Back to Mar

When I got going, I bobtailed two hours to a Pilot station, where I showered.  I then bobtailed to the shipper.  I got the load, and drove to a scale.  It was a median weight load, and the tandems were okay where they were.  I drove out of TX, across OK, to Joplin MO, where I fueled up.

Originally, I had thought about stopping at the Flying J in Joplin.  When I got there, I realized that I had enough time to drive to the next Flying J on the way to St. Louis.  I drove to the next Flying J and stopped for the night.  When I got there I only spent a couple of hours online.  I should have stopped in Joplin, but now I expected a shorter day tomorrow.

I had all day to deliver the load I had, but had said I would be available at 1000.  Because of talking to the TL, and others, I delivered the load at 1030.  That was a mistake.  The new load had to be delivered at 0330 tomorrow.  That meant I had to get close enough to start a ten hour break at 1700, and be within 30 minutes.  It was 1115 when I got going with the load.  That gave me five and three quarter hours to drive 330 miles.  Most of the route was roads with 65mph speed limits.  Only seven miles of the route was Interstate.

I made the distance with fifteen minutes to spare.  I stopped at a Flying J less than twenty miles from the delivery.  I created this new month's page, and posted it to the Internet.

When I got up, the batteries were drained.  This meant that I was going to have to idle the truck or else my food in the cooler would go bad.  Now, some time ago, I had discovered that you can idle the truck for a while, and the idle time would not be registered during a warm up period.  I decided to do some testing.  I found that I could idle the truck for five minutes without it counting forward idle time.  I also found out that the cooler would run for over an hour, if that was the only power I used.  I did this most of the day.  It got cool enough at night to keep the food safe.  I idled the truck, and got enough of a charge to watch TV.

At some time during the afternoon, I got orders for my next load.  The load time was after 0700 tomorrow morning.  I could have driven to the shipper, but it was only an hour away, and I didn't know where I would be able to park when I got there.  I stayed at the Flying J.

I was loaded in an hour, and headed south across IA, and into MO.  At least half the drive for the day was on U.S. highways.  They weren't too bad.  The speed limit was 65mph most of the time.  And, except for Hannibal, practically no stop lights.

The routing instructions for the load did not include any fuel stops.  So, I got to pick my own stops.  Well, the only recommended fuel stop I would be getting close to was in East St Louis.  It was about two miles out of route, which is why the stupid computer program probably rejected it.  When I got there, I fueled up with less than 150 gallons, or three quarter of a tank, the least the company recommends drivers should use between fills.

I drove about another two hours before stopping for the night.  I was going to stop at this Pilot station, but the lot was full.  I drove a couple of blocks to another truck stop.  From there I walked to the Pilot to shower.

As I left the truck stop, I was presented with this image.  There was a deep ditch that you had to watch out for when making a right turn.  This guy had a problem.  With the right wheels of the trailer in the ditch, the left drive wheels of the tractor were lifted off the ground.  Although I didn't see this, I am sure that those wheels spinning, not allowing the driver to pull out of the ditch.  Have to watch those right turns.

I drove for four hours and stopped for lunch.  After lunch, I drove 30 miles to a Flying J.  I got online, and checked a few things.  I though about staying here, but I needed to stop at the Atlanta OC for fuel, plus that was about the half way point for today and tomorrow.  So I continued on.

One thing I did look up online was where a Blue Beacon truck wash was.  There was one on the Atlanta bypass, which I had to take anyway.  Two weeks ago, when I had a PM in Detroit, I was given a coupon for the wash.  I have had this truck for five weeks, and it needed a good wash when I got it.  Some OCs have wash bays, but they do not do a very good job.  I stopped at the Blue Beacon, and got a wash.  The truck really shines now.

I drove to the OC.

The loading dock was back in an alley.  I had to back up a couple hundred yards, snaking around various obstacles.  It was a while before they started unloading the trailer, but once they started, it didn't take long.  There were 26 pallets containing one large bag each of creamer.  A bag was about four feet cubed.  One bag could have had enough creamer to take care of a supper tanker of coffee.

After being unloaded, I drove about sixteen miles to pick up my next load.  The trailer I pickup needed some repair.  A place where I could have the repair done was twenty miles in the wrong direction.  But, it turns out I had to go there because it was the closest scale, and the load was heavy.

There I arranged for the repair, but it took three hours before it was worked on.  I stayed there that night.

