Hours, Food Service.

Only having driven a 48 isnt much different than a 53, just have to remember you have 5 extra feet back there. During a road test what they're looking for is you can safely operate the vehicle and are proficient enough at backing that you're not going to damage their equipment. I only drove a 53' while in school, went to PFG and drove only a 28' for a year and a half and got a job driving a 53' delivering to grocery stores. It was a alot different in my case but the concepts were all the same I just needed more space. Some guys love foodservice work and others don't. You guys are a special breed that stick with it. To me the wear on the body wasn't worth the compensation I was getting.

Out of curiosity why don't you want to drive all day? Personally I enjoy getting out of the truck quite a bit to move around and socialize (while unloading), helps me feel more alert.

Only having driven a 48 isnt much different than a 53, just have to remember you have 5 extra feet back there. During a road test what they're looking for is you can safely operate the vehicle and are proficient enough at backing that you're not going to damage their equipment. I only drove a 53' while in school, went to PFG and drove only a 28' for a year and a half and got a job driving a 53' delivering to grocery stores. It was a alot different in my case but the concepts were all the same I just needed more space. Some guys love foodservice work and others don't. You guys are a special breed that stick with it. To me the wear on the body wasn't worth the compensation I was getting.

Out of curiosity why don't you want to drive all day? Personally I enjoy getting out of the truck quite a bit to move around and socialize (while unloading), helps me feel more alert.

I'm worried about long term damage to my body also, maybe for other reasons. I know eat right and walk and what not but that looks difficult living in a truck. I've also driven 4 hour stretches here and in the dark it is difficult to stay up. I can't imagine 11 hours. I doubt that I would want to jog or lift weights after 11 hours of already working either. I have no kids or girlfriends or any reason I have to be home so I can't use that as an excuse. That P&D looks pretty nice though, the OD guy mentioned 55 hour weeks so I could probably handle driving that. I've heard people talk though about getting worked 70 then getting a day off to reset and doing it again.

I'd do it for a year just for experience but I doubt anyone would hire me if I said that. Time off is really my bottom line. 3 weeks or 4 would be great. I would drive 70's if it meant a month off. If were not getting side tracked what does normal time off look like? I've accepted my situation is normal for food service so consider that resolved.

Hey guys,

I've just been reading this forum for like 2 years it's been useful. I need help or to vent. I work food service and the job is burning me out. I've done this about the entire 2 years I have been driving, the same company. It goes up and down. Maybe it's just down but when I get a route done in 12 hours, they just add more work until it is impossible.

No one ever says anything about running over the clock. I ask them all the time to remove the added work from the routes and they will not. They have scheduled me backhauls 3 hours from base after 12 hours of work. I did this route for months once a week until they had us bid and I got out of there. My new route was doable in 13 hours but I feel like someone just wanted to squeeze that last hour and added additional stops. I work four 14-hour days (sometimes, usually, one turns into 16.) Nobody is telling me I have to work that long but they are also refusing to fix it and just send me out week after week and if I say it takes 16 they tell me you're only allowed to work 14. If I refuse to go they ask me if I want to quit. The icing is that after four 14's every week, once or twice a month they tell me I am on call for a potential 5th 14-hour shift. We get no holidays and 1 week a year off.

There you have my story. I would like to get fired to collect that juicy unemployment. I would also just like to work 50 hours a week doing food service. I really distrust our government and our regulating agencies so I don't want to complain and honestly, I don't think I have a complaint because nobody is forcing me to do anything. I have tried bringing back the extra stops, they just whine about it and there they are again next week and I miss out on some money leaving them. Any advice? Are all the foodservice jobs like this? I am looking for other work but I insist on food service or a pepsi truck or something where I don't drive all day. Thank you

Here you go

I also think about health, but the breaks between the four hours are well deserved. When I'm in the right mood, I go out; I take another walk; if not, I sleep.

I also think about health, but the breaks between the four hours are well deserved. When I'm in the right mood, I go out; I take another walk; if not, I sleep.

Is French/Canadian & Russian/Ukranian similar, language & trucking wise?

When did you move from the Ukraine, to Canada...Olga ? I'd love to hear about the Hours of Service over there.

Would be an interesting thread!!

LinkedIn/Levardo

~ Anne ~

ps: Sorry, Pete B. and Daniel B. and Aubrey . . . couldn't wait for y'all to translate, haha! (What is UP WITH the Russian stuff today ?!?)

I also think about health, but the breaks between the four hours are well deserved. When I'm in the right mood, I go out; I take another walk; if not, I sleep.

Is French/Canadian & Russian/Ukranian similar, language & trucking wise?

When did you move from the Ukraine, to Canada...Olga ? I'd love to hear about the Hours of Service over there.

Would be an interesting thread!!

LinkedIn/Levardo

~ Anne ~

ps: Sorry, Pete B. and Daniel B. and Aubrey . . . couldn't wait for y'all to translate, haha! (What is UP WITH the Russian stuff today ?!?)

Dang autocorrect at the eye doc's.. ANDREY !!! Sorry.. auto c' is off on my PC.. not on the kid's tablet i borrowed, LoL!

~ Anne ~

ps: Heather/Olga . . . more info on health and Ukranian / French Canadian trucking would be welcome!!

I don't think it's worth consuming yourself so much at a job that you don't like and it doesn't satisfy you. I worked just one year in the Food Services industry. I delivered food. There was a time when I didn't eat anything all day long. There was a time when I couldn't go to the toilet. Because there were too much pressure, many deliveries. I didn't have time for family. So I quit that job.

I don't think it's worth consuming yourself so much at a job that you don't like and it doesn't satisfy you. I worked just one year in the Food Services industry. I delivered food. There was a time when I didn't eat anything all day long. There was a time when I couldn't go to the toilet. Because there were too much pressure, many deliveries. I didn't have time for family. So I quit that job.

Good for you, Sherilyn!

Still driving trucks, or delivering 'other' products, then??

~ Anne ~

ps: If you ARE looking into trucking, start here:

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road CDL Training Program
• CDL Practice Tests

• Truck Driver's Career Guide ....and stop back & let us know how we can help...it's what we do!

Ever think about hauling sandboxes , gravel , mulch , peat rock . It's mostly daylight work typically 6 to 4 or 5 in the construction field. Weekends off usually. It can pay pretty well from people I've talked to but it will depend on your area and it can be seasonal with a slow down in the winter but it's a local job and you go from plant/yard to site and back to plant/yard to another site . Just a thought .