Happy New Year

Happy New Year Everyone,

I want to start this post off by telling you right off the bat that you really do have to be careful when your looking small mom, and pop companies. As I found out today after I tried to give my 2 week notice to my boss (lets call her Linda). Me, Linda, and her son were all in the office talking about my paychecks. The same topic we were talking about Monday night while I was driving when I driving trying to tell her all the bills I had to pay on. I tried to her that I had not noticed that I made more money after we redid the W-4 form. Going into Christmas I was $500 in the red. I felt depressed because I couldn’t get my mom or stepdad any Christmas gifts. Why $675 a week just isn’t enough when I really have to be making $1000+ a week. As meeting progressed her son left and it was me, and Linda. She starts to bring up about one of the drivers who had been on a medical absence because of surgery or whatever, his doctor cleared him to come back. At that moment I tried to give her my 2 week notice, and then she said “you don’t need a 2 week notice” just go ahead and clean your truck out. I tried to wish her well, I tried to tell her on a personal level I liked her, but I couldn’t stay doing this. She just kept blowing me off. Tried to wish her all the best, and none of the worst. I did get that much, but NO Happy New Year! No text Message Saying Merry Christmas. No warning about the impending snowstorm that I would be driving into. NO Layover pay, NO Detention pay, I would suspect that I was getting hosed on some miles to. NO bonuses for being out on Sunday or Holidays.

These people came off as being anti-Christian maybe? For a company like this one I do pray that god will find them and hit them over the head, question is would they say outch? They claim to be republicans.

The tanker drivers I have spoken to all have said that I should be doing a lot better after 2 years. I’m now at 28 months and counting.

So please let this story be a learning lesson for everyone. BE VERY VERY Careful about some. Mom and pop shops can be really really good or they can be really really bad.

Take care; All the best & Happy New Year2021! May you have a prosperous new Year!

MNBenny

Me, Linda, and her son were all in the office talking about my paychecks. The same topic we were talking about Monday night while I was driving when I driving trying to tell her all the bills I had to pay on.

That's interesting Ben. I'm curious, why do you would think the amount of bills you have to pay should have any effect on what your employer should be paying you? I have always felt if I wanted a thousand dollars per week, I'd make sure I was producing a level of work that was worth that much. I've never felt my boss should consider my debts and then figure out how to cover them.

I’m now at 28 months and counting.

So you've waited 28 months? There must have been something you liked about it. If it was as terrible as you portray it, I don't understand your delay in moving on. It's pretty easy to play the blame game when you are upset, and it's pretty obvious you are.

So please let this story be a learning lesson for everyone. BE VERY VERY Careful about some. Mom and pop shops can be really really good or they can be really really bad.

It's been a mythical story among truck drivers for ages. It has never made sense to me. For some strange reason people keep looking for this small trucking company with a family atmosphere where everybody knows your name. The pay and the respect are supposed to be superior in every way. I guess you found out it's all a myth. The idea itself doesn't even make sense from an economics standpoint.

I wish you well, and hope your next year is much better. Try some of the big players next year. I made some great money working for the companies that are always getting bad mouthed.

NO bonuses for being out on Sunday or Holidays.

I don't even know what to say about that. You are a truck driver, right?

Happy New Year Everyone,

I want to start this post off by telling you right off the bat that you really do have to be careful when your looking small mom, and pop companies. As I found out today after I tried to give my 2 week notice to my boss (lets call her Linda). Me, Linda, and her son were all in the office talking about my paychecks. The same topic we were talking about Monday night while I was driving when I driving trying to tell her all the bills I had to pay on. I tried to her that I had not noticed that I made more money after we redid the W-4 form. Going into Christmas I was $500 in the red. I felt depressed because I couldn’t get my mom or stepdad any Christmas gifts. Why $675 a week just isn’t enough when I really have to be making $1000+ a week. As meeting progressed her son left and it was me, and Linda. She starts to bring up about one of the drivers who had been on a medical absence because of surgery or whatever, his doctor cleared him to come back. At that moment I tried to give her my 2 week notice, and then she said “you don’t need a 2 week notice” just go ahead and clean your truck out. I tried to wish her well, I tried to tell her on a personal level I liked her, but I couldn’t stay doing this. She just kept blowing me off. Tried to wish her all the best, and none of the worst. I did get that much, but NO Happy New Year! No text Message Saying Merry Christmas. No warning about the impending snowstorm that I would be driving into. NO Layover pay, NO Detention pay, I would suspect that I was getting hosed on some miles to. NO bonuses for being out on Sunday or Holidays.

