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Oh boy...


Zhiv

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Things for me have taken a scary turn in the past few days. Let's explain.

 

1. Job -- I'm quitting with the current company. Plainly, it's not meeting my expectations. Money isn't there. I've made more as a Domino's full-time Manager than I have in 9 months with this company. And the time-sink to balance 3 days home every 30 days is too much.

 

2. Family -- With the recent loss of my father, and my mother taking ill way too often, I need to find something more geared towards home-time. Plus my cat (whom I love dearly) has gone another hunger strike in my absence. The cat thing seems minor to some folks, but she's family. Especially to someone that lives at home alone.

 

3. Finances -- I was supposed to be making a minimum of $700 a week. It's been more like $300-400 per week. Not kosher. My latest pay stub says the YTD gross earnings is < $20k. Last year at Domino's, I made $15k. Yeah, a small improvement, but I've actually gotten further into debt being away from home. (As in spending money on fast food, clothes, showers (yes you have to pay for them), etc etc).

 

4. Fun and rewarding -- Maybe. It's fun to drive a truck. But the rewards are if you work hard and show your worth, you make less money. Seems strange, but that's how it works. Guys that run less than I do make the mega money. I just think it's because I'm not currently under contract, so they have no incentive to give me work. The others have contracts to pay off their school and such. You'd think if you worked hard, got the loads in early or on-time that they'd reward you with more work. Not so.

 

5. Staffing -- Every night, they send a message to the fleet via the Qualcomm we have in the truck saying "We are understaffed tonight. Please don't call unless it's an emergency." If you are having staffing issues, maybe it's time to either change your policies that cause the issue, or hire people that actually want a job. The staffing issue leads me to believe the company is floundering. I dunno, but might have something to do with the new 16-story building they are erecting in downtown Cedar Rapids....

 

These are the major issues. I haven't told them I'm quitting yet. I'm going to wait until my co-driver drops be at my house so I don't have to take a bus. But they aren't going to be happy. Well I'm not happy now, so fair's fair. :)

 

I'm going to look for a new job closer to home, and start working on other revenue streams like programming, graphic design, computer builds/repairs, etc.

 

Thanks for all the support you guys have showed me in the past, and hopefully will show in the future.

 

I'm not going to disappear any time soon, so this isn't a goodbye letter. More of an explanation of what's new with me :D

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I believe if you quit the job you would be ineligible for unemployment so keep that in mind. Is there any way you could work less hours on purpose and be at home more but still be looking for a better job on your days off? I just have to caution you against quitting 100%. There's a HUGE difference between not bringing home enough and not bringing home anything :( Ultimately though, you have to do what you think is best. I understand missing the cat & the rest of your family.

 

 

Things for me have taken a scary turn in the past few days. Let's explain.

 

1. Job -- I'm quitting with the current company. Plainly, it's not meeting my expectations. Money isn't there. I've made more as a Domino's full-time Manager than I have in 9 months with this company. And the time-sink to balance 3 days home every 30 days is too much.

 

2. Family -- With the recent loss of my father, and my mother taking ill way too often, I need to find something more geared towards home-time. Plus my cat (whom I love dearly) has gone another hunger strike in my absence. The cat thing seems minor to some folks, but she's family. Especially to someone that lives at home alone.

 

3. Finances -- I was supposed to be making a minimum of $700 a week. It's been more like $300-400 per week. Not kosher. My latest pay stub says the YTD gross earnings is < $20k. Last year at Domino's, I made $15k. Yeah, a small improvement, but I've actually gotten further into debt being away from home. (As in spending money on fast food, clothes, showers (yes you have to pay for them), etc etc).

 

4. Fun and rewarding -- Maybe. It's fun to drive a truck. But the rewards are if you work hard and show your worth, you make less money. Seems strange, but that's how it works. Guys that run less than I do make the mega money. I just think it's because I'm not currently under contract, so they have no incentive to give me work. The others have contracts to pay off their school and such. You'd think if you worked hard, got the loads in early or on-time that they'd reward you with more work. Not so.

 

5. Staffing -- Every night, they send a message to the fleet via the Qualcomm we have in the truck saying "We are understaffed tonight. Please don't call unless it's an emergency." If you are having staffing issues, maybe it's time to either change your policies that cause the issue, or hire people that actually want a job. The staffing issue leads me to believe the company is floundering. I dunno, but might have something to do with the new 16-story building they are erecting in downtown Cedar Rapids....

 

These are the major issues. I haven't told them I'm quitting yet. I'm going to wait until my co-driver drops be at my house so I don't have to take a bus. But they aren't going to be happy. Well I'm not happy now, so fair's fair. :)

 

I'm going to look for a new job closer to home, and start working on other revenue streams like programming, graphic design, computer builds/repairs, etc.

 

Thanks for all the support you guys have showed me in the past, and hopefully will show in the future.

 

I'm not going to disappear any time soon, so this isn't a goodbye letter. More of an explanation of what's new with me :D

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  • Founder

I believe if you quit the job you would be ineligible for unemployment so keep that in mind. Is there any way you could work less hours on purpose and be at home more but still be looking for a better job on your days off? I just have to caution you against quitting 100%. There's a HUGE difference between not bringing home enough and not bringing home anything :( Ultimately though, you have to do what you think is best. I understand missing the cat & the rest of your family.

