BEING A TRUCK DRIVER IN 2024 - Rookie flatbed driver - Melton truck lines

[@ianelbert]

Not a ton of content this week so I decided to talk a little about my pay recently and answer some questions from my last video. Thanks for watching! If you want to join Melton, and support my Lamborghini collection apply here 👉 intelliapp.driverapponline.com/c/meltontrucklines?r=IanElbert

[@chuck3671]

Did Melton 6 months Good place to start

[@brandonchambers45]

I’m thinking of going there to start my flat bed career, I have 5 years experience Otr experience no flatbed though do they pay pretty good ?

[@chuck3671]

@@brandonchambers45 Good enough for me at the time. 3 weeks out 4 days home. You might check with current drivers before going.

[@daves.5365]

I like trucker path for trip planning. Can see where the truck stops are along your route and see if they are full or not when you start getting close. I wouldn't really trust google maps cause it's more for cars.....truck apps can keep you away from restrictions and low bridges... good video

[@ianelbert]

Yes good point! I use trucker path and an atlas to verify/ modify the route that google maps gives me

[@dinoroupas7243]

10 weeks @ $11,788.17 = $1,178.82ish average per week based on your driving and the pay. Comes out to about $61,298.48 per year ($0.58/mile) equals about 105,687 miles per year. It’s hard work no doubt. God First! Family Second. Work Third. Keep your head up and keep doing well! Praise Jesus Christ.

[@ianelbert]

Thanks for the encouraging words! And yeah the miles have been pretty mediocre lately, but the busy season is just about here. So the pay should steadily increase until winter rolls back around

[@cutiexvonn130]

Amen

[@aquariusn6496]

Great vid! I plan on working on Melton after CDL school. Can't wait. Keep'em coming!

[@ianelbert]

Thanks! Good luck on your journey

[@tomrubis5001]

Interesting - John Deere's from Galveston to South Dakota. Most are made in Waterloo, Iowa, but I guess JD is now making them in Mexico. The one in my garage was made in Waterloo.

[@jonfelty6063]

Hey Ian! Great story of how/what you did. Thanks for sharing your story and earnings. Roll safe out there!

[@ianelbert]

Thank you!

[@mattdarwin6497]

Jesus Christ, how long is that step deck at the beginning? Love the content brother, I start at Melton next Monday (May 6th)!

[@ItsMLorenzo]

See you there 🫡

[@Shottyaim]

I was thinking the same thing lol that thing looks 70 foot long

[@idk-gi6tr]

yooo i start my cdl training on may 6

[@Hustling_nomad]

Good luck man! I finish CDL school Friday and road test that Monday 🦾🦾

[@ianelbert]

The wide angle lens on my phone made look a lot longer lol, it’s a normal 53’. Good luck!

[@matthewborders4623]

TMC driver here brother. Get that TWIC card. You can enter ports instantly, waiting for the escorts sometimes takes forever. It’s super easy to get and comes in the mail pretty quickly. Also we use the same tablet for our ELD it’s a big upgrade from the older version and brother we get loads no matter what. Whenever we submit our empty we get another one within 15 minutes even in the middle of winter.

[@jobanyzamudio9080]

Does TMC hire out of California????

[@matthewborders4623]

@@jobanyzamudio9080 sorry for the late reply, no they don’t hire out of California. There’s not much freight for us to my knowledge that far west.

[@GirlDADart]

I’m thinking I’m going TMC next month.

[@matthewborders4623]

@@jobanyzamudio9080 no they don’t

[@matthewborders4623]

@@GirlDADart Can’t go wrong with them. Pretty good training, pay, equipment, people and management.

[@Linknelson]

How did you train on your logs and pre trips? Would be cool to see how you prep before you head out. Like do you just get your load and go, or do you plan how your going to go and where your going to stop on the way? Thanks man, great content.

