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You will figure out little things to help you make up time for instance don't dispatch until you are ready to pull out don't let the outbound sups talk you into dispatching you with the computer if they are late your trainer should have told you you have 30 min from the time you get your bills to be dispatched if they are late they are late it's not your job to make up time for them sometimes if they are actually trying and are having a hard time I will give them some time no more than 10 min but only if I can do so and still make my arrival time at my destination if not they are out of luck make sure they don't cheat on the close time on the bills if your cut is 20:00 your bills should say closed at 19:30 and make sure the trailer is physically closed a lot of times the will scan all the bills in the computer and close the trailer on time so they don't get in trouble but 10 min before your cut time the door is still up and they are still loading it. Be consistent don't stop no more tan you have to I run 600 mile a night I stop on the way use the bathroom and walk around a little takes me about 15 min on the way back I do the same sometime grab A 15 min power nap. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO STOP AND TAKE A NAP IF YOU NEED TO EVEN IF IT MAKES YOU A FEW MIN LATE as long as you don't make a habit of it nobody will say nothing just don't be ridiculously late then you will hear about it lol. Try to be first at the gate when you depart sometimes you get a slow gate guard and if your the third or fourth truck in line it can cost you 15 to 20 min easy . Arrive soon as you get on the yard unless you are ahead of schedule the unhook etc until it's your arrival time if you make a habit of arriving early they will shorten your run time . Be safe and be careful driver

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Some terminals are worse then others and all will at some point overaxle or overgross your trailer(s) or both. If your terminal has a scale, use it and don't be afraid to take an illegal load back to the dock. They may gripe because it will almost certainly mean a late departure but they can't say no. It's your CDL.
 
You will see that Saia has three styles of dollies, four if you have to use an old crank leg dolly. The newer ones are painted gray. I like them best because the hubs use synthetic grease and you don't have to worry about checking oil levels in the hubs. Also, they usually have their quick air release valve still working. Next are the blacks and the reds. Both use oil in the hubs but have different fifth wheels. The reds use the same fifthwheel as the grays but the blacks use a different style that I have never been able to trust fully. So, my personal preference is gray before red before black and then a crank leg. Always check the hub oil level before leaving the yard or the meet site. In fact, go by the local shop and get you a bottle to keep in the truck. You do not want to burn up a dolly by running a hub dry of oil.
 
Also, if you are in a yard with a mechanic shop and the oil level is low in the hub, let them check to make sure that the seal is intact. If you have a bad seal, whatever oil you put in is going to leak out. It's better to find out before leaving the yard then later. I believe someone has touched on this before, but, if you walk away from your truck and trailer(s), then recheck your connections.
 
I always take any gear before a black gear. We have had 3 drops on the road in the last year and safety always blames the driver. They were always the black gear. Computer shows one weight and the paperwork shows a differant weight, I had the set backwards according to the paperwork, but good if I went by the computer. Wait as long as you can to log into the Vnomics too. That will save a great amount of time also. Good Luck..
 
Thnx and also being a newbie do they have a list or something of the meet points seems like there's more meet points I'll be doing oppose to just going terminal to terminal and as always appreciate all yall input.
 
First week in the city..........Stayed very busy and productive.........It's easy to see why Saia has a great operation ratio. I'm very happy to be part of the Saia team.
 
Thnx and also being a newbie do they have a list or something of the meet points seems like there's more meet points I'll be doing oppose to just going terminal to terminal and as always appreciate all yall input.

when you login to the Employee Information Center look on left for Terminal / Meet information and you will find all info on your destination
 
How would I fare if I came on at Saia in Dallas? As long as I wouldn't starve and had a decent schedule I'd be okay. What do you think? City or Linehaul?
 
additionally, and I say this with the utmost respect and I have very little knowledge of freight, but I always hear the city to be "backbreaking." How is this so? What does hard work in the freight business mean? I've been in foodservice for about 5 years and I'm currently at a really easy company and make more than most food guys, so I'm used to 14 hour days. What I want to know is what would make for a "backbreaking" day at Saia.
 
Well I work line haul and I really love it. I don't know about the city driving part maybe somewhere will chyme in and tell u about city but as line haul I go from terminal to terminal or meet another driver at a truck stop or Walmart and swap loads. It's not back breaking or anything but u got to hook them pups up and get on down the road cause they be waiting on your load over all I love working here and Saia is a good company. I'm glad I came on board. The drivers here are real helpful i couldn't have made it this far without them
 
But I think u will fare well but u won't have a schedule or bid run but u would be a system driver but i do pretty good as a stem driver I get good miles and fill in whenever another driver go on vacation I'll run his schedule sometimes like I'm doing this week.
 
Senior drivers get bid runs and whatever runs that's left in the system we get it could go anywhere but usually it's a out and back at least that's what it's been for me I usually spend 1 maybe 2 nights away from home a week then again u might be home every night
 
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