sgt

[peter172]

Hello again I was wondering if anyone has ever worked for sgt.
this is one of the companies that I am looking at.
they say they need drivers for eastern seabord runs.
I've been reading all the posts on here and it sounds like the trucking industry is in dire straights indeed and what I would specifically like to know is will I get the miles if i'm willing to do long haul for them?

[ralph]

Running the eastern seaboard is probably the least desireable area to run for most drivers. If that's what you are willing to do they MAY have room for you though drivers may come to realize that if that's all there is they may take those runs.

The biggest problem with running east is the traffic. If you can get over that and have LOTS and LOTS of patience then you'll do OK. Carry food/water with you, truck parking is always @ a premium.

Good luck to ya! If you can handle that you'll ALWAYS have work!

[peter172]

Thank you for the input ralph.
I knew there had to be a catch.
I was hoping to do runs to california and back but can't seem to find a company that's offering that for new drivers (and i'm not surprised )
the more I find out about trucking the more happy I am with my reasonable paying forklift job.
this economy thing stinks ,thanx george bush.

[maan]

Company's profile (http://www.sgt2000.com/Entreprise/Profil.aspx)

[bikerboy]

the more I find out about trucking the more happy I am with my reasonable paying forklift job.


I will trade you in a second, driving forklift beats trucking any day of the week. Thats the kind of job i want, predicatble hours and pay, and less stress, and no matter what happens, once quiting time comes around, you go home and worry about any problems tomorrow!

trucking sucks and will always suck.

[ROADHUGGER]

Any JOB will / can / likely does " SUCK " if you allow it too.

[peter172]

Well my forklift job kind of sucks but mostly because its boring (not much to do.)
but I have an interview with ups on tuesday for a shunting job.
keeping my fingers crossed for that one.
it would be a good way to get experience.

[bikerboy]

driving get boring as sh!t too, all you do is sit and steer for hours and hours and hours, my highlight of the day is when i get to actually do something like loading and unloading and tarping, i actually enjoy that more than driving.

[FLHT Ron]

Peter172, how many times do you get pulled into customs on your forklift? How many times do you get pulled over by the MTO/DOT on your forklift? How many times have you driven your forklift in heavy traffic or bad weather? How many times has your forklift needed repairs and you couldn't deliver a load on time? How many times have you had to sleep on the back of your forklift while another forklift is on high idle right next to you. How many charges for overweight loads have you got on your forklift? How many times have you had to weight for your load on your forklift? How much paperwork(circle checks log books, customs paperwork,) do you have to do on your forklift? How many long distance phone calls do you have to make home to check on your wife or kids do you have to make on your forklift?


I could go on but I will not. Just remember the old saying, "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence."


Just my 2cents worth!!!


Ron

[peter172]

I undurstannd a lot of poeple have a "hate on" for trucking on this site but I would just like to at the very least get the money back for the trucking school I went to the ups job is shunting and only part time so I won't be going through any scales and it seems like a good way to earn an extra few bucks with little risk.
I just wish that I would have found this site before I went and spent the money on the school and I wish that everyone would stop lying about how great trucking is (mostly the truck schools).

[bikerboy]

I would take the shunting job.


Think of trucking this way, i have friends who are working in carpentry and machine shops, they work about half the hours i do in trucking, and they make almost as much as i do at the end of the week.

everyone thinks there lots of money in trucking, but when you figure it out it takes 70-80 hours a week to get that money, its really not that good when you figure it out hourly.

Most milage and percentage pays suck, cuz the only way you make they big money is working insane hours, now hourly jobs are a little better, if you can find anything that pays around 25 an hour for 40 hours a week that would be perfect and thats really what a driver should be paid and expected to work per week. But that will never happen


And trucking is the worst i have seen yet for me, i have been home for over a week and a half with no work to do, i just applied to EI. So even if a place like SGT hires you now, you will be sitting alot.

[peter172]

thanx for the advice bikerboy.
I hope things get better for you.