[@bigtime6man184]

That influencer bonus is crazy 😅

[@williamchevalier2224]

Im bout invest in a band so i can get on that tension band work out. Main thing diet wise is lay low on the carbs

[@ip-sum]

Why avoid carvs

[@woenow-yq3mb]

Keep posting

[@bigtime6man184]

Just left Houston port I’ll take Galveston any day 😂

[@ianelbert]

I don’t think I’ve been to that one, but I can imagine it’s bad lol. Nothing involving a semi truck is fun in Houston 😂

[@ip-sum]

Is there a specific date you need to drop off a load or can I just drive for 14 solid and just drop a load off asap and just try to get another load? And do you need to utilize the entire 14 everyday?

[@hailea726]

Keep truckin man. Do melton allow you to take extended home time. I am planning to return the truck at tulsa terminal and request extended leave like 2 months? hope they would not fire me cuz i dont sinply have that much home time.

[@Landen_Ragan]

Hey man I’m currently on my third day of pre hire evaluation for melton in Tulsa which luckily I’m a local here but what would you recommend for tips and tricks to remember how to strap or chain down certain loads or do you have similar loads where you are doing the same thing over and over

[@zart3374]

Mostly similar loads. Also a few of the shippers tell you how many straps and how they want it.

[@ianelbert]

A lot of loads are similar, but they’ll all follow the same rules. You must secure for the total weight of the load, or have at least one strap every 5 feet. Each strap or chain equals 4k lbs of securement. There’s some more nuance to it, but those the most basic rules, you’ll pick up a lot more details and information over the next few days and with your road trainer

[@zart3374]

Thats crazy been with melton since February and my most miles in a week was 2400 miles. Recently been getting a bunch of short runs which waste time and work you so hard just to clear $800. Really about to quit. Not a company for new drivers i guess. Imma give it till july but dang its not looking good.

[@ianelbert]

Sorry to hear that man! This job is very seasonal, I just learned that this winter lol. The miles were terrible. I think it’ll be worth it to stick it out tho, summer is when we get a ton of miles because construction and manufacturing pick up a lot and the demand for flatbed increases

[@zart3374]

@@ianelbert yeah i hope so

[@edwinramirez1459]

Have the loads started to pick up? Or is it still dry over at melton?

[@KungPooMonkey]

When do your benefits kick in? I got screwed over by a couple of TMC recruiters. Had to learn (in a round-about way) that for me, it would be about 5 months of not having any health insurance before benefits would become available....

[@ianelbert]

I actually don’t remember for sure, but I think it’s 1-3 months. That would definitely be a question that someone in recruiting could answer though

[@renesanchez2210]

80 days I'd normal anywhere. Why is it an issue?

[@Mike-mk8do]

Hi, I just started watching your videos today. I’m getting ready to go into the truck driving school, next week and I’m wondering do you drive an automatic or a manual transmission because I am trying to decide how to be trained between two different schools. Your input is very valuable in making my decision..

[@ianelbert]

All the trucks at melton are automatic. But I do recommend you get your CDL in a manual transmission truck. That way you aren’t restricted in any way and you’ll have more opportunities if you decide to drive somewhere else

[@BPzeropoint]

Does Melton have team drivers? Congrats on not eating too much and it doesn't appear that you smoke either. I see all these obese truckers and truckers that smoke. It's amazing there aren't more drivers that just drop dead while driving trucks. I haven't driven OTR, just local Class A and B stuff, but whenever I drive long distance for personal reasons I just eat baby carrots and snap peas, hardly any calories in those and if you're just eating bc you're bored then plain veges are the way to go. Funny you spoke about real estate....I have invested in it and thought about being a realtor but I agree with you...ya gotta be an outgoing person and constantly "ON"....not for me. I'd rather just flip a house here and there. How did you like driving in the oil fields in west texas?

[@ianelbert]

Thanks for the comment! And no Melton doesn’t have team positions as far as I know. And I liked the oilfield because I was closer to home, but I didn’t like the hours. We serviced rigs/ drill sites that run 24/7 and you have to be ready to go at anytime they need you. And work was slow while I was there so I didn’t have the luxury to pick and choose what jobs/ times I wanted to work

[@andrewchavez7980]

What are benefits for Vets?

