Well this is a lot different than yesterdays plans. A while after I posted I got a call with a simple question, do I want to go to Texas? Of course I said yes, so after finishing my ten hour break last night at 1:30 AM, I headed to Cambridge, Ohio to pick up this load going to Grand Prairie, Texas. I have done this run once before and then it was a drop and hook, so hopefully this time it is as well. This was where I got the great picture of the rolled FedEx truck.
I am not due there until 18:00 tomorrow, but I will likely get it there early, just how early will depend on how tired I am when I wake up tonight. My ten hour break will be over at 12:45 AM this time around, but since I have time I may sleep a bit longer just because I can.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Youngstown, Ohio: TA
I am back again, not never left. I delivered my load this morning and then had to get some repairs done on the trailer. The repairs were my fault, I got to close to another trailer and didn't correct in time, so I bent two and broke a third hinge. My only defense is that it is a lot different backing an automatic than a manual, and it is taking some getting used to.
After I got fixed I found out that I would be doing a quick shuttle run tomorrow from Austintown to Lordstown. A bit later I found out that was off and I now have a load picking up in Cambridge, Ohio going to Prairie Hill, Texas. It will put me a little late on my first run to Spring Hill, Tennessee next week, because they are starting that plant up and using Canadian engines for now. Both is good news for me, good miles down to Texas and my regular run is back.
I had noticed the ramped up advertising for the Traverse, and that must have help with sales, because if they weren't selling the plant would just be sitting.
After I got fixed I found out that I would be doing a quick shuttle run tomorrow from Austintown to Lordstown. A bit later I found out that was off and I now have a load picking up in Cambridge, Ohio going to Prairie Hill, Texas. It will put me a little late on my first run to Spring Hill, Tennessee next week, because they are starting that plant up and using Canadian engines for now. Both is good news for me, good miles down to Texas and my regular run is back.
I had noticed the ramped up advertising for the Traverse, and that must have help with sales, because if they weren't selling the plant would just be sitting.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Youngstown, Ohio: TA
I am still about two hours away from where I deliver tomorrow morning, but had to stop for the day due to the limit of fourteen hours. This limit is how long a drivers day can last from start to finish. Once a driver logs either an on duty or a driving event (though on duty is always first for a pretrip) that fourteen hour clock starts ticking, and your day is legally over when it is done. So starting at sic this morning makes me need a ten hour break starting at eight tonight. I just squeaked into here with about 7 minutes to spare.
Tomorrow I will be able to start my day at 6 AM, will need to actually, to hopefully deliver by 8 AM. Then we will see how long it takes to get the next load, hopefully quickly, and crossing fingers on west and far.
Tomorrow I will be able to start my day at 6 AM, will need to actually, to hopefully deliver by 8 AM. Then we will see how long it takes to get the next load, hopefully quickly, and crossing fingers on west and far.
Nunica, Michigan
Well I have a load, and it was one of those get there faster than we sent you the load loads. I got the message at 11:30 and needed to get there before noon, well I go there at 12:15 and they are loading me now for Saxonburg, Pennsylvania. Since my computer is down I have no idea when this load is due there, but will find out shortly.
Holland, Michigan: Walmart parking lot
Well I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, I am empty and have no next load. I also apparently have a fried onboard computer. With this new truck I have a new system, rather than Qualcomm it is a Geologic. It tracks more data and seems to be better than Qualcomm, but there are very few trucks in the fleet with it, and it doesn't sound like they will be getting more of them. Anyway, the computer is not hooking up with any network and is not responding to key presses. It also seems to be resetting itself every now and then. So next time I am through a shop I will have to have someone take a look. Otherwise I will have to do everything by phone.
Actually since I have my laptop, I might be able to get some of it by email. I will have to give that a try.
Actually since I have my laptop, I might be able to get some of it by email. I will have to give that a try.
Ionia, Michigan: Pilot
When I got out of the truck this morning, I was treated to the lovely aroma of cattle. Somewhere down wind of here, there is definitely a farm with cattle on it. Last night the wind must have been blowing a different direction.
The showers here are much like the parking lot, small. They also had fairly weak water pressure, and smelled like they were off of a well system. They were very clean though, which makes up for a lot.
Nothing else going on, just killing some time till I can roll at 6:15.
The showers here are much like the parking lot, small. They also had fairly weak water pressure, and smelled like they were off of a well system. They were very clean though, which makes up for a lot.
Nothing else going on, just killing some time till I can roll at 6:15.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Ionia, Michigan: Pilot
This Pilot is one of the smallest I have ever been at. I think there are actual parking spots for ten trucks here, the rest are just scattered around. It is however the closest truck stop to where I deliver in Holland, Michigan, tomorrow morning. I could have driven all the way to the consignee tonight, but without knowing the parking situation it is better to do a good part of the driving today and have about an hour drive tomorrow morning.
This past week I haven't made any posts for a simple reason, I wasn't out driving. Considering the weather this little unplanned vacation worked out well for me. Now Monday I piked up a load in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Since it didn't deliver in Taylor, Michigan until Tuesday afternoon, I had plenty of time to stop in Perrysburg, Ohio, and sleep at home. After backing the truck into a spot in the terminal, I finally had the clutch do what it did on occasion on the road, refuse to engage. Fortunately there was a mechanic on duty, so I was able to show him the problem, and the verdict was in, the truck needed a new clutch. Tuesday morning I found out that that repair would not be a priority so I would have to change trucks. I had a choice of an automatic that was a bit dirty and a manual transmission that looked like someone had spewed dip all over the center console. I took the automatic.
