Nervous newbie

[Boatcat]

That depends on several factors of course.
How well rested you are, anxiety and stress level and how well you handle it.
Traffic and worries/ issues with the truck can wear you out Quick. ..
I have anxiety, stress and pain issues, so I know how those things affect me and sometimes it's hard to handle some things, especially when you have been out for a while or on those really long runs and on a time crunch also.
Hang in there, it will all work out and yes, there will be a learning curve, but you are doing great so far...
Better than a Lot of Newbies...
When you are out working those loads and the checks start rolling in, it will all be worth it.


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[BigStickJr]

Greg, this discussion is probably too far off topic, and of no concern to the OP.
Maybe a good debate thread for a day I have more time.

 

[BigStickJr]

How many miles are too many ?
A class 8, with decent maintenance can go 1.5 million. I know an O/O with over 3 million.
I bet there's 25 people on here that have driven trucks at or near a million miles.

 

[BigStickJr]

BigStickJr , I

If I were to buy a 2nd truck and place a driver in it, the circumstances for that business association would be at my discretion, since it would be MY business model.

I had a neighbor whose business model was to have his drivers steal fuel .

That doesn't make it right.

 

[Josh]

That depends on several factors of course.
How well rested you are, anxiety and stress level and how well you handle it.
Traffic and worries/ issues with the truck can wear you out Quick. ..
I have anxiety, stress and pain issues, so I know how those things affect me and sometimes it's hard to handle some things, especially when you have been out for a while or on those really long runs and on a time crunch also.
Hang in there, it will all work out and yes, there will be a learning curve, but you are doing great so far...
Better than a Lot of Newbies...
When you are out working those loads and the checks start rolling in, it will all be worth it.


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I hope so. How this is going at this point. My wife and I are interested in white glove (you need a lift gate and reefer for this). I agreed to being out in a white glove capable truck if I could have some time to get comfortable taking regular loads (without having to worry about temps, hazmat, etc). I understand this might not be accommodating since a white glove truck should generate x amount of revenue. However, I was assured this wouldn't be an issue. Upon talking to our specific guy (for the first time) who handles white glove stuff today, it didn't seem that he cared much for taking our time. On top of that the truck they showed us was ...used. It has 450k on it and the inside reflects that. We didn't realize how uncomfortable it was to be in (broken cabinet door, previous smoker, etc) until we sat in it for an extended period of time after hours. There is still another white glove truck I'm assuming we can look at tomorrow so I guess I'm hoping that one rubs me a little better. Can't describe the feeling, just adds to my stress. Doesn't help that I'm a baby step kinda person and my wife is basically running at this point. I don't like change.

Tomorrow is another day. One step at a time and we'll figure this out. And I'll post about it so everyone else knows what they could be signing up for. Need to make a how-to for this . Lol

 

[Greg]

I had a neighbor whose business model was to have his drivers steal fuel .

That doesn't make it right.

We agree on that

 

[GR8WING]

Josh, patience and persistence. You do you and don't let anyone push you into anything. I'm guessing the first year is the most difficult. Pace yourself.
Sounds like you have a great wife. Just a reminder that you're a lucky man.
Don't forget to breathe. ;-)
Thanks for keeping us posted.

 

[Boatcat]

Sorry I misunderstood your question about how many miles ...
Again, it depends.
Some can be like new with half a million miles and some are worn out dirty, stinking rattle trap heaps of crap.
I ended up with one of the neglected ones and cleaned, fixed all the issues, spent too much money and time, but it at least got me started in the business so I do the best I can with what I have to work with.
By the way, the truck I bought was driven by a smoker and I really can't stand the stink of it myself.
It took a lot of cleaning and airing out, but after almost a year, it's ok now.
Work hard, prove yourself and you will get that nice comfortable truck.
That's my goal too, so good luck.