[@kevinkordzadze7654]

Hey man I’m 22, no kids , no girl, live with mom, I have a meeting Monday morning to go over a 4 week program 160 hour training to get my cdl I’m in South Carolina. Currently no bills besides I help with utilities at home. What’s the best way to stack money fast?

[@ianelbert]

The best you can do is keep your situation exactly how it is for as long as possible. If you keep your bills low and stay out of debt then you’ll be able to save almost all the money you make while driving. You can live off roughly $1k/mo if you’re otr with no bills, and if you make even just $4k/mo then you’re able to save $3k a month. Do that for just under 3 years and you have $100k. If you invest the money along the way you’ll likely get there even faster, so by 25ish you could have a really solid financial base and head start on most people your age. That’s a perfect scenario though, there will be distractions and things that come up along the way. But the best advice I can give you to stack money fast is have a plan written out, stay disciplined with your money, and work as hard as you can to learn and perform the skills necessary to earn that money.

[@curtisjohnson2433]

Buy groceries don’t eat at truck stops. If u eat out at truck stops ur going to be dropping 300-400 a week on food

[@hailea726]

And you wont pass your medical 2 years down the road because truck stop foods are expensive and junk at the same freaking time. Normally expensive is healthy but truck stop ​@curtisjohnson2433

[@nodnarbzavala3797]

Hey man, im 21. i have my cdl test this monday, and i originally did not want to go otr straight out of cdl school would you recommend it?

[@nodnarbzavala3797]

Also I forgot to ask do you recommend Melton and is there other companies that I should look into with no experience and lastly could you take a weapon with you in the cab I asked a instructor from Melton they came in to my school yesterday and he said technically you can't but if you gets stopped they cannot search your cab with out a warrant so do you know if drivers typically carry a gun in their cab? I'm just curious

[@ianelbert]

The decision to go OTR is gonna depend a lot on your life circumstances, and goals for your trucking career. It’s an amazing opportunity for someone to save a lot of money really fast, but it’s going to be difficult if you have a young family or people who depend on you to be around. You’re young tho so I’d say you should go for it if it’s something you want to do, and cut as many expenses out of your life as possible. You can live on roughly $1k/ month if you’re otr with no expenses, which could allow you to save $3-$4k/ month. As far as weapons go, Meltons policy does not allow drivers to carry firearms on the truck

[@Qnomics]

Wasup with melton how much experience you need?

[@hellbillyrj4501]

28:38 "There is no normal life, Wyatt, it's just life. Get on with it." -Val Kilmer as "Doc" Holiday, Tombstone, 1993

[@MrPrincessdlow]

You been all over rhe place 😂

[@MeanGreen210]

Those pays include taxes deducted?

[@chasegordon2120]

Tower hand. Trying to get out. Good luck bubba

[@batman6749]

Get your twic card that load to SD was going for 4400

[@sergiotrujilloargueta9580]

Do they train on flat bed?

[@ianelbert]

Yessir, 8 days of learning at the Tulsa terminal and 3 weeks with a road trainer

[@mattdarwin6497]

@@ianelbertAfter you complete your 1 week of orientation and your 3 weeks with the trainer, does Melton let you go home briefly to get the rest of your stuff before you set out in your own truck? I’m only bringing a backpack and a duffel bag with me initially since I’ll be sharing a cab with the trainer. I have plenty of other stuff I’d like to bring though once I get my own truck.

[@ianelbert]

@@mattdarwin6497 yeah once you get your truck they’ll get you a load going home if you ask them to

[@richardlopez3868]

hey bro do you want me to set you up on a way you can make the money you save work for you and grow?

[@zackanderson2298]

I got my cdl, got hired at melton, within the first few months of seeing how shitty the trucking industry is, I’m taking my cdl and going to linemen school/apprentice. Too many drivers, low load volume. Not gonna sit for 1-2 days waiting in a load not getting paid. Trucking is BS

[@NoID_Seven]

I had the same issue at swift

[@thelifeofterrell3838]

i think they start out around 30 an hour right?