Nov 5, 2012

Venting....

I know..... it has been awhile!

So I am sitting here in my little motel room for the night and I can't help but wonder if my job just went to shit.

I have been hauling cars 14  months now, and have had very few altercations. The only thing that notably stands out is the time a co-worker cut straps on my load to get back at me for something that was out of my control to begin with. I have managed to stay out of the politics and bickering for the most part. I am reasonably content... Or I was.

My first boss was awesome. He knew his job. He kept me loaded and made me good money. I never had a problem with him. I ended up in somewhat of a routine and could easily plan out my week. But, alas, he was fired. The new crew stepped in and even though they had no previous knowledge of the car hauling industry, I  once again was able to get into a groove, make money and stay very content. But their lack of knowledge essentially caught up with them and they were also banished from the kingdom.

New Bosses enter the picture, along with the politics of the game. The terminal I am assigned to is now running on a forced central dispatch system. To be honest, this causes me a bit of anxiety. The way I worked in the past, if a load was available for an area I preferred, I could grab it and essentially know what would be in store for me the next few days. I was in a sweet little groove. Now, I am sent wherever someone else sees fit. Yeah, I know, tough shit! But it just seems to me that if trucks are making money, and drivers are happy, why not let them continue on the routes they prefer. So last week, it started. No more choosing the areas I wanted. I was able to work my way back into Greer, hoping they would leave me alone with the routes I have been running the past few months, but that didn't happen. I was assigned a load that would finish up in Syracuse. Normally this would not have been a problem, except for the minor discontent in running new areas and not knowing where my head would hit the pillow at night. The major discontent came from the fact that I had asked to be home on a specific date next week for a family function. I gave them 10 days notice for my desired arrival at home. The Syracuse load would have me scrambling to find my way home. I asked for Ohio or Kentucky because that would leave me plenty of wiggle room. Nope, no Ohio or Kentucky.. Not that there weren't any loads going there. Just not for me. Head to the Upstate. So with that in mind, I told them I was going to have to reset my hours over the weekend, hoping they would throw me a bone and hand over my desired run. Of course, I loaded for New York... After doing a reset and getting all cars delivered this morning, I was told to head to Buffalo and grab a load to Queens, NY. What the hell????

I wouldn't be able to load until Tuesday morning because of the business hours. I wouldn't be able to unload until Wednesday due to business hours. That would put me reloading Wednesday afternoon/evening if everything fell perfectly into place. Now, if I load in New York on Wednesday afternoon, how the hell am I supposed to be empty and home on Thursday. Then there is the imperfect scenario in which they couldn't find me a load south until Thursday... You get the idea. So, I called to remind them I was suppose to be at home....

As it turns out, this is all my fault. First, supposedly the reset threw off my schedule. BULLSHIT!! The 34 hour reset only set me back 2 hours, because the cars could not be delivered until Monday morning anyways. "Oh well, it wasn't the reset that hurt you. It was that we didn't know you needed a reset" BULLSHIT.... I sent messages early on Friday mentioning a reset in hopes that I could get something other than Syracuse... I was told that if they knew I needed a reset that I could have gotten the Ohio or Kentucky that I had asked for. BULLSHIT!! I told them 8 hours before I loaded that I would be taking a reset...

I am sooooooo frustrated. Not with this particular exchange or the way this week is shaping up. Yes, I still need to get home and there is still time. But the reason, I am frustrated is because I am fairly certain that I am now on the "shit list". Perhaps everyone is on the shit list? This is the first time I have asked for a specified date in 14 months. And the reasons they are giving me for the difficulty in getting me home are clever excuses based on knowledge they claim they didn't have... BULLSHIT, BULLSHIT, BULLSHIT!!!!! Yes, I do understand that everyone is heading northeast after last week's storm. Another reason that I did not want Syracuse, I didnt have time to play on the east coast.

Nothing pisses me off worse than lies, deceit and feigned ignorance... If this is the way the dispatch is going to be run, I fear I may experience an elevated level of discontent.. Now, again, if the trucks are making money and the drivers are happy..... WHY WOULD YOU CHANGE IT ?  I think I just became a truck number........

11 comments:

Jeffro said...

Well, if there's one thing I have learned over the years, there is always another job somewhere somehow for an experienced driver.

It's the finding one you like that is the problem. If your job is making you so pissed that it's affecting your health, time to move on.

Terry said...

That is not the case.... Just special circumstances this week.. I love my job, it has been a GREAT 14 months, I am just dreading any changes that may piss me off in the fututre.

Jeffro said...

Understood, and glad for ya.

Sure doesn't hurt to do some preemptive strikes yourself, which is what you seem to be doing!!!!

Bruce said...

super-friendly

Anonymous said...

Can you transfer to Warren, Mi?

Call Becky or Butch - Great people to work for. Always got me home when I needed.

Anonymous said...

Got the same problems I've dealt with before: new bosses who don't know the job.

philip said...

sounds' like homer is back.....

Banker said...

Terry if you don't mind driving your car home from Smyrna Tn on Friday or Saturday, Cassens is hiring. All strap trucks, people who would value a hard worker as you and they would pay you and treat you like a professional. Very few empty miles, lots of backhauls, except when you run a local. You probably wouldn't make less than $2,000 a week very often and a go getter as yourself could make more. Apply online and answer all questions with great honesty as that is the only way to get an interview. You are a skilled carhauler now and you are needed more than you need them!

Anonymous said...

Hi, I was considering making the move over to united road to learn the car haulin business. If I came over I 2owuld be out of the West Point, Ga terminal. I wanted to know what kind of hometime options i would have. I was told that I would be over the road and out about 2 weeks at a time, but since i lived in the Atlanta area that i could at least make it through the house every now and again. I also wanted to know as far as the trucks are concerned, what are the odds of getting a sleeper truck. The hotel does not sound bad, just some getting used to i guess. one last question are your runs more out and back or do you kinda run the system? thanks

Terry said...

In response to the last comment....

Working out of West Point, does not guarantee getting home often. They do want you out on the road 10-14 days. I have never done any loads that are out and back unless it was local work for Greensburg Oh. My experience in the past had been that I could get to WP once a week and would stop by the house. We have changed dispatchers recently and at the moment I have no idea what I am doing from one day to the next, which really sucks. I do know for a fact that Hansen & Adkins also has the West Point contract and they do run out and back regularly with chances for hometime several days a week. At least that is what their drivers tell me. As for now, living in the same area, I am only getting to the house for home time every 2-3 weeks ( my choice to work longer periods) with an occasional run down to WP... Sleeper trucks are few and far between. I hear the west cast division has a few. Otherwise, the sleepers belong to the owner operators. I wanted one too, but after a year, I find the motel living is actually not too bad. Hope any of this info helps with your decisions!

Anonymous said...

Thanks, i actually saw a sleeper truck headed up US 78 with a load of Mercedes Benz earlier today. Hansen & Adkins or Waggoners would be nice but i don't quite meet their experience requirements yet! but at least stopping by the house once a week wouldn't be so bad.