Car Talk 6: Best of times and Worst of Times

[Tar]

I managed to bump my current rates 9% for me and my subcontractors, and that's after a few years of being maxed out and not moving. This year I spread my wings and picked up an additional contract with a manufacturer of a product that didn’t have Canadian representation, so my company is their new Canadian service group now, and so far I can see it bringing in an extra 50-60K, 1/3 of which will be spent on extra labor so that's a really nice bump which will cover me for inflation and higher mortgage rates. Treated myself to a Cammie lol, Interesting times.

[goIftdibrad]

Driving Truck for Wal Mart for $9200 a month sounds pretty pretty good compared to some days of my jerb.

To all of those people who are bitching about never being able to break the cycle of poverty, here is your answer.

PREACH BROTHER.

[goIftdibrad]

I’m still making less than I was 3 years ago not adjusted for inflation. Don’t even care.

Promotion and a pretty fat bonus helped ease the burn.

I’ll probably start looking again in about 2 years.

Im almost back to what i was pre-pandemic before i took the cut to move to TN. They gave me a super generous bump at my fist eval of like 8%.

I too, don't even care. Now that the kid is shitting in a toilet life is good af. I would say this is about the happiest I've been in life up to now.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

I’m still making less than I was 3 years ago not adjusted for inflation. Don’t even care.

Promotion and a pretty fat bonus helped ease the burn.

I’ll probably start looking again in about 2 years.

Im almost back to what i was pre-pandemic before i took the cut to move to TN. They gave me a super generous bump at my fist eval of like 8%.

I too, don't even care. Now that the kid is shitting in a toilet life is good af. I would say this is about the happiest I've been in life up to now.

Damn dude.

[D Griff]

Flyover country trucks do 70+ ZFG. Fuel is cheap, roads are flat, With distribution centers generally very close to highways, I bet avg speeds are pretty high.

You still gotta piss and shit at some point no? It really destroys the averages. Occasional traffic etc.

50 MPH average speed is pretty dang quick. I primarily use the Beemah for highway road trips and the average is at like 22 or so after not being reset for a long while.

FWIW when I was Bang Bussing I was supposed to keep log books and follow the mandates. Max hours in a 24 hour period were 14, and then when you hit I think 50 hours of driving, you have to take 24 off consecutively. Most big trucks now will have an automated tracker in them to handle the logging. If you get pulled over without logs you can get into a lot of trouble, like five figure tickets.

[D Griff]

alright since everyone is a super duper pissless camel here and would never stop. Feel free to look at average trucking speeds. They were square in my estimates based on my research so feel free to prove me .

These dudes put in long hours. 11 hrs driving every 24 hrs. Which is really fucking long... And that doesn't account for loading and unloading etc. I can totally see someone "working" 80 hrs a week in this profession while being away from home that entire time.

11-Hour Driving Limit: a driver is allowed to drive a maximum of 11 hours following 10 consecutive hours off duty.
14-Hour Limit: a driver may not drive beyond the 14th consecutive hour after coming on duty (which comes after 10 hours off duty). Additional off-duty time does not extend the 14 hours.
30-Minute Driving Break: a driver must take a 30-minute break when they have driven for 8 cumulative hours without at least a 30-minute interruption.
60/70-Hour Limit: a driver may not drive after 60/70 hours on duty in seven/eight consecutive days. They can start this period again following 34 or more consecutive hours off duty

60 hrs a week is still a lot. Especially since that is SPENT DRIVING. And you're still away from home with a load.

I spend 50-60 hours at a fucking desk in my basement now. I might get 30 min for lunch a day MAYBE.

I'd 100% rather spend that on the road. I don't care about being home...but my wife does. It certainly takes the right person, it's not for everyone nor is it for someone who wants/needs to be home for various reasons, relationships, etc. Yes, she and i have discussed me taking a regional trucker job that got me at home on the weekends. I'd make more than I do now, but it would be too taxing on my relationship to be gone all week. If something happened to her, it's what I'd do in an instant.

