IPOD
RADIO
I'm not too happy with the new job. There's huge earning potential, but a whole slew of disadvantages. Primarily among them the feeling that I'm constantly on the verge of injury. "The way things work" at Frito-Lay makes no sense to me. Engineering maximum cubic capacity seems to take precedence over what would be safer. Moving freight on a hand-truck is no big deal. Moving freight stacked twice as high as the (already height-extended) hand-truck is ridiculously difficult.
And honestly, odd hours would not bother me so much if there was some consistency to it. There isn't... at least not for someone at the bottom. I may work from 6am-9pm one day, then 4pm-4am the next day. Then midnight-10am the day after that.
Anyhow, the job is more about handling freight than it is about driving. But you're accountable for everything of course. And the constantly changing hours make it really difficult to stay alert. Add to all this the fact that they do not have enough tractors, so many are constantly being used. You bring one in... it's fueled up and someone else is already waiting to take it out again. And some of the trailers are well beyond the age they SHOULD be retired. If you miss virtually ANY defect in a post-trip inspection you're written up for it. Now honestly, inspections are part of a driver's duties anywhere... but they're being Nazi about it. If the equipment was actually given better preventative maintenance, they wouldn't be falling apart nearly so much.
All in all, it is brutal. And I hurt.
The temptation of $70k + is quickly losing it's appeal. I feel it is likely that I wont stick with this job if I can find something else that ISN'T going back to over-the-road. I've already started looking for alternatives. Even going through the annoying rigmarole of getting certified for doubles/triples (not that I'm excited about doing that kind of work but it opens up many more options). And getting fingerprinted by the Dept. of Homeland Security so I can have a hazardous materials endorsement.
And honestly, odd hours would not bother me so much if there was some consistency to it. There isn't... at least not for someone at the bottom. I may work from 6am-9pm one day, then 4pm-4am the next day. Then midnight-10am the day after that.
Anyhow, the job is more about handling freight than it is about driving. But you're accountable for everything of course. And the constantly changing hours make it really difficult to stay alert. Add to all this the fact that they do not have enough tractors, so many are constantly being used. You bring one in... it's fueled up and someone else is already waiting to take it out again. And some of the trailers are well beyond the age they SHOULD be retired. If you miss virtually ANY defect in a post-trip inspection you're written up for it. Now honestly, inspections are part of a driver's duties anywhere... but they're being Nazi about it. If the equipment was actually given better preventative maintenance, they wouldn't be falling apart nearly so much.
All in all, it is brutal. And I hurt.
The temptation of $70k + is quickly losing it's appeal. I feel it is likely that I wont stick with this job if I can find something else that ISN'T going back to over-the-road. I've already started looking for alternatives. Even going through the annoying rigmarole of getting certified for doubles/triples (not that I'm excited about doing that kind of work but it opens up many more options). And getting fingerprinted by the Dept. of Homeland Security so I can have a hazardous materials endorsement.
