First Year Solo. Knight Flatbed
Topic 31282 | Page 7
Last week was a crazy week. Sat for 2 days for a stupid trailer to get repaired at the shipper. DM didn't pull me off the load so I was stuck there. That trailer was down for five days, prior to my arrival, due to the landing gear not raising. Two other drivers were pulled from it to do other loads but I was the chosen one that had to wait for it to try and get fixed. At the end of it all, it was not able to get repaired smh. Finally was taken off that load to do a dry van run on Friday.
Now Monday and I'm back to skateboarding. Feels good getting on the road again, I was losing patience with that trailer. Did the usual Cressona to Lafayette run and have a back haul from Pre Coat metals in Portage, IN going to Lancaster, PA.
Picked up a load I've never done before:
5 coils on skids. Honestly I was/am nervous about this load. The front coil is the lightest at 3k lbs then 9k, 9k, 8k and 10k. Paper work says it's a total of 42,950 lbs. Didn't get weighed at the shipper and I called another Knight driver to walk me through using the cat scale at a truck stop. Didn't sound to difficult but then he told me not to worry about it. I am worrying about it because I always like to know my gross weight, just so I know for sure how heavy I am....
Also had to tarp this load and wasn't sure how, but managed to throw it together
Not the prettiest but it's tarped and surprisingly no huge air pockets....
At the shipper I finally did an alley dock back!!!!
I didn't drag the front axle and only needed one pull up to get the truck straight. Woo-hoo lmao. Finally after nearly five months I did a near perfect back. The coils were loaded on by a forklift and I'm only assuming they will be off loaded by a forklift and I will have to back into a dock similar to that. Hopefully I can repeat the process.
After that successful back I wanted to go to a truck stop and try my luck there but I decided to park for the night at a rest area in Elkhart, IN. I will be at the consignee tomorrow and hopefully keep this week moving forward in a positive fashion.
Consignee:
The customer the freight is being delivered to. Also referred to as "the receiver". The shipper is the customer that is shipping the goods, the consignee is the customer receiving the goods.
Shipper:
The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.CAT Scale:
A network of over 1,500 certified truck scales across the U.S. and Canada found primarily at truck stops. CAT scales are by far the most trustworthy scales out there.
In fact, CAT Scale offers an unconditional Guarantee:
“If you get an overweight fine from the state after our scale showed your legal, we will immediately check our scale. If our scale is wrong, we will reimburse you for the fine. If our scale is correct, a representative of CAT Scale Company will appear in court with the driver as a witness”
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Had a decent week. Nothing impeded my travels throughout the week, just some minor headaches in Cressona tarping my loads and the usual messaging my DM about tarp pay missing from my check...
I have done about six backs last week, a mix of loaded and empty and am getting the hang of it. It's not perfect, needing about 3-4 pull ups but I am relieved that it finally clicked for me. Backing when the trailer is loaded seems more difficult because of the weight but I'm able to get it in the hole. The problems I was going through were over steering and the set up. Now I don't have to shut it down earlier than I would like for the fear of not finding two empty parking spots together.
Monday of last week I received a message from my DM to stop by the terminal and see him. I'm thinking the worse possible situation is about to unfold because he never asked me to stop in. I get in and he takes me in the office, asks me to take a seat and closes the door. Automatically I think im getting let go lol. He starts off by saying I'm doing a good job and let's me know that there will be a pay increase with the flatbed drivers. My jaw hit the floor when he told me the new CPM. I had to ask him to repeat himself twice.
Company flatbed drivers are getting an astronomical pay increase for driver retention and to entice veteran drivers to hire on with Knight. Definitely not mad about the increase but am a little upset. I'm still planning on leaving and anywhere else I go I will take a hug pay deduction. Other than companies paying percentage, which I can't do the math on that, no other companies are paying what Knight will be. The benefit of me going to another company would be experience with chains and different types of loads other than aluminum top/bottom rails and ingots.
My DM also asked if I wanted a new truck. Of course I will take a new truck!! I'm in a 2019 International now and will get a 2022 International. Not trying to sound ungrateful, I asked if there were any Freightliners or Kenny's sitting around. He said there was a 2020 Freightliner but it needed work done. The International is ok but the Freightliner I took my road test in was smooth and seemed to be more spacious and I've heard good things about the Kenny's.... So this weekend I will travel to Lakeland FL to pick up the truck.
Everything is going well so far, even with the frustrations. Still adjusting to this industry and learning everyday what it takes to succeed.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
DAC:
Drive-A-Check Report
A truck drivers DAC report will contain detailed information about their job history of the last 10 years as a CDL driver (as required by the DOT).
It may also contain your criminal history, drug test results, DOT infractions and accident history. The program is strictly voluntary from a company standpoint, but most of the medium-to-large carriers will participate.
Most trucking companies use DAC reports as part of their hiring and background check process. It is extremely important that drivers verify that the information contained in it is correct, and have it fixed if it's not.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
TwoSides wrote:
Definitely not mad about the increase but am a little upset. I'm still planning on leaving and anywhere else I go I will take a hug pay deduction.
I do not understand how a pay increase has you even a little upset. Was it them calling you into the office? Nothing wrong with that… it’s your insecurity messing with your head (guessing). That or some other cause is something you should address.
I also do not understand why you’d still want to leave them… they are noticing you in a positive way! Called it out. Gave you a raise…praised your performance; what else do you want or need?
Start with a new company and you’ll be proving yourself all over again…with possibly worse management. You never know…
The Devil you know is better than the one you don’t know. As time goes on hopefully the positives will far outweigh the negatives… honestly what occurred was awesome!