After six hours of  driving, I stopped at the Charlotte OC.  There I fueled up, and had the lights on the trailer checked.  When I had left, there was a clearance light at the top corner out.  When the lights were checked the one that had been out was on, but others had gone out.  While the lights were being worked on, I ate lunch.  And, knowing that I wasn't going to be near anywhere else to shower, I showered.

When I left, I drove up into WV.  Along the way the weather got cooler, and rainy.  In VA and WV, the road went up into the mountains, and there I was driving in the clouded, or fog.  Once I came down out of the mountains, it cleared up.  I headed for a travel plaza where I stopped for the night  I had drive 650 miles in ten and a half hours.

I only had to go about 400 miles.  Half of the drive was on roads that were U.S. and state highways.  I arrived at the delivery at 1500.

Now, yesterday, I call the company to tell them that the trailer was in bad shape, and not suitable for loaded.  They marked it as such, today I got orders to use that trailer to get a load.  I called my TL, explained the problem, and got orders to take the trailer to an OC outside Detroit.  There I got another empty trailer, and drove to the shipper.

The load was hazardous chemicals in 55 gallon drums.  The load was going to Laredo TX, 1531 miles.  I calculated my available time, and found that if I went to Laredo, I probable wouldn't get home until the 16th, which will be/was Easter Sunday.  I called my TL again, and explained the situation.  He agreed with me.  I could have taken it to Dallas or Memphis for a relay, but was told to take it to Indianapolis.  This was probably the best as I was really tired.

I drove to Indie, fueled, dropped the trailer, showered, ate dinner, changed the sheets on the bunk, and laid down to watch TV.

Because of the fooling around with the trailers, I was twenty minutes late to the shipper.  It didn't matter.  The shipper said they were used to not having the company show up on time, and was surprised that I was that early.

There were only five pallets of products loaded into the trailer, and I was done in no time at all.  I thought that this was going to go well, and that I would get some distance in today.  However, that was just the first of two pickup points.  I drove forty miles to the second shipper.  When I got there, they were on lunch.  When I presented my order, I was told that I was suppose to have been there at 0900.  My orders said that the pickup time was anytime that day.  This shippers policy is that if you are late for an appointment, you will get loaded around others who were on time for their appointments.  I expected to be there a long time.  I called my TL to inform him that there had been a screw up.  I was sitting, and the fourteen hour clock was running.

They finished loading the trailer thirty minutes before the fourteen hours were up.  I pulled off the lot, and parked in an area on the other side of the fence.  If I wanted to, I could go at 2100 at which time I would have been sitting for ten hours.  But, I don't like driving at night.  I set the alarm for 0600, but will probably wake up earlier than that, and will leave at that time.

When I checked the information on the next load, I saw that it had a pick up time of 1200.  I could sleep in, but would waste half the day.

I drove an hour and a quarter to the shipper.  When I got there, I was told that the trailer needed to be swept out, and that I had to go off the property to do it.  The company keeps trailers in a lot near by, so I went there to sweep it out.  By the time I got back to the shipper, dropped the empty, and went to the shipping office, I was there on time.  However, I was told that the load hadn't even been started, and the trailer wasn't in a door.  I called my team leader about this because I was suppose to be home tomorrow, and at this rate, it wasn't going to happen.

My TL called customer service, and I was taken off the load, and given a different one.  At least I was going in the right direction.  I had to pick up the empty that I had swept out and dropped, and drove almost two hours north and west.  At this shipper, the load was a live load, but it was done in an hour.  It was now 1530.  I had seven hours left on both the eleven and fourteen hour rules.

I drove six and a quarter hours.  I could have driven another forty-five minutes, but I found a place to park in a rest area, and I wasn't sure if I would find a place in the next one.  Besides, I had given up on the idea of getting home tomorrow.  Even if I could have made it, there wouldn't have been anytime to doing anything.

It was about three hours to Indianapolis, and I arrived at 1145.  This gave me time to take a shower and eat lunch.  I attended that training session.  The session included lectures on safe driving, conserving fuel, and changes to macros.  It also included a ride along on a drive around the city to make sure that you drive safely, and don't run over things.

After the training session, I drove five and a half hours to the home lot, and went home for the night.

End of tour 30

I arrived at the lot before 0800.  I wanted to make some distance on this short week.  But what I got was a relay load that didn't have to be delivered until 1000, and the delivery was across the highway from the lot.  When I left, at 0930, it didn't even take me seven minutes to get there.

