Are all truckers mad and depressed?

[gjmcclain]

I am sitting in West Point MS, waiting to drop early Monday morning, and am at a small little truck stop.

Up to my truck walks another expedite driver, I will leave the company name out of it, and he ask me if I am getting any miles.

When I tell him yes, I run hard, turn nothing down and generallhy can run between 3-3500 miles per week, he starts complaining about all the sitting he does and the short runs he does get.

He tells me he gets hit for every refusal, gets bumped all the time because another driver did a short run for his carrier, and doesn't have anything good to say about the carrier.

He told me he had been there for 14-months and its been a struggle.

I asked if he ain't happy why not move and head to somewhere else....I mean come on if he is that pi***d off about all this the go flip hamburgers or drive for someone else.

Then he said to me "well then again I am just a trucker and I guess we are all mad and depressed these days."

Not me!

How about you?

 

[mypie]

I'm not mad or depressed. As a matter of fact, I think I am about as happy as I have ever been since I was a kid on the playground!

 

[Turtle]

Are all truckers mad and depressed? Yes, they are, even the ones who say they aren't, they are. All of them. Every last rotten stinkin' one of them. Some are so severely clinically depressed that they will make a post stating that they will leave a carrier's name out of the story, and then describe the carrier as a knock in such a manner that everyone reading it will know who he is talking about. Not only that, but such a severe depression leads to things like posting a message for the sole purpose of boasting, whether it is believable or not, to make one appear successful, in the guise of relating a story for the purpose of asking a rhetorical question.

I'm not saying you're depressed, or anything, it's just that this sort of thing happens a lot, where there's a lot of superfluous boasting bandied about. We even had one feller, name similar to yours in fact and concidence, who used to do that very thing on a regular basis.

 

[layoutshooter]

I am not mad or depressed. Just because my life sucks, there is no reason to be mad or depressed. Just because I am not making 2.5 million dollars a year I am not mad and depressed. HEHEHE. I will let you know when I get that way. Most likely when I am mad and depressed. Layoutshooter

 

[mjolnir131]

I get 3-3200 (actual miles i don't have to make things up) a week except when we broke down or went home so no business is OK not great but OK have not hit a 4k this year yet but it's early.

on a side note i am mad as a hatter.

 

[gjmcclain]

Hey Turtle -

First, you make me laugh.

Second, you make me laugh.

Third, you make me laugh.

Fourth, it's nice to see that you still can not move away from the past.

Fifth, its nice to see you just did the same thing you are accussing me of doing.

Sixth, I am not bragging, I am **** proud at what is going on with my change of carriers, etc and my new found success with them.

And the last time I checked it was not a crime to be happy, glad, or to brag a little.

Sorry, if you find that offensive or terrible!

 

[Turtle]

First, second and third, that's what I'm here for. A wacka wacka.

Fourth, never forget the past. You learn more from the past than you ever will from the present or the future. Whatever you do in the past is with you always. Always. All you can do it learn from it the best you can and avoid repeating it.

Besides, you can't take a dump in someone's living room and then expect people to just pretend it never happened.

You may be invited back over, but they'll be watching.

Fifth, huh?

Sixth, never said anything to the contrary. I'm just having fun with the written word.

"And the last time I checked it was not a crime to be happy, glad, or to brag a little."

Depends on where you do it. It's not a crime, but I wouldn't go to a funeral and act all happy and glad, lest you end up a suspect. If you brag on the witness stand, there ya go. If you do it here, it's just same ol', same ol'. Brag away, if you like.

And while I appreciate your empathy over what I may find offensive or terrible, rest assured it is an empathy misplaced.

 

[Mike99]

I am sitting in West Point MS, waiting to drop early Monday morning, and am at a small little truck stop.

Up to my truck walks another expedite driver, I will leave the company name out of it, and he ask me if I am getting any miles.

When I tell him yes, I run hard, turn nothing down and generallhy can run between 3-3500 miles per week, he starts complaining about all the sitting he does and the short runs he does get.

He tells me he gets hit for every refusal, gets bumped all the time because another driver did a short run for his carrier, and doesn't have anything good to say about the carrier.

He told me he had been there for 14-months and its been a struggle.

I asked if he ain't happy why not move and head to somewhere else....I mean come on if he is that pi***d off about all this the go flip hamburgers or drive for someone else.

Then he said to me "well then again I am just a trucker and I guess we are all mad and depressed these days."

Not me!

How about you?

3500 per week?????? what do you drive ?van,st,tt?

 

[rodeehos]

HEY MJ, HOW IS IT THAT YOU ARE GETTING 3-3200MILES PER WEEK AND IT SEEMS LIKE MOST OF THE OTHER PANTHER ARE CRYING BECAUSE THEY ARE SITTING 5 OUT 7 DAYS A WEEK?

 

[cruzer]

HEY MJ, HOW IS IT THAT YOU ARE GETTING 3-3200MILES PER WEEK AND IT SEEMS LIKE MOST OF THE OTHER PANTHER ARE CRYING BECAUSE THEY ARE SITTING 5 OUT 7 DAYS A WEEK?

Because he is talking doo doo

 

[x06col]

Me tink that the ONLY ones that should be mad or depressed are the ones that screwd da pooch when times were good, an woke up a couple few weeks ago.

Does seem like many tho. Don't it?????

Wunner who they are mad at??????

