Transferred To A Dedicated Local Of Sorts.
Topic 33495 | Page 1
Dave looks at the dark side:
The bad points are consistently running I-25 through 4 major metro areas every day, possible boredom with the same route and 214 miles of hauling an empty back to the DC in frequently windy areas.
I drove a similar gig at Swift several years ago. Swift calls them "shuttles". Memphis to St. Louis. Memphis to St. Louis. Memphis to St. Louis. Memphis to St. Louis. 512 miles every day, and getting home every day ain't bad.
4 days on, then two days off. (Do the calculation, you get extra "weekends"!)
Be careful of the boredom. After radio music and podcasts wore off, I stayed awake by munching nuts, one at a time. (Gained 80 pounds.), sometimes driving parallel roads for the variety.
Yes the regular paycheck is great. Some drivers love the consistency. Best of luck, Dave!
That's awesome. I used to hate running the same runs but as times gone by I find myself actually enjoying the consistency.
If you end up not enjoying this new adventure are you able to easily switch back to OTR?
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.
That's awesome. I used to hate running the same runs but as times gone by I find myself actually enjoying the consistency.
If you end up not enjoying this new adventure are you able to easily switch back to OTR?
It's fairly informal, she said if I want to go take a week or two to do OTR and to visit places just to let them know in advance as much as possible. In general, if it's not for me, I can switch back to regional and or otr.
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
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.
Congratulations on the new gig, Davy. I hope it is something you'll really enjoy doing!
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I went in to the terminal for some documents and my terminal manager asked if I'd be willing to run a dedicated lane from Cheyenne to Pueblo daily. I of course said yes.
It's for an account that is vital to have on time delivery and she wanted someone reliable and flexible. There was a couple of routes with the customer that are not so appealing, which I was glad not to have been asked to do.
The good points are consistent miles, 428 daily, only about 8 to 9 hours of work, added trailer move pay for each load, and consistently enough miles to maximize my bonus every month which is close to 1k. Only one stop and I can shut down at the DC and consignee. The loop is setup so that I can shut down at the terminal each night if i wanted to as well. There are a lot of options.
The bad points are consistently running I 25 through 4 major metro areas every day, possible boredom with the same route and 214 miles of hauling an empty back to the DC in frequently windy areas.
The added drop and hook pay isn't set in stone but given that I always get it for these stores, I will clarify it with my manager, I don't forsee a problem with it.
I will see how it goes, but it seems promising, I elected to run it 7 days a week and take a few days off after 3 to 4 weeks. Typically it was set up with 1 day a week off, but I'm used to staying out for extended time periods and with being able to be around home during the day as it's a window for pick up and delivery, I don't need as much time off.
All in all, it's a pretty gravy lane with lots of flexibility that will net higher paychecks and offer very consistent miles that are difficult to get in today's economy.
It reaffirms the premise that our performance determines our pay and outcomes. The reason that I got this route is directly due to my record of being safe, productive, on time and easy to work with. It's not to brag, and hopefully it doesn't come off like that. It's more to say that if we strive to perform professionally, it benefits us and increases our opportunities and that anyone can choose to perform well in their career.
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.
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.
Drop And Hook:
Drop and hook means the driver will drop one trailer and hook to another one.
In order to speed up the pickup and delivery process a driver may be instructed to drop their empty trailer and hook to one that is already loaded, or drop their loaded trailer and hook to one that is already empty. That way the driver will not have to wait for a trailer to be loaded or unloaded.
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.