What Makes A Load "Good"?
Topic 8169 | Page 2
My experience really does not come into play with your situation as I run mainly in state and for me a good load is one that stays on my truck.
Hmm? Some of the responses were not quite what I expected. You would have thought I was Oliver at the orphanage asking for more gruel. I mean, really, the audacity of me to try and determine what makes a good load. I mainly asked the question because I had been given the option of a few different loads from our Driver Line up out of our main terminal and didn't know what to commit to. I, of course accept graciously all the loads my fleet manager gives me. First Brett, thank you for your professional and thorough follow up. As for the others.... Please next time just keep your two cents. I can do without all the lecture. This from another rookie driver and someone in company training. "Keep your head down", "You can't negotiate anything", "your just meat in the seat." I may be a rookie truck driver, but after 50 years of living I'm not a rookie in life. I made thru the marines, a college degree, and own another successful business. To come at me with this we've been doing this longer, so you just have to take the crud attitude is just childish. Like Oliver, I just don't know any better then not to go ahead and ask. It worked out though. After talking and working with my fleet manager I've gotten some "good" loads and over 2400 miles this week. Think I'll just talk to the truckers I personally know next time.
Hey Leedo,
I cant speak at all as an experienced driver. But what I can say is this. If you are given 2 or more options and asked which one do you want... you can go a couple ways to determine what is good for your.
for me... Good may be somewhere i havent been before, or i need more miles before the end of the week, or I need some rest so this one will let me sleep tonight...
but I may also ask my DM what they would take if they were in your shoes.
also about the other stuff... metaphor figuratively but based on true happenings. two men first day on the job equal experience. foreman comes up and says which one of you wants to be on my krew. one guy thinks about it the other guy says Im down...
the guy that spoke up went with while the other was the only option left. guy one wondered hmmm should I have waited to see the other foreman?
guy one makes great friends and gets to work on the ground level mostly stainless and working with the heat exchangers and pumps. guy two had to climb all day wearing a harness...
guy 1 gets to hide in the shade (its 115 degrees) guy 2 if hes lucky can hide under a hot beam.
Guy 1 spoke up while the majority of rookies will not. Guy 1 had it made in the shade.
another metaphor. safety meeting, anyone have something to say? everyone with their thumb up their but but one guy decides YEAH you know what can we get some ice cream?
everyone laughs. but guess what? that guy now gets to ride around on a buggy delivering electrolyte popsicles to everyone and still get his journeyman wage.
want another... lol... if you feel that you can negotiate. try it. all your going to find out is if your able to or not able to. your not going to disappear because you said well how bout this... the most theyll do is remember awee yeah your the guy that tried to negotiate...
I know your not trying to negotiate... but hey. I say do whatever you want and see what happens. you have all the life lessons so im sure your not lacking wisdom ... but again. I dont know you, what your capable of or even if your really a driver lol... you could be just pulling our chain to have a conversation for all I know... again just do what YOU want to do.
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.
SAP:
Substance Abuse Professional
The Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) is a person who evaluates employees who have violated a DOT drug and alcohol program regulation and makes recommendations concerning education, treatment, follow-up testing, and aftercare.
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.Fleet Manager:
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.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.
For me i wil typically decline any load under 400 miles that has a live load and unload (as it kills too much of your 14hour) i will can any load under 300 that is live load OR unload... anything under 2 i call my DM and ask what the crap is this UNLESS it is stacked with a solid load behind it.
Take my current load for instance it is a 2400 mile from from Mabank Tx to Ashcroft BC Canada. It is 2400 miles they are giving me 6 days to do it which in most casses is too much time, i can do that in just over 4 BUT i have short hours on my clock so i can do a 34 mid run and reset. I took the load without hesitation as it was 2400 miles and it takes me to canada (border crossing pay :) )
Once you have been driving a while and get a relationship with your DM they will learn what loads you like and what you don't. Before they gave me this run they tried to slap a 16m load on me that i had to do during rush hour in dallas texas, before i could say heck no my DM removed it for me as she knew i wouldn't fal for some BS load like that without having a damn god run chasing it to make it worth it.
All in all as other say do whatever they tell you for several months. basically until your DM tells you to stop giving him/her your truck number (that means they know who you are)
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.
Hmm? Some of the responses were not quite what I expected. You would have thought I was Oliver at the orphanage asking for more gruel. I mean, really, the audacity of me to try and determine what makes a good load. I mainly asked the question because I had been given the option of a few different loads from our Driver Line up out of our main terminal and didn't know what to commit to. I, of course accept graciously all the loads my fleet manager gives me. First Brett, thank you for your professional and thorough follow up. As for the others.... Please next time just keep your two cents. I can do without all the lecture. This from another rookie driver and someone in company training. "Keep your head down", "You can't negotiate anything", "your just meat in the seat." I may be a rookie truck driver, but after 50 years of living I'm not a rookie in life. I made thru the marines, a college degree, and own another successful business. To come at me with this we've been doing this longer, so you just have to take the crud attitude is just childish. Like Oliver, I just don't know any better then not to go ahead and ask. It worked out though. After talking and working with my fleet manager I've gotten some "good" loads and over 2400 miles this week. Think I'll just talk to the truckers I personally know next time.
Why the digital hostility?
You come to Trucking Truth with a question, people chime in, then you put down the folks who take the time to respond... WTF?
The sacrifice and commitment it takes to do this on a daily basis is a tough and borderline crazy way to live. So, in the future, please show some respect to the ones who have been there before you then choose to respond to your question.
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.
Fleet Manager:
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.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.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.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.
You pick up a preloaded trailer , no extra stops, final is a drop and hook. Load is somewhere between 15,000 and 30,000 lbs. Very little driving off the interstate at either end. Distribution centers rather than retail locations or factories. Outside of the Northeast or California. About 1400 miles, with sixty hours or so between PU and delivery, but you can bring it in early. No rude hostile obese middle aged women at either the shipping office or the receiver. A KFC chicken pot pie and a Dairy Queen available every 250 miles along the route.
Interstate:
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).
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.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
You pick up a preloaded trailer , no extra stops, final is a drop and hook. Load is somewhere between 15,000 and 30,000 lbs. Very little driving off the interstate at either end. Distribution centers rather than retail locations or factories. Outside of the Northeast or California. About 1400 miles, with sixty hours or so between PU and delivery, but you can bring it in early. No rude hostile obese middle aged women at either the shipping office or the receiver. A KFC chicken pot pie and a Dairy Queen available every 250 miles along the route.
Popeyes > KFC just sayin
Interstate:
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).
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.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Madness. Popeyes is too spicy, they charge too much and most importantly, no pot pies. I'm all about the pot pies.
The Best load for me has always been a drop and hook or a shipper/receiver who offers onsite parking in case I need to get my break in. Honestly in the beginning every load has the potential to be a Good, Bad or Ugly Load, which is why I keep notes about places, shippers, parking and washouts etc etc so I'll know next time if I'll like that load or not but if you're a forced dispatched driver it makes no difference. My rule of thumb now after a year at Prime Inc. is to still expect the unexpected and get it done. You and your DM will get to know each other and doing favors will get you favors in return but most importantly just be good driver they can count on to deliver the load
Ken C.
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.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.
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Thank you for the additional replys.
Any and all constructive help, criticism and input is welcome.
Sry for my snappy relpy. Just get tired of the occasional hazing attitude people get.