Long Haul Trucking

In case you missed the update in Transitions:

Did you know it’s against the Truth in Leasing Act from the FMCSA (DOT), CFR 49, 376.12 (g)  for a company NOT  to show their driver the proof of how much a load pays if that driver is getting paid by percentage? The problem is that most drivers won’t rock the boat because they want the job, so a lot of these companies get away with whatever they want.

Why would Clark Transfer take a load to lose money on that moves me in the opposite direction?  That’s the mystery.  I can understand taking something that goes in the right direction, it’s done all the time.

After being ganged up on by three dispatchers for asking a question and their response was so defensive you would have thought they had their hand caught in the cookie jar. After being told I was the only driver that questioned their generosity and how I didn’t trust them (you don’t establish trust with someone by just saying “trust me”, especially where money is involved, but maybe that’s just me) and how they didn’t want drivers to know what goes on in the office (?) and how they deal with their customers. I think I was shown the number of what this load paid. If that was it, these people at Clark Transfer are idiots.

This is a whole lot different than having a real open office where money wasn’t hidden. I could ask my boss what anyone or any driver made and he would not only answer it, but showed it to me. Having my dispatchers email and working with them as a team instead of for them as an employee or worse.

The whole thing was just odd. Why so defensive about something so simple and why take a load that after paying me and 200 miles of the PA turnpike, then for me to go empty 600 miles (and paid a little), why take a stupid load like that in the first place? This is not a stupid company, they’ve been in business since 1959, Clark Transfer concentrates on the office making money, that’s what’s so odd about this. They didn’t do me any favors, I could have made the same and they would have paid less for me to just sit there, why?

I was ready to just be fired right there, but that’s not how trucking companies operate. My planning report has one good load on it, if you want to call a buck a mile a good load so if that changes… I’m sure they’re going to take it personally, pout and get back at me for having the audacity for questioning their benevolence and their unquestioned obedience by everyone else. It’s already coming up on the “bad” season, so how much worse can it get at Clark Transfer?

Transitions are going on for everyone. I know more than one person that has been laid off, fired or are having to make tough decisions about keeping their truck or their house. People are helping their families and receiving help from their families all at the same time.

Here I sit at a grocery warehouse, waiting to haul 44,000 lbs over the mountains of eastern Pennsylvania 200 miles to deliver tomorrow afternoon, two hundred miles. I should be grateful I have a job, I should be grateful for the load the company got from a broker where they’re losing money (huh?), I should be grateful for what the company does for me and shut-up.

Why would the Clark Transfer take a load that pays less than what they are paying me? When Clark Transfer takes a brokered load I’m supposed to get a percentage. Lately the brokered loads have (they say) have paid less than the regular spot pay they give us, so they give us the greater of the two. How do I know they’re being so generous? I don’t. It’s their policy NOT to show the drivers the invoice on a brokered load. Even though this is going the opposite direction and I’m driving more miles empty (less money) I’m doing this load because if I don’t, I lose out on any layover pay because they offered me a load, but there’s not forced dispatch. But according to many of the drivers, don’t refuse a load or they will make you sorry you did.

Clark Transfer is a great company, but I should be grateful right? They have gone back on so many things they said at the beginning, not really gone back, they’ve rearranged what they said and how they interpret the contract.

Out of all of the crappy companies I’ve worked for I’ve never wanted to do this before, usually I just go on and mind my own business.  Have you seen Wal-mart sucks.com? Paypal sucks.com ford sucks, every major company has a sucks.com, why should trucking be exempt? Even though it would take time away from sites that make money or could make more money plus, it would take away time from school,

Since I do SEO (search engine optimization) pretty well (really, really well), I could make ten sites that just push their site off the front page of the search engines. I’ve already looked at the SEO of their site, it’s non-existent. When drivers are looking at a new company to drive for, what do they do? They go to the internet and look up that new company’s name. Hopefully, I can get to drivers before it’s too late.  I’d be gone and blacklisted anyway and not looking for another trucking job so why not? Honestly, I’ve got better things to do, but this keeps sounding like a good idea, I can’t help it.

What can a company do when sites like that come up? They can call the company that controls the domain (hey that’s me- waynes domains.com) or the hosting company (hey, that’s me too and I know the guy that owns the server I’m on), plus it’s a first amendment thing, so not much.

So, if they are being so generous and losing money on this load, why don’t they prove it and show me the invoice that shows how generous they are? You would think they would want me to be grateful at how much they’re doing for me.