Great Advice. I would try to see if you can find some sort of vertical move within the same industry. You could prob make alot more money if you could make the right move within the same industry. And, you probably know this already, but be sure to transition to another job before quitting your current job. With 90+ million Americans not working, it maybe hard to just "get" another job. Like Yva said, "There's a HUGE difference between not bringing home enough and not bringing home anything".

 

Good luck brother.

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  • Executive

My reply in red.

Things for me have taken a scary turn in the past few days. Let's explain.

 

1. Job -- I'm quitting with the current company. Plainly, it's not meeting my expectations. Money isn't there. I've made more as a Domino's full-time Manager than I have in 9 months with this company. And the time-sink to balance 3 days home every 30 days is too much.

- What? Quitting the job? Did you get a new job before quitting? :O

 

2. Family -- With the recent loss of my father, and my mother taking ill way too often, I need to find something more geared towards home-time. Plus my cat (whom I love dearly) has gone another hunger strike in my absence. The cat thing seems minor to some folks, but she's family. Especially to someone that lives at home alone.

- Pets are like family!!!!!!

 

3. Finances -- I was supposed to be making a minimum of $700 a week. It's been more like $300-400 per week. Not kosher. My latest pay stub says the YTD gross earnings is < $20k. Last year at Domino's, I made $15k. Yeah, a small improvement, but I've actually gotten further into debt being away from home. (As in spending money on fast food, clothes, showers (yes you have to pay for them), etc etc).

- <20k is way better than 15k bro.

 

4. Fun and rewarding -- Maybe. It's fun to drive a truck. But the rewards are if you work hard and show your worth, you make less money. Seems strange, but that's how it works. Guys that run less than I do make the mega money. I just think it's because I'm not currently under contract, so they have no incentive to give me work. The others have contracts to pay off their school and such. You'd think if you worked hard, got the loads in early or on-time that they'd reward you with more work. Not so.

- That's weird hmm. They testing you or something? Seniority?

 

5. Staffing -- Every night, they send a message to the fleet via the Qualcomm we have in the truck saying "We are understaffed tonight. Please don't call unless it's an emergency." If you are having staffing issues, maybe it's time to either change your policies that cause the issue, or hire people that actually want a job. The staffing issue leads me to believe the company is floundering. I dunno, but might have something to do with the new 16-story building they are erecting in downtown Cedar Rapids....

- Have you searched for a job at a new company? :)

 

These are the major issues. I haven't told them I'm quitting yet. I'm going to wait until my co-driver drops be at my house so I don't have to take a bus. But they aren't going to be happy. Well I'm not happy now, so fair's fair. :)

 

I'm going to look for a new job closer to home, and start working on other revenue streams like programming, graphic design, computer builds/repairs, etc.

 

Thanks for all the support you guys have showed me in the past, and hopefully will show in the future.

 

I'm not going to disappear any time soon, so this isn't a goodbye letter. More of an explanation of what's new with me :D

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All great advice. I'll admit. As for finding something with less hours on the road, that's the plan. It's damn near impossible to get reliable Internet on the road to even job hunt when you are in a team truck. A team truck is 2 drivers per truck. So the truck never really stops moving. I don't have a tether option on my cell phone, and can't afford the additional cost of a dedicated Internet device.

 

But I am looking for a local driving job that will pay more, and afford me the time to be home more often. I love driving, the challenge of doing so, and the thrill of a paycheck. But 30+ days on the road is hard. And for the record, driving a truck for $20k a year is bogus. I should be making closer to $60k/yr. With all the time spent on the road (driving and sleeping), I'm making $2.84 an hour at my current job. At $60k a year, I'd be making $7.44 per hour. That's calculated at 28 days on the road, 12 times a year, 24 hours a day. Whether I'm sleeping or driving, I'm still away from home on my job. If I was making $20k a year at a normal job, I wouldn't complain, as much :) because I'd be home nightly, with days off each week, as apposed to 3-4 days off each month. Trucking is a hard job, yet necessary.

 

The necessity of trucking that most folks don't get--if it's in your house, a trucker brought it to the store you bought it at. Whether it's a brick-and-mortar store, or the online one, it was on a truck at some point in it's life. And the stress of driving a truck that weighs upwards of 80,000 pounds (40T) at highway speeds on crowded streets is horrible. Add to that all the 4-wheelers (civilians in cars/SUV's) zipping about without a care about anybody but themselves--well you get the idea (I hope).

 

Again, I do love my job. I just want to get paid for the work I do, as anyone would. And as such, I'm hoping that I can find another job quickly. There's at least 20 different construction companies near me that would need dump truck drivers, equipment haulers, etc etc. But I do have another company that's been recruiting me relentlessly that I can fall back on. But that's a last resort as it's one that is OTR (over the road). But at least they promise home time every 10-12 days, instead of 28-32 days.