There's no easy buck in life. Truckers make a lot because they sacrifice a lot.

man, kind of easy for a desk jockey to say they'd rather be driving truck, but it is indeed very hard. I'd say I've come a lot closer to this than anyone else here, although mine was cushy - fly home on the weekends or enjoy them wherever I happened to be on the company dime, sleep in hotels, eat at restaurants. I also split the time - it was probably one third driving, one third meeting with customers/demoing products, one third maintaining the truck and equipment.

The reality is, you're alone doing something very boring for a lot of hours. Most of the time, you're not driving through UT, CO, other areas with nice scenery. You have to sleep in a fucking truck that you also spend all of your work day in - imagine working remote in a 150 sq. ft. studio apartment that you can't really leave, you sleep, eat, everything in there. You have to piss/shit in gas stations, shower in gas stations. You can only eat Denny's, Subway, and McDonald's. You have nowhere to exercise unless you want to go for runs at truck stops, which are almost always in shitty places on roads with no sidewalks.

I agree that they deserve the pretty big pay they get, it is no walk in the park.

[max225]

The only automotive thing that is worth while that has happened since the craprolla

[Johnny_P]

I’m still making less than I was 3 years ago not adjusted for inflation. Don’t even care.

Promotion and a pretty fat bonus helped ease the burn.

I’ll probably start looking again in about 2 years.

Im almost back to what i was pre-pandemic before i took the cut to move to TN. They gave me a super generous bump at my fist eval of like 8%.

I too, don't even care. Now that the kid is shitting in a toilet life is good af. I would say this is about the happiest I've been in life up to now.

Oh nice
A year in and I got promoted which was a 10% bump so that’s cool but still kind of eh given inflation. Accounting for inflation in way under what I was prior to leaving oil.

But right I mean, I’m happy. I hated working for the refineries and things are a lot better now. A company that gives a shit, good work conditions, respected at the office. And it’s not like I’m poor or anything.

[Desertbreh]

I’m still making less than I was 3 years ago not adjusted for inflation. Don’t even care.

Promotion and a pretty fat bonus helped ease the burn.

I’ll probably start looking again in about 2 years.

Im almost back to what i was pre-pandemic before i took the cut to move to TN. They gave me a super generous bump at my fist eval of like 8%.

I too, don't even care. Now that the kid is shitting in a toilet life is good af. I would say this is about the happiest I've been in life up to now.

Simple pleasures

[SAWCE]

The health sacrifice of being in a truck for 60 hrs/week is too great IMO. I'm on that idea personally.

constant sitting is horrible for you. I get up from my desk as often as possible, even if it’s just a quick stretch. Once our shit shows up here in OR, I’ll be buying an adjustable desk so I can stand for 5-10 minutes every hour while I’m working on top of the short walks I take after two of my three meals I eat while working.

[D Griff]

The health sacrifice of being in a truck for 60 hrs/week is too great IMO. I'm on that idea personally.

constant sitting is horrible for you. I get up from my desk as often as possible, even if it’s just a quick stretch. Once our shit shows up here in OR, I’ll be buying an adjustable desk so I can stand for 5-10 minutes every hour while I’m working on top of the short walks I take after two of my three meals I eat while working.

I wouldn't mind standing some while working but the idea of a full on standing desk is a for me. I feel like my feet would hurt.

I tend to get up and move around a little at least a couple of times an hour, I typically pace while I'm on the phone, which is a decent bit of my day as well.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

I bought a power stand up desk from Costco in December, but rarely use it standing because my computer and monitor are too low when I'm standing vs. sitting. I just get up frequently, but need to work on using the standing functionality of the desk more.

[max225]

https://www.yahoo.com/autos/cars-highes ... 38879.html

This list is nuts some people are paying 10k over for a GLADIATOR which is already 50-60k... 70k for a fking gladiator.