[FLHT Ron]

Oh yeah, the recruiters and trucking schools will tell you that you're a paid tourist. Well I haven't seen any sites that are worth taking pictures of. I've seen the loading docks of Louisville Kentucky but I've never seen Churchill Downs. I've seen the loading docks of Baltimore Maryland but I've never seen the Mason-Dixon Line. I've seen the loading docks of Chicago Illinois but I've never seen Wrigley Field. Hell I could go to the industry area of my city and see the same sites I've seen without going through all of the BS.

[bikerboy]

the only thing i have seen that was worthwhile was the las vegas strip casinos and las vegas speedway, me and another driver were there and had time to spare so bobtailed down and walked the strip and checked out casinos and also bobtailed to vegas speedway and took a tour.

every other place i have been was just another shipper or receiver

[maan]

Most milage and percentage pays suck, cuz the only way you make they big money is working insane hours, now hourly jobs are a little better, if you can find anything that pays around 25 an hour for 40 hours a week that would be perfect and thats really what a driver should be paid and expected to work per week. But that will never happen.

It's already happening.

[ROADHUGGER]

Talk with any RECRUITER in any field and they paint a very NICE PICTURE not only in TRUCKING.

BB as for it taking 70 - 80 hours to make a weeks salary thats BS , you seem to count all the HOURS your away from home.

Go get a job on construction that pays $25.00 / hour and have to work out of town ( away from home ) do you count EVERYHOUR your away , no you count the hours worke basically your 40 hour work week ( 32 ) in a union trade.

[bikerboy]

Talk with any RECRUITER in any field and they paint a very NICE PICTURE not only in TRUCKING.

BB as for it taking 70 - 80 hours to make a weeks salary thats BS , you seem to count all the HOURS your away from home.

Go get a job on construction that pays $25.00 / hour and have to work out of town ( away from home ) do you count EVERYHOUR your away , no you count the hours worke basically your 40 hour work week ( 32 ) in a union trade.

I have logged over 74 hours in a week before, and i acutally was onduty more then that, so 60-70 hours on duty per week is normal for me, and thats too much for me

[ROADHUGGER]

BB its quite apparent other than the SHINY truck syndrome you do not like trucking.

[bikerboy]

BB its quite apparent other than the SHINY truck syndrome you do not like trucking.

Ya i really don't like it anymore, i want to work monday-friday 10-14 hours a day and every saturday and sunday off. Why should i have to work wknds and insane hours just to make the same as my buddys who work in a shop or factory?? The hours required and all the free waiting time, just do not seem worth it to me.

And if trucking can't provide this simple request i am getting out of it.
maybe get into a welding job, no wknds and work 4-5 days a week 44-60 hours a week. sounds alot better than trucking.

[ROADHUGGER]

Look around those GREAT Factory or Shop jobs are closing up pretty fast , which means theres going to be that many more looking for the welding jobs that are also drying up.

[bikerboy]

that may be, but once things get back to normal, welding will always be a good job, and trucking will still suck, just imagine the 4-6 hour line ups at port huron michigan once things pick up again. i am not looking forward to that at all.

But it will happen since the customs guys there have no clue how to quicky move trucks on through.

[Drifter]

Say what you will trucking has been good to me and still is, in my hourly paid Ontario only job.

New drivers really need to realise recruiters like load brokers are bottom feeders in this industry. Stay off the bottom and away from them and you will be better off

[bikerboy]

hourly is the key word, not nearly enough carriers pay hourly, which they should be, they easily could too, but would rather not.

[peter172]

I have been a welder for 12 years and I would like to tell every one that it sucks!
it is a thankless dead end job and I really doubt it is any better than trucking.
maby you work less hours but you have to deal with an *****&*!@le boss and similar co-workers.
maby there is a better trade and if there is I would love to know about it (I'm thinking plumbing) but welding sucks *****.

[truckermanitoba]

until you get tw0 years of safe driving no accidents tickets were you work is very limited.been their. if you want to run to california you should think about move to calgary.from their lots componys go back and forth.from ontario lots work into the eastern seaboard.if want to run team have a chance to run west the componys alaways looking for teams as not many want to run teams.

[Pipeman]

hourly is the key word, not nearly enough carriers pay hourly, which they should be, they easily could too, but would rather not.
What made you pick trucking ??????

[bikerboy]

What made you pick trucking ??????

i only started trucking cuz i do still like to drive, i just don;t like all the BS that goes along with trucking