Question:
Been away from the forum for a while. The expiditing job was keeping me out too long and sometimes with very little pay. I gave that up with the new year and took a job with a local manufacturer of tow behind dump trailers.
I now drive a Freightliner 120, with a nice roomy sleeper and pull a 53' drop deck trailer to deliver their dump trailers to dealers across the country. I drive to the dealership, unload and drive home empty, so I'm usually only out for one or two nights at the most. Some deliveries are within a half day of home and I'm home the same day. We plan to start picking up our own steel, at some point, also, whenever I make a delivery to an area where we buy steel from and bring it back.
I like this a lot better. The pay is fair and consistant and the company has insurance benefits, which I didn't have before. They pay a straight weekly salary, regardless of hours worked or miles driven. It's about the same as what I averaged with the expiditing company, but without the highs and lows.Wayne


Answer:
Gotta do what ya gotta do..................good luck with new gig
CDrecovering dweller..........oilfield trash division

Answer:
Glad to see you're still driving Wayne.. I used to check out your journal on the Marine site now and then...
Welcome back to the forums!
Doc
Answer:
Thanks, CD and Doc. I got home last night from Tennessee, just in time for the ice storm here in Upstate South Carolina. Roads are nasty right now, ours is a sheet of ice. I'll be saying a prayer for those on the road today.
I leave tomorrow (or Monday, depending on road conditions) for Richmond, VA and Puxsatawney, PA. I should return Wednesday or Thursday. The company doesn't push at all. No dispatchers to harass me, just the owner of the company and his son, who's the general manager. They're both glad to have me aboard, they've had some pretty unreliable people driving for them in the past, apparently.Wayne


Answer:
Man, I love this job. If anyone lives in the Greenville, SC area and are looking for work, let me know. We just bought another truck and need to put someone in it. It's a 2001 Freightliner Century, with all new paint and a complete rebuild. The boss asked if I wanted it, but I like where I am, even though it's 2 years older. Besides, changing trucks is a pain.
The pay isn't going to make me rich, but I get home every weekend and usually every other day. Sometimes I'm out for two nights, but that's the longest. We deliver straight to the customer and come back home empty. On occasion, if I deliver near where we get our steel from, I'll bring back a load of steel to save the company some freight charges. It's a straight weekly salary with a daily expense allowance. Altogether, I'll make just over $44K a year, plus benefits. Like I said, I won't get rich, but I'm home a lot and that's what's important to me.Wayne


Answer:
Glad to hear it is working well for you MV I too am doing the "out and back" scenario and although it aint gonna make me rich,it DOES get me home EVERY weekend and usually 3 nites during the week
I will take it
CDrecovering dweller..........oilfield trash division

Answer:
Sounds like a very sweet gig, MV. Best of luck to you.