 

[jsbiker]

mmmm I not Mad HEHEHEHEHE I don't think that I am,
and I don't think I am Depressed. I checked with MY Doctor
he said that I am fine.... MMMMMMM i think it was my Doctor.
MMMM he looked a lot like the Co-driver ???? RICK RICK am i mad..... oh no i cant find him>>>> oh thats right we came home for a week
setting at my CABIN in the woods in north GA. what better can it get....

LOL sorry

 

[mjolnir131]

Because he is talking doo doo

No unlike others in this thread that possibly are I'm dead honest.
---------------------------------------------------------------
This is the outline for my system and my observations, like it or not this is what works for us

HEY MJ, HOW IS IT THAT YOU ARE GETTING 3-3200MILES PER WEEK AND IT SEEMS LIKE MOST OF THE OTHER PANTHER ARE CRYING BECAUSE THEY ARE SITTING 5 OUT 7 DAYS A WEEK?

I don't think many actually are not many if any of the ones i talk to anyways,and i don't even want to tell you about 2 different TT teams i have talked to in the last 3 to 4 weeks,because if i did you would defiantly think i was talking doodoo.to be honest i question there sincerity.

i also think when allot of drivers say they only get 2 load offers a week,what really happened is they only accepted 2

Allot of the ones who post here that have those type of claims appear to be solo van drivers,i think anyways but I don't know for sure.I equate boards to fishing because they are allot alike.Just like fishing you don't know where the fish are but you can guess pretty good where they are not.

First off i try and stay out of northern Ohio/southern MI it use to be when caught there i would head over to the PA board but now everybody knows about that fishing hole and it's usually packed to.

First out on a 1 a day is always better than 4th out on a 6 a day Hubs use to be the best fishing holes now they cost you time. sometimes it's best to work the bank meaning the 1 and 2 a days near the 6 plus boards

i watch the boards allot i mean allot, allot.i will use all three of my reposition micros everyday especially while moving. Know what i see? allot 2,3 and 4 trucks sitting on zero or one a day boards, maybe the ones who are complaining really laud are just afraid to move,or have no clue where to move to or aren't going to move if Panther does not pay me.I don't understand it. Take buckshots in TX as great example it' struggles to hold on to it's 1 a day but most times it's a 0 a day yet you most always see 2 trucks there minimum.

the drivers web page updates the slowest use that info. if the owners page or QC says it's a 4 a day and the drivers page says 3 it's a growing board if it's reversed it's a dying board.

Yes 10 cents less in the loaded rate is 100 bucks for 1000 miles but can you really afford to pass off the 800 (after fuel) bucks because you did not get the 900 you thought you deserved?this leads right into the next point keep your stats as close if not at 100% as you can. including time in service,you miss every ball you don't swing at.

It's not uncommon to empty move 300 miles in Texas to get a good place,Remember this when sitting else where(that was a hard one for me to wrap my head around)

if you do decide to empty move to a one or two a day board do so over night or head out right at pod and get there before any trucks can unload. IF while moving you cross a 2 a day board that has two solo drivers on it stop right there let the solo drivers suck up the short runs(sorry solos). It appears that any load over 500 will go to a team truck, dispatch does not even stop to calculate if a solo has enough time to make it or not.

I do believe that most who are complaining are passively waiting for there next load instead of actively waiting that's why they sit and complain.Tora,Tora,Tora-attack,attack,attack

Thats the basic outline but every rule stated above has several exceptions because this is a very dynamic business.Yes it's slow but it's not that slow.And maybe I am Kidding myself on my savvy and next week I'll only get one run. But i was getting 2 -2200 with one or two over 2500 back in Jan and Feb and it starting picking up around the first of March.

 

[DougTravels]

Wow great post MJ:

Anyone with panther, who is not doing well should read it carefully. There is alot of direct and indirect info there.

Now to answer the question of this thread:

I was not mad, but I was greatly depressed. This depression kept increasing till I couldn't take it any longer, and that's when I went MAD!, TOTALLY MAD I SAY HEHEHEHE HAHAHAHA! :rolleyes

By the Way my Madness has totally cured my depression!

 

[routejumper]

Drivers,

Always, always, keep a little madness in your mind,
because no one in the world knows how to tax that.

 

[Mike99]

''i will use all three of my reposition micros everyday especially while moving.''
I know one macro is 32 the other one is 8 but wich one i the third? Thanks

 

[mjolnir131]

ok poorly worded micro 8 you get 3 of those a day use them even while loaded starting 200-150 miles to target.That way you know what the boards look like 350-400 miles out atlest from in the direction you came

 

[Mike99]

ok poorly worded micro 8 you get 3 of those a day use them even while loaded starting 200-150 miles to target.That way you know what the boards look like 350-400 miles out atlest from in the direction you came

Thank you.Now I have one more question.Panther did the new rule (bord position based by %) without giving us some time (one -two weeks) to fix that %. Now I have 58% and i'm stuck in Atl. I would like to take any load just to fix my % but with the new rule I never be number one to get a load.What can I do?thanks

 

[aileron]

Have you noticed that when you talk to an expediters, they are one of only 2 things: either making a killing, or going bankrupt. I haven't found one that does just ok. hmmm

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Hey over here...doing just ok...piddlin along about 1,000-1300 miles a week...not great, but not bad...paying the bills, about a foot above the waterline...

BTW..I am I mad or depressed? Just look at how long I've been a member and reading all the posts here....