Truckers?

Banana444

Banana444

Well-Known Member
blu3bird said:
I drive truck, I like it. I finished school at the end of January this year and was hired into a really good company the same day I finished school. Have CDL A with tanker endorsement, going to get HAZMAT before the end of this year. I started out at my job hauling tanker, but now mostly I haul dry van and sometimes refrigerated trailer, my shop doesn't do anything flatbed. I do local all over Michigan, once in awhile I go to Indiana or Ohio, home every night.

I'll give you a heads up that most trucking companies (at least the ones that pay the best) do pre employment hair follicle test, even though FMCSA only requires piss test. Just something to consider before you get your CDL and go to an interview and get sent to get your med card to find out the company wants a hair test, because you fail a pre employment drug screen and your career will be over before it started. No company will hire you again.

So what, are you paying for school out of your own pocket or you going to sign a contract with a mega carrier and have them train you? Have you decided what you want to haul?
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I quit smoking a month and a half ago, havnt done any hard drugs in 10 years, and i cut my hair real short, and wont be starting the schooling for at least another couple months. I was planning on paying out of pocket for truck driving school, not sure what i want to haul. The guy that i talked to at the cdl training said I will have a better idea of what jobs are available when recruiters visit the classes.
 
Banana444

Banana444

Well-Known Member
dannyboy602 said:
Does it worry you that some cross country truck lines are already going AI? Uber et al will probably convert within five years and more than half of new cars will be automatic in ten years.
You seem like a young guy. I wouldn't want to see you out of work in ten years.
Not trying to be a dream killer but it might pay you to be a little pragmatic.
I did read though that being a cross country trucker is a great way to dispose of a body. Just sayin.
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No not worried in the least. For the price of schooling and the short time its worth it even if i only drove truck for 5 years, at least compared to what I do now for work.
 
blu3bird

blu3bird

Well-Known Member
Banana444 said:
I quit smoking a month and a half ago, havnt done any hard drugs in 10 years, and i cut my hair real short, and wont be starting the schooling for at least another couple months. I was planning on paying out of pocket for truck driving school, not sure what i want to haul. The guy that i talked to at the cdl training said I will have a better idea of what jobs are available when recruiters visit the classes.
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That's the smart thing to do, is pay for school out of your own pocket.

Don't get stuck in some company for 12+ months and they treat you like shit because they can, because you signed a contract for them to train you.

Good luck with school man
 
injinji

injinji

Well-Known Member
dannyboy602 said:
Does it worry you that some cross country truck lines are already going AI? Uber et al will probably convert within five years and more than half of new cars will be automatic in ten years.
You seem like a young guy. I wouldn't want to see you out of work in ten years.
Not trying to be a dream killer but it might pay you to be a little pragmatic.
I did read though that being a cross country trucker is a great way to dispose of a body. Just sayin.
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Self drivers are coming. Faster than we think. If any of you are in the hotel by the interstate business, it would be a good time to look into other professions. With self driving cars you don't need to stop for the night.
 
injinji

injinji

Well-Known Member
injinji said:
Self drivers are coming. Faster than we think. If any of you are in the hotel by the interstate business, it would be a good time to look into other professions. With self driving cars you don't need to stop for the night.
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Or. . . .

 
dux

dux

Well-Known Member
Banana444 said:
Hehe thats what I do, 15+ years here and I can do the work of 2 men in half the time without sacrificing quality, but fuck that shit anymore.
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Your a floor guy?
If so, stop doing the work of 2 people. I've always been a worker and worked hard,BUT, it will catch up to you!!
I ache almost every night and by the time the weekend is here I need Saturday to re-coup..
But it is nice to average $70-$125 an hour..o_O
 
Banana444

Banana444

Well-Known Member
blu3bird said:
That's the smart thing to do, is pay for school out of your own pocket.

Don't get stuck in some company for 12+ months and they treat you like shit because they can, because you signed a contract for them to train you.

Good luck with school man
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Thanks I appreciate it!
 
Banana444

Banana444

Well-Known Member
injinji said:
Self drivers are coming. Faster than we think. If any of you are in the hotel by the interstate business, it would be a good time to look into other professions. With self driving cars you don't need to stop for the night.
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Your right, why would i take a job you can train for in 6 weeks that pays 50k plus right off the back when i have rarelly make over 35k, because like the future is coming bro!! Robots are taking over!
 
Banana444

Banana444

Well-Known Member
dux said:
Your a floor guy?
If so, stop doing the work of 2 people. I've always been a worker and worked hard,BUT, it will catch up to you!!
I ache almost every night and by the time the weekend is here I need Saturday to re-coup..
But it is nice to average $70-$125 an hour..o_O
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Had no choice at the time, shit happens in life and its what I had to do for a while, and it almost killed me, but now i have a chance to do something different. Yea 70-125 an hour gross, once you figure in your cost of tools, vehicle, gas, any overhead, health insurance if you even have anything that you could vaguely call that. There are lots of days you are paying to go to work. Not to mention when you get dicked by the flooring companies sending out wrong or defective products, which i will say only happens about once every 6 months when you are doing 2-3 jobs a day. I would recommend getting your cdl, there are loads of jobs besides just driving trucks OTR that it could open up opportunities for. And its always good to have another skill in your back pocket, i know my flooring career has taught me lots, but one thing more important than all others it has taught me is simply to not do it anymore!
 
blu3bird

blu3bird

Well-Known Member
Just got a text from my dispatcher, I'm headed to Bell's brewery in Galesburg, Mi tomorrow morning. Not sure yet if there's a full trailer at the yard for me to deliver or if I'm taking an empty to go pickup, I'll find out in the morning once I get to our yard.

It's always a good feeling to have possession of a 53ft trailer filled with beer lol

Pictures tomorrow morning!
 
blu3bird

blu3bird

Well-Known Member
I had to drop off a tool trailer today at a new Amazon warehouse that's being built, it's just south of Grand Rapids, MI. This place is huge, there's 180 docks for semi trucks!

Here's some pictures of that Amazon warehouse
IMG_20190111_080919197.jpg IMG_20190111_082430164.jpg IMG_20190111_082502392.jpg IMG_20190111_082508632.jpg IMG_20190111_082526831.jpg IMG_20190111_083249285.jpg IMG_20190111_084316850.jpg
 
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