[max225]

https://sacramento.craigslist.org/cto/d ... 52169.html

This seems pretty darn nice... Dare I say "worth it"?

[Desertbreh]

https://sacramento.craigslist.org/cto/d ... 52169.html

This seems pretty darn nice... Dare I say "worth it"?

Google says the MSRP of that truck was $20,500.00.

You had the very best brand new version of that truck and ditched it because the power sucked.

You STILL OWN the pizza delivery version of that truck.

It's time to move on.

[max225]

for sure.

Also Original list price for a 1970 Plymouth Superbird was $4,298

[Desertbreh]

for sure.

Also Original list price for a 1970 Plymouth Superbird was $4,298

If you are comparing a limited production pinnacle of the entire muscle car era that went 160 mph whilst wiping out the ozone layer with dual quad Hemi fumes to a mass produced featureless 4X4 pickup whose only outstanding feature is "outstanding reliability"............I'll let you have that one.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

https://sacramento.craigslist.org/cto/d ... 52169.html

This seems pretty darn nice... Dare I say "worth it"?

In this market, it's a decent deal. I wouldn't pay that for it, but trucks this clean seem to start at $20k all the time now.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

https://www.yahoo.com/autos/cars-highes ... 38879.html

This list is nuts some people are paying 10k over for a GLADIATOR which is already 50-60k... 70k for a fking gladiator.

$12k over in my state!!

What in the actual fuck people. I LOVED my Gladiator, but it sucks in a ton of ways. Paying that much for one is just idiotic

[max225]

for sure.

Also Original list price for a 1970 Plymouth Superbird was $4,298

If you are comparing a limited production pinnacle of the entire muscle car era that went 160 mph whilst wiping out the ozone layer with dual quad Hemi fumes to a mass produced featureless 4X4 pickup whose only outstanding feature is "outstanding reliability"............I'll let you have that one.

Twas a reference to inflation. While superturd is not my thing it is arguably a far more desirable vehicle

[ChrisoftheNorth]

If you are comparing a limited production pinnacle of the entire muscle car era that went 160 mph whilst wiping out the ozone layer with dual quad Hemi fumes to a mass produced featureless 4X4 pickup whose only outstanding feature is "outstanding reliability"............I'll let you have that one.

Twas a reference to inflation. While superturd is not my thing it is arguably a far more desirable vehicle

Depends. Real ones are so collectible and valuable now, that you'd never want to drive it. No thanks.

[max225]

Twas a reference to inflation. While superturd is not my thing it is arguably a far more desirable vehicle

Depends. Real ones are so collectible and valuable now, that you'd never want to drive it. No thanks.

Yep… hence the not my thing comment. I also think they are sort of embarrassing looking … i understand why they are the way they are but that wang is just atrocious as is the nose cone

[ChrisoftheNorth]

Depends. Real ones are so collectible and valuable now, that you'd never want to drive it. No thanks.

Yep… hence the not my thing comment. I also think they are sort of embarrassing looking … i understand why they are the way they are but that wang is just atrocious as is the nose cone

Yea, I've always appreciated what they were, but never really WANTED one.

Probably because the 68 Charger might be the best looking muscle car...ever



WAY better without the wing and nose tacked on.

That or a 69 Mustang make me



One day when the boomers are all buried, oil is gone, and we're all in pods, I look forward to picking one of these up for pennies on the dollar as garage art.

[max225]

It is interesting to see the staying power. I would argue that the FIRST FF really added jet fuel to the muscle car era back in 1999... AN ENTIRE GENERATION AGO (let that one sink in). I actually don't think boomers own these, some yes, but quite a few younger (then) dudes got into these as well and are continuing to cherish them. It is clear that these cars have transcended 3 generations now and STILL have major interest and staying power.

And wholeheartedly agree on the Charger being one the best looking muscle cars.

I also love a 440 Challenger



I also love a good bullit replica

[wap]

Dem y 's.