In The News

Veteran trucker not sure he could do anything else

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Jim Carton, a car hauler who lives in Chandler, Okla., says he’s been a trucker so long he doesn’t know if he could do anything else.

Carton is a veteran driver with more than 18 years under his belt. He’s been hauling cars for 14 years, hauling flat bed and reefer for the four years prior to that. And before he entered trucking, Carton was a heavy-equipment operator.

“I like trucking and I like car hauling the best,” Carton said. “I don’t know if I could do anything else. Car hauling is where the money is.”

Carton drives for GSTTS out of Houston where he hauls mostly Toyotas, but the company does haul some used cars and currently has a contract to haul Nissans. The auto industry is suffering with just about every other business in tough economic times, but the company owner says he’s not laying anybody off.

“We’ve got more drivers than we’ve got freight,” Carton said. “We might have to wait a day to get a load. Trucking has been hit by the auto industry suffering. You always need food, diapers, etc., but cars and trucks aren’t moving and truckers, trucking companies are hurting,” he said, adding that his company used to haul 1200-1500 vehicles a day and currently they are down to about 750.

“We’re hanging in there even though we make less money,” Carton said. “They told us they would not lay off, but they may end up having to lay off; anything can happen.”

Carton believes it takes something special to be a car hauler.

“It’s an art [car hauling] and not just anybody can do it,” he explained. “We used to haul 11 to 12 cars and now they are so heavy you can’t haul as many.

GSTTS is a great company to work for, according to Carton. He’s been with the company for a few years and said it’s the best company because the benefits are great and the family atmosphere is appealing.

All drivers at GSTTS take a Smith System driving course that teaches summer and winter driving; parking; where to park to keep trucks and loads safe; defensive driving; and more. GSTTS has a Smith simulator at its company headquarters for driver training.

One problem Carton says he finds out on the road is other drivers.

“Inexperienced drivers are a problem, 4-wheelers and truckers,” Carton said. “A lot of people have the attitude they don’t care anymore. Guys are too much in a rush.”

Carton’s company uses paperless logs so even though he admits to fudging his logbook from time to time in the past, he now likes to drive legal.

“I’m on a paperless computer log,” Carton said. “It tells me when I have to stop and puts me in violation if I go over. I’ve run down to two to three minutes. There’s no cheating on logbooks with this company. But I make plenty of money running legal. I actually like running legal.”

Carton is happy with the latest Hours of Service rules and hopes the powers that be leave them the same.

“I don’t think they need to change the rules [HOS],” Carton said. “I like taking 34 hours off and starting over. The 11 hours is nice. Our trucks just got turned back to 65 mph to save on fuel. We used to run 72-75 mph.

“We don’t like it [the speed limiter set at 65 mph]. This company hasn’t always been paperless. Then they went to a computer system now we’re on Qualcomm. I don’t have to do much once I log in. It kicks into driving at seven-tenths of a mile.”

Carton says he’s usually out a week and home most weekends, but he doesn’t mind being gone up to two weeks because he’s done it so long he’s used to it.

“I don’t really like to be out; 18 years of it is enough, but it’s a routine,” Carton said. “I gotta do what I gotta do to support my family. I make better money hauling autos. I’m tired of being gone. I’ve seen every state. “

The Trucker asked Carton if he will be in trucking the rest of his career.

“The way it looks, yes, it’s not what I want to do. As long as my body will hold up,” he said.

We then asked what he would do if he did leave trucking and he replied, “I don’t know. My girlfriend asked me that. I would like to go back to heavy equipment but they won’t pay me enough. I never thought I would be in trucking this long, but in the ‘90s the recession sent me to it and here I am.

“I guess if I could stay home I’d work on my seven acres. I’d take care of my two horses, two dogs, a cat, two alpacas, and one llama.”

Carton said they are not in the alpaca breeding business, that the alpacas are just pets. The llama is a “guard llama,” he said.

Carton has four children — with two grandchildren in California that he hasn’t even met yet.

He listed problems in the industry including too much oversight by the Department of Transportation; not enough pay-per-mile across the board; idling restrictions; and not enough places to park. But he said in order to make any changes truckers need to unite.

“Newbies and some older guys won’t shut down for a week to get changes,” Carton said. “It would take a total shutdown and we’ve got more power than the government. Everything is by truck. Everybody knows it but we can’t get enough drivers together to make a difference.

“We just need to stick together. The Teamsters have been around forever; they stick together. Drivers don’t stick together. They don’t pull over anymore to help if you’re broken down. Our own guys won’t stop for each other.

“Stop badmouthing everybody. The CB talk is just trash. That’s our society. You aren’t going to stop it. Be nice to each other. Don’t yell over the CB at other drivers. Some drivers act like they’re going to a fire. Can’t we all just get along?”

And in closing he offered some advice for drivers out there trying to make a living.

“Guys haul too cheap and it hurts everybody,” Carton said. “Don’t haul cheap freight. We don’t haul for free.”  

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