cig1988

I have been there and done that. Reason being is time frame. If a particular item as produce for example is not delivered on time it may be rejected. Delivering to grocery dc's you have a situation of either making the appointment on time or run the risk of re-scheduling perhaps several days out. Most cases when the driver does make it on time its hurry up and wait. You make the 6am appointment and your not unloaded till after lunch. Now comes time for the re-load...the truck is late because of the previous appointment. The viscious cycle starts all over.

Mercury_Challenger

I have been in the trucking industry for years. Its about the most simple business you can be in and make large profits, and any person with a level head can do it and earn a very good living. We happen to be in the food service business, and we pass a per piece base rate on fuel surcharges, when fuel gets to this point now, we actually come out smelling like a rose believe it or not. Our fuel surcharges alone are more than enough to cover the entire purchase of the fuel to cover the entire load. Not all people in the trucking industry have it made like this though........and they are the ones hurting right now. I'd say that about half of the independent/private trucking industry has very little to no fuel surcharge program. This tears into profits like no tomorrow. However, I will say that being in business you have to make the right decisions, and a bunch of us don't do that which puts us right where we are today.....guys that want to be owner operators and had little to no experience in the trucking business. Freightlinner has got to the point that if you breathe, they will put you in a truck with no money down and even line you up some freight to haul. These guys are getting robbed every single day, working for 95 cent to a $1 a mile. With fuel going up, truck payments, and a guy trying to actually have a life with a home, wife, and a few toys has become a thing of the past. Some company drivers earn way more than they do when you figure in benefits. So.....I'd never go on strike and loose my contracts to some other guy waiting in line to take them. I'll keep rolling and going, but I do support the few out there that have decided to strike/shut-down, something needs to be done.

I also agree with what was stated about some guys and idiling trucks.........when they take a break for 10 hours a guy deserves a chance to get good comfortable sleep and rest. I don't expect a driver to sit in a truck with no heat or A/C when it is needed. I also would think most responsible drivers shut their trucks down as much as they can, but some don't and never will. We check idle time, last month we had one with 470 hours of idle time for the month.....this truck runs all day routes and it was no excuse for it period. Anyhoo, problem was resolved and the driver sleeps before coming to work now rather than on the road.

As far as the truck generators go......they are useless. Toooo many problems with them. We had two units installed with them for a trial period with two very good drivers, had so many issues it was funny. They can just idle as far as I am concerned, not one person can convince me they will save you money in the long run. You might at best over several years break even with them, but you want save much.

Mercury_Challenger

I agree fully, we have folks with college degrees driving here with us......reason being is that can't make enough in their college major field of employment to even come close to what they can earn driving a truck. The old days of folks driving trucks were thugs and criminals is over, those days are history. There is a bunch of responsibilty to driving a truck now, especially if you own it yourself. Just remember........everything you purchase was hauled on a truck at some point, with-out trucks, we'd have a poor society.

Chris Sunkin

The "Dumb truck drivers" comment was just blatantly ignorant.

bgchuby01

JB needs to remember that every last thing he has in hs home or at work was dellivered by trucks. Oh well

bowtie

The dumb trucker comment was the dumbest comment on this thread, but we all make dumb comments on the internet, especially after a few beers. Most trucking companies are getting the fuel surcharge, many times more than is justified. I just don't see a strike working, who's going to strike? The company drivers, who don't care what fuel costs, or the owner operator who pays a rather large payment on his truck, insurance and still has to feed a family.

JB4Boyne

I've been in the trucking business for 30 years and have over 4 million accident free miles behind me. So you can say I have been around the block a time or two. I'm sorry to the ones that took offence about the dumb trucker comment. I was hopping you didn't put yourself in that category. I was referring to the dumb ones. And unless you just fell of the turnip truck you should know the ones I'm referring to.
If not, the next time you are in a truck stop open your eyes and really pay attention. When you pull in, notice how many times the enter/exit sign has been run over. Look at the garbage that the drivers dumped out of their windows the night before in the middle of the parking lot. When you step out of your truck take a deep breath and smell the pizz in the air. On your way into the building count and see how many trucks are sitting there running even if they don't need heat or air. Careful, don't trip over that pizz bottle. Once your inside go listen to the guys talking in the drivers lounge, then head into the bathroom and look at all the graffiti on the walls. That North Carolina Camel Jockey sure gets around. Watch the guys that don't wash their hands after coming out of a stall and then head straight to the buffet. On your way back out look at all the trucks that have cracked fenders and scared up trailers. Now it's time to get back on the big road, but you can't because some guy went around the ramp to fast and his load shifted and he laid it on it's side. OR did he lay it on it's side and then the load shifted?
As your sitting there waiting for the wrecker to clean things up you hear real smart statements like "I ain't wearing any panties" or "shut up stupid"
There is such a demand for truck drivers in the U.S. that these companies are scraping the bottom of the barrel for guys to fill the seats. In as little as 2 weeks they can recruit some guy that can't even spell truck and have him behind the wheel driving a truck with 45,000 lbs in the box or on the deck running 80 mph along side your family.
There is a lot of money to be made in the trucking industry and the smart ones are making it. You just have to watch what your doing and do it right.
I'm sorry if I offended anyone but I thought you would all know the type I was referring to.

JB4Boyne

[QUOTE=As far as the truck generators go......they are useless. Toooo many problems with them. We had two units installed with them for a trial period with two very good drivers, had so many issues it was funny. They can just idle as far as I am concerned, not one person can convince me they will save you money in the long run. You might at best over several years break even with them, but you want save much.[/QUOTE]

We have been using the Pro Heat generators on 7 trucks since 1992 and love them. New trucks every 4 years and switch the generators to the next truck. New generators every 8 years. With proper P.M. we have never had a problem with them. Do the math and see the savings.
Carrier bought out Pro Heat because they were the best and Carrier couldn't beat them so they bought them out. Same exact unit, it just has the Carrier name on it now. Give them a try.
The government even has a 450 lbs allowance for APU's

I heard the government has implemented some kind of grant for companies to install them.
Again, I just heard that so you would have to do some research.

Chart

JB4Boyne: In reading your posts over the past few days, I never thought you were calling all truck drivers dumb. There are dumb truck drivers, and if they were mailmen, they's be dumb mailmen, and if they were secretaries, they'd be dumb secretaries, etc etc etc.

To those that made claims like "everything you get comes by truck, so therefor your should...." please, stop glamorizing it. Drivers don't get into it for patriotic or self-sacrificing-for-the-greater-good-reasons. It's a career path they chose because they like something about it, just as most of us choose our careers. It's harder than some, and easier than others.

My father retired from the trucking industry; he was good to it and it was good to him. There is a difference between professional truck drivers and guys who drive trucks. I'm glad to share the road with professional truck drivers, they are about the best drivers out there. But running a business profitably is more than just doing the core activity well, no matter if it's driving, doctoring, wiring, baking, farming. Sounds like Boyne's got both sides figured out; good for him.

As for his other comments of actions at the truck stops: that's just scummy people acting like jerks. Too bad it only takes a few to cause big damage.

fountain1fan

ok smart guy tell that to the truckers going in the hole every day because of fuel coast .i jest lover smat people . you should run for president you would solve all our money problems .