I have to go in this warehouse now, bow down (or bend over) and be grateful to some dumb-*** shipping clerk. If I’m going to do stupid things and go out of business, that’s my fault, I don’t need any help going out of business from anyone else, I’m perfectly capable of failing on my own.

I know a lot of drivers and owners are doing a lot worse for a lot less, so I am grateful for what I have, I hate when someone tries to force me to be grateful to them. Kind of like respect, something that’s earned, while the more you demand, the less you get.

Update:

The point here, before I was interrupted, was that I’ve transitioned from being a business partner that worked together with complete openness and transparency with the office making money together, to a company driver with a truck payment.

I left because Bohemian didn’t have customers, they got leftovers from other companies and brokers, which was working good until a few years ago. Without customers, the leftovers dried up.

Update 2:

Did you know it’s against the Truth in Leasing Act from the FMCSA (DOT), CFR 49, 376.12 (g)  for a company NOT  to show their driver the proof of how much a load pays if that driver is getting paid by percentage? The problem is that most drivers won’t rock the boat because they want the job, so a lot of these companies get away with whatever they want, the policy that Clark Transfer depends on; Drivers not rocking the boat.

Last weekend I went to the truck show. I had forgotten all about it until I was driving by and saw the free truck parking, on my way to “give” my trailer back to Kentucky. The Kentucky agent I bought it through may have someone to take over the payments if all the little dents are taken out and the floor is redone. It’s not a household trailer, never has been a household trailer and it’s taken some abuse from idiot forklift drivers and tradeshow crates and cases being pushed and dragged across the floor.

It was kind of a bitter sweet day. I’d rather be selling it because it’s not completely worthless. In better days I could make what I owe plus a lot more. Plus, me and Cindy spent a lot of time in the trailer folding pads, cleaning and getting it ready for the next load. It’s not like a regular trailer where you just stand there and watch stuff go in and out and sweep the floor once in a while, I knew every scratch and every pad. But, it’s part of our bigger plan to move forward, so we move on, one less thing to worry about.

What else have I been doing? I’ve been working on Obscure Mania, I think it’s pretty much done. I have a few ideas, but it’s going to take some digging into HTML in the theme a little more than usual. I also want to make RSS feeds for categories so people can pick and choose what they want to go into their RSS feeds.

Trucker Therapist Buck Black will be writing for Life on the Road soon, should be interesting. We could all use some therapy of some sort out here.

I started a new website for a favorite radio show I podcast regularly called The Dark Secret Place about the war on terror and how the media reports it from a guy that was actually in the Guard and stationed in Iraq, the Gulf and Bosnia. Lots of military stuff, history and a reports about conflicts around the world.

Saturday at the Mid America Truck Show I spent taking pictures. There seemed to be fewer trucks in the Spit and Polish portion than in past years, but there were some good ones.

Watch the slide show or go to the individual photos below.

or click on a thumbnail to enlarge.

MATS 2009 Pictures

The actual flickr photo page.

Related posts.
Pictures from Mid America Truck Show 2008
MATS 2008
At the Truck Show

If I’m at the truck show, where are all the truck pictures? Maybe tomorrow. This is the first day and I thought I was going to have to go right back to PA after dropping off my trailer at Kentucky for refurbishing. Things change and now I have a couple of days. The first day is only a half day for the public. I’ll go back on the shuttle with a clean SD card and extra batteries and get some pictures.

I walked around in the main building and will get on the shuttle early. I was here last year and most truck shows have the same trucks competing and it’s usually the same stuff in the booths from show to show. A few new things like the Sirius and XM all in one booth, everyone is now “green”, hybrid technology was everywhere, tons of APU’s and lots of parts. I walked through the west hall on my way to the parking lot shuttle and walked by parts booths from China, Taiwan, Singapore and other Asian countries. A lot of small booths with all kinds of truck parts. Major parts like manufactures buy, not the chrome parts that drivers buy. I’m not saying anything about it, just an observation.

I’m now fifty and it’s almost like when I turned forty. I had nothing, then started driving a truck. At fifty, I’m trying to get out of trucking without losing everything again. It’s not working so well. At forty, it was through my own stupidity, this time will be different. I need a career change, not only for myself, but for my marriage and the rest of our financial well being.