These people came off as being anti-Christian maybe? For a company like this one I do pray that god will find them and hit them over the head, question is would they say outch? They claim to be republicans.

The tanker drivers I have spoken to all have said that I should be doing a lot better after 2 years. I’m now at 28 months and counting.

So please let this story be a learning lesson for everyone. BE VERY VERY Careful about some. Mom and pop shops can be really really good or they can be really really bad.

Take care; All the best & Happy New Year2021! May you have a prosperous new Year!

MNBenny

Benny .... when Tom (husband person) left driving for Ted (asphalt person) we had a way to go.. to get paid. Tanks were fun, asphalt was great for 4 years .. each year(til winter) and .. then.. it all wasn't. Sounds like 'our' sob story, tbh. Ted's wife got ALL the rigs in the divorce .. and we could buy'em ALL .. or nary a one. Yep. Comfort went to conundrum. (ps: had to pull flats in the winter, which we knew NADA about... boy, I'll post that someday when I'm ready to catch the heat....)

Since finding a 'small'ISH' 400 power units place.. life is good. Any way you could step up to something like this, without quitting the game? O/S is entirely correct.. and our former Bossman .. ie: O/O GUY was a tank yank, as well. (Race, Creed, Gender, Political affiliation, nonwithstanding.)

Just like Bugs Bunny to Yosemite Sam .. 'Be Vewy Vewy Careful!'

Wish you well, sir. Been there, with my husband.

~ Anne ~

No disrespect here old school but hate to say this when sometimes it’s obvious but you can be a really productive worker and companies will just try and get more than they will ever pay for that’s just how it is you tell them I have to make this much a week and this is what average miles say I should get and the company!!!! Will hire the next coming in that’s been told you need to stick it out 1 yr and try and keep you for chump change !!! That’s how a lot of them are!!! That’s why they earn as high as they do!!! They don’t pay everyone a fair price it’s not every driver who is disappointed drivers fault!! And they are doin something to change the outcome . They go somewhere else I myself would not waste my breath explaining why I’m leaving they know why 2 yrs with the same company if said driver wasn’t getting the job done they wouldn’t still be there 2 yrs later they don’t have the kind of heart to them!!! I’m a roughneck 100 percent till the day I die you can be the greatest guy in the world everyone loves to death if your not good enough they fire you!!! Hardest work I’ve ever done an you better be on point or people die!! So they will fire u if your not but still be your friend not keep you for 28 months and not raise your pay so that being said with all the respect in the world it is most likely the company sucks..,28 months same company = better pay than 1000 a week if driver wasn’t worth a dang or not productive he/ or she wouldn’t be quitting they would be dismissed!! Only my thoughts on the subject.

Me, Linda, and her son were all in the office talking about my paychecks. The same topic we were talking about Monday night while I was driving when I driving trying to tell her all the bills I had to pay on.

That's interesting Ben. I'm curious, why do you would think the amount of bills you have to pay should have any effect on what your employer should be paying you? I have always felt if I wanted a thousand dollars per week, I'd make sure I was producing a level of work that was worth that much. I've never felt my boss should consider my debts and then figure out how to cover them.

I’m now at 28 months and counting.

So you've waited 28 months? There must have been something you liked about it. If it was as terrible as you portray it, I don't understand your delay in moving on. It's pretty easy to play the blame game when you are upset, and it's pretty obvious you are.

