Help, Stuck In A Contract With A TERRIBLE Company

I just want to elaborate a little on some of the advice that has been given here.

I started my trucking career at a company that had terrible online reviews. Most of the drivers there were disillusioned and not very happy with the way their job was going. They would bad mouth the company to each other and all it accomplished was a continual dismal attitude among the drivers and an unseemly volume of driver churn. I honestly don't remember meeting one driver who seemed the least bit content there. Here's the kicker... they were almost all new to the industry or they had run out of options because their careers were riddled with accidents and/or extremely poor performances at other trucking companies. I didn't start at CRST, but I'd bet my description above is fairly accurate of the company as it is while Adam has been there.

Trucking is a rude awakening for most of us when we are getting started. There is no job like this. While I find it extra rewarding now that I am an experienced driver, I struggled with frustrations during my first two years. My frustrations all pointed to how idiotic and counter productive the company was managed. I had my own private thoughts about how they could be running the company so much better, but I was mature enough and smart enough to know that I didn't know jack about how to manage a trucking company. That is one of the hardest mindsets to get settled as a rookie driver. There are so many things going on that are extremely frustrating to new drivers. It is really easy to let yourself become an armchair quarterback who knows far better how to run the company than the folks who have been busting their butts at it for decades. DO NOT LET YOURSELF FALL INTO THAT TRAP! It will cripple your start to a successful trucking career.

Here's what I forced myself to do mentally during that eventful first year. Every issue that arose, I focused my mind on "What can I do to rectify this situation." I assumed the fault was mine whether it really was or not. That forced me to come up with my own way of dealing with each issue I faced. Adam is frustrated about his pay. How do we get paid? We get paid for what we accomplish - that's how trucking works. Okay, I ran into that same issue. The question became, "How can I turn more miles." That is vastly different than asking, "Why can't you guys give me more miles? Why am I sitting between loads and wasting my time?" I figured I had to come up with my own solutions. Every time I approached the age old issues that rookie drivers face, I was able to overcome them by focusing on my own solution. Here's a big part of overcoming the problems rookies face... I never considered leaving for another company as a solution. It isn't.

I learned how to get way better miles and pre-planned loads put on me while I was still finishing up my current load. It was all in the way I executed my loads and communicated with my dispatch team. I made it a point to never leave with a load until I had sent in macros with accurate ETAs (estimated time of arrival) and PTAs (projected time of availability). I never called in that information or texted it. I used the macros. They are the most efficient way to keep your driver manager focused on where you stand with your load. I would update them daily, even if there were no changes. It was all over my driver manager's screen to remind him that I was going to be ready to roll precisely at such and such a time. Then, I would make it happen every single time. No excuses, no delays, 100% perfection on each and every load. If there were an occasional hiccup, I notified them with an update through a macro immediately.

That type of approach will change your career. It will put you up at the top of your driver manager's board. Remember, you are in a competition with their other drivers. You don't really know how they are performing, but you might as well bet they are out ahead of you. Do everything you can to take the lead and get noticed. Don't expect them to treat you like a professional just because they hired you. They have seen about 98% of their drivers try this and fail miserably. They don't expect much more out of any of the newbies that take a seat in a truck. You will have to convince them through your results that you are different. They want to see it, and they welcome it. They just don't expect it. You have got to show them that you are special. To do good at trucking you have got to be good at trucking. That takes a lot of effort and a solid record of performance.

I promise you can make great money at any company you work for as long as you can consistently perform at a high level. I eventually left that company after a year and a half, but my tenure there was the most critical time of my career. I learned all the things I needed to be successful while there. I made good money there. I actually would have stayed had not a really special offer come my way. Eight years later I am still working that special job that came my way. I owe all my success here to those two formative years at Western Express. Once I realized I was the one who didn't know what I was doing, I could focus on the things that made a difference in my career. There is no way you will ever change the trucking company you work for. It is a futile effort. Change what you can, and for most of us, it is the way we conduct ourselves as truck drivers. Learn the secrets that make for success out here and then execute them as flawlessly as you possibly can.