Trucking has become a black hole. The truck always needs something, the generator that’s supposed to be saving me money, is costing more than it’s saving. I’ve always said, it’s not how much you drive it’s how much you make. I’m making less here because of all the bobtail and empty miles that are paid different than loaded.

At forty, I had no choice during my career change, at least this time I have a choice and actually have some sort of plan. Several of the other truckers whose blogs I read, are going through tough times as well.

Last time I really lost everything, house, car, wife, job, savings, retirement, everything. Trucking happened at the right time. I had a place to live, it was kind of small and all the work I could handle.

This time will be different because I’m not technically losing everything. I have a house and a hard working, wonderful wife that is willing to support me during this transition.

What if she loses her job? She hands out food stamps and sadly, business is booming. The plan is to go back to school full time, (go back? I never went. Except for high school, that was it) and work part time until something comes up. She still has her CDL and worse case we go back on the road.

What if trucking turns around and you’re making money? I’ve got to get home. Staying out three, four, five, six weeks at a time is no way to have a marriage.

This company and other companies that do show business are good for teams and singles with no homes. We were living like that once, but not now. If we have to again, we will, but for now, I’m going to be trucking until the time is right.

It’s finally t-shirt weather! Hooray! How’d I get so damn fat?!! Good thing I’m not going to the beach. Feels good just to get out of the truck and walk around without freezing or being afraid of slipping and falling on my butt.

We (me and Willie) are parked next to the #2 rated dog park in the country. Paw Park has its own website with pictures. It’s pretty big and has a sidewalk going around inside where people walk and their dogs run free. One of the larger trees fell during a hurricane and they left it for dogs to climb on. There are a couple of “time-out” cages. I’m not sure who’s idea that was and I didn’t see it used today, but it’s a little strange. If your dog is that bad he needs a timeout, maybe he should go home.

We walked around the park, then walked around the neighborhood. Came back to the truck ate lunch and I’m on the computer with the truck turned off and the windows open. Willie had a few moments when we first got here, but he settled down and was real good.

I’m spending the day here and will be loading in Tampa on Sunday night, unload in Orlando the next day, then I don’t know. I used to get a planning report emailed to me so I knew where I was going to be a month ahead of time, even though it was always subject to change, it was nice to know. I guess the honeymoon is over on that too.

I am not an elephant! I am not an animal! I am a human being! I am a man! John Merrick, The Elephant Man

One of the good things about trucking is that there isn’t much contact with the same people. Unless you’re going to the same place over and over, if you don’t like someone or someplace, wait a few minutes and it will change or you won’t have to see them anymore.

It’s different when they’re in the company you drive for. Even then it’s only for a few minutes at a time, so that’s good. This company has setup an environment where it’s the old people against the new people. It’s not like this is news, we were told this at orientation. I thought it was just me, but everyone I’ve met that’s been here under six months has the same observation.

I’m not that social in the first place and I don’t need any kind of social reinforcement, but I expect to be treated at the very least, a human being and hey, let’s shoot for the moon and ask to be treated like a fellow driver.

These guys think they work so hard when they don’t even wrap and strap their own loads or climb around trade show crates when the trailer is 115 degrees or more. Build a full deck by themselves, climbing around securing freight and help unload on almost every single load. I was going through Advil like it was candy. Except for driving, there isn’t much to this, probably why there isn’t that much money either.

I wonder how long I have to be here before I’m not new anymore. Since there are drivers that have been here for twenty years, I may not be around long enough to find out.

Most of the “new” drivers have been driving for several years and are far from being new. Every time I meet an old driver I hear about how hard they’re working, while “new” drivers wonder how they’re supposed to make money like this?

Someone is going to have to retire before anyone that’s been here less than ten years gets a show. Most of the lead drivers act like they are so busy and it’s so complicated. When all they do is help people back in to the dock, make a few phone calls, fill out some paperwork and suck up to the lead carpenter which is probably the hardest part and will probably be the reason I don’t get a show. When the lead carpenter wants a trailer, the lead driver calls the truck with that trailer and tells them to show up at the door. They’re a contact point for the customer which is a good idea, but they can drop the attitude.

The other requirement is to be able to act like a prima dona around the new drivers to make yourself seem important and treat new drivers like they don’t exist until you’re ready to talk to them. But it does seem to be how these guys make their money. That and padding their hours is the advice I always get.