 

[Josh]

Josh, patience and persistence. You do you and don't let anyone push you into anything. I'm guessing the first year is the most difficult. Pace yourself.
Sounds like you have a great wife. Just a reminder that you're a lucky man.
Don't forget to breathe. ;-)
Thanks for keeping us posted.

My wife is awesome. We have been through a lot in the 11 years we have been together and even the bad times don't seem so bad when your married to your best friend. I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to pursue a career where we can spend time together.

I will say this, expediters has been pretty awesome thus far. I don't want my emotions to paint a bad picture. They have been super helpful and super friendly. I'm sure we can come to an agreement on a truck.

I will also say that this forum is pretty awesome. A lot of good advice on here and what appears to be good hearted people. Thank you all!

 

[GR8WING]

I will also say that this forum is pretty awesome. A lot of good advice on here and what appears to be good hearted people. Thank you all!

That is why I'm following your adventures so close. My wife and I are a couple of months behind you and on the same path.

 

[Josh]

Our chat this morning went pretty good. We all decided that it would be better for us to start in a "surface truck" which is the one we drove down. They also said not to worry about the 600 miles we drove for no reason. I offered to pay it back because I think that's the right thing to do and they said that would not be nessesary. Right now we are waiting for the maintenance guy to grab us some straps and bars since we don't have any and then we're off. First stop Walmart for groceries, then truck stop for shower (starting to smell like schweaty ballz in here), and then hitting the load board to see what's out there. Maybe we can catch something back towards Indiana so we can grab our dog we left behind.

 

[GR8WING]

Glad that worked out for you guys.
I didn't think FXCC allowed pets? They do?

 

[Josh]

Yes they do. They advised against ferrets and rabbits since apparently Canada doesn't allow them? Something like that, lol.

 

[ucfd608]

Yes they do. They advised against ferrets and rabbits since apparently Canada doesn't allow them? Something like that, lol.

Post a pic of the truck y'all got


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[Josh]

I'll snap one the next time I get out. We left expeditors and ran to Walmart, got groceries, sent our raodside inspection sheet to FedEx via the scanner we got from expeditors (for free), and then got a call from them saying the truck was due for dot inspection and had to be completed before we could start running. So we went 20 mikes down the road to a petro and are currently waiting for them to call us and say they are ready to start. We're just sitting in the truck.

I absolutely cannot wait to get out of this area. The enclosed feeing interstate and low clearance bridges do not help the nerves. Nothing like cruising up to a bridge that says 13'8 and your 13'6. Pucker factor is pretty strong with that one.

 

[akkshole]

Wish you luck with this, I'm thinking that maybe having an actual trainer that knows DOT etc would have made you a world of difference, maybe would have suggested that one of you (preferably both) spent time with a Class A CDL in a tractor trailer, going thru school and then with a reputable carrier and a good road trainer. Spend a 6 mos or a year in a tractor as a company driver, without the financial risk. Pay is actually decent compared to expedite. And more reliable.

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[Josh]

Wish you luck with this, I'm thinking that maybe having an actual trainer that knows DOT etc would have made you a world of difference, maybe would have suggested that one of you (preferably both) spent time with a Class A CDL in a tractor trailer, going thru school and then with a reputable carrier and a good road trainer. Spend a 6 mos or a year in a tractor as a company driver, without the financial risk. Pay is actually decent compared to expedite. And more reliable.

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Couldn't agree with you more. When you first start out you find yourself thinking (me personally at least) "man, I don't wanna spend weeks in a truck with someone I don't know" but for most people (I could possibly be included in this) that stress would have been better than this stress.

But, with trainers and classes come $$. From my research it seems that you sign on with a company and they will pay for your schooling and training but your locked into a contract and if you break that contract, you have to pay back what they invested. Pros and cons for both options I suppose. Hopefully we won't regret the option we chose. I feel a lot better today though, I'm sure That won't last but here's to thinking "cup half full" I don't regret anything so far. Except coming to Mississippi..

