you said I'm still not at that proven stage yet. I'm just setting up for my future.

Asking any experienced driver and if they are honest they will agree. You have to prove yourself everyday. The "proving time" never ends. Because the trucking industry is fast paced and forever changing there is no set time or a end date when you can say "I have proven I can do it now I can relax". That will never happen. Have a bad day,week, month and its like you back slid 6 months. As long as you keep the attitude that you have to prove yourself each and everyday then you will be fine. The minute you think "I have been doing this 1,3,5,10,20 years I have proven myself now I can do what I want" is the minute they will replace you and not give you a second thought.

I had a bunch of short low mileage runs when I first started driving for Central. Took me about a month and a half for my dispatch to trust me and give me good loads. After that, I would get good loads sometimes, bad loads other times. It didn't matter to me because in my opinion someone has to drive the freight to where it needed to go. One time I took 300 mile loads for about two weeks in the Midwest (right in the middle of their heatwave) and finally toward the end of the second week, wouldn't you know it, two back to back 1900 mile loads. My dispatcher called me and said "I'm sorry you've been given the bad loads, but you are the only driver I can give them to who won't complain about it." Apparently the rest of his drivers were "building 2 people" who always complained about every little thing. I've taken a 50 mile local run and have been rewarded with a 2100 mile load after. Freight is freight, it has to be delivered by someone.

And Guyjax is right, don't ever for a second think you're irreplaceable at any company. The minute you deliver one load late, miss a pickup time or think you're a proven driver,you'll start from scratch again. In trucking you are literally as good as you're last load delivered.

I appreciate all your input Daniel and my wife and I will be starting with Central Refrigerated in less than a month now. As the veteran drivers have said, you seem to be doing a fantastic job keeping the right attitude about everything. I hope that my wife and I are as successful as you with just going with the flow and proving ourselves without getting caught up in the whole "oh woe is me" syndrome. After reading all this incredibly helpful but honest advice about what driving a truck for a living is really like, I can't believe anyone is actually surprised when things aren't all roses and lollipops! lol I have absolutely no experience yet and I am already starting to be able to tell when someone is griping about the job or their company that there is something they are probably not doing right as well. Anyway, thanks again and best of luck to you. Hope the wife and I run into you and your wife one day soon. We're twice your age but it would be fun to meet and hear some of the stories I'm sure you'll have over the next few months.

WOW Brett N !! you aren't that far from me !! good to see more left coasters on here...Be sure and keep us updated on you and your wife's journey. And be sure and have her get into the Ladies In Trucking forum on here. we are putting together some things just for lady truckers, and truckers wives. I'd really like her imput in there !!! And you and your wife are the first H/W team that I know of going thru school, and training, and being on this forum...WELCOME !!!!!!