So please let this story be a learning lesson for everyone. BE VERY VERY Careful about some. Mom and pop shops can be really really good or they can be really really bad.

It's been a mythical story among truck drivers for ages. It has never made sense to me. For some strange reason people keep looking for this small trucking company with a family atmosphere where everybody knows your name. The pay and the respect are supposed to be superior in every way. I guess you found out it's all a myth. The idea itself doesn't even make sense from an economics standpoint.

I wish you well, and hope your next year is much better. Try some of the big players next year. I made some great money working for the companies that are always getting bad mouthed.

NO bonuses for being out on Sunday or Holidays.

I don't even know what to say about that. You are a truck driver, right?

For the record I’ve been driving for 28 months. That’s spread across two different companies. Arfsten for 22 months then Marco for 6 months.

This encounter of a small company goes along with what several have said many times. The experience will be really good or really bad, not much in between for whatever the reasons. Those very from company to company.

For the record I’ve been driving for 28 months. That’s spread across two different companies. Arfsten for 22 months then Marco for 6 months.

So sorry Ben, I totally misunderstood that part.

Here's an interesting article that some of you may enjoy. It's on the subject of small trucking companies and why they are so challenging.

Why Small Trucking Companies Are Often A Disaster Waiting To Happen

No disrespect here old school but hate to say this when sometimes it’s obvious but you can be a really productive worker and companies will just try and get more than they will ever pay for

You can make that argument if you are getting paid a salary. You can even make it when you are paid an hourly wage. But how can you make it when you are paid by the mile?

The beauty of trucking is that you get to measure out your own pay. Every trucking company out there has drivers who are making way more than the "average driver." While driving for Knight, one of my favorite experiences was when this recruiter who would call me begging me to become a trainer for the company. They would lay out all the benefits I would be receiving, and then they'd try to top the whole thing off with this cherry on top by telling me their highest paid trainer made $78,000 last year. They never wanted to believe me when I would say, "Why would I do that? I'd have to take a significant pay cut!"

Trust me Jammer, I know how this works. Most drivers are leaving a lot of money on the table simply because they don't realize how to put it onto their paycheck. Most trucking companies wish their drivers were producing results at a level that would increase their payrolls. We teach people that this business is performance based. We do that because we have experienced the rewarding effects of getting paid that way. You can take two truck drivers from the same company who are earning the same CPM pay rate and find a huge difference in their overall annual income. One may be average at understanding how you play the game, but the other has gained significant advantages through his actions. There are all kinds of ways a driver can be more productive, but it takes commitment and dedication. I made 50,000 dollars my rookie year at Western Express. Nobody else was doing that. They were dropping out right and left. Most of them claiming their pay was worse than being on welfare. Why the disparity?

Trucking has a way of finding out who can produce. It's a lot like sports. The guys who can be counted on to score in a pinch are the guys who are out there on the court. Not everybody gets paid like Lebron James because not everybody has the kind of motivation he has. There are truck drivers who are the same way. Lebron has a drive inside him that presses him to be the best. His motivation is not his paycheck. He played the same way when he was playing for free. There are drivers who insist on being hyper-productive. They are not satisfied with the status quo. Trucking companies not only recognize them, they make sure they are rewarded accordingly.

I had a phone call over the holidays from my former driver manager at Knight. He just called to tell me how my departure had really hurt his numbers. He went on and on about how much he missed working with me. He even said that after 25 years at this he had never worked with another driver like me. Now, I'm not telling you all that to brag on myself, but to illustrate the point. There are plenty of drivers who understand that they can earn more money by just doing their job better. Trucking lays that challenge out before each of us. The top performers are the star players on the team. We don't have to earn the average pay of the bench warmers. We have the potential to be the star players, but brother that takes a lot of commitment and hustle.

