Found a job traveling in a van

[Zigali]

bus has to turn around dude forgot to get off...

 

[Zigali]

Finished up my Orientation on Monday picked up my new van it’s a 2017 Nissan NV2500 High Rise. I took my first load yesterday, it was only a short load but a decent one. I’m currently sitting at Walmart in Findlay OH waiting for my next load I’m number 3 in line so hopefully I’ll have another in a couple hours.

 

[Zigali]

I’m posting on Twitter @Lightshrine

 

[Minky]

How do you like so far?

 

[Zigali]

Its amazing I spent an awesome weekend here in Laredo Texas met some really great Mexican folks down at Lake Casa Blanca Park met some of the other drivers here too we all went to the lake and went swimming and grilled out and everything. Locals here are pretty good people I’ve really enjoyed it here so far.

 

[Zigali]

I keep looking for any of y’all hitching I haven’t seen a single one yet

 

[Joe Btfsplk]

I keep looking for any of y’all hitching I haven’t seen a single one yet

Zigali, don't let anyone else ride in your working van without Big Boss permission.

I've followed your expediter venture, was interested if you agreed with the lifestyle or not. Seemed an initial good fit. Don't get canned for picking up hitchhikers.

Doing such can get you into deep misery.

 

[Zigali]

Zigali, don't let anyone else ride in your working van without Big Boss permission.

I've followed your expediter venture, was interested if you agreed with the lifestyle or not. Seemed an initial good fit. Don't get canned for picking up hitchhikers.

Doing such can get you into deep misery.

Nah it ain’t no biggie that’s what the rider policy is for in my contract he doesn’t care. We are on the road so much that they know we like to have company sometimes. They just can’t drive the van.

 

[Zigali]

Zigali, don't let anyone else ride in your working van without Big Boss permission.

I've followed your expediter venture, was interested if you agreed with the lifestyle or not. Seemed an initial good fit. Don't get canned for picking up hitchhikers.

Doing such can get you into deep misery.

Also yea I think it is a good fit I love being able to see the country and meet new people and make money at the same time. Between all the drivers and locals I’ve met since I started I have majorly expanded my social circle and I’m loving it. People are so much better then the news and such tend to make us believe. I hate the news .

 

[Zigali]

Well I’ve had 3 days of non stop loads got 2 1/2 hours of sleep now I get to spend the weekend in Tulsa Oklahoma not too shabby I think . Also just got my planet fitness membership today had a nice workout and a decent shower now I’m gonna get a good nights sleep . Should get a load out of here mon or tues no telling where to maybe west maybe east maybe south to Texas who knows...

 

[Zigali]

And oh yea got my first check over $500 not too bad for a first check should go up now I’ve been taking more loads then I did that first week. It seems to be pretty profitable and lots of travel only thing is when ur on a delivery you don’t really have time to stop and check out areas u pass thru. You usually have a fairly tight schedule they try to give you extra hours sometimes you get 8 hours sometimes u get one or two hours to spare mainly depends on the length of the trip. A 1200 miles trip should net at least 6-8 hours to spare for sleep and restroom breaks and fuel stops but that doesn’t leave much for sightseeing. I do my sightseeing after I drop and am waiting for a new load occasionally I might pull off the side and take a pic of something neat but that’s really all I have time for. Weekends are slow so if you get a load out west or down south or something you’re likely gonna spend the weekend there (which I like doing) but if you’re in the Ohio Indiana Michigan area u might get loads but idk haven’t been stuck there on a weekend yet. If I think of anything else I’ll post it if u have questions about this job ask me and I’ll try to answer them maybe a couple of y’all might decide to do this too! I don’t really feel my freedom is restricted I do a little bc I don’t own my own van and I can’t really drive too far without talking to my owner but he’s pretty easy going. Also this job is pretty easy to get into if you’re thinking about it.

 

[roughdraft]

500 for approx. how much work..?

 

[Joe Btfsplk]

Zig:

Good going. You have so far adopted a lifestyle others find hardscrabble.

Questions.

When driving, where do you sleep? I doubt if you are compensated for motels. Cot in the van?

Do you have a 12-volt DC food cooler in the van? When I travel, that is a staple.

Do you rely on fast food for meals? That can wear thin after a bit.

Do you usually do back-hauls? Take a load out, bring a load back?

Do you ever load/unload?

