Thanks guys for your help

[sickfleming]

I wanted to say thank you to all the guys who helped give me advice on my front wheel bearing replacement. Unfortunately, the managers at work said that I took too long to fix my car (2-3 days, rounding up money, buying parts, buying/borrowing tools, bearing and half shaft replacement with lots of walking) so they fired me... darn 90 day probation periods.



Oh well, off job hunting again. Thanks anyway, you guys have been a big help

[zoom zoom]

That sucks man, if I missed two days straight they would fire me, and I've been here for over 2 years. You just have to plan stuff like this in advance, especially if its your only means of transportation. One thing I've learned is that you can always count on something taking longer than you planned, and twice as long if its your first time.

Don't sweat it though, you were looking for a job when you found that one, something will turn up.

[georgeb]

Shoulda gotta junkyard unit. That knuckle rebuild is tricky, time-consuming and requires special tools. Now you have the time!

[Bert]

The job expected that you'd use your own car? Most guys in the lo-buck delivery business drive clunkers and junkers because depreciation, new and nearly new is right out of the question. An established business typically has more drivers than it needs because of routine down-time within that car pool. Certainly your not working cost them nothing!

Good life lesson here. You had a legitimate excuse and were trying your darnedest to get back on the road without a bank loan. And they sacked you anyway. Chances are they never would have treated you as any more than expendable in the long term. Outfit I drove for (auto parts supplier) 4 years ago was thoughtful enough to loan you a car (your daily rate obviously suffered; labour only and not supply plus labour) while your own was under repair. And they had on-call drivers in case there were more than two-three cars down.

Before that I worked as a mail/parcel courier for an independent. Those Fokkers (WWI bi and tri-planes!) paid solely by the mile/size and delivery and on top of that charged you weekly rental for their intercom dispatch. I cooked a Festy clutch early on and didn't drive for a week trying to do the work myself, awaiting parts and resurfacing etc. Made nothing for a week and was out of pocket a couple of hundred dollars in expenses and then got hit with the $50 mobile rental anyway! I didn't work for that outfit for very long.

[sickfleming]

Yeah...but hey, a life lesson learned and there are most likely some more on the way, so I'm not really complaining. Funny that you mention that Bert. One of the other drivers has an 03-09 Camry and it started acting up electronically when driving through the four inch thick water during a very hard rain on the Houston roads. I was driving the gf's Mercury Mystique and the power steering belt was slipping like crazy due to the water (!). I'll take my non-power steering/limited electronic Trixie any day lol.

However, since I've been canned yesterday, I came home today and took a nap to be awakened by my phone ringing. It turns out that two jobs want me!
Papa John's and CarQuest...hmmm, I'm probably going to go with the former due to tips lol

[FeistyFesti]

Hey Sickf,

I worked for Papa John's from 96 to 99 in West Houston, one of the best jobs I ever had. I think I easily made $30k a year. Where do you live in Houston? West Houston has grown so much since then, I'm sure business is booming in that area which means more deliveries and tips.

[windy1]

fired

real bummer dude. sorry to hear it. farm the car out next time,and get a loaner,till its fixed. id always put my job first. jobs are touhg to find,and even harder to keep. these are tough times.

[Pu241]

However, since I've been canned yesterday, I came home today and took a nap to be awakened by my phone ringing. It turns out that two jobs want me!
Papa John's and CarQuest...hmmm, I'm probably going to go with the former due to tips lol

Great news!

Any chance you could take both Carquest during the day PaPa John's at night?
Just a thought!

[econoaddict]

Papa John's and CarQuest...hmmm, I'm probably going to go with the former due to tips lol

The carquest drivers around here are treated like dirt and the pay is awful, ask questions before taking it, pay rate, break times, lunch time, penalties(for late deliveries) dress code...if uniforms, do they cost you etc.....

[sickfleming]

Hey FeistyFesty, the Papa John's on Chimney Rock near Richmond Ave. were the ones who called, but they were full and transferred my info to the on Hillcroft in Bellaire location. It's a bit of a drive with traffic, about 20 minutes away, but I'm going to be driving after I get there and clock in anyway so no big deal lol.
I live on the Westheimer and Voss intersection in the Galleria area.

Pu241- Maybe, but not likely. I have school during the day, and I don't want my grades suffering with college, two jobs, a girlfriend and ff.com floating around to distract me lol. I'd give myself two weeks at best

econoaddict- Yeah, I figured as much. I'd never even heard of CarQuest before I applied, so good info

[sketchman]

Somebody else told me Pizza delivery was a great gig. I never looked into it, but I may soon. Wal-Mart gets crappier by the day.

Best wishes on the hunt.

[Evel Festiva]

I took a job at a Papa Johns for about 6 months
after the economy went to shit and the construction
jobs became non-existent. It was actually a very
decent place to punch a card. Could usually pick
up extra shifts when wanted, tips were nice. and they
actually were very good about working around my
schedule when things came up short notice.
I would (will) do it again, if (when) needed.

[Larry Hampton]

Papa Johns is good pizza. Probably my favorite of the big chains.

[htchbck]

Worked for PJs for almost 5 years up until a couple months ago. And the main reason I left was to have more time at home with my wife and daughter. The pizza gig wasn't my main income, I'm a mechanic in real life, I just played pizza driver at night lol. But its a lot of fun, especially in something as gas sipping as a festiva, or as exciting as a Miata.

But I see some of these guys running around in V8 Silverados and Crown Vics and it makes me wonder how they are making any money. Also sucks for folks that have it as their only job and they have only one car, and if it breaks down they're out of work for a week. I usually tried (and still do even though I'm not working there anymore) to keep everyone's vehicles running well and when they did break I fixed 'em quick, usually right there in the parking lot lol.

I can't imagine having only one car though, I've had at least two cars at a time since I was 17, and haven't dropped below 5 running/tagged/insured cars in the last 4 years lol. So I always had a backup plan, and worst case if one of my cars suffered a catastrophic failure while I was working, I'd leave it on the side of the road with a note that I would pick it up later that night and just hitch a ride back to the house with another driver to get one of my other cars, then come back with the trailer after work and tow it home lol.

[Larry Hampton]

I also preach having a backup car.