I encourage each of you to be star players. That's where the rewards are. I enjoyed a rewarding trucking career, but it wasn't all about the money. I just enjoyed excelling at my chosen profession. I enjoy teaching people how they don't have to slog through their trucking careers. You don't have to be miserable at this. You don't have to be average at this. In fact the bar is set so low that it's fairly easy to be exceptional at this career. Get out there and do it. Make yourself valuable!

Your ok Old school its on me for not mentioning that part, and PJ knows what I had gone through because we had talked lots of times about this. To think one of the brokers we went through for this load I just dropped yesterday said they were very happy with me that not only did get there in a timely manner to get the load, but then got it up to MN in a timely manner, and then asked if I was going to be back in the area.

For the record I’ve been driving for 28 months. That’s spread across two different companies. Arfsten for 22 months then Marco for 6 months.

So sorry Ben, I totally misunderstood that part.

Here's an interesting article that some of you may enjoy. It's on the subject of small trucking companies and why they are so challenging.

Why Small Trucking Companies Are Often A Disaster Waiting To Happen

Hi Anne,

What are you speaking of that has 400 trucks? I’ve never worked for a company that size yet. The first company I was at had 30 trucks, then the company I just left had 8 or 9. Bynum has 150. I forgot to mention in the posting

Watch out tanker world...........Herrrrrrrrrre comes Benny! :)

Happy New Year Everyone,

I want to start this post off by telling you right off the bat that you really do have to be careful when your looking small mom, and pop companies. As I found out today after I tried to give my 2 week notice to my boss (lets call her Linda). Me, Linda, and her son were all in the office talking about my paychecks. The same topic we were talking about Monday night while I was driving when I driving trying to tell her all the bills I had to pay on. I tried to her that I had not noticed that I made more money after we redid the W-4 form. Going into Christmas I was $500 in the red. I felt depressed because I couldn’t get my mom or stepdad any Christmas gifts. Why $675 a week just isn’t enough when I really have to be making $1000+ a week. As meeting progressed her son left and it was me, and Linda. She starts to bring up about one of the drivers who had been on a medical absence because of surgery or whatever, his doctor cleared him to come back. At that moment I tried to give her my 2 week notice, and then she said “you don’t need a 2 week notice” just go ahead and clean your truck out. I tried to wish her well, I tried to tell her on a personal level I liked her, but I couldn’t stay doing this. She just kept blowing me off. Tried to wish her all the best, and none of the worst. I did get that much, but NO Happy New Year! No text Message Saying Merry Christmas. No warning about the impending snowstorm that I would be driving into. NO Layover pay, NO Detention pay, I would suspect that I was getting hosed on some miles to. NO bonuses for being out on Sunday or Holidays.

These people came off as being anti-Christian maybe? For a company like this one I do pray that god will find them and hit them over the head, question is would they say outch? They claim to be republicans.

The tanker drivers I have spoken to all have said that I should be doing a lot better after 2 years. I’m now at 28 months and counting.

So please let this story be a learning lesson for everyone. BE VERY VERY Careful about some. Mom and pop shops can be really really good or they can be really really bad.

Take care; All the best & Happy New Year2021! May you have a prosperous new Year!

MNBenny

Benny .... when Tom (husband person) left driving for Ted (asphalt person) we had a way to go.. to get paid. Tanks were fun, asphalt was great for 4 years .. each year(til winter) and .. then.. it all wasn't. Sounds like 'our' sob story, tbh. Ted's wife got ALL the rigs in the divorce .. and we could buy'em ALL .. or nary a one. Yep. Comfort went to conundrum. (ps: had to pull flats in the winter, which we knew NADA about... boy, I'll post that someday when I'm ready to catch the heat....)

Since finding a 'small'ISH' 400 power units place.. life is good. Any way you could step up to something like this, without quitting the game? O/S is entirely correct.. and our former Bossman .. ie: O/O GUY was a tank yank, as well. (Race, Creed, Gender, Political affiliation, nonwithstanding.)

Just like Bugs Bunny to Yosemite Sam .. 'Be Vewy Vewy Careful!'

Wish you well, sir. Been there, with my husband.

~ Anne ~