I suppose they have to keep their core group happy and everyone else is just a transient, especially now. For a company that does everything everyone hates, like going to Canada, NYC, never going home, sitting around between loads for days and the slowest pay in the industry and the pay isn’t even that great from what I’ve seen, except for the extra lead driver pay I have no idea why there are people that have been here for so long.

This will probably be my last trucking job because if it slows down anymore and I’m not working for more than a truck payment and fuel, I can be broke sitting at home, at least I’d be home.

It’s been a little more than a month at the new company, which isn’t really very long. It seems like a long time, but honestly, it’s too soon to tell. There are some good things and there are a few things that bug me. I can say that about any company and any job too.

On my way to downtown Chicago to pick up a show. One of the more interesting things is driving a big truck downtown anywhere. It’s actually pretty cool and more of a challenge than just driving down the interstate. Then it’s on to the frozen tundra of Calgary, Alberta. I can’t wait. Rumor has it I’m going to Florida after Calgary, I’m sure I’ll need to thaw out by then and will enjoy the trip south.

I hate winter on a good winter day. Even on a clear cold day, it’s still too cold to walk around much. We (me and Willie) can’t walk around because the parking lots are mostly covered with ice and it’s just too cold to walk around for very long. His leg starts bothering him after a little while so I sit, eat and sit some more can’t wait to go south just to get out of the truck.

My Vista class has started and I didn’t know that as a student in this class, I get a free license for Vista and Windows Server. I don’t know if it’s a temporary license or how it works. I should be able to download my copies soon and find out. I got a cheap copy of Vista from Ebay, I may be reselling back on Ebay, I haven’t decided yet.

I’m downloading the new Windows 7 beta version. When I have time I want to install it in a new partition and really play with it. Just to see it, I may install it in a Virtual Machine just to see it start up. From what I’ve heard, it’s what Vista was supposed to be. It’s a “beta” version, so it’s not officially released and it will stop working in August (because it’s free). Learning Vista won’t be a total loss and it will be awhile before Windows 7 is actually released.

I’m slowly getting Obscure Mania ready for release. I need to clean up the clean red widget posts and add a few more computer posts. And I’ve been writing a series on Life on the Road mainly about Laptop Security, but there are tips in there for all computers as well. I may just keep the theme the way it is. It’s plain, simple and until I have more to put in the sidebars, one sidebar is plenty.

After being home for more than a week I go back to work tomorrow. I’m going to Los Angeles to pick up a trailer, bring it back to Vegas and move Mama Mia out of Mandalay Bay and take it back to Yonkers, NY for storage.

While I enjoyed being home, I couldn’t really enjoy it because I’m not working and not making money to stop worrying about the bills. The holidays are over and everyone should be back to work, ordering stuff and shipping stuff, but they’re not. After talking to a couple of other owners, it’s really bad out there. Even though with the new company I get paid between loads, it’s doesn’t make the truck payment. If the economy could have lasted another year, we would have been okay, but it didn’t and we’ll survive.

Clean Red Widgets?

Tired of hearing about clean red widgets? After the 20th, I’m turning Obscure Mania into a anything but trucking blog and you won’t see another word about clean red widgets (I’m in third). Computers, gadgets, XP, Vista, Linux, Networking, politics and anything else I can come up with. I’m keeping Adventures as strictly trucking and will still be updating about trucking stuff here and Life on the Road. I would really like to get this online stuff to start making more money. It would be great to make the truck and trailer payments, but that’s not happening right now.

I was putting other kinds of posts here, but they just seemed out of place. They’re still here, but if someone finds one in a search engine they are redirected to the same post on Obscure Mania. I haven’t changed the theme yet but it will probably look a little like Adventures.

Trucking is Fantastic!

Maybe another word that starts with F but probably not fantastic. Honestly, trucking is too depressing right now. People I know are filing bankruptcy and losing their trucks. No one has enough work, even those that are working, it’s barely enough to survive and the outlook doesn’t look much better. Even if the economy does magically recover, it will take trucking a while to catch up. So far, all the plans I’ve heard are only going to prolong the inevitable. If Cindy wasn’t working full time right now, I’m not sure what we’d be doing.

Obama and Lincoln?

What’s with Obama and Abraham Lincoln? Doesn’t he know Lincoln was Republican? Once he gets into office he can’t be like FDR coming up with all sorts of plans for the government to help. Europe doesn’t call the Great Depression the Great Depression, because for them it was only a depression. Europe and the rest of the world came out of the depression long before the US did, thanks to the government trying to fix something they should just stay out of.