More and more, I hear brand new truck drivers contemplating the lease purchase programs many companies are now advocating. It never ceases to amaze me how these companies will target new drivers. Swift Transportation and Prime Trucking are two of the most aggressive lease purchase companies out there, but it seems all of the companies have jumped on the band wagon.

After all, why wouldn’t a trucking company want to pass along the costs of fuel, purchasing a truck, truck maintenance, truck insurance, permits and health insurance? Not to mention, they no longer are expected to provide a 401k plan with company match. And they get to charge the driver much higher prices than market value for a truck that won’t be worth much at the end of the lease.
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Tags: Truck Drivers

If ever there was a guardian angel disguised as a trucker, he drives a sod truck in North Carolina.

I was on the road alone to give my husband some much needed R&R at the house. I had confidence in our truck–it was well maintained and in good running order. What I was unsure about was the trailer we were dragging around.

The company we were leased to at that time required us to pull their trailer. We were responsible for maintenance on the trailers, but they were somewhat jerry-rigged. We had routine maintenance done at various truck stops and truck shops, but you can only do so much with what you’re given. The trailers were old. Rumor had it they were not designed for over-the-road use, but were supposed to haul freight locally to and from rail yards. They had been converted to carhaul trailers, and, considering their humble beginnings, they did a bang up job.
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We have been trucking for 11 years and counting. Back when we were first starting to look for a trucking job, J.B. Hunt and Schneider had a reputation for hiring anyone. They were a sure thing if you wanted to get stared with a job in trucking. Both companies ran cab over trucks. You could hear all kinds of drivers yelling at the newbie in the J.B. Hunt truck or telling Schneider to get it in gear.

Nowadays, J.B. Hunt has re-vamped their hiring policies and now pays for experienced drivers. Neither J.B. nor Schneider uses cab over trucks- you’ll see them using Freightliner Century class trucks. Nowadays, you are as likely to see seasoned drivers working for them as drivers with little or no experience. But, back then it was a different story.
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I am a trucker’s wife. But I’m also a trucker. As such, I am in a unique position to know what it’s like to be married to a truck driver AND what it’s like to BE a truck driver.

A trucker’s wife may want to be a help to her husband when he’s on the road and also be a blessing to him when he is home. But without an understanding of what it’s like to be a truck driver, she may misunderstand some aspects of the job. And the trucker husband, being a man, generally doesn’t know how to voice his needs.
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We’ve all seen them on freeway ramps and in trash-filled corners: bottles filled with a yellowish-brown liquid. Pee bottles. Just the thing the roadside trash clean-up volunteers want to deal with, I’m sure.

As much as I hate to admit it, the vast majority of them are left there by truck drivers.

I think it’s as disgusting as any other normal person does, but I also understand why someone would need to pee in a bottle. You see, I’ve been a truck driver for more than a decade and I’ve been in situations where, well, I just couldn’t hold it any more.
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Tags: Pee Bottles