On the rosy side of it all, I've read expediting is booming at this time due to the shortage of overall truckers. You have stepped into this quite nicely.

I'm no where near Tulsa, it would be interesting to meet sometime.

 

[Zigali]

500 for approx. how much work..?

I only made two loads that week one like 50 miles and one 1300 miles I actually made around $1000 but had to deduct for fuel and occupational accidental insurance and training fees

 

[Zigali]

Zig:

Good going. You have so far adopted a lifestyle others find hardscrabble.

Questions.

When driving, where do you sleep? I doubt if you are compensated for motels. Cot in the van?

Do you have a 12-volt DC food cooler in the van? When I travel, that is a staple.

Do you rely on fast food for meals? That can wear thin after a bit.

Do you usually do back-hauls? Take a load out, bring a load back?

Do you ever load/unload?

On the rosy side of it all, I've read expediting is booming at this time due to the shortage of overall truckers. You have stepped into this quite nicely.

I'm no where near Tulsa, it would be interesting to meet sometime.

Sleeping varies while on a load I usually only sleep a couple hours so I sleep in the front seat but if I don’t have a load I have a mattress in the back that i strap to the inside of the roof when I pickup a load.

I don’t have a electric cooler yet bc I started kinda low on cash but my cooler only goes thru I’ve like every three days so a 10lb bag in 3 days isn’t bad.

I don’t rely on fast food I have non perishable food in the storage compartments in the van and sometimes I will get fast food or if I have to go to a local restaurant for local cuisine.

The way my loads work is I’ll get a load to a certain destination and then sit and wait for my next load now sometimes before I get to that destination they will call me with a pre-plan load to somewhere else and very seldom they pre plan you when you get the first call. It’s mostly done that way bc they have to bid on loads that are posted on load boards they have to have time to find a load coming out of that area and then try to win the bid on that load.

Most expediting is no touch freight all you do is strap it down. There is what they call white glove which is loading unloading and setting up inside the destination location but only a few companies offer that and u have to be trained for it u also get paid more but that’s mostly for straight truck freight I think.

As far as expediting is booming it is but the downside is that there are lots and lots of other sprinters and cargo vans competing for available loads. Like when I was in Laredo there was 16 other sprinters in the area from my company alone, panther,XPO logistics, the damn Russians (they bid really cheap and steal our loads) and other companies also had vans down there idk how many but all three truck stops in the industrial area was full of vans and semis and str8 trucks.

Where are you located lol I will most likely be going thru there at some point.

 

[huze24]

Cool, glad you're liking it. As you get more experienced, you will be able to better manage your time spent at various stops. I've been all over this country, and often have only stopped in places for quick visits anywhere from 5 minutes to a few hours, or a day or so. You still get to see a lot of cool shit, meet people, and you're being nomadic - which is what we're supposed to do. Its better than sitting at home looking at pics/vids of those places on the interwebz, or being a hamster on a wheel stuck in a fucking cubicle with the sheeple.

As for those low bidding Russians undercutting the competition, they are running drugs (and other contraband) in those loads, which is why/how they are able to bid so cheaply.

 

[Wild Ty Laserbeam]

So it's long haul trucking but small scale? Sounds like a good job.

 

[Zigali]

Cool, glad you're liking it. As you get more experienced, you will be able to better manage your time spent at various stops. I've been all over this country, and often have only stopped in places for quick visits anywhere from 5 minutes to a few hours, or a day or so. You still get to see a lot of cool shit, meet people, and you're being nomadic - which is what we're supposed to do. Its better than sitting at home looking at pics/vids of those places on the interwebz, or being a hamster on a wheel stuck in a fucking cubicle with the sheeple.

As for those low bidding Russians undercutting the competition, they are running drugs (and other contraband) in those loads, which is why/how they are able to bid so cheaply.

It wouldn’t surprise me if they weren’t running drugs lol. I really do like to explore the areas I visit so I’m sure I’ll get more efficient

 

[Zigali]

So it's long haul trucking but small scale? Sounds like a good job.

Yep pretty much and it’s not bad at all

 

[Zigali]

Hung out with a cool kid and his dog last night found him spanging in downtown Nashville name of Flag dogs name sobaka. Hung out with him all night he’s a good kid and a good dog after he was done for the night I drove him around town to get a few things done met him at like 10:30 we was out till like 7am lol. met two more kids also but they hopped out a few mins after I got there I can’t remember their names for shit