Hey everybody, sorry I haven't been on here in a while.
never sign anything !!! in fact, file a grievance on the matter. they have been pushing us out of the yard in the morning also. 25 min for pre trip. 35 for post at the end of the day. just remember, its your livelihood, not syscos. take as much time to do a proper safe pre trip. bleed the brakes, check lug nuts, etc.
I'm about 3-4 months into the job. I don't really know what to think. Some days are good. I don't mind the working hard. In fact, I really enjoy it....but there are lots of bad days. Or bad moments in days. And I've never been a complainer and this isn't complaining...it's more just kind of amazement as how incompetent such a big company can be. I shouldn't be shocked though. After all I did work for JB Hunt for 8 years.
A few things that have really bummed me out and might have me looking elsewhere:
-I got "written up" the other day for the drivecam going off on our yard while a helper was in my truck without his seatbelt on. I was told in training that we weren't required to wear seatbelts on the yard. I told my supervisor I thought it was a joke and signed the "write up" anyway. It just left me with a foul taste in my mouth for this outfit. I also had a guy who's been here 20 years tell me he got written up a few weeks back for being on the yard doing his pre-trip for 40 minutes, which was deemed too long. I guess what bums me out is that we all know how nearly impossible and hard this job is...so why mess with people for no reason? I know it's a very minor thing and getting "written up" isn't a big deal, but just the fact that they would waste my time like this really had me wanting to quit for about a week.
-these trucks are loaded so incompetently it defies any sort of reasoning. Every day I've got a pallet of chemicals and 20 boxes for stops 5 through 15 in front of everything else I have to get to. It's almost like I can hear the trailer whispering at me to break my ankle. Then there's the single piece that isn't loaded on the right pallet and is in fact 2 pallets behind it. I've stopped digging for that piece. I've been sending that piece back with a note that says "loaded on wrong pallet, sent back on return truck". They can fire me if they want. I'm not going to dig 2 pallets back for one piece and risk an injury and 30 minutes time because it was screwed up at the warehouse.
-About a month ago the "fastest guy in the company" (according to everyone I talk to on my yard, about 10-12 drivers) went out with a hernia injury. Guess who's been running that route for the last month? Me, the new guy. Without a lift gate every day. Like I said, I like the hard work, and in fact I enjoy it.....but these times they put on the invoices are absolutely insane. They just completely make them up right? I mean I know they say they average the drivers that do the stops....but as far as I can tell they'll adjust the times to whatever fits their needs for the day. Sometimes I'll have a small stop that is like 10-12 cases and it'll give me 6 minutes. And I need to back into a dock, find the kitchen person, get the bill signed, etc. It's just stupid.
I've been doing pretty good if I can analyze myself. I had my doubts about my own ability in the beginning, but I've been running that route every day for a month and most days I end up an hour or so behind at the end of the day, but I really do consider that a hell of a job considering I'm trying to keep up with the fastest guy in the company who was so fast that he won't be back until February. pretty much get 550-700 cases a day and 10-15 stops.
All in all, I like the job itself, but the routing, warehouse, and management are a total joke and really no different...possibly worse...than a company like JB Hunt.
They had a guy who broke his finger last Friday ride with me on Monday and Tuesday this week. This was because I told one of the other drivers at the end of a day I didn't know how long I'd be with this company if things didn't change (I was annoyed at the end of a 15 hour day)...and he told my supervisor on my behalf....so they gave me help for 2 days....a guy with a broken finger who couldn't do any work. It made me feel good to know if I break a bone they'll try to stick me out in a truck. Like I said, this place is pretty ridiculous.
But yeah...I like the actual job of it. the money is nice. It isn't "great"...I mean it is...but for the work required to make that money I think it's probably just "good." Seems like most of the guys who have bought into the evil ways big time are the ones most addicted to the money. Thankfully I learned a few years back that dollar bills aren't all they're cracked up to be. We'll see how it goes here. At least I'm pretty good with a hand cart now. I said I'd give it 6 months-1 year in the beginning and I plan to stick by that. All the guys that have been here a while have been telling me "it's as bad as it's ever been right now." Lucky me.