Endless phone interviews.  Fill out one application after another.  Found some sites that show the companies that allow dogs and what size dog.  Many of them won't even think about allowing a dog the size of Addler, but I have found a number of them that have no size restrictions.  I am busily applying at all of them - while at the same time looking for local employment and applying for whatever places I can find - which aren't that many of them.

The alleged truth came out today as to why they suddenly decided that hour cuts were the daily platter.  The temporary driver was saying he was doing 60 hours per week on his time sheets - which is a bald faced lie - and corporate got a hold of that and began questioning the general manager about hours and why are they allowing over 40?  So, allegedly, the company is saying no, no more OT. I don't doubt corporate gets on their case about OT - but - they were getting on the old manager's case the entire time I was working there and he managed to get around it.  It is highly more likely, after hearing some of the new manager's speech, that the new manager simply doesn't believe drivers should be getting paid as much as we "were" and is using this as an excuse for his agenda.

AND...if they were all-so-fired concerned about our pay, they could easily raise it if they wanted to.  There are no rules against that.  The statement now is that they are going to "see what kinds of numbers our branch produces" before they will do that.  Bunk.  It's all just games.  Dangle the proverbial carrot endlessly and see how long they will fall for it.  They already KNOW how much we produce and how much that branch produces on average.  I refuse to work for a company that will just come along and just take that kind of money away from you and give unbelievably lame, pathetic reasons as to why.  I have quit 2 jobs in the past because of it - one place I was working at for 11 years when they came along and cut our pay in half.  A Chinese company had acquired the company I was working for.  It was such a slap in the face, I quit immediately before having another job lined up.  No regrets on that one.  The other was JB Hunt, when senior management showed up at the morning meeting before drivers were sent out and told us we would be having our pay cut full four hundred dollars per WEEK. I was out of there in about 2 weeks - I did find a job before I quit and no, I did not give any advance notice.  They didn't  give ME notice about cutting my wages, they could go stick it.  One of the times that a company shafts it's employees where the company lost BIG time.  Most of the drivers quit, the company lost the contract and ended up losing millions of dollars because of it.

I will keep up this job application pace until I find something.  I've sent out at least 50 applications so far.  I could probably handle OTR on a home every 2 week basis if I had Addler with me in the truck. If not, I just don't think I could handle it.  A dog companion is better than none - especially when spending countless hours inside of a truck.  And, I would consider an OTR job a temporary thing until I eventually found/find a good local job.  The nuances of taking a dog on extended trip is something I would have to research as well, though I have a close friend that did it for decades.  I'm sure he would have some advice to give me on that one. I think he stayed at hotels a lot - something I wouldn't want to get into too much, no point in making money and then handing it out to a hotel chain.

So that's where I'm at.  Just got done with 3 applications and taking a break from it.  It got easier to do after Chrome decided to show a pop up saying all or most of this information has been saved, would you like Chrome to auto fill it?  Oh yes, yes I would!  Of course I review the information it's putting on there, it only fills the information that it has seen as a field to be entered on the form before. Still, saves so much time.  Trucking companies are desperate to fill tractors, that's a fact.  I had a dozen phone calls today and didn't answer several more. Not to mention a cache full of emails and text messages.

The weekend is here, I was sent home 3 hours early.  Which I expected. Came straight home, sat down and started looking for jobs and filling out applications.  I won't do this all weekend long, I will get annoyed with it but I expect to find at least 15 places to apply for this weekend.  But, I will also work around the yard if the weather lets up and probably finish working on the 4 wheelers, at least what I can do until I order the rest of the things I need for them.  Kinda put that on hold - I don't see any good reason to spend money I may need if I don't land a good paying job soon enough.