2022 international? I would jump on it. I would also consider staying w Knight. Great company and it seems they are noticing your hard work etc
Still following along and glad to hear that you're starting to feel a little bit more comfortable with doing the work.
Also nice to see that you got some confirmation from your DM.
I will try to post more my thoughts later, but I've been pretty busy lately.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
TwoSides wrote:
Definitely not mad about the increase but am a little upset. I'm still planning on leaving and anywhere else I go I will take a hug pay deduction.
I do not understand how a pay increase has you even a little upset. Was it them calling you into the office? Nothing wrong with that… it’s your insecurity messing with your head (guessing). That or some other cause is something you should address.
I also do not understand why you’d still want to leave them… they are noticing you in a positive way! Called it out. Gave you a raise…praised your performance; what else do you want or need?
Start with a new company and you’ll be proving yourself all over again…with possibly worse management. You never know…
The Devil you know is better than the one you don’t know. As time goes on hopefully the positives will far outweigh the negatives… honestly what occurred was awesome!
Hey G-town. Does seem odd doesn't it, that a pay increase has me a bit discouraged. Don't get me wrong, I will gladly take that pay increase and skip all the way to the bank lol. The issue I have with it is them throwing money at a problem instead of actually trying to fix it. Hopefully the raise will boost the morale of the drivers here because it definitely is low. But how long will that last if they don't address the real issues here??
And me leaving is for more experience in the flatbed world. I would eventually like to get into heavy hauling and there are companies out there that can help me reach that goal. Knight cannot.
The Devil you know is better than the one you don’t know.
Well said, that's why I have to be very careful of where I go next....
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
Started my trip to Florida today to pick up my truck, it's Saturday. My DM put me on a dry van run while I'm going down there from Tunkhannock PA to Brooksville FL scheduled for Monday delivery. 1239 miles, the most miles by far since I've been solo.
He gave me the load assignment Friday afternoon. Told me to leave my truck at the terminal and take this raggedy, beat up, smelly truck, with no refrigerator!! smh, down to Florida. I had to go to Walmart and buy a cooler and ice for my food... Didn't realize it would be such a hassle to move ALLLL of my belongings out to switch trucks. It took me 6hrs to switch and clean the truck. A little annoyed about how dirty it was....
Wasn't to enthused about driving today. Feeling tired and sluggish. Didn't get as far as I would have liked. Made it to North East Maryland and stopped at a flying j off I95 on 272. My eyes got heavy and I decided to stop driving. So I will continue the journey tomorrow and hopefully get to about 300 miles away so I can deliver early Monday. Also the tandems have to be no more than 41' from the kingpin in Florida... Looked at some YouTube videos on how to measure it. Hope it's correct because I will be ****ed if I get a ticket....
Oh, and why is the paper work for dry van so complicated 🤣🤣🤣 Seal #'s, 12 digit pick up #, 24 digit B/L # lol. Trying to find the weight and pieces of the load is like where's Waldo. Get to the shipper and it's a hide an go seek finding the loaded trailer lol.
Shipper:
The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Tandems:
Tandem Axles
A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".
Tandem:
Tandem Axles
A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.
Twosides,
Momma Anne (& often Tom) are always following.
I'm so sorry you're having a tough go at it. I 'CAN' remember back to 2003, when Tom was a 'freshie,' too. No, he didn't start flatbed, but dry van. More went wrong than right, for the 1st year, and possibly 2.
When you DO feel like looking into H/H, Transport National is someone to look at. They hit Tom up about 1x a quarter. He's not OTR'ing anymore (per him) so, it's a moot point; but .. look them up, if & when. I believe they require 2 years experience.
Why didn't your company let you take your own tractor, with the dry load? I'm not 'liking' on that part, either.
Forge forward, good sir. My guy is always available to yap, also, but with the wisdom of G'Town right here, you've pretty much got the best right now, mi mano. I'm just ... following. Yapping. Being me.
~ Anne ! ~
ps: In the grand scheme of things, you may get lucky, and land a gig like G'Towns.. (or a local/intrastate, like Tom's!)
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Intrastate:
The act of purchasers and sellers transacting business while keeping all transactions in a single state, without crossing state lines to do so.
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
I'm very very curious about what they will pay you guys compared to us. There's now a few Conestogas and flatbeds regularly parked at my terminal , Denver. I haven't heard anything about it though and don't know why they're there.
Last I knew, only Gulfport and PA did flatbed? Maybe OS would know.
I'm definitely curious though. BTW, how bad does wind effect the Conestoga and regular flatbed?
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
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Knight Transport Advice For New Truck Drivers Backing Challenges Driver Responsibilities Flatbed Load Securement Truck Driver Training
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Indeed I will, man.
It's hard for usn's on the homefront, too. Took me a few years to get accustomed, honestly. The passing of a loved one, when ALL you have is 'time' between 'headaches' ... is tough. So many drivers I've recalled through the years, have had similar struggles.
Again, I'm sorry for your loss; think of the angel on your shoulder/hood now, though!!! My mom is mine, since I was 16.
Sending the BEST JuJu always, good sir. You're a braver soul than I, with the flatbedding!
~ Momma Anne ~
ps: Pianoman took the jump; from Swift to .. AFW .. to System. Y'all YOUNG'UNS .. can DO!
DAC:
Drive-A-Check Report
A truck drivers DAC report will contain detailed information about their job history of the last 10 years as a CDL driver (as required by the DOT).
It may also contain your criminal history, drug test results, DOT infractions and accident history. The program is strictly voluntary from a company standpoint, but most of the medium-to-large carriers will participate.
Most trucking companies use DAC reports as part of their hiring and background check process. It is extremely important that drivers verify that the information contained in it is correct, and have it fixed if it's not.