I was unloaded by noon, and on my way to get my next load.  It was 120 miles to get the load, and 450 miles to delivery the load.  The problem with this was that the delivery time was 0400 the next morning.  I might have gotten there in the next twelve hours, but couldn't park on the lot, and my fourteen would have been up.  I sent a note that I would deliver at 1000 the next morning.

As I was driving to the delivery, I received notes asking where I planned to stop for the night.  I was told that the company was going to try to have someone pick up the load during the night, and make an on time delivery.  Once I knew, I sent a note saying I would stop at the Flying J in Effingham IL, and that I would arrive by 2230.

I was very tired when I arrive at the Flying J.  I went to sleep almost immediately, and expected to woken up at anytime by someone there to take the trailer.  Every time I woke up, I checked for notes as to what to do.  After 0400, I figured no one was coming, and no on did.

I left at 0830, and arrived at the delivery at 0945.  I was told that the appointment had been changed for 1000.  I got right into a dock, and was unloaded by 1230.

While I was being unloaded, my next load orders came.  Finally a load with some distance, and days to get it there.  When I left, I drove four and a half hours to get the load.  There I dropped the empty I had after being unloaded earlier.  I picked up the load, and drove to another Flying J.  I made a short day of it.  I had worked 6.25 hours today, an 9.5 yesterday.  The delivery was over a thousand miles, but it could be delivered any time up to four days out.  I planned on two days.  Another reason for the short day, besides being tired, was that eight days from today will be the Friday I should get home, and if I use up 70 hours in between, I'll drive a short day that Friday.

I stopped at a flying J to send a message to support.  I was down to forty gallons of usable fuel.  I wanted to know if I should go out of route to fill up in Houston.  If I was going east after delivering the load, I could fill up then.  If I go any other direction for my next load, I don't think there was anywhere to fill up,  and I would have had to go way out of route to Houston to fill up.

I got a return to my query.  I hadn't been assigned a load, so it wasn't known which direction I would go for my next load, and should go to the Houston OC.  It is about 10-15 miles out of route, and would waste at least fifteen minutes of driving time.

I filled up, and headed to the delivery.  About a half hour down the road, I got orders for my next load.  When I had a chance to look at them, I saw that the shipper was about three miles from the Houston OC.  Thanks a lot morons.  I had wasted time and miles for nothing.

I delivered the load, and picked up an empty.  I drove about fifteen miles towards Houston, and parked for the night.  I had sent notes the last two days that I would be available for a load at 0600 on the 23rd.

 Looking at the orders closer I saw that the pick up window was from 1000 to 2400.  I thought, maybe I should get it tonight.  No, I said I would be available at 0600 on the 22rd.  But, according to the orders, I couldn't pick it up until 1000.  The order also said that pick up date was the 21st.  Maybe I could pick it up earlier.  I sent a note to support, TLs aren't in on the weekend, asking the hours that the shipper is open for pick ups.  The return note said 0001-0300, 0700-2400 Mon-Sat.  What.  Tomorrow is Sunday.  This just angered me to no end, and it carried on into night.  All I thought about was how the company was screwing me again.  It did help my nights sleep either.

I drove to the shipper, picked up the load, and got going.  The went back the way I had driven yesterday, except that when I got to Little Rock, I headed east on I40.  I stopped in West Memphis, where I fueled, showered, and stopped for the night.  It was the longest day of the tour.

After a couple of hours, there still wasn't any response, so I sent a note to my TL.  He sent back a note saying he was waiting for an answer from customer service.  Well, without information as to when I could deliver the load, I had to assume the earlier time.  I drove to the Flying J that I had planned to stop at as the best one for keeping the day short, and still make the 1100 delivery.

At the Flying J, I updated this page, and posted it to the Internet.

As I got close to the delivery, I received orders for the next load.  The load had an appointment pick up time, and an appointment delivery time.  Looking at the times, I didn't think I could make either one.  I sent a note to my TL saying so.  Now I wish I had sent a note saying that I wouldn't be available until tomorrow, as I had for the last two days, and changed it when I knew for sure.

When I got to the delivery, I was placed in a dock right away.  They were on lunch, and started unloading about a half hour after I had arrived.  While being unloaded, I check the destination of the next load.  It was not in a good area, and the road there would be slow.  Plus, I wasn't going past a fuel stop.  I hadn't realized it when I stopped last night, but there was an approved fuel stop across from the Flying J.  I should have fueled up there.  Now the next load wasn't going past any fuel stops.  I called my TL with the problem of fueling, and not being able to get to the shipper by the appointment time.  My route was changed to include the only fuel stop in the area, about forty miles out of route.