 

[BIGTRAIN]

You would think whoever put you in that truck to begin with would have had all that stuff done already . Who puts two complete newbies into a truck that has all these issues already before you even get started ! Good Luck to you

 

[Josh]

You would think whoever put you in that truck to begin with would have had all that stuff done already . Who puts two complete newbies into a truck that has all these issues already before you even get started ! Good Luck to you

Lmao, I will meet you half way and say all this paper work and inspections should have been squared away. Inspector said truck looks brand new. So that's a sigh of relief. I imagine that is a communication error between the recruiter and the maintenance/make sure everything is good to go mechanically guy. Good part about this is we are getting a lot of exposure to how things work without actually having to worry about a load being late. If we had NEEDED to start making money asap it would be a whole different story.

 

[Josh]

Update from yesterday: By the time the inspection was finished expediters was closed. The paperwork needed to be sent to fedex to get signed off on I assume. We went to a Loves across the street, made some food and got our showers in. Showers are $11 I think and they don't mind or care if you shower with your significant other. They have a toilet in the shower room you are assigned, nice to have that privacy (cant imagine i'm the only one who doesnt like to poop in public).

Bonus tip: do not roll down your windows at a truck stop. Every single time I do flies come in. I could not understand why there were so many. The only conclusion I could come up with is that maybe my 2 days of not showering were making the truck more smelly than I thought. That was until this morning, while sitting in the drivers seat playing with the c-link I got a nice birds eye view of the guy next to us emptying 3 milk jugs of what appeared to be apple juice onto the parking lot. Im not the brightest person in the world but im gonna assume that was urine (who would waste all that apple juice !?). Then it dawned on me, every truck stop has a random stench of urine while walking through the parking lot, it would appear this guy dumping an oceans worth of piss into the parking lot might not be the only one. Here I am peeing into a bottle, sealing it, and throwing it away, when apparently everyone else just lets it flow out the door.. gross. Also brings up another concern. Our sink in the truck dumps directly on the ground outside. I'm not going to think about the amount of ding a lings that have potentially deposited gallons of urine down the sink i'm using to brush my teeth. ... the glorious life of truck stops.



Updates for today:

Got the go ahead to start running around 9am this morning. Checked the load board and there weren't any loads that had under or around 100 miles of dead head. We called fed ex and they got us all squared away to receive loads over the c-link. This is where it gets fun...

We get a load offer within 30 minutes or so of sitting. Pickup is about 60 miles away and total loaded miles is 2500. While I immediately think that is too much for our first run the wife is balls deep in the c-link getting ready to accept. I voiced my concern (We are still on the same sleep schedule as one another and I do not think we can run the 40hrs of driving efficiently, or even on time for that matter. That turned into a huge argument because she did not want to decline the offer. We argued long enough for the offer to expire (only have 10 min to respond) and then we just kind of sat here quietly. Another one comes over the c link for 1000 miles. Again, I feel this is too much (im thinking around 600 miles total would be a good place to start). Another argument ensues but this time I offered to call fed ex and explain what my thoughts are and get advice on how to proceed.

So, I jump on the phone and wait to speak to someone. I explained to them that we are brand new waiting for our first load. I explain that even though we are a team, our schedule isn't opposite of each other yet. She immediately knew where I was going once I explained the two loads we declined, She said she would suggest holding out for a load that has a total of no more than 500 miles. I also explained that we didn't want to come off like cherry pickers when we decline them and she said that even responding to the c-link is something that is very appreciated (you can type out why you declined, we put "too many miles, we're new"). She said our response lets them know what we are looking for. We will still get all offers that come to us (we are in a Que) and they cannot skip drivers, but they will know our situation and they completely understand.

So naturally I had to spend some time rubbing this new information in the wife's face, and explain that I am not unwilling, I just want to be smart about it. She eventually came around and now were just waiting. Not sure how weekends work of if there are many opportunities over the weekend. If we get something, great. If not, and we have to sit here over the weekend, not ideal but it happens. I just want the best chance at succeeding.