Since I was having to change trucks, I emptied mine out that day and made arrangements with the terminal manager to be able to get in the garage on Wednesday to clean out my new truck. I also found some issues with it during my trip so it ended up spending the night in the garage after being worked on. Which meant it wasn't buried in the snow we had on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Wednesday afternoon, I headed over to the terminal and took about fours hours cleaning the interior of the truck. I started with TSP, and then redid the entire thing using Scrubbing Bubbles. Weird as it may sound, Scrubbing Bubbles work great cleaning dirty vinyl. I won't go into how nasty the water was in the bucket each time I emptied it out, lets just leave it at I used four buckets and threw out four previously white detailing towels.
After getting the interior in shape, I took advantage of being inside to give the truck a really good looking at, and found one of the rear wheel seals was just starting to go, that got fixed Thursday morning. I also got a call from dispatch about a load that picked up close on Thursday and delivered Friday in Indiana, about three hundred miles away. Thinking about it, and their recent track record, I called her back and rejected the load. I just didn't feel like sitting over the weekend three hundred miles from home for no good reason. She understood, and made the planning people understand as well, at least that was the way it was told to me. Now rejecting a load is something a driver is allowed to do at this company, but it isn't something you want to do if at all possible. First a note is place in your file, so permanent record time here. Your dispatcher will remember the fact that you rejected a load, and if they are looking for drivers to get rid of, it can come up on the negative side. I felt I had a good enough reason and record to be able to survive doing this, this one time. I don't think that this issue will come up because unless I end up mechanically stuck in Toledo again, I shouldn't be stuck with leaving the area at the end of the week.
I did end up working on Friday, driving a day cab along with another driver, out to West Middlesex, Pennsylvania. We then were able to grab a truck with a sleeper to take back to Toledo. The worst part is that the one we brought back had just been serviced, and was almost immaculate inside. I could have moved right in, but I had already done so much to this truck, the effort would not have been worth it.
Which brings us back to tonight and delivering tomorrow morning in Holland. Hopefully I will be able to get moving right away, or at least that day. There really are no truck stops around there so I really don't want to have to sit around to long. If I do, you can bet it will end up here. If I don't it will end up here as well, it just might take longer.
This past week I haven't made any posts for a simple reason, I wasn't out driving. Considering the weather this little unplanned vacation worked out well for me. Now Monday I piked up a load in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Since it didn't deliver in Taylor, Michigan until Tuesday afternoon, I had plenty of time to stop in Perrysburg, Ohio, and sleep at home. After backing the truck into a spot in the terminal, I finally had the clutch do what it did on occasion on the road, refuse to engage. Fortunately there was a mechanic on duty, so I was able to show him the problem, and the verdict was in, the truck needed a new clutch. Tuesday morning I found out that that repair would not be a priority so I would have to change trucks. I had a choice of an automatic that was a bit dirty and a manual transmission that looked like someone had spewed dip all over the center console. I took the automatic.
Since I was having to change trucks, I emptied mine out that day and made arrangements with the terminal manager to be able to get in the garage on Wednesday to clean out my new truck. I also found some issues with it during my trip so it ended up spending the night in the garage after being worked on. Which meant it wasn't buried in the snow we had on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Wednesday afternoon, I headed over to the terminal and took about fours hours cleaning the interior of the truck. I started with TSP, and then redid the entire thing using Scrubbing Bubbles. Weird as it may sound, Scrubbing Bubbles work great cleaning dirty vinyl. I won't go into how nasty the water was in the bucket each time I emptied it out, lets just leave it at I used four buckets and threw out four previously white detailing towels.
After getting the interior in shape, I took advantage of being inside to give the truck a really good looking at, and found one of the rear wheel seals was just starting to go, that got fixed Thursday morning. I also got a call from dispatch about a load that picked up close on Thursday and delivered Friday in Indiana, about three hundred miles away. Thinking about it, and their recent track record, I called her back and rejected the load. I just didn't feel like sitting over the weekend three hundred miles from home for no good reason. She understood, and made the planning people understand as well, at least that was the way it was told to me. Now rejecting a load is something a driver is allowed to do at this company, but it isn't something you want to do if at all possible. First a note is place in your file, so permanent record time here. Your dispatcher will remember the fact that you rejected a load, and if they are looking for drivers to get rid of, it can come up on the negative side. I felt I had a good enough reason and record to be able to survive doing this, this one time. I don't think that this issue will come up because unless I end up mechanically stuck in Toledo again, I shouldn't be stuck with leaving the area at the end of the week.
I did end up working on Friday, driving a day cab along with another driver, out to West Middlesex, Pennsylvania. We then were able to grab a truck with a sleeper to take back to Toledo. The worst part is that the one we brought back had just been serviced, and was almost immaculate inside. I could have moved right in, but I had already done so much to this truck, the effort would not have been worth it.
Which brings us back to tonight and delivering tomorrow morning in Holland. Hopefully I will be able to get moving right away, or at least that day. There really are no truck stops around there so I really don't want to have to sit around to long. If I do, you can bet it will end up here. If I don't it will end up here as well, it just might take longer.
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