I was unloaded in two hours. This was a break.  I drove to the fuel stop, and continued on to the shipper.  The route took a U.S highway east through PA.  This road is a combination of four lane and two lane.  There were some really steep hills along the route.  At one point there was an area where the road is being widened.  With an empty trailer, I could make it up the hills okay, but a truck in front of me was crawling.  And, then we all had to stop for across traffic.

I arrived at the shipper an hour and 15 past the appointment time.  I had sent a note saying I would be an hour late, but bad directions, that didn't even come close to the shipper, cost me the other fifteen.  I called the shipper, and they got me turned around.  They also told me that every company driver that goes there, goes to the same wrong place.  They said they even called the company with corrected, detailed, instructions.

I was loaded quickly, and got going with two hours and 45 minutes left on my fourteen hours.  The route went west on a different road.  The hills were just as steep, and the load was heavy.  I was wondering if the load were too heavy.  It wasn't supposed to be any heavier than the load I delivered earlier.  Except, this was sand in bags that had been sitting outside.  I was concerned that the sand might have gotten wet.

I got to a rest area just as my fourteen ran out.  I should have stopped a half hour earlier because the truck parking in the rest area faced the highway, and passing trucks would wake me up.

After delivering the load, I drove off the lot, and found a place to park for the next six hours.  I went back to sleep, as I didn't think I got much parked on the highway.  I sleep about three hours.  I turned on the truck to activate the QualComm, and walked to the rest room.  Orders were waiting when I got back .  I was within the ten hour pick up window.  Also, the sooner I picked it up, the better, as the delivery was at 1000 CST tomorrow.  I drove back to the point I had delivered at earlier to get an empty.  I drove to the shipper, and got into a dock right away.  I was loaded in two and a half hours.

I drove to a company OC to have the trailer worked on.  The person who writes up the repair orders said it couldn't be done until later in the night.  I had wanted to get going by 1700 CST.  It looked like I would be sleeping there.  This also meant that I would have to get up at 0330 CST.  I went back to the shop to let them know that I had to have the trailer back by then.  He said they would try to bump it up.

I ate lunch, and took a shower.  After that I checked to see if the trailer might have gotten to the shop floor.  A guy at the fuel desk checked, and found that the trailer wasn't even listed for repair.  This would have been a disaster, as the load was listed as being a critical delivery.  The guy at the fuel desk called someone in the shop, and I was told to take the trailer into the express bay, and they would take care of it.  I was told there that they can do this kind of repair, but that the first shift usually would pass it on to someone else.  This could have cause a late delivery.  I should tell my TL about this.

I was only my way at 1700.  I drove two hours, and stopped at a Flying J.  There I updated this page, and posted it to the Internet.  More important, I could now sleep until 0500, after the end of the ten hour break, and the time I usually get up.

I got there in three hours.  I was a half hour early, but was put in a dock right away.  The unloading started at the appointment time, but was done in one hour.  I sent a note saying I was available.  I thought I would use up my time, and stop early.  Wrong, it was over two hours before I was told to do something.

I was told to take my empty to the Gary OC.  Along the way, I got an order to take the trailer to a shipper in La Porte IN.  The order came it just as I was approaching the road to go to La Porte.  I drove to the shipper,  was told that they didn't order a trailer, and that they don't ship.  I called my TL, and was told to take the trailer to Gary.

In Gary I dropped the trailer, and picked up a container.  I drove the container up into WI, where I dropped in at a shipper.  I only had an hour left on my fourteen, so I parked for the night. I had two hour I could have driven.  Later in the night, I received orders for a load, in the morning.

Ahead to May

My next order involved bobtailing to get a trailer, and then have it live loaded.  When I got to the trailer, the customer who had it wouldn't let it go.  I sent a note, and called my TL, because I was probably going to be late for the load appointment.  I was sent to another location for a trailer.  It wasn't there.  More time passed.  I was sent to another location, and the trailer was there.  I went to the shipper, who was only a mile away now.  When I got there, I was told that another trailer for the load was loaded and ready to go.  I swapped the trailers, and headed for my home lot.  There I dropped the load for relay, and went home.  I had only worked six and a half hours, but it took eleven hours.

End of tour 31