 

And here's the kicker. You say there's 90+ million people out of work. The trucking industry alone needs 50k drivers in the next year, as freight is increasing. But nobody wants to drive trucks. I do. But I have to find the company that works best for me. And the one that I work best with. Truck drivers are a dying breed. Sure, simulators like Euro Truck Sim and American Truck Sim have increased the desire to drive a truck, but most folks still see a trucker as a 3rd rate citizen--even worse than a blue-collar worker. Today's generations like things to be instantly-downloaded, quickly-accessed, and easy-as-pie or they don't want it. I don't see many folks from Generation X coming to help us drive the very stuff they shop for online.

 

I'm passionate about trucking. Always have been. Always will be.

 

Oh, and thanks for the links Astrus. I'll take a look at them in a bit.

 

And thanks everyone for your comments and concerns. Always appreciated. :D

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Zhiv- Out here our local truck driving school also has an option for forklift training too. I don't know if that is anything you are interested in.

 

All great advice. I'll admit. As for finding something with less hours on the road, that's the plan. It's damn near impossible to get reliable Internet on the road to even job hunt when you are in a team truck. A team truck is 2 drivers per truck. So the truck never really stops moving. I don't have a tether option on my cell phone, and can't afford the additional cost of a dedicated Internet device.

 

But I am looking for a local driving job that will pay more, and afford me the time to be home more often. I love driving, the challenge of doing so, and the thrill of a paycheck. But 30+ days on the road is hard. And for the record, driving a truck for $20k a year is bogus. I should be making closer to $60k/yr. With all the time spent on the road (driving and sleeping), I'm making $2.84 an hour at my current job. At $60k a year, I'd be making $7.44 per hour. That's calculated at 28 days on the road, 12 times a year, 24 hours a day. Whether I'm sleeping or driving, I'm still away from home on my job. If I was making $20k a year at a normal job, I wouldn't complain, as much :) because I'd be home nightly, with days off each week, as apposed to 3-4 days off each month. Trucking is a hard job, yet necessary.

 

The necessity of trucking that most folks don't get--if it's in your house, a trucker brought it to the store you bought it at. Whether it's a brick-and-mortar store, or the online one, it was on a truck at some point in it's life. And the stress of driving a truck that weighs upwards of 80,000 pounds (40T) at highway speeds on crowded streets is horrible. Add to that all the 4-wheelers (civilians in cars/SUV's) zipping about without a care about anybody but themselves--well you get the idea (I hope).

 

Again, I do love my job. I just want to get paid for the work I do, as anyone would. And as such, I'm hoping that I can find another job quickly. There's at least 20 different construction companies near me that would need dump truck drivers, equipment haulers, etc etc. But I do have another company that's been recruiting me relentlessly that I can fall back on. But that's a last resort as it's one that is OTR (over the road). But at least they promise home time every 10-12 days, instead of 28-32 days.

 

And here's the kicker. You say there's 90+ million people out of work. The trucking industry alone needs 50k drivers in the next year, as freight is increasing. But nobody wants to drive trucks. I do. But I have to find the company that works best for me. And the one that I work best with. Truck drivers are a dying breed. Sure, simulators like Euro Truck Sim and American Truck Sim have increased the desire to drive a truck, but most folks still see a trucker as a 3rd rate citizen--even worse than a blue-collar worker. Today's generations like things to be instantly-downloaded, quickly-accessed, and easy-as-pie or they don't want it. I don't see many folks from Generation X coming to help us drive the very stuff they shop for online.

 

I'm passionate about trucking. Always have been. Always will be.

 

Oh, and thanks for the links Astrus. I'll take a look at them in a bit.

 

And thanks everyone for your comments and concerns. Always appreciated. :D

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  • 2 weeks later...

I think I have a few options. Right now I'm looking at Swift Transportation. It'd be solo driving, 37cpm (cents per mile), and only out 10-12 days at a time. The other option Knight Transportation, is about the same except the pay was a sliding scale of 40-47cpm. The way that works, from what I understand is the few the miles, the greater the cpm. It all averages out, apparently.

 

So, I'll be going home on the 22nd or 23rd, then dropping the CRST truck off at a terminal, busing to Richmond VA for orientation, then out on the road (if for Swift). But I will first have to mentor my current co-driver (he's going to Swift as well), for however long that takes. I believe I get a boost in pay for mentoring, but we'll see. That won't be permanent.

 

Wish me luck!

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I think I have a few options. Right now I'm looking at Swift Transportation. It'd be solo driving, 37cpm (cents per mile), and only out 10-12 days at a time. The other option Knight Transportation, is about the same except the pay was a sliding scale of 40-47cpm. The way that works, from what I understand is the few the miles, the greater the cpm. It all averages out, apparently.

 

So, I'll be going home on the 22nd or 23rd, then dropping the CRST truck off at a terminal, busing to Richmond VA for orientation, then out on the road (if for Swift). But I will first have to mentor my current co-driver (he's going to Swift as well), for however long that takes. I believe I get a boost in pay for mentoring, but we'll see. That won't be permanent.

 

Wish me luck!

 

Good luck!!

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